Mount Vernon News
 
 
  • July 2011 images

  • July 1, 2011 9:09 am EDT
  • Bailee Burke, left, of Centerburg and Nick Fowler of Salesville were among 33 high school winners from throughout Ohio who visited Washington, D.C., as part of Ohio Rural Electric Cooperative Inc.’s Youth Tour.
  • Ken Stevenson, right, one of the original members of the board of Knox Community Hospital, talks with KCH CEO Bruce White at an event Thursday celebrating the final payment on a bond to build the hospital on Coshocton Avenue.
  • Eight Mount Vernon High School nanotechnology students spent the afternoon of June 15, teaching at an Ohio State University nanotechnology workshop for teachers. Levi Fawcett and Phil Horton, recent graduates of MVHS,  “gave back” by explaining about nanowhisker/stain resistant fabrics to the 23 educators in attendance. Gavin Rundell and Nick Robinson, pictured, showed the teachers how the model of the atomic force microscope (which they created out of Legos) worked to create an “image.”  Also, representing MVHS and “paying it forward” by teaching about nanotechnology, were MacKenzie McClure and Candice James sharing knowledge about nano-sun protection and Codee Boyce with Matt Omahan teaching about photolithography and materials etching.
  • This crash occurred just after 8 a.m. today on Columbus Road just west of the Johnson Avenue intersection. The Acura in the foregound was hit in the left side in the collision with the Jaguar in the background.
  • Benchmark Cabinets claimed the Mount Vernon softball 12-under tournament championship on Sunday, defeating RE/MAX stars, 5-3. Front row, from left, Montana Alexander, Savannah Harris, Savannah Richert, Alyssa VanRiper, Hailey Priest. Back row, assistant coach Mark Frazier, Erin Simmons, Lacey Montgomery, Jenna West, Meghan Horlacher, assistant coach Sandy Frazier, Madison Drabick, assistant coach Jody Oswalt, Abbie Fisher, Michalla Franks, head coach Brandy Drabick and Alexis Stringfellow.
  • Mount Vernon’s Billy Barbour poses with the championship trophy as the winner of the Mid-Ohio Golf Association Invitational at Hickory Flats Greens.
  • A new retaining wall is under construction along the drive-through of the Mount Vernon water-wastewater and tax office on the corner of Gay and High streets. Dan Dennis, foreman for contractor United Precast Inc., stands beside the wall to give a prospective of the size. “Each of those blocks weights 300 pounds, we lifted them in place with a Bobcat,” Dennis said. The blocks were cast by Ellis Brothers Concrete. The front section near High Street will be completed next week.
  • Teams of two competed against each other in the monthly Cornhole tournament during First Fridays. Over 100 classic cars,  live entertainment and foods from local restaurants created a fun and exciting atmosphere in downtown Mount Vernon.
  • Fireworks exploded in the night sky near Mount Vernon’s Memorial Park to the delight of thousands of spectators who filled the park and the areas around the high school to take in the show in celebration of Independence Day.
  • The Knox County Special Olympics attended the 2011 Ohio Track & Field Tournament from June 24 through 26 at Ohio Stadium. Twenty-two athletes from Knox County participated. Front row, from left, Linda Kerr, coach; Steven Muston, 100m walk silver medal, standing long jump; Bethany Seese; Kayle Lallathin, 100m run, softball throw gold medal; Julia Kornes; Jessica Bell, 100m walk silver medal, softball throw bronze medal; Ron Kerr, coach. Second row, Ami Iverson, 100m run bronze medal; Lakota Muston, 100m run, softball throw bronze medal; David O’Brien, 100m run bronze medal, shotput; Cole Stricker, 100m run; Mike Deeter, 100m walk gold medal; Jack Knight, 100m walk, softball throw gold medal. Third row, Jessica Jamieson; Matt Haughton, 100m run silver medal, softball throw silver medal; Geremy Kerr, 100m walk silver medal, softball throw gold medal; Erica Fazio, 100m walk gold medal, softball throw silver medal; Merle Park, 100m walk bronze medal, softball throw silver medal; Margaret Palser, 25m independent walk gold medal; Jim Schweitzer, 100m walk, softball throw gold medal. Back row, Mike Jones, 100m run, shotput; Ben Frazier, 100m run silver medal; Kim Tobias, 50m run bronze medal; Randy Rademacher, 100m walk gold medal, softball throw silver medal; Ginny Thompson, 100m run bronze medal, softball throw gold medal; Jeff Beard, 100m run.
  • Austin Blanton, right, of Associated Insurance, slides safely into second as Tim Workman-State Farm’s Haden Best waits for the throw during Friday’s Babe Ruth league game at Memorial Park. No info for the game was submitted.
  • No room for a garden? Try growing topsy-turvey tomatoes in hanging baskets such as these shown with Neil Neer.
