MOUNT VERNON -- Work on the road project to straighten Cassell's Crossing is progressing ahead of schedule. Original plans called for periodic restrictions on traffic based on work being done at the crossing, then for Ohio 13 to be closed starting June 14 for 14 days of final construction.

MOUNT VERNON -- Scott Pullins got a chance to explain himself and then apologized without qualification at a hearing before visiting Judge Thomas Curran on Thursday.

MOUNT VERNON -- Mount Vernon enjoyed a picture-perfect Memorial Day: Crowds of people, many wearing red, white and blue; sunny, warm weather; a traditional parade; and a presentation on Public Square attended by hundreds of patriots.

MOUNT VERNON -- Summer blooming bulbs are a great way to keep a garden colorful through the summer and even the fall with some flowers.

Members of the Mount Vernon Fire Department check out a camper which caught fire about 1 mile north of Cassell's Crossing late Friday afternoon.

MOUNT VERNON -- Lowell Henthorn and William Adams were recently honored by the Veterans Service Commission and the Veterans Service Office for service rendered on behalf of local veterans. Plaques were presented by the local commission to Henthorn and to Adams' son, Eric.

MOUNT VERNON -- In a county rocked by breast cancer diagnoses, a support group was badly needed. When breast cancer survivor Ruth Treen was diagnosed and endured a mastectomy, she decided to do something about that.

MOUNT VERNON -- Saunja Smith did not find a lump in her breast, nor did she notice any signs of cancer. And breast cancer doesn't run in her family. There was no real reason for Smith to get a mammography screening, except that doctors recommend the test after age 40. Smith was 43 years old and her mammogram, in May 2004, was just another routine checkup.

MOUNT VERNON -- Cancer comes out of nowhere, or so it often seems. And for Ruth Treen of Mount Vernon and her family, that was certainly the case. In 2003, Treen's great-granddaughter, Alaina Littleton, 13 months old, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

FREDERICKTOWN -- The 95 kindergartners at Fredericktown Primary School participated in the school's fifth annual Mini Relay for Life on Friday, running and walking and expecting to raise more than $1,000 for the American Cancer Society.

The YMCA youth soccer program finished up the 2007 spring season on Saturday. It was another successful season where the participants learned the game of soccer, met new friends and had fun. YMCA soccer will start back up in the fall.

MOUNT VERNON -- The intersection of Newark Road and Parrot Street has long been a difficult and dangerous intersection for both motorists and pedestrians. A combination of limited visibility and high traffic rates, especially during the times when work lets out at the industrial park south of the intersection, has made the desire for a traffic signal at the intersection a high priority for residents in the area.

HOWARD -- Teenagers aren't the only ones thinking about prom this month. In Apple Valley, Carl and Sharon Holmes are reminiscing about the senior prom they attended ... in May 1958 at Sharon's high school in Centreville, Mich.

MOUNT VERNON -- By 58 percent, Ohio voters approved a law in November 2006 to ban indoor smoking in public places. The ban took effect Dec. 7, but because there was not any way to enforce the new law, some restaurants and bars continued to let people smoke inside. Now the smoking ban has consequences.

Landscaping, the art of arranging plants in an aesthetically pleasing layout, is the culmination of a good garden.

MOUNT VERNON -- Around 700 school kids rolled into the Knox County Fairgrounds on Thursday morning for Agriculture Appreciation Day, an annual event which helps introduce children to the world of agriculture.

MOUNT VERNON -- Now that the price at the pump has jumped to over $3 a gallon, and analysts predict it to rise over the summer hitting $4, people want answers to how the price can change overnight. Well, there aren’t any. Not even gas station owners understand or can predict the price of gas day to day.

MOUNT VERNON -- The problem of laundry suffering ading or spotting in areas using Mount Vernon city water, though a relatively rare occurrence, is still an ongoing problem.

Rain or shine. That was the game plan for the inaugural St. Jude's Family Fun Day. The event managed to bring over 50 people to Riverside Park on Saturday, even without sunny weather.

