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Serving Putnam County Since 1855

Vol. 165, issue 32 ‘Our community newspaper’ $1

putnamsentinel.com

Follow us online—

@

Big Greengets

title share

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH

The Call Center is staffed from 9 a.m to 8 p.m every day.

Visit https://coronavirus.ohio.gov to read Public

Health Orders, learn how you can help your

fellow Ohians, and find economic information

and resources.

Classifieds B4 l Death Notices A4 l Farm B l Lifestyles A7 l Religion A4

Battling the COVID pandemic

By Nancy Kline

Sentinel Correspondent

news@putnamSentinel.com

OTTAWA – The Ottawa

K of C was a busy place last

Saturday as over 600 Put-

nam County residents came

for appointments to receive

their Covid-19 Vaccines.

This is the second Covid-19

Vaccine clinic held in the

county hosted by the Put-

nam County Health Depart-

ment. The first clinic was

also at the Ottawa K of C

on January 20. Both clinics

were for residents 80 and

older.Before each clinic, vol-

unteers scheduled appoint-

ments for qualifying res-

idents. They also have a

waiting list in case someone

cancels.

“Our first two clinics held

January 20th and most re-

cently on Saturday, January

30th, allowed for us to vac-

cinate nearly 1000 people

in their upper 70’s and old-

er, with Saturday’s numbers

reaching over 600,” stated

Kim Rieman, Health Com-

missioner of the Putnam

County Health Department.

“The clinics were very busy,

and all spots were filled with

those anxious to receive their

vaccine. We know there are

many, many more who want

the vaccine and we are pro-

viding clinics as quickly

as we can after we receive

our weekly shipment.” The

health department is notified

with the amount of vaccine

in the next shipment and then

immediately begins planning

how to disperse the vaccine

within the next week. The

shipment for this week is

much less than received pre-

viously, therefore the clinic

will not be as busy. “We do

appreciate all of the help and

support of the volunteers and

agencies who help with the

clinics. We are blessed to

have such a caring commu-

nity,” said Joan Kline, from

the Putnam County Health

Department ➤See CliNiCS/A2

County residents

line up for vaccine

clinics

During the county’s second COVID clinic for residents aged 80 and above, over

600 residents received vaccinations against the pandemic. (photo submitted)

Rash of identity theft

cases reported

in county, stateBy Steven Coburn-Griffis

sgriffis@putnamsentinel.com

PUTNAM COUNTY — Already reeling under hard-

ships incurred due to the COVID pandemic, Ohio residents

and municipalities are increasingly aware of danger from a

new quarter: identity theft.

Reports of fraudulent unemployment claims have been

on the rise since the pandemic decimated the American

workforce 10 months ago. More often than not, these

claims aren’t the consequence of individuals working to

game the system on a case by case basis. Rather, they’re

a concerted effort on the part of criminal groups submit-

ting claims unbeknownst to the workers in whose name the

claims are made.

A report authored by Betty Lin-Fisher and published by

the Akron Beacon Journal on Sunday asserts hundreds of

thousands of Ohio residents are the victims of unemploy-

ment fraud. And Putnam County isn’t immune.

For some, as with three individuals employed by the Vil-

lage of Ottawa, these incidents of identity theft are caught

early.Barbara Hermiller, clerk-treasurer with the village, re-

ports the first such incident occurred in June of last year.

The village received notice of a claim reportedly made by

an employee who works in an ancillary capacity for the

village. Then, in January, the village received two more

such notices, both for employees still actively employed

by the village.

As a consequence of Hermiller’s intervention, these

claims were quickly flagged as fraudulent, and the em-

ployees in question — whose names are withheld to pro-

tect their personal well-being — took steps to protect their

financial security.

For others, however, the claims came — and come —

as a complete surprise, and Sheriff Brian Siefker reports a

significant rise in reports of such incidents of identity theft

to his office in recent weeks.

This new up-tick in reports comes logically and with

good reason. Beginning in January, the Ohio Department

of Job and Family Services began issuing 1099-G forms to

those it believes received unemployment payments. These

forms, necessary for tax purposes, are just now reaching

individuals, many of whom never applied for unemploy-

ment coverage.

