Annual Rivals United campaign raised more than $35K

Foggy Monday morning…

Dense fog blanketed downtown Van Wert and the entire area Monday morning. Visibility in some spots was a quarter mile or less. The National Weather Service issued a Dense Fog Advisory until 10 a.m. then extended it until noon. Scott Truxell/Van Wert independent

Humane Society work is rescheduled

Submitted information

The Van Wert County Humane Society has rescheduled its kennel improvement project due to delayed materials. The shelter will now be closed to walk-in visitors from Sunday, February 22 through Thursday, February 26 while construction upgrades are completed.

During this time, the Humane Society will operate by appointment only to ensure the safety of animals, volunteers, and staff while work is underway. Daily animal care operations will continue without interruption.

The kennel upgrades are part of ongoing efforts to enhance safety, durability, and overall conditions within the facility. The organization appreciates the community’s understanding and patience as these important improvements are completed.

Individuals needing assistance during the closure week are encouraged to contact the shelter directly to schedule an appointment.

Group getting signatures for pot referendum

By Megan Henry/Ohio Capital Journal

Ohioans for Cannabis Choice have started to collect signatures to get a referendum on the ballot to block a new law that will change the state’s voter-passed recreational marijuana law and ban intoxicating hemp products. But they are up against a March 19 deadline.  

They need more than 248,000 signatures to get on the November 3 ballot. The group will also need three percent of an individual county’s gubernatorial turnout in 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties. Despite the looming deadline, Joey Ellwood, a hemp farmer in Tuscarawas County, is confident they will get the needed signatures to get the referendum on the ballot. 

“We have a ground swell and folks are angry,” he said. “(Politicians) hate the fact that people spoke and now they’re trying to re-criminalize cannabis and ban products, and we’re not going to stand for that.”

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost initially rejected the referendum’s summary language, but recently approved after Ohioans for Cannabis Choice made changes to the langauge.  

“We are on a limited timeline,” Ellwood said. “The attorney general took a significant amount of time to go through that, which put us up against it.”

Ohio Senate Bill 56 — set to take effect March 20 — will reduce the THC levels in adult-use marijuana extracts from a maximum of 90 percent down to a maximum of 70 percent, cap THC levels in adult-use flower to 35 percent, and prohibit smoking in most public places.

It prohibits possessing marijuana in anything outside of its original packaging and criminalizes bringing legal marijuana from another state back to Ohio.

The legislation also requires drivers to store marijuana in the trunk of their car while driving. 

Ohioans voted to legalize marijuana in 2023, recreational sales started in August 2024, and sales totaled more than $836 million in 2025.

The legislation would also ban intoxicating hemp products. 

“I have many patients that have maintained their sobriety from drugs and alcohol due to CBD and CBD-combined products,” said Dr. Bridget Williams, a board-certified family physician.

“I also have a lot of patients that have been able to maintain sobriety by using cannabis related products, CBD, and THC for social interaction.” 

Banner deadline approaching…

The deadline is fast approaching purchase a banner for Convoy’s military tribute banner program. Each full color banner features an attractive 24×48 inch patriotic design, the honoree’s photo and basic military information displayed and the family or business name printed on the banner. Banners will be displayed from Memorial Day through Veterans Day on Main St. and Tully St. The sponsorship rate is $100. Banners may be ordered at militarytributebanners.org. You may pay online or by check payable to: Village of Convoy Historical Society, (write “veterans name” and  “banner” in memo line), P.O. Box 605, Convoy, 45832. Orders must be placed by this Saturday, February 21. Anyone with questions may contact Rose Wherry at 419.513.1092 or Dave Thomas at 260.639.2083. VW independent file photo

Big game crowd…

A large number of Van Wert fans flocked to Friday night’s WBL boys basketball showdown against Shawnee. Unfortunately, the Cougars fell to the Indians 60-53, dropping Van Wert out of a first place tie. Meanwhile, less than 15 minutes away, Lincolnview clinched an outright NWC championship with a win over Crestview. Stories about both teams can be found on the Sports page. Bob Barnes/Van Wert independent

Knights of Columbus work to end hunger

Submitted information

As families across our community struggle to feed their children, the Knights of Columbus in Van Wert are putting their faith into action to collect and distribute food to those in need. Today, eighteen percent of American children live in poverty. As a result, many families cannot afford to provide food for their families, which leads to children going to bed hungry each night.

