Man pleads not guilty to long list of child porn charges 2265t

Country singer, songwriter to perform 4z2z53

VW independent staff

The sound of country music is scheduled to fill Fountain Park Friday night.

Britnee Kellogg will perform Friday night, as part of the Feel Good Fridays summer concert series at the park. Kellogg is a country singer and songwriter based in Nashville and has shared the stage with artists like Blake Shelton, Eric Paslay, Lee Brice, Kane Brown, Little Big Town, and Keith Urban.

An alum of American Idol (seasons 11-12), fans may also know her songs, “Back of My Mind” which has over 19 million TikTok impressions, and debuted at No. 4 on the iTunes charts, or “Hey Mama,” which currently has over 18 million TikTok impressions.

The free concert will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Ohio police training getting an overhaul 511u6l

VW independent staff/submitted information

COLUMBUS — Ohio will usher in the most comprehensive overhaul of law enforcement training in decades when training academies next month begin teaching an updated curriculum that prioritizes modern-day policing issues.

“We’re giving Ohio’s peace officers what they need to do their job – real-world tools and the training to handle the toughest calls,” said Attorney General Dave Yost, whose office encomes the standards-setting Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission (OPOTC). “This isn’t just reform — it’s a significant investment in the future of policing in Ohio.”

The changes reflect the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Future of Police Training, which Yost commissioned in 2023.

Effective July 1, academies will introduce the updated curriculum that is mandatory by January 1, 2026. The changes reflect the task force’s vision for a modernized, skills-based officer training program.

Under the current OPOTC curriculum, a cadet must take a minimum of 740 hours of training to obtain certification. Within that curriculum, however, the task force found that some courses being taught did not add sufficient value to a new officer’s basic education.

Incoming cadets to any Peace Officer Basic Training (POBT) academy will now see 72 hours of outdated curriculum replaced with practical, high-stakes training tailored to today’s law enforcement environment, including new courses on active shooters and threat response, critical decision-making, crisis mitigation and de-escalation, communications and mediation, and incident debriefs.

Courses removed or reclassified (72 hours total):

• Blue Courage (16 hours): Post-graduation offering
• First Aid, R, AED (8 hours): Online prerequisite
• ICS/NIMS (8 hours): Online prerequisite
• NHTSA Speed Measuring Device (40 hours): Post-graduation elective

Bill addresses imitation meat, egg products 5u4d4s

VW independent staff/submitted information

COLUMBUS — State Representatives Roy Klopfenstein (R-Haviland) and Jack Daniels (R-New Franklin) have announced that the Ohio House has ed House Bill 10 – legislation to protect Ohio consumers from inaccurately labeled imitation meat and egg products. 

House Bill 10 will require companies to clearly brand food as either an agricultural food product or manufactured food product, removing companies’ ability to sell misbranded manufactured or fabricated meat or egg products as legitimate meat or egg products.

“HB 10 protects Ohio consumers by ensuring label transparency when they go to the grocery store to buy meat for their families,” Klopfenstein said. “Every Ohioan deserves to know what is in their meat. I want to extend a special thanks to the hardworking Ohio farmers who supply the dinner tables, school cafeterias, and restaurants across the Buckeye State.” 

“We are taking a clear step toward transparency in food labeling and protecting Ohio’s consumers and agricultural producers,” said Rep. Daniels. “This bill ensures that families know exactly what they’re putting on the dinner table, while ing the integrity of our state’s meat and egg industries. I’m proud to stand with Ohio’s farmers”

House Bill 10 now goes to the Senate for further consideration.

Downtown tour offered in Paulding 70341g

Submitted information

PAULDING – Learn more about the Paulding downtown historic district by touring three business buildings at a free progressive after-hours on Tuesday, June 24.

Community Revitalizing Paulding (CoRP) is organizing the event, which is set to begin at 4:30 p.m. at Holly, Wood & Vine on the west side of the square. The hosts are owners Holly and Robert Davis. The public is welcome to attend.