Illustrating the scope of these fraudulent claims, the

ODJFS site now features a web page —

➤See ideNtity theFt/A2

Continental Mayor delivers State of Village Address

By Becky leader

Sentinel Correspondent

news@putnamsentinel.com

CONTINENTAL— Mayor Matt

Miller gave his annual “State of the Vil-

lage Address” during the Continental

Village Council’s regular meeting on

January 26, as he reviewed the village’s

accomplishments over the past year.

“In 2020, the village continued to

make headway on many of the suc-

cesses that had been implemented

over the last several years,” Miller pro-

claimed. “While I know we have much

room for improvement in many areas,

I also know that perseverance was the

one word that I kept coming back to

while gathering my thoughts.”

The village completed numerous

infrastructure projects, including the

constant monitoring and maintenance

of its water treatment facilities as well

as some much needed street repair and

resurfacing projects on several streets.

A brand new six-inch service line was

installed on North Third Street, which

also included the addition of a new hy-

drant to an area of town that didn’t have

one. “I am pleased with how the main-

tenance department was able to bring a

solution beyond just fixing the old line,

but instead replacing it with a bigger,

more sufficient line to our residents in

that area,” Miller stated.

➤See CoNtiNeNtal/A2

PCHH to hold virtual Run for the Roses

By Nancy Kline

Sentinel Correspondent

news@putnamsentinel

PUTNAM COUNTY — This year’s

“Run for the Roses” hosted by Putnam

County Homecare and Hospice offers

a different setting for their 24th annual

fundraiser. Participants are invited to stay

home and participate via a Facebook Live

event on Saturday, February 13.

“We had to adjust because of the

pandemic,” said Kendra Kuhlman,

marketing director for Putnam Coun-

ty Homecare and Hospice. “There

will not be an in-person event.” The

fundraiser still includes a reverse raf-

fle, 50/50 drawing and silent auction.

Kuhlman said their agency has had to

shift how they operate but not what

they do during this past year. “We have

continued to provide hospice care to

our patients and their families,” she

said. “The state may have shut down

this past year, but hospice care never

does.” Kuhlman said they knew they

had to do the same thing and move

forward with their fundraising to make

sure their patients do not go without.

The silent auction will begin online

this Friday, February 5. This year’s si-

lent auction features 65 items. Includ-

ed on the list are numerous gift bas-

kets, air fryer, orb water fountain, gas

fire table, patio cooler and OSU fire

ring. You must register to bid. You can

go the Putnam County Homecare and

Hospice Facebook site for instruction

to register. The bidding will end during

the live event at 10 p.m.

“Our community is awesome with

donations,” Kuhlman said. “We’re

lucky to live here.” ➤See RoSeS/A2

Items donated to PCHH for this year’s Run for the Roses fundraiser.

(photo submitted)

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Paulding County Progress Wednesday, February 3, 2021 - 1

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

Volume 150 No. 20, Paulding, Ohio One Dollar

USPS 423630

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014

E Edition at www.progressnewspaper.org

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2021

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Copsey gains momentum for second year in office

By PRISCILLA KADOLPH

Progress editorTim Copsey, the Director

of the Paulding County Eco-

nomic Development, cele-

brates his first year in office.

When Copsey started in the

office he had high aspira-

tions for the county. He came

ready to work on day one and

one year later that has not

changed.Some of his major accom-

plishments are establishing

the “Realtor Round Table”,

building a bridge between the

schools and local business-

es and establishing a weekly

email blast.The weekly email blast is

an informative email sent to

local buisnesses and media.

It includes information such

as job opportunities, new

business ventures or oppor-

tunity, available properties

for businesses and updates

on members of the Paulding

County Economic Develop-

ment board.While the email blast may

sound like a simple concept;

establishing an email and

sending it - it is far from it.

It has been proven to reach

more residents than whom it

is originally sent to; he states,

“management will get my

email and forward it to their

employees so more eyes see it

than I really even know.”His initiatives for building

relationships between the

high schools in the county

and business owners are a

work in progress but are defi-

nitely gaining momentum.

