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County’s jobless rate among lowest

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Van Wert County had the state’s ninth lowest unemployment rate in May, according to figures released on Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The monthly rankings show the county’s jobless rate was just 2.5 percent, tying it for ninth lowest with Paulding, Wayne, Shelby, Preble and Logan counties. It’s a decrease from last month, when Van Wert County’s unemployment rate was 2.7 percent and far lower than May, 2025, when it was 4.1 percent.

The statewide average was 3.0 percent and no surrounding counties were above that. Allen County matched the state’s average, while Putnam County came in at 2.3 percent, good for fifth lowest in Ohio, along with Wyandot County. Auglaize County was at 2.2 percent, which was tied with third lowest with Union County, while Mercer County’s May unemployment rate was 2.1 percent, second lowest in Ohio.

Holmes County, in the heart of Ohio’s Amish country, had the state’s lowest jobless rate in May, 2.0 percent. Overall, 14 counties had unemployment rates at or below 2.5 percent in May. The counties with the lowest rates, other than Holmes County were: Mercer, 2.1 percent; Auglaize and Union, 2.2 percent; Putnam and Wyandot, 2.3 percent; Delaware and Madison, 2.4 percent, and Logan, Paulding, Preble, Shelby, Van Wert, and Wayne, 2.5 percent.

Trumbull County had the state’s highest unemployment rate last month, 4.1 percent. 10 counties had unemployment rates at or above 3.5 percent in May. The counties with the highest rates, other than Trumbull were: Lucas, 3.9 percent; Mahoning, Pike and Scioto 3.8 percent; Meigs and Monroe, 3.7 percent; Noble, 3.6 percent, and Jefferson and Ross, 3.5 percent.

According to ODJFS, unemployment rates decreased in 78 counties last month, increased in six counties and were unchanged in four counties.

Libertarian Political Club being formed

VW independent staff/submitted information

PAULDING — The 2026 Paulding County Fair saw a new organization with the arrival of the Libertarian Party of Ohio. Christopher Elder, Libertarian candidate for Ohio House District 82, spoke with people as the first Libertarian candidate from Paulding since 2000. District 82 includes all of Paulding, Putnam and Van Wert counties, along with some of Defiance County.

“We are here to offer a new option for people who feel like they don’t belong in either of the two major parties,” Elder said.

The booth was also manned by four other Libertarian candidates for statewide offices: Don Kissick and James Mills for governor and lieutenant governor, Bill Redpath for Secretary of State, and Bill Redpath for U.S. Senate.

“Thanks to the amount of interest in a third-party option in the area, we are moving forward with starting a Libertarian Political Club right here in Paulding County,” Elder shared.

For more information on joining the new club, interested parties should contact Elder at 419.670.1831 or elderforoh82@gmail.com

Amateur radio club prepping for Field Day

VW independent staff/submitted information

This weekend will see the members of the Van Wert Amateur Radio Club once again take part in the yearly emergency preparedness exercise known as Field Day.

The national contest, sponsored by the American Radio Relay League, puts ham radio operators and their equipment to the test by setting up emergency type operations to contact as many other ham radio stations as possible.  Field Day will be held this Saturday and Sunday, June 27-28, at the headquarters of the Van Wert County Emergency Management Agency on the grounds of Marsh Foundation. 

Part of the focus of Field Day this year will be an effort to “Get on the Air,” encouraging anyone interested in radio communications and ham radio specifically, to come and join in the fun. You can get on the air even without a license by coming to field day and working with a licensed amateur radio operator.

Field Day also gives seasoned ham radio operators a chance to work with club equipment, especially antennas, that they may not have at home. The Radio Club typically works stations in about 35 or more states and most Canadian provinces during field day, and the Club has won their classification four times in the past.

According to the American Radio Relay League’s (ARRL) website, the “Radio Connects” Field Day is the most popular on-the-air event held annually in the U.S. and Canada. On the fourth weekend of June, more than 31,000 radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends to operate from remote locations. Each year, a competition is held and points are earned and awarded for the number of contacts that are established.

