MOUNT VERNON -- Nearly 100 people gathered on Mount Vernon's Public Square on Wednesday afternoon, in a show of support for middle school science teacher John Freshwater. The Mount Vernon City School administration has demanded Freshwater remove a Bible from his desk at school, even though a Bible has been a fixture in his classroom for many years.

REYNOLDSBURG -- The Fredericktown Community Fire District sent a group of firefighters to specialized training on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Ohio Fire Academy, to learn the different aspects of trench rescue.

MOUNT VERNON -- A detachment of the Marine Corps League is now chartered in Knox County.

MOUNT VERNON -- The number of new foreclosure filings in Knox County during the first quarter of this year are on course to surpass the corresponding figure for last year.

MOUNT VERNON -- On Saturday, the Mount Vernon News, along with SBC recycling, will offer a paper recycling drop-off point in downtown Mount Vernon from 8 a.m. to noon. The event was planned to coincide with Earth Day, which falls on April 22.

MOUNT VERNON -- A 19-year-old Mount Vernon man pleaded not guilty April 1 for allegedly assaulting a 15-year-old boy in an unprovoked fight that was captured on video.

COLUMBUS -- In a unanimous vote, the state House of Representatives passed legislation that would criminalize Salvia Divinorum, a commercially available and reportedly hallucinogenic herb. Presented by Rep. Thom Collier, the bill will classify salvia as a Schedule I controlled substance, in the same category as LSD, Ecstacy, and heroin.

MOUNT VERNON -- Although the price of many food items has increased in recent months, a report in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal noted that national meat prices have held steady because of the number of extra animals being culled by farmers to fight off the expense of high feed costs.

MOUNT VERNON -- It may have taken a while to build the momentum, but the Mount Vernon High School softball team walked away with a 7-0 victory over the Olentangy Braves on Wednesday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets took advantage of consistent hitting throughout the game before finally bringing runners around in the Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal Division contest.

MOUNT VERNON -- Luke Wilson came on in relief to pitch 3 1/3 strong innings while second baseman Kolton Wilson had five RBI to lift the Mount Vernon High School baseball team over the Olentangy Indians, 15-8, on Wednesday. A 10-run, seven-hit third inning, an inning which brought 14 batters to the plate, keyed the Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal Division win.