Housing addressed during local radio station program

Chamber planning trip to Italy

Submitted information

The Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Collette and Orange Grove Travel is offering a trip to southern Italy and Sicily. Tour dates are October 22-November 4 of this year.

Journey through a crossroads of civilizations in Sicily and on to the spectacular coastlines of Southern Italy. Allow the unique culture to capture your heart and get a glimpse into an age-old heritage composed of ancient monuments and cultivated lands.

Join the Chamber for an informational meeting at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 5, at Willow Bend Country Club in Van Wert. Food and drinks will be provided. To register for the meeting email the Chamber at chamber@vanwertchamber.com or call 419.238.4390. Click here to learn more about the trip.

Galentine’s Day gathering…

The Van Wert Chamber of Commerce celebrated “Galentine’s Day” with a full house at Willow Bend Country Club last Thursday February 12. The event featured a panel of four local professionals, Tera Knebel, Schrader Realty; Jana Ringwald, retired Central Insurance; Rhonda Cunningham, Van Wert School at the Goedde, and Bailey Carder, The Marsh Foundation. Amber Franklin from the Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce facilitated the program which revolved around creating a home and work life balance. The Chamber will be hosting another EmpowHer Hour event on Thursday October 29, with more details coming soon. Photo submitted

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.

Rivals United raised more than $35K

VW independent staff/submitted information

Last week’s Rivals United Week – an annual fundraiser involving cross county rivals Lincolnview and Crestview – was once again a big success. The 10th annual campaign raised $35,214 for the United Way of Van Wert County.

Rivals United began as a fun, friendly competition between the Crestview and Lincolnview student bodies to see which school could raise the most support for United Way. The fundraiser kicks off in the fall with staff campaigns, followed by a full week of events leading up to the boys rivalry basketball game. Activities throughout the week include spirit week celebrations, a daily SuperFan competition, the FFA basketball game, hot shot, dash for cash, granny shoot out, and t-shirt sales.

In recent years, the schools have chosen to join forces and raise money together toward one combined total instead of naming a single winner. A portion of the proceeds from student based activities are donated back to Crestview and Lincolnview Latchkey programs, which are United Way Partner Agencies.

The annual event would not be possible without the support of local businesses through sponsorships and product sales. United Way thanked the following sponsors for their generous contributions: First Financial Bank, First Bank of Berne, Laudick’s Jewelry, Superior Credit Union, Clint Myers Excavating, Paulding Putnam Electric, Dirty Deeds, Parrish Orthodontics, Amber Davis – Red Oak Realty, Harting Livestock, Harting Homesteaders, Recovery Massage, Convoy Tastee Freeze, Cheers & Gears, Gibson’s BBQ, Klosterman Pizza, The Well Nutrition, Daily Dose, The Rebel Bean, Sweet Crumb Bakehouse, and Bless Me Candle Co. by JMI.

The United Way also thanked Crestview and Lincolnview for their continued support of the annual campaign and for making the week-long event such a success.

Donations given to the United Way of Van Wert County, are invested directly back into our community. Through programs supported by the annual campaign, United Way impacts the lives of nearly everyone in Van Wert County.

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.