Field Day set up will begin at 6 p.m. Friday for the preliminary work, with the finishing touches applied at noon on Saturday. The actual hours of operation are a continuous 24-hour period from 2 p.m. Saturday until 2 p.m. Sunday. Visitors are welcome at all hours of Field Day.

For more information on Field Day, or the Van Wert Amateur Radio Club, go to the club’s website, w8fy.org or the League’s website, arrl.org. Field Day updates will be posted on the Facebook page of The Van Wert Amateur Radio Club.

Where’s the water?

The question has been asked – why isn’t the fountain at Fountain Park running as it typically does at this time of the year? According to Van Wert Parks Director Kyle Klinker, crews are in the process of replacing a pump/motor that went bad. He also said workers ran into more issues on Monday, so it’s not known exactly when repairs will be complete. Klinker added the Parks Department is doing the doing the best they can to get the fountain up and running ASAP. Scott Truxell/Van Wert independent

United Way makes donation

Submitted information

The United Way of Van Wert County recently granted the Van Wert School at the Goedde a check for $2,000. The money was given on behalf of the New Initiative Funds which allows organizations that are tax exempt to apply in order to help with a one-time need or project in Van Wert County.

The funds will be used for “Cooking at The Goedde” – a weekly podcast/youtube video teaching how to cook simple, affordable, and nutritious meals at home through the Middle School Culinary Lab.

Designed to combine hands-on learning, student voice, and real-world life skills, this program will empower students in grades 6–8 to plan, prepare, and demonstrate simple, affordable meals that can be recreated at home, while also developing communication, collaboration, and leadership skills. This program directly supports their mission to “Break the Cycle: one decision, one choice, one day at a time” by equipping students with essential independent living skills while also giving them a platform to be heard.

If you are a tax-exempt organization located in Van Wert County and would like to learn more about or even apply for New Initiative funds, contact the United Way office at 419.238.6689 or email administration@uwvwco.org.

Outdoorsmen hosting match on Saturday

Submitted information

MIDDLE POINT — The Van Wert County Outdoorsmen Association will host a CMP sanctioned M-1 Garand match this Saturday, June 27 at the Van Wert County Outdoorsmen Club at 9093 Ringwald Road. The safety briefing will be held at 9:30 a.m. and the match will start at 9:45 a.m.

Any military rifle may be used such as an M-1 Garand, AR 15, and other such rifles. You may use iron sights or scoped rifles. Once you shoot in the match, you will be eligible to purchase an M-1 Garand from the CMP. If you do not have a rifle, the club has M-1 rifles to loan out to the public to use in this match. The club also has a National Match AR 15 for participants that might wish to try it out.

The cost to participate is $5, which is a target fee. If you need to purchase ammo to shoot in this match, the club has 30.06 ammo at $30 for 35 rounds, and AR-15 ammo is $18 for 40 rounds which includes the target fee. The ammo needs to be used to shoot in the match, no extraneous purchases are allowed.

Fight at fairgounds leads to one arrest

VW independent staff

What began as a report of a weekend fight involving a gun at the Van Wert County Fairgrounds turned into a chase involving multiple officers. It ended with the arrest of an Indiana man.

Officers with the Van Wert Police Department were dispatched to the fairgrounds just before 11 p.m. Saturday, during the Freedom Truck Meet, after a caller said two suspects jumped the fence and were running eastbound.

Security staff gave the responding officers a description of the suspects – a white male with no shirt, black shorts, and a black male with no shirt and green shorts, with a gun. The immediate area was checked then a short time later, an officer spotted the two running through back yards along Warren Rd.

A perimeter was established, a VWPD drone was put into operation and multiple law enforcement officers from the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office and the Van Wert Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol were called to the scene for assistance. Both of the suspects were spotted hiding behind a detached garage on Warren Rd. As officers approached them, Drake Scheumann, 19, of Monroeville, Indiana, fled eastbound, which prompted a foot chase that lasted several minutes. It ended when officers cut him off and took him into custody. He admitted he had been drinking and told officers he ran because he’s scared of police. Scheumann was later charged with ostructing official business and underage consumption, and was taken to the Van Wert County Correctional Facility.

