FREDERICKTOWN — Professional magician Bill Maxwell combined prestidigitation with entomology to delight Fredericktown elementary students and their teachers during an interactive, multimedia "ed-fun-cational" program at the school on Friday.

MOUNT VERNON — Mount Vernon got some good news when it comes to the methane boiler at the wastewater treatment plant on Cougar Drive.

BLADENSBURG — A volunteer firefighter noticed smoke coming from the area of Ohio 541 and McAment Road on Friday afternoon, and alerted fire personnel in time for them to extinguish the fire before it grew too far out of control.

JELLOWAY — A young Amish man made a left turn in front of an oncoming SUV Friday evening, resulting in the death of his horse.

MOUNT VERNON — A new marketing program implemented by United Producers Inc., is designed to expand marketing opportunities for cattle farmers locally and throughout central Ohio.

MOUNT VERNON — In these times of high-rising fuel bills, one of the first pieces of advice in cutting energy costs is to lower the thermostat.

FREDERICKTOWN — The Fredericktown High School boys basketball team displayed a stingy defense against the visiting Danville Blue Devils on Friday night.

MOUNT VERNON — "The Hive" may be local basketball’s version of the St. James Infirmary lately, but the ailing Mount Vernon High School girls basketball team got just what the doctor ordered on Friday.

DANVILLE — The Danville Blue Devils will not soon forget pulling out a dramatic 59-58 victory against the visiting Columbus Tree of Life Trojans in non-conference girls basketball action on Thursday evening.

MOUNT VERNON — With another year under their belts, they have done everything they can to prepare for their big test on Saturday.

MOUNT VERNON — Joseph Stuart knew he had entered a different world when he found himself apologizing to an Israeli soldier armed with an assault rifle for intimidating the soldier. But eye-opening events were par for the course during Stuart’s recent mission trip to Israel under the auspices of the Christian Peacemaker Team project, a group which dares people of faith to put as much sacrifice and effort into peace as people regularly do to accommodate war.

MOUNT VERNON — Passenger rail service in Ohio moved one step closer to being a reality with the announcement that Ohio has been awarded $400 million for a line that would connect Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati.

MOUNT VERNON — Sponsored by a donation from the Knox County Career Center, hosted by Mount Vernon High School and coordinated by Bonnie Schutte, the 2010 Knox County Girls in Science Day featured CSI-like activities. Sixty girls from grades six, seven and eight participated in those activities and listened to an address by keynote speaker Dr. Jennifer Ogle, Knox County coroner.

MOUNT VERNON — A large crowd, representing the faces of large and small business in Knox County, gathered Thursday for a Midday Matters luncheon at the Dan Emmett Conference Center. The luncheon was sponsored by the Mount Vernon/Knox County Chamber of Commerce.

MOUNT VERNON — The Delaware Hayes Pacers visited "The Hive" for a girls basketball game on Wednesday night against Mount Vernon, and Yellow Jacket senior Niki DiGuilio gave them a warm welcome.

MOUNT VERNON — Knox County Wildlife Officer Mike Miller will soon have another set of eyes and ears to help deal with wildlife damage complaints in the county.

GAMBIER — An institution closely identified in its first century with the Republican Party, Kenyon College has become regarded as Knox County’s liberal haven in its second century. But the mood of the supporters who crowded into Peirce Pub on Wednesday to listen to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address was initially fairly cool.