  • Cheryl Splain of Mount Vernon, right, completed the Mohican 100 Trail Run on June 19. She completed the race, her first 100-mile finish, in 31 hours, 18 minutes. With Splain is Ron Dukes of Gambier, who paced Splain the last 47 miles.
  • The Penny Scramble was a hit with the youngest set of participants at Fredericktown’s Fourth of July celebration Monday at Fredericktown Community Park.
  • Jack Esslinger, right, was named Citizen of the Year for the community of Gambier during its Fourth of July celebration Monday. Presenting him the award is Gambier Mayor Kirk Emmert.
  • Concerned citizens of the East Knox school district met Tuesday to discuss school matters. Among those in attendance were, from left, Warren Edstrom, Millwood; Mary Garn, Howard, and Matt Schwartz, Bladensburg.
  • Mount Vernon’s Carol Fitzsimons stands with the bronze medal she won in the 200-meter individual relay at the World Transplant Games in Göteborg, Sweden.
  • Four generations of family members celebrated the 101st birthday of Ira Workman on Wednesday at Centerburg Pointe. Pictured are, front row, from left, great-grandson Davis Carr, Workman, and great-grandson Harrison Carr. Middle row, granddaughter Gretchen Carr, daughter Dalene Stull and daughter Dixie Waite. Back row, grandson-in-law Tim Carr and son-in-law Juston Waite.
  • Street replacement is currently under way on Cleveland Avenue in Centerburg. Employees with Dale Landis Construction and the village of Centerburg have been busy this week tearing up the old street to make way for the new. One water line had to be dug up and is being relocated. Partial new curbs are also going in, and the work is expected to be complet by the end of next week, stated Joe Hardin, street department employee with the village of Centerburg. Final paving will be completed by Mid-Ohio Paving.
  • Knox County Career Center Superintendent Bernie Pachmayer with a memento from her visit to China.
  • Kaden Daniels, of the Mount Vernon 11-year-old All-Stars, makes a sliding catch during practice at Phillips Park on Wednesday. The team’s first district tournament game will be Sunday, July 17, against an opponent to be determined.
  • Luke Currier, of Ryan’s Barber Shop, smacks an RBI single during his team’s Mount Vernon Baseball Association Machine-Pitch tournament game against Shearer’s Foods at Phillips Park on Tuesday. The tournament continues today.
  • Cinderella serves tea as her stepfamily talks about going to the ball. Pictures, from left, are the wicked stepmother, Susan Moreland; Cinderella, Brianna Barnes; and stepsisters Joy, Ashleigh Zarley; and Grace, Sarah Bertschy.
  • Doug Savage, avid golfer and former head baseball and girls basketball coach at Mount Vernon High School, is returning to coach the Yellow Jackets “B” golf team.
  • Max Van Fossen, left, and Bryan Downs are shown in the St. Vincent de Paul School gymnasium. Thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of Mount Vernon & Knox County, the school will have a safer venue for interscholastic athletic competition and physical education classes. The grant will provide the funds to remove the existing floor, which is 80 years old and made of asbestos tile.
  • Lori Beach holds photos of her dog Jade, a stray rescue, with whom she spent many hours at the dog agility park at Wolf Run Regional Park. The newly upgraded agility center has been named in Jade's honor.
  • Beau Lazear entices his dog, Lulu, over the agility apparatus with liver treats after Saturday's dedication of the dog agility center.
  • A traffic light was removed so this 350-foot-long rig leaving Rolls-Royce this morning could turn the corner at North Sandusky and West Chestnut streets. The 407,000-pound load will travel U.S. 36 to Interstate 77 and south to Marietta. Once there, a barge will take it on a monthlong trip down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers eventually to Houston, Texas. It is destined for oil fields on the Caspian Sea. It is the first of three units that will be leaving the Mount Vernon facility this month.
  • American Red Cross Knox County Chapter Executive Director Kelly Brenneman, center, keeps Mount Vernon police and firefighters separated. Their friendly rivalry is the theme behind the annual “Guns and Hoses” Blood Drive scheduled for Thursday from 1 to 7 p.m. at the fire station at 200 W. Gambier St. From left are patrolman Tim Arnold, Brenneman, and firefighters Terry Davis and Jonathan Mooney.
  • Mount Vernon All-Stars’ Trace Hatfield tries to avoid a tag by Cambridge’s Gauge Stocker during Saturday’s tournament game.
  • Prospect Post 368 second baseman Jacob Ulrey loses his glove as he attempts to tag out Utica Post 92’s Ethan Abell during a steal attempt in Saturday’s tournament game. Utica won, 11-4.
  • Mount Vernon All-Stars’ Cole Parrish smacks a two-run home run in the second inning to give his team a 4-2 lead over North Fork on Sunday.
  • Utica Post 92’s Billy Jackson slides into home as Marysville Post 79’s Anderson Hasting blocks the plate in the fifth inning of Sunday’s game. The throw was not in time, and Jackson was safe.
  • Monday afternoon’s storm that swept through Knox County took down this tree behind the home at 335 Wooster Road. The toppled tree missed the home but damaging a child’s swing set.