In two sessions held Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon, a total of over 70 people auditioned for roles in the Bruce Jacklin and Company production of the popular Disney musical, "Beauty and the Beast." The tryouts were held in the Memorial Theater, which will also be the venue for the performances, July 5 through July 8.

"It had to go down sometime," said Clear Fork girls head track coach Brittany Bechtel.

The 2007 SpecTRACKular was again a major success on Friday night. By the end of the night, two athletes stood above the rest and gained the coveted "Most Valuable Competitor" award. For the boys, the winner was Wayne Lanum from Highland High School. The girls trophy went to Lauren Hollis from Mount Vernon High School.

A great flower garden can be a joy and worth every ounce of effort put into it. You have tested your soil and prepared the bed. Now, what are you going to plant? This might not be a difficult question for an experienced gardener, although it can be if the avid gardener wants to try "something different."

Rain or shine. That was the game plan for the inaugural St. Jude's Family Fun Day. The event managed to bring over 50 people to Riverside Park on Saturday, even without sunny weather.

In two sessions held Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon, a total of over 70 people auditioned for roles in the Bruce Jacklin and Company production of the popular Disney musical, "Beauty and the Beast." The tryouts were held in the Memorial Theater, which will also be the venue for the performances, July 5 through July 8.

"It had to go down sometime," said Clear Fork girls head track coach Brittany Bechtel.

The 2007 SpecTRACKular was again a major success on Friday night. By the end of the night, two athletes stood above the rest and gained the coveted "Most Valuable Competitor" award. For the boys, the winner was Wayne Lanum from Highland High School. The girls trophy went to Lauren Hollis from Mount Vernon High School.

A great flower garden can be a joy and worth every ounce of effort put into it. You have tested your soil and prepared the bed. Now, what are you going to plant? This might not be a difficult question for an experienced gardener, although it can be if the avid gardener wants to try "something different."

Hundreds of people thronged the square on a gorgeous Friday evening for the kickoff of the downtown summer season. First Friday brought perfect weather, classic cars, live music, food vendors, sidewalk chalk art, a parade of pooches and lots of children's games stretching from South Main up through the Very Short North.

United Precast Inc. in Mount Vernon gave the News a tour of their new washwater containment facility on Friday.

One little girl grew a great passion for The St. Jude's Children Research Hospital when her family received their magazine in the mail and she looked through the pages. Kaylee Burke, then, 3-year olds, started to ask questions about the pictures of the cancer patients. She wanted to help them feel better.

HOWARD -- An idea conceived 30 years ago came to fruition last week when the Knox County Park District acquired two acres in eastern Knox County. Located at the intersection of Hazel Dell and Austin roads, the land will become the Honey Run Waterfall Park.

Gardasil, a vaccine manufactured by Merck amd Co. Inc., is designed to prevent the human papillomavirus, HPV, which causes cervical cancer. The United States Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine, administered in a three-dose series, in June 2006. Since then, there has been some questions raised by parents on the recommended age the vaccine is administered -- as young as 9 and up to 26 years old.

The village of Howard has been seeing some much-needed improvement over the past few weeks.

The fourth annual Senior Prom held April 26 at the Colonial City Moose Lodge had senior citizens kicking up their heels to tunes sung by a red-jumpsuited Elvis.

The Woodward Opera House is finally getting a face lift. Work has been in progress for several days, with scaffolding and protective plastic being set up around the east and north sides of the building.

Law enforcement from all over the county swarmed to the Mount Vernon High School and Knox County Career Center this morning with one goal in mind -- to give away pizza

Gardasil, a vaccine manufactured by Merck amd Co. Inc., is designed to prevent the human papillomavirus, HPV, which causes cervical cancer. The United States Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine, administered in a three-dose series, in June 2006. Since then, there has been some questions raised by parents on the recommended age the vaccine is administered -- as young as 9 and up to 26 years old.