The polar bears, Eskimos and winter scenes which made Fred Machetanz an internationally recognized artist are commonly identified in his work. But the Kenton native created a special painting for his secretary, which until recently could only have been viewed in her Kenton home.

MOUNT VICTORY — The Ridgemont Board of Education is considering implementing a random and mandatory drug testing program for athletes and drivers beginning with the 2017-2018 school year. Kyle Prueter of Great Lakes Biomedical outlined the program at the board’s monthly meeting on Thursday.

Over the past two weeks, the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office and the Kenton Police Department have received several reports of counterfeit $20 bills circulating. This past weekend the sheriff’s office received a report of a red Mitsubishi occupied by two males and one female in the area attempting to purchase Amish goods with the counterfeit $20 bills.

Dom Tiberi, sports anchor for WBNS 10TV in Columbus, had a simple message for the juniors and seniors at Kenton High School: “Your lives matter. People care about you.

MOUNT BLANCHARD — It was a hard sell for the engineers of Stantec Corporation to convince the more than 200 people who met at Riverdale High School on Tuesday night that their proposal for mitigating the flood threats to the city of Findlay was a good idea.

The Hardin County Community Foundation will award $132,602 in grants, scholarships and bequests for 2017. Foundation trustees, at their quarterly meeting Tuesday night in Kenton, accepted a report from the Grants Committee which approved the awarding of grants to 119 applicants.

Most people in the area know Larry Gossard as the organizer of the Family Fun Day and Car Show, which raises money for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. But his dedication to neurofibromatosis (NF) research is a year-long dedication. Gossard’s son, Bryce, is a victim of the condition which can cause blindness, deafness, disfiguration, cancer, learning disabilities and developmental delays.

MOUNT BLANCHARD — The Riverdale Board of Education approved a series of teacher and staff contracts and action items at its regular meeting Monday evening. During the meeting, the board:

Safety Service Director Jim Hites renewed his annual plea for property owners not to shoot their grass clippings into the street. Hites said those clippings end up clogging the city’s storm drains, requiring the city to spend money to remove the blockages.

MOUNT BLANCHARD — A proposed Blanchard River project to avoid flooding in Findlay could put some of the Riverdale School District’s property in jeopardy of flooding in case of a major rainfall.