$60M Mega Millions ticket sold at Tyler’s Short Stop

Willow Bend County Club sale official

VW independent staff/submitted information

Willow Bend Country Club in Van Wert has officially been purchased by KCC Investment Properties LLC of Defiance, which according to a press release, marks the beginning of an exciting new era for the historic course.

Originally built in 1924 and most recently owned by Central Mutual Insurance Company since 1995, Willow Bend is entering 2026 and beyond with renewed vision.

The news release said following the announcement earlier this year, significant progress has already been made. A craft brewery has been established on site, state inspections are complete, and officials are currently awaiting final license approval to finalize the sale.

“We are thrilled to introduce a new chef, Eric Smith, who brings a wealth of experience from Michelin Star restaurants in Chicago,” said the news release, which was signed by Gary Cooper and The Compound Team. “Eric is working alongside Executive Chef Aaron Weible of The Compound to elevate the dining experience through kitchen upgrades, inspired new menu offerings, and a refreshed restaurant atmosphere. Select menu items are already being revamped, and guests will now be able to enjoy 4KD Crick Brewery on tap – with even more to come.”

It also said the restaurant will undergo a full renovation and expansion, with completion anticipated in early 2027. At that time, it will debut under its new name, Town Creek Chophouse.

“The excitement doesn’t stop there,” Cooper said in the news release. “Plans are in place to transform the lower level into a family-friendly entertainment center featuring golf simulators, arcade games, duckpin bowling, the craft brewery, live music stage, and more – creating a gathering space unlike anything else in the area.”

Parkway residents: remain in MAC

VW independent staff

ROCKFORD — There doesn’t appear to be much interest by Parkway Local Schools district residents to switch athletic conference affilation.

According to Superintendent Laura Young, 663 responded to an online poll with the question “Overall, do you support the proposal to move from the MAC to the NWC?” 62.7 percent of respondents said no, 30.9 percent said yes and 6.4 percent were unsure.

During a town hall Board of Education meeting held on Sunday, those in attendance were given a paper ballot to vote and according to Young, out of the 122 people present who voted, all voted to stay in the MAC.

“The Board of Education is taking in all of this information and will decide where to go from here,” she said.

Parkway and Delphos St. John’s both recently received inquries to consider joining the NWC.

“A letter of interest was sent to both Delphos St John’s and Parkway and at this time we continue to look for ways to enhance the NWC,” Commissioner Jon Derryberry said.

The two schools were officially invited in 2023, but both declined.

Power back for Paulding Putnam members

VW independent staff/submitted information

PAULDING — Paulding Putnam has largely restored power to around 3,000 members following a powerful straight-line wind event that began Friday afternoon, March 13, and continued through Monday morning, March 16. The storm, which brought gusts up to 77 mph across Ohio, caused widespread damage — one of the toughest faced since 2012’s derecho.

Ohio electric cooperatives saw power outages climb over 83,000 by Friday night, and more are still without power at other utilities across the state.

At peak, there were 41 electric outages across Paulding Putnam’s seven-county service territory — from Allen County, Indiana, to Putnam County, Ohio. Roughly half of these outages stemmed from AEP transmission issues, notably impacting areas like Ottoville and Antwerp. Paulding Putnam crews documented 40–50 broken poles, countless downed trees, and even a transformer oil fire. Winds remained relentless over four days, making restoration challenging but never deterring the co-op’s commitment to safety and swift recovery.

Paulding Putnam’s small but dedicated team worked around the clock in rotating shifts, prioritizing safe, efficient repairs. Members saw linemen in action, but dispatchers also worked behind the scenes, managing outages, coordinating crews, and making decisions in a high-stress environment to ensure crews were safe. According to the co-op, “the top priority is making sure every employee and contractor goes home safe at the end of the day.”

Clean up and inspections will continue this week, and crews are ready for continued support if weather conditions worsen.

Paulding Putnam extends its deepest thanks to everyone who made this restoration possible, including:

• Mutual aid crews and contractors, including Frankart Power Line Services, Tricounty Rural Electric Cooperative, and North Western Electric Cooperative.
• Local police, fire, and EMS personnel who managed traffic and responded to hazardous situations with professionalism and care.
• Community partners who kept our crews fueled and fed, especially Millie’s Cafe in Ottoville and the Schlatter Family. Your kindness meant the world during long, difficult hours.

Wind left many AEP customers in the dark

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

More than 3,000 local AEP customers lost power due to Friday’s wind storm that rolled into northwest Ohio and the extreme wind slowed repairs and restoration efforts. 

According to an AEP spokesperson, across the Van Wert service area,  including Van Wert County and all of Delphos, 3,339 customers lost power at the peak of the storm at 6 p.m. on Friday evening.

“Within 24 hours, AEP Ohio crews had restored power to 97 percent of those customers,” the spokesperson said. “52 customers in the Van Wert service area were without power as of 7 p.m. Saturday. Crews worked as quickly as they safely could to restore power to the remaining customers.”

“The storm that came through Sunday night and Monday morning caused 500 customers to lose power,” they added late Monday afternoon. “Crews have since restored service to all but two of those customers and will continue working until everyone has electricity again.”

AEP said the high winds caused damage to the power grid not seen since the derecho of 2012.

AEP Ohio delivers power to 1.5 million customers across 61 counties in Ohio. At the peak of Friday’s storm, approximately 258,000 customers lost power with the largest numbers being reported in central, northern and eastern parts of the state.

LHS Theatre Dept. presents comedy-drama

Submitted information

The Lincolnview High School Theatre Department will present the comedy-drama Sitting in a Tree beginning this week at the Van Wert Civic Theatre.

