An 82-year-old Forest man is among eight people charged as being part of a multi-county theft ring. Philip Burkholder, 82, 305 E. Dixon St., allegedly was a fence for the ring which is believed to have robbed chain stores in 11 counties, according to Hardin County Sheriff Keith Everhart.

ADA — It is estimated that one in ten older adults is a victim of some form of abuse. But reporting it is often difficult, said Jayme Richards, the Executive Director of the Ohio Coalition for Adult Protective Services (OCAPS).

ADA — The Ada Harvest and Herb Festival is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Main Street is expected to be filled Saturday with 150 vendors, bargain hunters, festival food lovers and musical entertainment.

Kenton’s Fourth Ward will see park and residential improvements funded by a $300,000 Neighborhood Revitalization Grant There were 74 applications for the competitive Community Development Block program and Kenton’s was among the 35 that were awarded funding, said Mark Doll, director of Hardin County Regional Planning.

DOLA — The parents of a former Hardin Northern student presented the district with a check Wednesday in the name of the foundation they began in her memory. Taylor Carder was killed in a car accident two years ago and Bob and Kelly Carder created the Taylor’s Way foundation last year to keep her memory alive.

ADA — Beginning in December, residents of Ada will see a drop in their monthly solid waste services cost following action at Tuesday’s village council session. But the savings could end up going to finance storm sewer projects in the village.

When Hardin County residents go to the polls this fall, voters will be at the cutting edge of that technology. Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted announced earlier this week the state would be making funding available for the purchase of e-pollbooks.

The United Way of Hardin County kicked off its 2016 campaign this morning with a breakfast bringing contributors and support agencies together. “The American people dig in their pockets and give money to somebody they hope does good things with it,” Campaign Chairman David Sturgeon said of the efforts.

RIDGEWAY — This summer the village of Ridgeway has taken steps to reduce the amount of surface water infiltrating its sanitary sewer system. Those efforts are paying off.

Company executives and politicians were on hand to open the expansion of International Paper’s Kenton facility Monday morning, but it was the 650 employees who were in the spotlight. The company announced 19 months ago it would double the size of its Kenton facility and create 125-plus jobs for the Kenton area.