  • Danville student Dan Alden, left, receives instruction on reacting to a wrestling move while fellow student Conway Baldridge, right, observes during Danville’s two-day wrestling camp this past weekend.
  • A small fire of undetermined origin burned only a section of studding in the Bill Heaton warehouse in Howard, Tuesday at 10:45 p.m. Eastern Knox County Joint Fire District firefighters pulled off sections of siding to get at the fire and extinguished it without other damage. College Township Fire Department brought an engine for mutual aid.
  • Mayor Richard Mavis, left and Jean-Pierre Villemalard, right.
  • The Hiawatha Junior Golf League wrapped up Tuesday with its awards program. Winning special awards this year were, from left, Brandon Main, Jamey Hull, Jake Smith, Hunter Blubaugh and Connor Curry.
  • The Parkside Restaurant 8 & Under “A” All-Star softball team claimed first place at the “Fastpitch at the Frew” softball tournament in Frazeysburg last weekend. The team once again went undefeated in the tournament with a 5-0 record, beating several other teams from the Knox County area. Team members are, front row from left, Carlena “Weezy” Fiorilli, Cierrra Nuttall, Kaitlyn Merillat, Chassidy Henwood and Maddy Burdette; second row, Kacie Goetzman, Kallista Bowman, Bryn Elliott, Shelby Daughriety, Stella Bainbridge, Aubrey Runyon and Larissa Blanchard; third row, head coach Marc Fiorilli, Jeff Blanchard and Tracy Elliott. Not pictured: June Fiorilli.
  • Elks pitcher Chad Lupher delivers a pitch during the third inning of Tuesday’s Babe Ruth championship game. Lupher pitched a complete game in Elks’ 14-9 victory over Dove Dental.
  • An annual project of Kirlin’s Hallmark Cards stores are cards donated by customers going to support local seniors organizations. This year they went to New Directions, Ohio Eastern Star Home, The Living Center and Station Break. The cards are for seniors who are not able to go to stores or are not able to purchase cards. From left are Althea Dye, store manager at Hallmark in Mount Vernon; Wanza Smith, resident at The Living Center; and Sue McMilliam, manager of The Living Center.
  • Knox County Sheriff David Barber speaks with investigators after finding a body in a septic tank Wednesday at 27700 Newcastle Road. Positive identification of the man found is expected Friday after the autopsy is complete.
  • Jeff Williamson of Howard is at home these days enjoying time with his family after being diagnosed with Churg Strauss Syndrome. He is shown with his daughter, Makayla.
  • Utica Post 92’s Nate Chilcote allowed eight hits and four walks while striking out four in earning the tournament win over Ashley Post 518 on Wednesday.
  • Utica Post 92 second baseman Kody Green fields a ground ball during the first inning of Wednesday’s tournament game against Ashley Post 518.
  • Cade Finnell, of the Mount Vernon 12-year-old All-Stars, pitches in the fourth inning of Wednesday’s tournament game against Guernsey County. Finnell allowed one run in 3 1/3 innings pitched. He also hit a bases-clearing triple that ultimately yielded the 8-6 win for Mount Vernon.
  • The Mount Vernon T-Shirt Express 10 & Under “A” All-Stars claimed first place for the second tournament in a row this past weekend in Frazeysburg. The tournament’s No. 2 seed, T-Shirt Express played three games in 90-degree heat on Sunday, winning all three over No. 7 seed Mount Vernon “B,” sixth-seeded Dover and No. 4 seed Mansfield Pride, the final to win the championship, 4-1. T-Shirt Express had a tournament record of 4-0-1. Team members are, front row from left, Valerie Stichert, Falon Smith, Leslie Vincelet, Erica Sardinha and Kalin “Bug” Fletcher; second row, Trinidy Brown, Madison Brokaw, Gabby Acker, Autumn Smith, Cassie Rine, Halie McGregor and Alannah Mazza; back row, head coach Damien Mazza and assistants Russell Smith and Kirk Vincelet. Not pictured: assistant coach Megan York and player Brooke Hubbard.
  • Clayton Leinneweber, director of Messiah’s Mansion, stands near an exhibit about ancient temples. The mansion, a traveling exhibit operated by an independent Seventh-day Adventist mission out of Oklahoma, will be open from 1 to 7 p.m., Saturday through July 24. Admission is free.
  • Firestone on Coshocton Avenue has just completed a complete renovation of their showroom and received a new paint job all the way around their business as well. They are one of many businesses experiencing changes around the Mount Vernon area.
  • North Fork All-Stars’ Jake Peterson, right, flips the ball to shortstop Brad Potes while Lakewood All-Stars’ Greyson Snyder prepares to slide into second during their tournament game Thursday. Lakewood won, 7-5.