The Knights of Columbus will be collecting food, non-perishables, and monetary donations at the Knights of Columbus Hall 415 Woodland Ave, Van Wert to help the Cooperative Food
Ministry. Up to $500 total will be matched by the Knights of Columbus. The collection will be held on Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2026 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Knights of Columbus councils have provided more than 23 million pounds of food and $11 million dollars to families throughout the United States and Canada through the Food for Families program since 2012. Please spread the word and join us in our mission to end hunger.

Council 6034 in Van Wert is one of 17,000 Knights of Columbus councils that make up the world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in 1882 to assist working-class and immigrant Catholics in the United States, today the approximately two million members of the Knights put their faith into action through a broad range of charitable causes locally, nationally and internationally through financial contributions and hands-on service.

Nine people facing Medicaid fraud charges

VW independent staff/submitted information

COLUMBUS — Indictments filed this month by the office of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost accuse nine Medicaid providers, including one from Hardin County, and one recipient of stealing a combined $478,000 from the government health-care program for the needy.

“This February, remember: Love may be blind, but our investigators see just fine,” Yost said. “If you flirt with fraud, your next date will be with a judge.”

The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, an arm of Yost’s office, investigated the cases and secured the indictments in Franklin County Common Pleas Court.

The cases include a provider who made a sweetheart deal with a client and others who billed when traveling or working different jobs.

Among those indicted:

• Destiny Allen, 26, of Cleveland, was indicted for Medicaid fraud after investigators determined that $108,983 was improperly paid to her for overbilling from 2023 to 2025. Allen confessed that she inflated her billed hours for services she never provided.
• Cheryl Austin, 53, of East Cleveland, was charged after investigators calculated a loss of $11,025 to Medicaid. The investigation identified numerous dates in which Austin called off work but billed for services. Additionally, video evidence showed that she never visited one of her clients during a 20-day span of billed services. When confronted with the video, Austin responded, “Guilty as charged.”
•  Jennifer Cavinee, 45, of Kenton, is accused of billing for services she did not provide, leading to a $6,660 loss for Medicaid between September 2023 and February 2025.
• Jai Dhungel, 40, of Hamilton, drew investigators’ attention after an anonymous tipster alleged fraudulent billing. An investigation confirmed that Dhungel billed Medicaid for services not rendered, including a 20-day period in which he visited a client only once. He admitted to the fraud when confronted by investigators. In total, $120,268 was fraudulently billed to Medicaid.
•  Shelmeta Drewery, 38, of Cleveland, allegedly billed for weekends, holidays and other dates she did not work from January 2023 through July 2025. Travel records show she also billed when traveling in Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Puerto Rico. The loss to Medicaid totaled $4,390.
• Jessica Fitzpatrick, 46, of South Point, allegedly continued to bill Medicaid after she stopped providing services to a client, resulting in a $3,891 loss to Medicaid. She confessed to investigators that she submitted false documentation to support the fraudulent claims.
• Dejoire McAlpine, 35, of Strongsville, was indicted for Medicaid fraud and theft after investigators calculated a $6,587 loss to Medicaid. McAlpine routinely billed for six to eight hours of services, but a client reported that she never worked more than four hours per day. Another client told investigators that McAlpine worked only 125 of the 200 hours she billed. McAlpine admitted to billing for services not rendered, claiming that she thought she could make up the hours later.
• Chrishawn McClendon, 38, of Streetsboro, and William Jackson, 40, of Cleveland, allegedly engaged in a kickback scheme that resulted in a $212,339 loss to Medicaid. Records show that McClendon billed Medicaid for more than 1,000 hours of services between August 2022 and November 2025 when she was working another job. An investigation determined that she paid Jackson, her client, more than $45,000 via Cash App during the same period. When confronted by investigators, the pair admitted to the scheme.
• Tonya Ware, 60, of Warren, allegedly billed for services between May 2024 through June 2025 when traveling in Arizona, Florida, Texas and the Bahamas. The loss to Medicaid totaled $4,072.

