MOUNT VERNON -- One of the historic landmarks of Mount Vernon is Mound View Cemetery, and one of the historic landmarks of the cemetery is the old water tower.

UTICA -- Though temperatures were a touch cool, plenty of sunshine graced the Ice Cream Festival parade in Utica on Saturday morning, showing off all the participants in the hour-long procession.

Information below was related to Hop Collier from Leo Collier on several occasions. Once sometime in the late 1980s, mom actually typed some of this out. Additional information given in my interviews with dad in 1998 and 1999.

BRANDON -- It was a small parade, but, what it lacked in size, it made up for in spirit.

CENTERBURG -- Jake Davidson returned home from the battlefield to a struggle of a different sort, a weak economy and tough job market.

MOUNT VERNON -- What could best be described as a heated exchange between members of the Knox County Fire Chiefs Association and EMA Director Marie Blubaugh at an association meeting last week may help bring resolution to an issue that several fire chiefs say could jeopardize the safety of emergency personnel.

MOUNT VERNON -- The Mount Vernon Academy held its 111th commencement on Sunday morning in the pavilion on the Academy grounds.

MOUNT VERNON -- May is National Foster Care Awareness Month. KidsPeace, a national children's crisis charity based in Pennsylvania, notes that more than 600,000 children in the United States need foster homes and families. Unfortunately, there aren't enough to go around.

DUBLIN -- Two points is all the Mount Vernon High School boys track and field team needed on Saturday. The Jackets came up just a little short of second place in the Division I Central District District 2 Championship. The squad placed third out of 17 teams, only 1.5 points behind Westerville South.

DUBLIN -- The 2008 season came to a close on Saturday for the Mount Vernon High School boys volleyball team. Playing in the Division I East Region Final for the second straight year, the Yellow Jackets ran into a well prepared Hilliard Darby squad.

Gahanna -- Four area schools competed in the Division III Central District Track and Field Championships, Saturday, at Gahanna Lincoln High School. Nearly all the track events were run, and when it was over, two relay teams and two individuals advanced to the next level.