News Staff A white gunman who opened fire inside a Walmart in Ohio…wounding four people before killing himself…may have been motivated by racist extremism, the FBI says. Four shoppers…two Black women, a white woman and a white man…were wounded in the attack at the Walmart in Beavercreek, just days before Thanksgiving. Evidence, including journal writings, show the … Read more
Two people are hurt…and powerlines knocked down…after a crash in southern DeKalb County. Deputies respond to the intersections of C.R. 68 and C.R. 35 for the two vehicle accident. At the scene…they find two minivans…with heavy damage. A preliminary investigation determines…one van, driven Justina Murray, 37, was heading east on C.R. 68. She was stopped … Read more
The Bryan Board of Public Affairs is presented with the Bryan Municipal Utilities proposed budgets for 2024. On the electric side, operations and management shows a total of $21 million dollars in revenue, with $20 million of that coming from charges for service. Electric expenses are being proposed at $19.2 million total, with $10.5 million … Read more
The Williams County Board of Elections certifies the results of this month’s election, resulting in no changes to outcomes. The board had two meetings Tuesday, one in the morning involved certifying the provisional ballots cast in the Nov. 7 General Election. Officials say…they had a total of 163 provisional ballots, but the board had to … Read more
Backers of a proposal to change Ohio’s troubled political mapmaking system will finally be able to start gathering signatures, after clearing a second round of state approvals this week. Citizens Not Politicians now has until July 3 to collect roughly 414,000 signatures required to put its constitutional amendment before voters in November 2024. Supporters are … Read more
The office of Ohio’s Republican attorney general says it has appointed an outside law firm to investigate a Democratic state representative…amid claims the lawmaker engaged in a pattern of erratic and abusive behavior toward other legislators, staff and constituents for months. The investigation into Rep. Elliot Forhan, a Cleveland-area lawyer who was elected to the … Read more
A Defiance woman…charged with intimidation and retaliation…pleads not guilty, in a Williams County courtroom…at a pretrial hearing. Samantha Smith, 38, appeared via video. The court found she is indigent and appointed counsel for her defense. She was released on her own recognizance…as long as she stays at a particular address in Defiance …and not relocate…without … Read more
A five-day jury trial is set for a Bryan man facing charges of murder, rape and kidnapping. A pretrial conference for Sammy Celestine was held in Williams County Common Pleas Court. The judge set a hearing for oral arguments on all pending motions for Jan. 4th. He set aside one hour for the final pretrial … Read more
The Williams County commissioners continued 2024 budget preparations, by meeting with staff from OSU Extension of Williams County. Staff presented the commissioners with two different budgets, one with staff and operations as it currently is…and another with a Family and Consumer Sciences educator added. The commissioners were told the extension cabinet gave approval to move … Read more
Some state parks can be fracked in Ohio, that’s the decision made by a government commission…despite an ongoing investigation into claims of possible fraudulent support by an industry group that represents energy companies. During a raucous meeting attended by many fracking opponents, the Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission OK’d several parcels for fracking … Read more