Following a brief presentation and refreshments, the after-hours will proceed to the nearby Fuel Good Energy for a similar program. The host is Keylei Young.

The event will conclude at the newly opened Buy the Book used bookstore around the corner on Perry Street. The hosts are of the Friends of the Paulding County Carnegie Library.

The first After-Hours in February was a big success, drawing more than 50 people to three renovated buildings.

of CoRP’s Wednesday History Group, which researched all the district’s buildings as part of the historic district application process, is helping to coordinate this series of After-Hours. They are developing brochures for each of the three locations, containing vintage and new photographs with interesting information.

CoRP is raising funds to install two unique signs marking the Downtown Historic District, designated last spring by the National of Historic Places. The signs will make ersby aware that they are entering the Historic District as they approach the downtown on U.S. 127 from the north and south.

CoRP is working with Ohio’s Sewah Studios, which creates the state historical markers, to design the two signs. Each metal plaque will measure 18 inches wide by 24 inches tall and be mounted on an aluminum post. The total cost for manufacturing and delivery is approximately $5,000. CoRP must have the funds before ordering the signs.

Western Buckeye ESC board to meet 5l626w

Submitted information

PAULDING – The next Western Buckeye Educational Service Center’s next Governing Board meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, in the ESC conference room at 835 N. Williams St., Paulding.

Student-built house to be sold this month 4w5r71

VW independent staff/submitted information

A newly constructed home at 301 E. Second St., Van Wert, is set to go to public auction at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 21. The auction will mark the completion of a two-year construction project led by the carpentry students at Vantage Career Center.

The project, a partnership between Vantage and the Van Wert County Land Reutilization Corporation, provided hands-on learning opportunities for students in the carpentry and electricity programs. Work on the 1,568 square-foot house began in the fall of 2023 and wrapped up this spring.

The collaboration not only allowed students to gain experience in real-world job settings, but also gave them the chance to connect with local construction professionals and potential future employers.

Inside, prospective buyers will find a modern open-concept layout filled with upgraded finishes. The kitchen includes quartz countertops, a five-foot island with a 38-inch deep surface and custom cabinetry crafted by Vantage carpentry students. These custom cabinets feature Shaker-style doors, rollout trays for ease of use, and a custom pantry.

Quartz countertops are also installed in the laundry room and bathrooms, adding a cohesive, high-end touch throughout the home. Both bathrooms include double-bowl tops, offering convenience and space for busy households. With luxury vinyl flooring throughout and plenty of storage, including spacious closets, the home is designed for modern living.

“This is a prime example of how education and community partnerships can come together to create something meaningful,” Vantage Career Center Superintendent Rick Turner said. “It’s not just a house, it’s a launch pad for student success and an asset to our local housing market.”

VWAEDC schedules annual meeting 623k71

Submitted information

The Van Wert Area Economic Development Corporation (VWAEDC) has announced its annual meeting, which is scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday, June 16, in the community room at Vantage Career Center. Attendees should enter through Door No. 14. The meeting is open to the public and promises to provide a comprehensive review of the past year’s activities and a preview of initiatives.

A highlight of the evening will be the hip and nomination form process for an at-large board position open to all VWAEDC . This position carries a two-year term and is a critical role within the organization. Interested should the VWAEDC office for a nomination petition. The VWAEDC board includes city and county officials, appointed positions, and two at-large positions, ensuring diverse representation and leadership.

Community interested in attending the meeting or participating in the organization are encouraged to the VWAEDC. hips cost $5 per year, which includes voting privileges and a quarterly newsletter. hip inquiries and RSVPs for the meeting can be directed to [email protected], by calling 419.238.2999, or by visiting the office at 140 E. Main St., Van Wert.

The VWAEDC looks forward to welcoming both current and prospective to this important event.

Grant money awarded for recycling efforts 3p4n5t

VW independent staff

31 governments, businesses, schools, and nonprofits in northwest Ohio will share $1.2 million in Recycle Ohio grants. Funding will provide litter prevention and cleanup programs, education and outreach, scrap tire collections, recycling market development, and expansion of recycling facilities and infrastructure.