  • The Ohio Lady Vipers 12U fastpitch softball team won the Lancaster Shootout tournament this past weekend. Front row, from left, Lexie Hess, Kennedy Farmer, Ashley Kight, Cassidy Frazier and Torrey Totman. Back row, coach Dwight Farmer, Chloe Burdette, Emily Kight, Madison Drabick, Taylor Gregory, Natasha Miller, Monica Furby, Shanna Mickley and coach Matt Burdette
  • Engles Curve on U.S. 36, east of Howard, claimed another truck in a crash this morning. A westbound tractor-trailer dump truck, loaded with sand, upset about 8:15 this morning. The name of the driver and trucking company had not been identified at press time. U.S. 36 was closed and traffic diverted on Ohio 308 to Ohio 229.
  • New Mount Vernon head football coach Anthony Naples isn’t showing his players a new dance move. He is demonstrating blocking techniques to a group of receivers and secondary players on a practice field near the high school on Thursday. The Yellow Jackets’ first game will be Friday, August 26 when they host Lexington.
  • Knox County Common Pleas Court Judge Otho Eyster talks with visiting judges from the Ukraine after they observed courtroom procedures Friday morning. Pictured, from left, are Ruslan V. Voznyuk, Vitaliy V. Kostrytskyy, Ihor B. Kucher, an unidentified interpreter and Eyster.
  • Visiting judge Larysa H. Strelets uses a heavy hand to pound an oversized gavel while visiting Knox County Common Pleas Court on Friday. Strelets was one of four judges from the Ukraine in Ohio to learn about U.S. court proceedings.
  • Dave Crawford of Fredericktown caught this fish to win the Kokosing Lake Catfish Tournament, held July 9. The winning fish was 26 1/4 inches long and weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces. Proceeds from the tournament went to support Dream Catchers 4H Club’s youth projects.
  • Ashley Kight bashes a triple for the Ohio Lady Vipers 12 & Under team in one of its two victories in pool play at the Gahanna Invitational on Friday. The Vipers won both games by a combined score of 25-6. The Vipers will begin bracket play today at 9:30 a.m. at Gahanna South Middle School.
  • The Mount Vernon CES Credit Union 11-year-old All-Stars won the Lakewood Baseball 12 & Under All-Star Tournament last weekend. The team will now prepare for district play, which begins Sunday in Cambridge. Mount Vernon will face the winner of today’s game, Southwest Licking vs. New Albany, at 2 p.m. Team members are, front row from left, Isaac Stallard, Jaret Gaumer, Cameron Farmer, Gerrit Franko and Nate Orr; back row, coach Jeff Bills, Marcus Shellenbarger, Jeffrey Rucker, Brody Blubaugh, Tyler Bills, Dustin Hess, Kaden Daniels and manager Steve Franko.
  • Mount Vernon All-Stars’ Trace Hatfield circles the bases after hitting a solo home run in the first inning of Friday’s semifinal game against Southwest Licking County. Mount Vernon won, 11-1, to advance to the championship game on Sunday.
  • Mount Vernon All-Stars’ Trace Hatfield circles the bases after hitting a solo home run in the first inning of Friday’s semifinal game against Southwest Licking County. Mount Vernon won, 11-1, to advance to the championship game on Sunday.
  • The 80-member Licking County 4-H Band came to the Knox County Airport on Kinney Road Saturday night for an evening concert. The performance is the first in a series of Evenings at the Airport, sponsored by the Knox County Airport Board Authority. An Aug. 20 event will include a meeting with Amelia Earhart, Will Rogers and Mount Vernon’s Paul Lynde, followed by a classic aviation movie.
  • Last week provided several days of good drying weather for farmers. Richard Montgomery, who farms with his son, Brian, on Simmons Church Road just south of Mount Liberty, had his baler kicking out 60-pound straw bales every eight seconds Thursday afternoon in an effort to beat the excessive heat expected this week in Knox County. When working in the sun and heat, it is recommended to drink plenty of water and take breaks in the shade.
  • At the 2011 McKesson Health Mart conference, Foster’s Health Mart Pharmacy was recognized for exceptional growth. Pictured, front row, from left, are Heidi Hatfield, Diana Shaffer, Traci Durbin, Rhonda Young, Denise Conway; and back row, Rebecca Shaffer, Mike Hoar and Scott Miglin.
  • Consuming a 5-foot banana split as the winning team in the recent drawing at The Ice Cream Station are members of the Genesis Hair Salon softball team. Team members are, at left, top to bottom, coach David Luna, Lydia Luna (hidden), Meke Waal and Emilee Burke. At right, top to bottom, are Danielle Ruza, Aaralyn Thomas, Jordyn Laslo and Autumn Ruza. Team members not pictured are Ceci Ganz, Emma Reed, Molly McKinley, Isabello Risko and Elaina Trace.
  • Mount Vernon 12-year-old All-Stars manager Dan Trace celebrates with Trace Hatfield following their 8-3 win over Guernsey County on Sunday.
  • Utica Post 92’s Ben Hoar shows off a T-shirt he received after his team finished second in last year’s district tournament. The team finished in first place this year.