Ohio’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, which operates within the Health Care Fraud Section, collaborates with federal, state and local partners to root out Medicaid fraud and protect vulnerable adults from harm. The unit investigates and prosecutes health-care providers who defraud the state Medicaid program and enforces the state’s Patient Abuse and Neglect Law.

Indictments are criminal allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proved guilty in a court of law.

Yarger, Staas sworn into new roles

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

The Van Wert County Juvenile/Probate Court courtroom was quite full Thursday afternoon, but it wasn’t for the usual type of business conducted there.

Instead, a brief ceremony was held to administer the oath of office to Eva Yarger, who was recently appointed by Governor Mike DeWine to fill the seat previously held by now-retired Judge Kevin Taylor. The oath was administered by her nephew, Andrew Yarger, who is an attorney in Cleveland. She’ll officially begin her new duties next Tuesday, February 17.

After Yarger was sworn in, assistant prosecutor Dillon Staas, IV took the oath to become the county’s acting prosecutor. Van Wert County Common Pleas Court Judge Martin D. Burchfield administered the oath. Family, friends, court officials, law enforcement officials and others packed the small courtroom in the Van Wert County Annex to see Yarger and Staas sworn into their new positions.

Yarger served as county prosecutor since 2017. She began her law career in 1989, when she served as an associate for local law office Johnson & Burchfield. In 1993, Yarger served as an associate at Hatcher, Diller, Rice & Beebe. In 1997, Yarger joined Young, Taylor, Steele, and Yarger as a partner, which later became Young & Yarger, while also serving as an assistant prosecutor for the Van Wert County Prosecutor’s Office from 1996 to 2017. In 2017, Yarger left Young & Yarger to serve as a full-time assistant prosecutor in Allen County for several months.

In 1986, Yarger received a bachelor’s degree in political science and minors in English and economics from The Ohio State University. She received her juris doctorate from Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, formerly the Arizona State University College of Law in 1989.

She learned of the appointment to fill the vacated seat earlier this month.

Most gov’t offices closed on Monday

VW independent staff

Monday is Presidents Day, a federal holiday. Most federal, state and local government offices will be closed for the day. Van Wert County offices will be closed, along with Van Wert Municipal Court, but the Van Wert Municipal Building will be open.

Russo makes local campaign stop

VW independent staff/submitted information

Ohio Secretary of State candidate Allison Russo spoke to area voters and met with Democrats during a recent campaign stop in Van Wert County.

“I’m running to restore trust, integrity, and transparency in elections and to fight so that every voter feels confident their vote matters. I’m a firm believer that Democracy works best when every voice is heard,” Russo said. “I’ve seen firsthand the tricks, barriers and backroom deals that politicians use to keep power in the hands of the few. As your Ohio Secretary of State, I will make sure every vote is counted, every ballot is honest, and the rules work for Ohioans, not the powerful.”

State Rep. Russo has served four terms in the Ohio House of Representatives and has served as House Minority Leader for the Ohio House Democratic Caucus – a position she stepped down from earlier this year – and before that served as Ranking Member on the House Health Committee. Russo lives in Upper Arlington with her husband, their three children and their dog.

Russo will run against fellow Democrat Bryan Hambley in the May 5 primary election. The winner will face one of two Republicans in the November election – Marcell Strbich or Robert Sprague, along with Libertarian Tom Pruss. Current Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is running for Ohio Auditor.