Master gardener Kim Thomas holds an umbrella for Gaia Smith as the pair join Hardin County YMCA volunteers and other master gardeners as they establish a butterfly garden south of the YMCA building Saturday.

Austin Heil’s family has had its roots firmly planted at a Pleasant Township farm for six generations and the Kenton High School graduate is diversifying from the traditional farming work to guarantee the future of the homestead. Heil was featured recently on the Growing Our Generation email newsletter produced by the Ohio Farm Bureau for being the sixth generation to farm the same land.

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.

Members of the Upper Scioto Valley Envirothon team study the soil types at an open pit as part of the district competition Wednesday morning.

Like many farmers in Hardin County, this Amish man is preparing for planting season. The temperatures and weather conditions have been ideal for late April, but showers and possible storms are in the forecast for the weekend.

ADA — Kenton scored 11 runs in the first inning and never looked back on the way to an 18-0 victory over Ada in a non-league baseball game on Wednesday. The Wildcats, who collected 23 hits, got two hits, including a home run and five RBIs, from Steven Stalder.

ADA — Kenton got its bats going early, plating two runs in the first inning and adding three more in the second on the way to an 8-2 softball win over Ada on Wednesday. With a 2-0 lead entering the third inning, the Wildcats found success on a pair of RBI doubles by Steph McElree and Sydney Plott.

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.