  • Utica Post 92’s Riley Swanson celebrates with teammates after hitting a two-run home run in the seventh inning of Saturday’s District 6 championship game. Utica defeated Marysville, 7-6.
  • Utica Post 92’s Nich Pitzer hits a three-run home run in the second inning of Saturday’s game against Marysville.
  • Mount Vernon All-Stars’ Kane Baldwin, right, tries to avoid the tag of Guernsey County catcher Ben Davis during the fifth inning of Sunday’s second championship game. Mount Vernon won, 8-3, to claim the district championship.
  • Rescurers from the BCD dive team push off from the Caves Campground on the Kokosing River to start the search for a 32-year-old man missing in deep water just below the Honey Run Water Falls Monday afternoon. The river area is just east of Millwood.
  • A first responder looks east, down the Kokosing River, for signs of a missing male last seen in deep water between Honey Run Waterfall and the Caves Campground, just east of Millwood.
  • Members of the Bladensburg College Danville dive team prepare a boat for launch as first responders arrived at the scene of a possible drowning on Monday afternoon near the Caves Campground. Authorities have confirmed the victim is a 32-year-old male but have not released a name. A recovery effort to find his body resumed this morning.
  • Marcia Durbin, Eastern Knox County Joint Fire District, and Brian Hess, Knox County Emergency Management director, help Rodney Williamson into his dive suit as he prepares to search the Kokosing River, south of Millwood, for a missing 32-year-old male.
  • Initial work on the first phase of the connector road between Coshocton  and Yauger roads is under way as a middle portion of the area is being excavated. Mount Vernon Safety-Service Director Dave Glass stated a retaining wall will be erected in this area to the east end of Lowe's. Much of the work in this section is being completed now in order to minimize closure time on the north and south ends later. Operating the excavator this morning is Wayne Raines of Small's Sand and Gravel.
  • The Knox County Commissioners went on an inspection tour of the old landfill on Thayer Road to check the condition of the area Monday afternoon. Rob Clendening, second from left, manger of the Knox Soil & Water Conservation District, points out features of the landfill to commissioners. Pictured, from left, are Roger Reed, Clendening, Allen Stockberger and Teresa Bemiller. Just behind them is an artificial wetlands with cattails growing tall and the hill behind is the grass cover of the landfill.
  • This old whiskey barrel is packed full of plants called hens and chickens. Patricia Geiger, 3 S. Jackson St., has let them grow for 20 years. The start of the plants were given to her by an elderly neighbor lady. Geiger believes tall stalks are male plants that will deposit seeds.
  • Hull's Sportswear won the Kokosing Valley 16 & Under Girls Fastpitch regular season and tournament championships. The team went 10-0 in the regular season, and 4-1 in the tournament. Hull's only loss came at the hands of Genesis Heating & Cooling, but the team won both championship games on Sunday for the tournament title. Team members are, front row from left, Katelynn Nugent, Deanna Parker, Darci Lauderbaugh and Becky Buckland; back row, coach Steve Lauderbaugh, Breanna Pitsenberger, Audrie Reed, Kari Lauderbaugh, Amber Pitsenberger, Samantha Bower, Ashlynne Hurlow, Bailey Miller and coach Chris Hurlow. Not pictured: Olivia Rice, Breanna Staats, Erica Rutter and Kat Mickley.
  • From left, John Hatfield, Mike Parsons, Bill Higgs and Carolyn Higgs, all from Mount Vernon. The group recently rode 163 miles across Indiana in blistering heat in the annual RAIN (Ride Across Indiana) event.
  • Dive teams from several fire departments in Knox and Coshocton counties returned to the Kokosing River just east of Millwood Tuesday morning to continue searching for the body of a man who was presumed to have drowned. A diver at right puts on his gear Tuesday morning to resume the search. Later in the day, the body of Noe Plata surfaced on the river near where he was last seen.
  • Turtle dove parents decided to build a nest in an unusual place — a hanging flower basket on the southeast corner of Main and Vine streets in downtown Mount Vernon. These two babies were discovered this morning when city bucket truck workers lowered the baskets to the sidewalk for trimming.
  • Centerburg senior Chase Cochran catches a pass while Mount Vernon senior Leevi Stump defends during their scrimmage on Tuesday.
  • Natasha Miller, of the Ohio Lady Vipers 12-under fastpitch softball team, batted .700 in the Gahanna Invitational over the weekend.
  • Kaden Daniels pitched well, but couldn’t stop Mother Nature from ending the Mount Vernon 11-year-old All-Star team’s shot at the championship game Tuesday. The team lost to Guernsey County, 3-1, in the winner’s bracket final at Cambridge. The game was halted in the sixth inning by hard rain. Mount Vernon will compete in the loser’s bracket final tonight at 7 against Southwest Licking.
  • This load of stone was spread out along the road when the truck went into the ditch and upset on Ohio 95 Wednesday morning.
