DUNKIRK — The Village of Dunkirk currently suffers from recurring flooding issues on the north end due to an undersized culvert just east of U.S. 68 in the 1,600 block. Assistant Hardin County Engineer Luke Underwood spoke with council about the issue at its regular meeting on Monday. Underwood noted that the culvert is located outside of the village on a ditch the county maintains next to an Ohio Department of Transportation right-of-way.

Mark Watkins is the new president of the Kenton Board of Education. He was elected to the post at the board’s reorganizational meeting on Monday night. Doug Carmean will serve as vice president.

A substitute teacher or classroom assistant recruitment fair is slated Wednesday at the Kenton Board of Education office in the former Oaklief building. Superintendent Jennifer Penczarski reminded people about the training session at Monday night's Kenton school board meeting. The event, which will run from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., is sponsored by the Midwest Regional Educational Service Center, which is recruiting substitutes for all schools in the county.

ALGER — It took a while for the Alger council to be called to order Monday night. Mayor Von Summa did not attend the session due to a family situation and council president Ethan Hunt was late for the meeting. With four members present, there was no one present with authority to call the meeting to order.

In just her third month overseeing membership at the Hardin County Family YMCA, Jennifer Moore has enjoyed her role in helping to increase numbers. Jennifer has been with the YMCA for just over a year, originally starting at the front desk in November of 2017 before taking over membership responsibilities one year later.

It has been 55 years since a resident of Hardin County has served in the Ohio General Assembly. Jon Cross will change that on Monday when he takes the oath of office officially to represent the 83rd District in the Ohio House of Representatives at the statehouse in Columbus.

A Kenton woman was placed on community control for five years after she pleaded guilty to four counts of possessing heroin in a case heard in Hardin County Common Pleas Court. According to court records from Prosecutor Brad Bailey's office, Amanda L. Alberding, 10018 TR 225, Kenton, also was fined $100 by Judge Scott Barrett on each of the four charges for total fine of $400.

RIDGEWAY — A rural Ridgeway family lost nearly all their possessions in a morning fire on New Year's Eve morning, but said they are grateful no one in the large family was injured in the fire. Donna Patterson said Tuesday one of her sons smelled smoke about 7 a.m. Monday and woke her and her husband, Jeff. He thought at first that a lamp in his room had gotten too hot, she said, but the structure at 15151 TR 206, about two miles north of Ridgeway, quickly filled with smoke and the family of eight rushed to get out of the burning home.

Each year the Kenton Times staff votes on the top stories of the year. This year's stories take a look back at our history and give us a glimpse into our future. The top story of 2018 actually took place in August of 1943 in the South Pacific Island of Georgia.

Doug Carmean is rooted in the Kenton community where he was born and raised and has lived for much of his life. Now serving as a financial advisor at Edward Jones on N. Detroit Street in Kenton, Doug is back working one-on-one with those who make up the community he so loves.