The Van Wert Solid Waste Management District is one of the recipients on the list. VWSWMD has been awarded $66,187 for recycling equipment. In addition, the t Solid Waste Management District of Defiance, Fulton, Paulding and Williams counties was awarded $39,758 for it’s materials recovery facility, while the Village of Mendon will receive $13,900 for drop off recycling.

Statewide, Ohio EPA is issuing more than $5.9 million in grant funding to 147 recipients, with more than $2.9 million specifically for community and litter prevention programs.

New task force fights retail theft 645w2r

VW independent staff/submitted information

PERRYSBURG TOWNSHIP — The recent arrests of two suspected fraudsters mark the first success of a new task force created to thwart organized retail theft, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn and Perrysburg Township Police Chief Matt Gazarek announced on Tuesday.

“Organized retail theft victimizes the entire marketplace, from the merchants and producers to the consumers who are impacted by rising costs,” Yost said. “And this is just the beginning – kudos to Sheriff Wasylyshyn and Chief Gazarek for spearheading these efforts.”

On May 28, investigators with the Northwest Ohio Regional Retail Crime Task Force arrested James Haley, 30, of Columbus, and Shondel Tyshon Smith, 27, of Reynoldsburg, on fifth-degree felony charges of identity fraud and forgery.

The arrests followed a tip from a local Walmart reporting potential gift card fraud. Investigators arrested the suspects and located multiple gift cards that had been purchased with credit card information belonging to a victim in Florida. Authorities also seized a laptop and several payment cards. The investigation is ongoing.

“The apprehension and arrest of these two individuals is exactly the reason for a task force such as this,” Chief Gazarek said. “Many victims of credit card fraud don’t even realize their information has been compromised until it’s too late and charges are racked up in schemes like these two were doing. It’s our purpose and goal to bring down the fraud organizations that are coming to our area not only from different parts of the state but often times from out of state to commit retail crimes.”

The task force was established following the enactment of the Fight Organized Retail Crime and Empower Law Enforcement Act earlier this year. Among other things, the law, co-written by Yost’s office, authorizes the creation of law enforcement collaboratives to investigate organized retail theft – a crime that costs Ohio businesses upwards of $2 to $3 billion annually.

The crime typically involves groups stealing large amounts of merchandise from multiple stores and selling the items for profit. To offset the losses, some retailers have little choice but to raise prices.

The Northwest Ohio Regional Retail Crime Task Force is formed under the attorney general’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission.

Legal times, dates for fireworks 331g3q

VW independent staff

Summertime in Ohio usually means fireworks on certain dates and during certain local celebrations, but those are usually commercial shows. Three years ago, Ohio’s fireworks law changed, allowing residents 18 and over to legally discharge 1.4G consumer grade fireworks, but only on specific dates and times. Here is the list of dates and times:

• Juneteenth (4 p.m.-11 p.m. June 19)
• July 3, 4, and 5 (4 p.m.-11 p.m.)
• Labor Day weekend (4 p.m.-11 p.m.) (first Monday of September and the Saturday and Sunday immediately preceding that Monday)
• Diwali (4 p.m.-11 p.m.)
• New Year’s Eve (4 p.m.-11:59 p.m.)
• New Year’s Day (12 a.m.-1 a.m.; 4 p.m.-11 p.m.)
• Chinese New Year (4 p.m.-11 p.m.)
• Cinco de Mayo (4 p.m.-11 p.m.)
• Memorial Day weekend (4 p.m.-11 p.m.) (last Monday in May and the Saturday and Sunday immediately preceding that Monday)

Even though state law allows consumers to discharge 1.4G fireworks on the above dates and times, political subdivisions (villages, cities, townships and counties) can ban the use of fireworks within their boundaries. They can also restrict the dates and/or times that fireworks can be used by consumers within their boundaries. To date, no municipality in Van Wert County has banned or restricted fireworks.

1.4G fireworks include firecrackers, bottle rockets, and roman candles.