  • Representatives from LC United in Sterling Heights, Mich., began preliminary work in rehabbing the city of Mount Vernon’s east end water tower on Wednesday. Built in 1996, the tower is to be inspected every 10 years, according to Safety-Service Director Dave Glass, who stated that the project will include regrounding to prevent the onset of rust and a repainting, which should begin in about two weeks.
  • Representatives from LC United in Sterling Heights, Mich., began preliminary work in rehabbing the city of Mount Vernon’s east end water tower on Wednesday. Built in 1996, the tower is to be inspected every 10 years, according to Safety-Service Director Dave Glass, who stated that the project will include regrounding to prevent the onset of rust and a repainting, which should begin in about two weeks.
  • The Kokosing Valley 12-under All-Stars are champions of the Tri-Valley All-Star tournament in Dresden. Front row, from left, Trevin White, Kevin Vincelet, Cole Bebout, Drew Young and Tyler Mickley. Second row, Dylan Fisher, Skyler Durbin, Andy Crane, Austin Frank and Brant Neitzelt. Back row, John White, coach Linn Bebout and Scott Mickley. Not pictured, coach Kirk Durbin and coach Jeremie Young
  • Howard’s Susan Combs and her husband, Dennis, came just 10 pins shy of the top spot in the classified doubles division of the USBC Open bowling championship in Reno, Nev..
  • Danville 12-under All-Stars pitcher Eva Hawk delivers during the first inning of her team’s game against CES in the first round of pool play in the Dixie Days Softball Tournament at Memorial Park on Thursday. All age groups begin pool play today, with elimination tournaments on Sunday.
  • Shellee Robinett, left, and Sandy Daubenspeck cool off in Wednesday’s heat by taking a cool ride down the Kokosing River. The duo started their journey near Mount Vernon’s Memorial Park and ended at Laymon Road. The trip can take between two and 2 1/2 hours depending on swim time and water level.
  • Knox County Coroner Dr. Jennifer Ogle and Knox County Prosecuor John Thatcher answer questions from the audience during Thursday’s public forum.
  • Now on display at the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County is this quilt made by the Knox County Quilt Guild. It will be raffled at the Knox County Quilt Show at the YMCA Sports Center during the Dan Emmett Music & Arts Festival. Hours will be Friday, Aug. 12,  noon to 8 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 13, 10 a.m., 8 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 14, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is an admission charge.
  • Grinding began Friday morning to make way for paving on Venture Drive near the Knox Village Square shopping center. Mount Vernon Safety-Service Director Dave Glass stated, “This is not a permanent fix but a pretty significant fix.” The city owns three-fourths of the drive being paved which is being paid through the city’s Tax Increment Funding District. They will also pay up front for the remaining portion which is owned by Mount Vernon Partners Limited with reimbursement scheduled at a later date. Paving is to take place early next week with intermittent closures of Venture Drive. Cost for the city’s portion of the paving is $32,400, while the remaining portion’s bill is $14,480.
  • Mark Shively, the new activities director at Mount Vernon High School, would like to see upgrades to some facilities, such as the football stadium, using money from sponsorships.
  • Carlena “Weezy” Fiorilli, of Parkside, gets a base hit in her 8 & under softball game against Ariel at the Dixie Days tournament at Memorial Park on Thursday. Pool play continues today, with elimination tournaments on Sunday.
  • The CES Credit Union 11-year-old All-Stars finished second at the Ohio District 5 Little League tournament on Thursday. Team members are, front row from left, Jaret Gaumer, Gerrit Franko, Isaac Stallard, Cameron Farmer, Nate Orr and coach Kevin Stallard; back row, Marcus Shellenbarger, Dustin Hess, manager Steve Franko, Tyler Bills, Jeffrey Rucker, Brody Blubaugh, Kaden Daniels and coach Jeff Bills.
  • Todd Cole, Fredericktown, drives his horses, Doc, left, and Bud, as they successfully pull a 9,500-pound weight during Sunday’s draft horse pull at the Knox County Fair.
  • The Kokosing Gap Trail is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
  • Pantsuit Hilary, right, driven by Mount Vernon’s Chris Page, races to stay ahead of Cruisin Wanda, driven by Jonas Hershberger, during the eighth race Sunday at the Knox County Fair. Pantsuit Hilary held on to win and break a track record for 3-year-old fillies.
  • Parkside Restaurant 8 & under claimed the tournament championship at the Dixie Days fastpitch softball tournament at Memorial Park on Sunday. Parkside won the title with a 17-3 win over the Holmes County Dirt Dawks, giving the team a perfect 7-0 record in the tournament. Front row Cierra Nuttall, Chassidy Henwood, Carlena “Weezy” Fiorilli, Stella Bainbridge, Kaitlyn Merilla, and Maddy Burdette. Second row, Kacie Goetzman, Kallista Bowman, Aubrey Runyon, Larissa Blanchard, Bryn Elliott and Shelby Daughriety. Third row, head coach Marc Fiorilli and assistant coaches Jeff Blanchard, June Fiorilli and Tracy Elliott.
