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One of the great lawmakers passes. Former Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar, a Republican foreign policy sage known for leading efforts to help the former Soviet states dismantle and secure much of their nuclear arsenal, but whose reputation for working with Democrats cost him his final campaign, died Sunday from a …

Area crews tackle a barn fire. Fire teams from Montpelier, Pioneer, Bryan and Kunkle responded to the blaze on Ohio 576, north of Montpelier. A fast call to dispatch had crews at the scene of the blaze before it could gather strength…they had it out in ten minutes. Officials tell …

Indiana’s newly approved state budget anticipates the state keeping $2 billion in cash reserves, which Republican leaders maintain keeps the state protected in case of an economic recession. The plan, approved along party lines, projects that the reserves will amount to at least 11.5 percent of state spending. Democrats argue …

Ohio could join 15 other states with opt-out voter registration, this under a proposal led by the state’s elections chief. It’s part of a package of election law changes Republican Secretary of State, Frank LaRose tapped a working group to hammer out within the next few months. He joined lawmakers …

Ohio is looking for members of the public with expertise in aviation and aerospace technology to serve on a state panel. State Rep. Rick Perales, a Beavercreek Republican, chairs the Ohio Aerospace and Aviation Technology Committee. He says applicants for the group could include military representatives, academic experts or industry …

A robbery suspect is in custody in West Unity. Investigators say Dakota Swirles, 20, of Fayette, committed the crime there, early Sunday morning. Williams County deputies put the details of the case onto social media. It wasn’t long after that, Swirles turned himself in to the authorities in Bryan. Charges …

Here’s the latest on the aquifer story…representatives from seven area towns and Artesian of Pioneer officials met in a work group to discuss a draft report, detailing the costs to transport water from a proposed plant to those seven communities. To determine whether AOP and the aquifer can meet that …

New employment numbers are in. Williams County’s unemployment rate continued its rebound from a winter slide, from 4.3 percent in January, to 3.7 percent in February, down to 3.2 percent in March. The rate continues to come in well under both state and national numbers and is a full 1.5 …

Three employees at the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio received the American Heart Association’s Heartsaver Hero Award for saving an inmate’s life. Back in March, Corrections Officer, Alex Michael found an unconscious inmate inside a cell at the jail’s intake center. When Medical Administrator, John Pannell couldn’t find a pulse, …

Scott Laser of Montpelier stands trial in Williams County this week, facing 11 felony counts that include abduction, menacing and more. Prosecutors say Laser posed as a police officer to coerce a teen back in Nov…taking her to his house. There he forced her to take cough syrup, pills and …