Ridgeway Mayor Kevin Howland tests the notoriously hot chili made by Nick Newland as part of the ninth annual chili lunch at the town's fire station on Sunday.

RIDGEWAY — The Ridgemont boys basketball team fell to Botkins 72-40 on Saturday night to drop to 0-10 on the season. The visiting Trojans jumped ahead 20-11 after eight minutes and 37-22 by halftime before outscoring the Gophers 35-18 in the second half.

An accident that killed an EMT who was driving an ambulance was the top local story of 2017. Each year the Kenton Times conducts a poll among its staff to determine which story had the biggest impact on the community. This year’s results included the accident, economic growth and court cases.

DOLA — Looking for their first win of the season, the Hardin Northern boys basketball team was just four points out of the lead against Vanlue to start the fourth quarter on Friday night. But the Wildcats fended off the charging Polar Bears, outscoring the hosts 16-10 in the fourth to get the 57-47 win.

Hardin Memorial Hospital in Kenton has made a $15,000 donation to the Southeast Hardin Northwest Union Joint Firefighters made possible by the OhioHealth Foundation Wellness Programs and Services Fund.

Mid-Ohio Energy Cooperative, Inc. announced its 2017 community outreach contributions, in which the not-for-profit electric co-op, serving members in Hardin and nine additional north-central Ohio counties, reaffirmed its commitment as a civic partner dedicated to the advancement of social service to its consumers, as well as the community.

The Taylor Creek Lads and Lassies received a $2,000 grant from Mid-Ohio Energy’s Community Fund to cover the cost of new fans for the dairy barn at the Hardin County Fair. Submitted photo

While there were no state titles in 2017, Hardin County teams and individual athletes still shined throughout the year. Highlighting area teams in the county in 2017 were the Kenton boys soccer and the Ada volleyball teams. The Wildcat boys, playing their season in honor of deceases teammate Layton Rogers, had the most successful season in school history, finishing at 16-2-1 and at second in the WBL and in the district, losing only to regional runner-up Elida.

DOLA — Four of Riverdale’s eight losses on the season have been by less than 10 points. So in the Falcons’ boys basketball contest against Hardin Northern on Wednesday, a 16-point halftime lead gave them the opportunity to finally put their foot down and get their first win.

Kaison Spriggs, 10, Wyatt McKenzie, 9 and Taven Spriggs, 8, braved the frigid temperatures Tuesday afternoon to sled on the hills outside the Kenton Middle School.