  • Because they wear wool all the time, these sheep wearing coats were not bothered by temperatures in the 80s. Extra precautions were being taken for other animals at the fair.
  • His pen of three fryers had been judged and David Daniels, 12, returned them to their pen. David is a member of the Red Brush 4-H Club.
  • Hardworking Amish carpenters framed a building Saturday for the new Sanctuary Community Action in Danville. It replaces a structure considered beyond repair. Health, education and social services for residents in eastern Knox County fall under the umbrella of The Sanctuary.
  • The Ohio Lady Vipers claimed the 12 & under tournament title at the Dixie Days fastpitch softball tournament at Memorial Park on Sunday. Shanna Mickley pitched 19 of the 21 innings as the Vipers outscored their opponents, 15-2, in three games. Front row, from left, Kennedy Farmer, Cassidy Frazier, Ashley Kight, Emily Kight and Torrey Totman. Back row, coach Matt Burdette, Taylor Gregory, Monica Furby, Mickley, Chloe Burdette, Natasha Miller, Tanesha Lewis, Madison Drabick, Lexie Hess and coach Dwight Farmer
  • Harley Davis sets up her pony for showmanship judging for judge Mike Stickler on Sunday at the Knox County Fair.
  • Now everyone can relax just off the midway at the Knox County Fair in a pavilion dedicated to the late Denny Irwin. A longtime member of the fair board and the Mount Vernon Lions Club, Irwin passed away in 2009. Presiding over the dedication Sunday are, from left, Janice Arnold, Lions Club District 13K governor; Betty Bemiller-Irwin, his widow; and Joe Gutridge with the Mount Vernon Lions Club. Bemiller-Irwin and Gutridge headed the project raising $8,988.68 to build the 28-by-36-foot structure.
  • Larry Brown Jr., 33, Apple Valley, had cuts and bruises when his car hit this tree just after midnight today. The Ohio State Highway Patrol said he was eastbound on Danville-Amity Road, a mile east of Amity, when his car left the right side of the road. He told the patrol he dodged a deer on the road. He walked a distance to his mother’s house who took him to Knox Community Hospital for treatment. He was charged with failure to control.
  • Avery Bell shows Abby Smith’s hog Monday during the Swine Show at the Knox County Fair. Smith, and her brother, Will, were in an automobile accident earlier this month, and Bell and Brayden Kramp showed their hogs.
  • Dean Shira of Fredericktown leads his three-horse hitch down the road during the open Draft Horse Show on Monday at the Knox County Fair. This is Shira’s 40th year participating at the fair.
  • Ron Algire of Windmill Farms of Fredericktown drives his two-horse hitch during the open Draft Horse Show at the Knox County Fair on Monday.
  • The Mount Vernon 10-year-old All-Stars earned second place in the District Championship, held in New Albany. Mount Vernon lost to New Albany in extra innings in the championship game. Team members are, front row from left, Colton Finnell, Carson Carpenter, Ashton Fisher, bat boy Owynn Gleason, Brandon Grabow, Noah Stephens and Jaxon Snyder; second row, Cody Gallagher, Isaiah Miller, Parker Gregg, Noah Gleason, Conner Curry and Noah Hubbard; back row, Shaun Carpenter, John Gleason, Troy Gallagher and Wes Snyder.
  • Mount Vernon’s Trace Hatfield delivers a pitch during the state tournament. The 12-year-old All-Stars were eliminated by Maumee on Monday.
  • Tony Penwell, from Washington Court House, waves to the crowd as he finishes the demolition derby feature at the Knox County Fair on Tuesday. His dad, Bill, won the event.
  • Ray Baker, driving No. 118 in the demolition derby at the Knox County Fair on Tuesday, was eliminated when he ended up over the boundary logs and nearly ended up in the crowd. Baker advanced through the second-chance heat and qualified for the final feature.
  • Utica Post 92’s Robert Kane barrels toward home plate while Lima Post 96 catcher Mike Snider awaits the throw during Tuesday’s state playoff game.
  • Hanna Lowe of Killbuck takes care of her rabbit Tuesday at the Knox County Fair. The cost of taking care of animals being shown at the fair has skyrocketed over the past few years.
  • The Kokosing Valley 12-and-Under All-Stars baseball team went 5-0 to win the Licking Valley 12U tournament, which was held July 15 through 17 in Hanover. Team members are, front row from left, Kevin Vincelet, Trevin White, Drew Young, Cole Bebout and Tyler Mickley; second row, Dylan Fisher, Skyler Durbin, Luke Zolman, Andy Crane and Brant Neitzelt; back row,  coaches Jeremie Young and John White, head coach Linn Bebout and Kirk Durbin. Not pictured: Scott Mickley.
  • Cami Stidham, left, and her attorney, Harlow Walker, listen as Knox County Common Pleas Court Judge Otho Eyster asks if she understands the charge against her and if she is making her guilty plea to grand theft of her own free will.