Sitting in a Tree is a heartfelt story that follows the lives of John and Sarah as they navigate the joys, challenges, humor, and heartache that come with growing up, falling in love, and building a life together. Blending comedy with touching moments of reflection, the play explores how love grows not through grand gestures, but through everyday choices, patience, forgiveness, and shared memories.

The production spans several decades in the lives of the characters, beginning with the awkward moments of young love and moving through marriage, family life, and the golden years. Along the way, audiences will encounter colorful characters, humorous situations, and heartfelt moments that remind us that love often grows stronger through life’s complications.

The student cast features Noah Peters as John and Hadley Goins as Sarah. Other cast members include Kale Kundert as Howard, Gabby Thomas as Alice, Graham Kill as Archie, Heath Turner as Grandpa, Abby Dannenfelser as Laura, Katie Kundert as Elizabeth, Yaddo Von Stetina and Maliya Hershberger as Aunt Gertrude, Elijah Martz as Rufus the sweeper salesman, Owen Dannenfelser as Cletus the Clown, Aiden Smith as the clown assistant, Logan Block as the Pastor, Kyleigh Cummings as Agnes, Marcus Kerns as Reverend Eli, Finn Howard as Carrie, Zae Dee Lippi as Kimberly, Theo Anderson as Kent, Eddy Hesseling as Jack, and Karson Kundert as Freddy.

Adult guest actors include Dan Bulau and Jean Bulau portraying the elderly John and Sarah, along with Ken Markward as the elderly Archie.

The production also features an elementary ensemble including Elijah Malone and Willow Snyder as the young John and Sarah along with Lydia Allison, Georgie Carey, Eden Early, Hunter Hitchcock, Molly Hughes, Logan Lape, and Connor Watkins.

Howell Scholarship seeking applications

Submitted information

Applications are now being accepted for the Howell Memorial Scholarship Program.

The Howell Memorial Scholarship Program will award two separate scholarships of $1,000 each to one boy in memory of James Howell and one girl in memory of Kathleen Davis.  

The purpose is to provide a one-time assistance to two students who have displayed excellence in the classroom and in extracurricular activities (sports, performing arts, community projects, etc.). Scholarship money may be applied to the cost of tuition, room/board or books.

To apply, a student must be a senior currently enrolled at a school in one of the following counties: Allen, Auglaize, Hancock, Mercer, Hardin, Putnam or Van Wert.

All applications submitted before the deadline will be considered upon review of grades, extracurricular activities and references. Completed forms need to be submitted by Friday, April 17. Winners will be announced by April 30.

Scan the QR Code and follow the link to fill out the Howell Memorial Scholarship Program Application.

Yost releases 2026 “Yellow Book”

VW independent staff/submitted information

COLUMBUS — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost today released the 2026 edition of the Ohio Sunshine Laws manual, which clarifies that messaging applications and platforms that automatically delete records should not be used to conduct public business.

The Sunshine Laws manual, affectionately called the “Yellow Book,” is issued annually during the national observance of Sunshine Week (March 15-21 this year). The manual is a guide to Ohio’s Public Records and Open Meetings laws and aims to help citizens and public servants understand their rights and responsibilities under the law.

In the 2026 edition, the “practical pointers” for records management include this new directive: “Avoid using platforms or applications that automatically delete records.” Applications used to exchange digital communications – texts, images or videos – that automatically disappear from the recipient’s device and servers after a set time or upon being viewed should not be used for public business. Common examples of these applications include Signal, WhatsApp and Snapchat.

“Self-destructing messages are for movie characters, not public officials,” Yost said. “Using disappearing messages will only self-destruct your career and your credibility.”

Under Ohio law, whether something is public record depends on its content, not the platform used to send it. Automatically deleting communications before they can be reviewed or retained could violate the Public Records Act, the manual says, which is why such transient-messaging apps should not be used to conduct public business.

In the Yellow Book’s introduction, Yost invokes a recent Ohio case to underscore why transparency is essential. Ohio v. Wade Steen, et al involved two members of the State Teachers Retirement System who conspired about a $65 billion investment through secret communications outside of normal public board rules. In February, a judge ruled that the two had violated their fiduciary duties. Both were prohibited from serving on the STRS board in the future.  

Club seeking scholarship applications

Submitted information

The Optimist Club of Van Wert is seeking applications for its annual service award scholarship. Three $2,000 scholarships will be awarded to graduating seniors from Crestview, Lincolnview, and Van Wert high schools. Vantage students from these home schools are also eligible.

The criteria are hours of community service through a church, non-profit organization, or group, and a GPA of 2.0 or above. Two letters of recommendation and a copy of the student’s transcripts are also required. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. Friday, April 3.

This year’s application is online and can be found here.

Storm brush pickup set in Van Wert

Submitted information

Due to strong winds over the weekend and today (Monday), the City of Van Wert has scheduled a special brush pick-up.

All brush must be placed by the curb by 7 a.m. Monday, March 23.  

• Place the brush by the curb and do not place it near poles, trees, etc.
• The city will not pick up limbs larger than four inches in diameter or more than ten feet long.
• The city will not pick up brush that has been left behind by a professional tree trimmer or private contractor. If a homeowner utilized a trimming service, they are responsible for disposing of the tree.
• Brush placed in bags or boxes will not be picked up.
• The city will not pick up leaves during brush pick up.

Mutual aid call…

Fire departments from from northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio battled multiple barn fires on the same property in Adams count, Indiana Sunday. Shortly before 4:30 p.m. Wren, Willshire, and Convoy fire departments were requested for mutual aid with a full response. A short time later, tankers from Van Wert and Ohio City fire departments were also requested. In all, 12 agencies from both Ohio and Indiana battled the both the high winds and fires. Fire crews remained on scene until around 930 p.m. Sunday. Wren Fire Department photo