The second suspect could not be found but the police report states an officer found a bag near the area where the suspect was running. His driver’s license and a debit card were found in the bag.

According to the report, the case is closed because the victims in the alleged assault fled the scene and have been uncooperative.

Sunday night crash…

One person was taken to the hospital by ambulance after a one-vehicle accident at the CF&E rail crossing on Mendon Rd., not far from Lincoln Highway in Van Wert. The Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office, Van Wert Fire Department and Van Wert Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol were dispatched to the scene shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday after the driver, Myca Thompson, 19, of Van Wert, was southbound when she went off the roadway and struck the railroad signal. She was later found to be under the influence of alcohol and was taken by EMS to OhioHealth Van Wert Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The OSHP is investigating the accident. Bob Barnes/VWFD photographer

Sheriff’s Office practices crisis situation

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

The call came in at 9 a.m. Saturday – an active shooter was inside Lincolnview Jr. High/High School and shots had been fired within the building, which prompted a rapid and large scale response from local law enforcement officers and other emergency personnel.

Thankfully, it was just a drill – a training exercise organized by the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office. For the next three hours, emergency responders worked to hone their skills in the simulated crisis situation.

“The purpose of the exercise is to allow all of the agencies that are operating within our county the opportunity to come together and work through an active shooter/active threat situation within a school setting,” Van Wert County Sheriff Tom Riggenbach said.

The training excerise is done once a year each summer and is usually rotated between the county schools. However, this year’s drill was moved from Crestview Local Schools to Lincolnview due to Crestview’s ongoing renovation project. 

“It allows everybody to spend some time performing the different tasks within the schools, because they’re all different,” Riggenbach explained. “How do we get to the school…how do we get into the school..how do we respond based on the stimulus that is part of the drill? It’s very important for us to work on this and being able to have this drill every year is vital to put the different things we’re working on throughout the year to a test.”

“We’re always looking for ways to get better in our response,” he added.

He also noted it’s not the same scenario every year.

Data center ban won’t be on fall ballot

Megan Henry/Ohio Capital Journal

Ohio voters will not have a chance to vote to ban data centers in the November election. 

Conserve Ohio, the grassroots organization behind the proposed constitutional amendment, said they are now hoping to make the 2027 ballot. The amendment would prohibit building data centers with a peak load of more than 25 megawatts per month, which would prevent most modern data centers. 

“We want to make it clear: we will not be stopping,” Conserve Ohio said in a statement. “Construction won’t be stopping, so signature gathering and community action will not be stopping.”

Conserve Ohio originally was trying to make this year’s ballot after the Ohio Ballot Board gave petitioners the green light to start collecting signatures in April, but they were up against a tight deadline. 

“The July 1 deadline was our best case scenario for the quickest possible action,” Conserve Ohio said in a statement. “Internally, we set that as our ideal target and it just didn’t pan out. We are not going to be submitting this year.”

The amendment would have needed more than 413,000 signatures from at least 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties by July 1 to get on this year’s ballot. The signatures they have collected so far remain valid since they did not submit them to the Ohio Secretary of State. 

Conserve Ohio has collected more than 70,000 signatures as of June 18, according to their campaign. The counties with the most signatures are Lucas County (6,482), Stark County (6,329), and Butler County (4,030).

“We can’t change when we began, but we can determine how it ends,” Conserve Ohio said. “All is not lost. The end goal has not changed. Our resolve has not changed.” 

Conserve Ohio is only using volunteers to collect signatures, and they have more than 1,000 volunteers. 

Ohio has more than 200 data centers, the sixth-highest state in the country, according to Pew Research Center. Most of the data centers are in central Ohio. Cincinnati has 26 and Cleveland has 22, according to the Data Center Map.