  • From left, Tori Anders, Luke McKee, Jacob McKee, Nick McConnell and Caleb McKee prepare their calves for competition at the Beef Feeder Show at the Knox County Fair on Tuesday night.
  • McKenzie Fulk urges her horse out of the turnaround in the 4-H saddle club contest challenge competition Tuesday evening.
  • Putting in his final week of work with the Mount Vernon Post Office is Jon Minard delivering mail to Pam Burdulis at State Farm Insurance on Tuesday.
  • Country music duo Steel Magnolia will perform this Friday at the Knox County Fair at 8 p.m. Joshua Scott Jones, left, and Meghan Linsey make up the duo, which will perform along with Lee Brice.
  • Vernon Hagenbring, 94, of Illinois, sits in the passenger seat of his 1911 Knox touring car. He spent five years restoring the car and has driven it 90,000 miles.
  • This property at 12423 Cotton Street in Howard was declared a public health nuisance on Wednesday night by the Knox County Board of Health.
  • Hannah Smith, right, watches as her loin and potatoes dish is sampled during the Lamb Cookoff on Wednesday at the Knox County Fair. Smith won the junior division of the competition.
  • Sunflower farmer Ashley Martin shows off her sunflowered goat during the goat costume class at the Knox County Fair on Wednesday.
  • Hailey Ehert was crowned the 19th Annual Little Miss Knox County 2011 on Sunday at the Knox County Fair. Pictured, from left, are Ehert; Ashley Berg, first runner-up; Addison Christopher, second runner-up; and Lilly Hostetler, third runner-up.
  • Jim Hawks, center, was awarded the 2011 Meritorious Service Award by the Kokosing Chapter of the Archaeological Society of Ohio at a meeting last week. Presenting the award were officers, left, Tom DeBolt, president of the chapter; and right, Charlie Fulk, Hawk’s longtime friend. Hawks, who lives near Mifflin Lake in Ashland County, has hunted and collected artifacts in several counties over a period of 50 years. He founded the Johnny Appleseed Chapter in Manfield in 1969. He pans for gold and one time found an artifact in his pan.
  • James Miller is shown chopping mortises for timber framing posts recently in the shop at Oakbridge Timber Framing.
  • Adam Blankenhorn leaps during the rough truck contest at the Knox County Fair on Wednesday. Blankenhorn went on to finish sixth, even though this jump of 71 feet was the longest of the night.
  • Utica Post 92’s Riley Swanson (22) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning of Wednesday’s game against Pickerington.
  • Trent McCown, left, of LJJA Martial Arts (Team RuffHouse) of Mount Vernon was invited to participate in an eight-man tournament, restricted to undefeated fighters only, in Miami, Fla., on July 23. McCown advanced to the second round by winning in 37 seconds by submission. His next fight will be on Oct. 1.
  • Antique tractor owners had the opportunity to play in a tractor pull Thursday night at the fair. Jeff Mallott of Mount Vernon ends his pull when wheels spun on his Oliver Super 88. He was pulling in the tractor weight class of 4,500. The big Oliver held on to pull 161.27 feet.
  • Jacob Anderson, 19, Centerburg, escaped with cuts and bruises in this crash Thursday at 4:30 p.m. on Sycamore Road, a mile east of Mink Street. Anderson told Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Brandon Ruhl he was westbound, looked down to swat a bee that flew in his window and his car went completely left of center. Approaching eastbound over a slight hill, Samuel Jagger, 27, Mount Vernon, was unable miss the car and they hit right front corners. Anderson was charged with driving on the left side of the road. Sycamore Road was closed for nearly two hours while the crash was investigated.
  • Mike Hayes, from Mount Gilead, in the No. 4 bus, is upended by Jamie Shipley, from Mount Vernon, driving Hillbilly Green, during a short bus primary heat at the Figure 8 School Bus Racing event at the Knox County Fair on Thursday. Hayes still went on to win.
  • Jerry Lamb, right, was presented a plaque by Jim Ruhl as he was inducted into the Junior Fair Sales Hall of Fame on Thursday at the Knox County Fair.
  • John Marsh of AVI Foodsystems at Kenyon College, left, crates chickens  on Thursday as fair poultry supervisor Crystal McElhaney looks on.
  • Those visiting the Knox County Fair on Friday night were entertained by two of country music’s hottest acts — Steel Magnolia and Lee Brice. Fans who packed the grandstand and surrounding areas sang along and enjoyed the show.
  • Those visiting the Knox County Fair on Friday night were entertained by two of country music’s hottest acts — Steel Magnolia and Lee Brice. Fans who packed the grandstand and surrounding areas sang along and enjoyed the show.
  • Sophomores Tyler Cline, left, and Travis Baldwin run laps during conditioning drills at Utica High School. The team continues to practice despite not knowing if the school board will shut down the season for lack of funds.
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