ADA — Through her many roles as the administrative assistant in Ada, Angela Polachek has gotten the opportunity to meet individuals not only from Ada and Hardin County, but from throughout Ohio. The role of administrative assistant carries with it several responsibilities in different areas, like working in the departments of personnel, safety and project management.

With Earth Day on Sunday kicking off Earth Week, students at Kenton Elementary School on Monday learned about the lifecycle of trees and cartons, and were given their own trees to plant at home. The program from Graphic Packaging International called TICCIT (pronounced “ticket”) – Trees into Cartons, Cartons into Trees – had employees of GPI of Kenton teaching students about the benefits of recycling, how paper is made and why trees are important to the Earth’s lifecycle.

Kenton Police Chief Dennis Musser asked the community to be patient while Saturday morning’s arson fires are investigated. Speaking at Monday’s City Council meeting, he said, “I understand that people are upset and worried.”

Veterans who commit crimes could get help instead of jail time through a program proposed for Hardin County Municipal Court. Judge Greg Grimslid, during his annual report to Kenton City Council on Monday night, said he is looking into creating a specialty docket to establish the Veterans Court.

MOUNT BLANCHARD — The Riverdale Board of Education took care of numerous personnel issue and several other items during its regular meeting on Monday night. The board approved three-year administrative contracts for Dr. Julie Greer, elementary principal; Susan Cole, school nurse; Tina Weber, cafeteria supervisor; and Duane Brodman, maintenance supervisor.

The streets of southern Kenton were a beehive of activity early Saturday morning as firefighters from 10 departments battled four separate arson fires in the area. Two of the homes were occupied, one was vacant and the fourth home was empty as the renters were in the process of moving.

For 48 years the home of Gladys Adkins was a gathering place for the family and community. Her grandkids would go there to catch a nap after school.

Cheryl Buckland, a Republican candidate for the 83rd House District in Ohio, said she has not encouraged the involvement of any political action committees (PACs) in her campaign. That followed the release of more radio ads and mailings attacking the conservative credentials of her opponent, Jon Cross of Kenton.

ADA — In the past five years, Hardin County has taken strides in dealing with the opiate epidemic through treatment, yet there is still much to be done, a panel of local leaders told Ohio Northern University students on Friday. State Rep. Robert Cole Sprague, Hardin County Prosecutor Brad Bailey and Sheriff Keith Everhart presented their views on the local effort to curb the crisis in a program at the Pettit School of Law in the college’s moot courtroom.

The largest conservative organization in the United States is challenging the latest radio ads and mailings attacking the conservative credentials of Jon Cross of Kenton, a Republican candidate for the 83rd House District in Ohio. The American Conservative Union (ACU), in a letter from David Safavian, general counsel, has sent a cease and desist letter to the political action committee behind the ads, the Conservative Alliance PAC.