Flood Watch issued September 20 at 1:07PM EDT until September 21 at 8:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)
* WHAT...Flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible.
* WHERE...Portions of Indiana, including the following counties, Dearborn, Fayette, Franklin, Ripley, Union and Wayne and Ohio, including the following counties, Adams, Auglaize, Brown, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Darke, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Highland, Hocking, Licking, Logan, Madison, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Pickaway, Pike, Preble, Ross, Scioto, Shelby, Union and Warren.
* WHEN...From 7 PM EDT this evening through Monday morning.
* IMPACTS...Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - Showers and thunderstorms producing heavy rain will impact the area overnight. Rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are expected with locally higher amounts. The heavy rain combined with saturated ground will lead to potential flash flooding.
Flood Warning issued September 20 at 1:05PM EDT until September 21 at 8:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)
...Forecast flooding changed to Minor severity and increased in duration for the following rivers...
St. Marys River at Rockford.
* WHAT...Minor flooding is forecast.
* WHERE...St. Marys River at Rockford.
* WHEN...Until Monday morning.
* IMPACTS...At 13.0 feet, State Route 117 near Route 118 north of Rockford is water-covered and closed.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 12:40 PM EDT Sunday the stage was 13.0 feet. - Forecast...The river is expected to rise to a crest of 13.0 feet this afternoon. It will then fall below flood stage just after midnight tonight. - Flood stage is 13.0 feet.
Today 80° Today 80° chance 61° 61° likely Tomorrow 66° Tomorrow 66° chance 58° 58° slight chance
Wednesday, July 26th, 2017

Mendon mayor thanks students, other volunteers for their service

By Cheryl McKirnan
MENDON - Mayor John Boroff at Tuesday's village council meeting thanked local vacation Bible school students and other volunteers for their community service.
Youths, ranging in age from 3-18, along with their teachers and Church of God and the United Methodist Church congregation members trimmed low-hanging tree branches throughout the village, trimmed roses on public property and cleaned the Mendon Union School Memorial Park.
"It was a group effort, the kids worked really well together, and we appreciate their beautification efforts," he said.
In other news, several residents who had experienced flooding after last weekend's rains voiced concerns about runoff and how flooding issues can be solved. After a lengthy discussion covering various options such possibly routing water away from the village and to the St. Marys River, council member Pete VanArsdel suggested looking into line scoping to locate possible problems.
"Following the scoping, we will have a better idea of the magnitude of the problem," he said.
Council members can then look into how to pay for any repairs after a problem is identified.
Residents presented preliminary findings through observation and researching the Ohio Revised Code and Ohio drainage laws for urban and rural properties. Village officials will also contact The Mercer County Soil and Water district and the Mercer County commissioners.
Also on Tuesday, members,
• agreed to examine the zoning map to determine any possible boundary inaccuracies involving land claimed to be within the village limits but actually part of the township.
• commended property owners for improvements to homes and lots.
• learned from Boroff that the responsible parties in a parking dispute will be notified of the village's law requiring vehicles to be parked no more than 12 inches from the curb. They also learned a minimum of 12 feet must be allowed for vehicles to pass a parked vehicle.
• approved the purchase of two benches made from recycled plastic at a cost of $200 each. Residents have saving plastic bottles and their caps for the Bottle Cap to Benches Project.
• agreed to look into the cost of painting, repairing and/or moving trash bins to avoid the cost of purchasing new ones.
• were asked by Boroff to volunteer to help pick up fallen limbs around town. He asked they work for two sessions of less than one hour each.
• agreed to change future meeting times from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Additional online story on this date
CELINA - Surrounded by family and county officials, James Rhodes of Celina on Tuesday afternoon was publicly honored for serving 22 years on the Mercer County Veterans Service Commission. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
Rockford man discovers significance of oddly shaped tree
ROCKFORD - When Steve Sheets was a child, he liked to play on an abnormally shaped tree he found in the woods while squirrel hunting.
Recently Sheets came across an online story about Native American trail markers and realized these markers were similar to the tree from his childhood.
Minster
MINSTER - Homeowners on State Route 119 between State Route 66 and Canal Road soon could be paying to have sidewalks installed.
Village council mem
ST. MARYS - The St. Marys Arts Place was one of more than 260 mid-sized organizations to receive an Ohio Arts Council sustainability grant.
Arts Place Inc. CEO Eric Rogers on Monday afternoon said he "was pleased" the organization will receive $17,784, roughly $1,500 more than in 2016.
LFA members sign pact
CELINA - Lake Facilities Authority board members have turned over management of the Prairie Creek and Coldwater Creek treatment trains to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
COLDWATER - Mercer County Community Hospital officials invite the public to take part in the West Wing expansion's "topping out" ceremony as steel placement in the project continues on schedule.
Warrior Challenge is new feature
Celebrating its 165th anniversary in 2017, the Auglaize County Fair packs a lot of tradition and plenty of new surprises.
"This has to be one of the oldest continually occurring events in the county," fair manager Fred Piehl said.
CELINA - The way Grand Lake's pitchers were performing, the offense could just bide its time to come back against Southern Ohio.
The Mariners tied