In March he is anticipating

launching virtual tours of all

participating factories and/

or businesses in county. High

school students will have the

ability to access all virtual

tours on the PECD website.

Hosting virtual tours on the

website is an innovative way

to circumvent the restirictions

COVID regulations have im-

plemented for all businesses.

Copsey has also met with

the student coucils from each

of the county high schools.

He was well received not only

by the students, but also by

the superintendents and the

staff at each school. He is im-

pressed with how highly mo-

tivated and enthusiastic the

class officers are to work to-

gether. He stated, “[they] have

fabulous thoughts and brain-

stroms; thre are great leaders

coming through.”He also understands the

necessity of in-depth discus-

sions so that information can

be disiminated equally. He

has orchestrated the collab-

orative effort of Ohio Means

Jobs (Paulding and Defiance

Photo submitted by Jim Bowers

See COPSEY, page 6A

Paulding County Carnegie

Library system opens their

doors to the public on Mon-

day, Feb. 1, 2021. Curbside

services will still be offered

to those who are not comfort-

able coming into the library.

They will be limiting their

hours after reopening but are

hoping that they can slowly

return to what we knew as

normal.PCCL branches will be

open Monday and Thursday

11 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Tuesday,

Wednesday and Friday 10

a.m. – 5 p.m.; Saturday 10

a.m. – 1 p.m. and closed on

Sundays. Library hours may

be adjusted due to staff avail-

ability.All customers age two and

above are required to wear

masks.Social Distancing will ap-

ply at all locations.Library materials will con-

tinue to be returned to the

outside drop boxes.Library materials will be

available in person or curb-

side.Meeting rooms are unavail-

able to the public at this time.

We encourage patrons to

limit their visit to one hour or

less.Public Computers will be

available with a time limit.Children under 10 must be

accompanied by a responsible

adult.Access to the Genealogy

Center will be available by

appointment.Telephone reference is

available 419-399-2032 or by

calling any library location.

If you have any questions

or want to discuss our reopen-

ing, please feel free to give

me a call.NOTICE: Here is the up-

PCCL locations reopen this week

See LIBRARY, page 3A

Gabe DeWaard is pictured with his snowman that he built on

Sunday.Photo submitted by Shannon DeWaard

Covid vaccine update from PC Hospital

Paulding County had 256 first dose

COVID-19 vaccines administered

last week. The Health Department

and Paulding County Hospital hope-

fully will be scheduling and admin-

istering another 200+ doses of the

vaccine this week.We have received calls form sev-

eral residents of the county who are

not happy that they haven’t received

a call for their appointment yet. The

Health Department and Hospital are

working their way down the wait lists

as we try to get the vaccine to those

requesting it. As we get the vaccine in

we will call the next person on the list

to get them scheduled. Current wait

time could be up to 6 weeks, based

on current allotment of the vaccine. If our allotment would

improve in the coming weeks wait times will decrease. If our

allotment is unfavorable the wait times will get longer. The

demand for the vaccine today outweighs the supply of it.

We appreciate everyone’s patience as we try to accomplish

this colossal task.

Paulding’s Leigha Egnor #12Photo credit: Jim Bowers/DHI Media

Special sales events from ...Chief, Rite Aid,-Family Farm and Home, Ruler Foods, Westrich, Rite Aid, Spec-trum, Paulding Health

AroundPaulding CountyCecil Community

ChurchCECIL – The Cecil Community

Church is hosting a Prayer

Meeting on Sunday, Feb. 7 at

6 p.m. Please text questions to

419-564-8383.

Paulding County Carnegie Library PAULDING – Please find

inside the paper the correct

and update information for the

2021 Paulding County Guide.

EXTRASThe Progress News item deadline is 5

p.m. each Friday. Advertising

deadline is 4:45 p.m. each

Thursday.

Free access Are you a subscriber to the

Paulding County Progress?

Then access to the Progress

e-Edition and all website

articles is included free. Call

419-399-4015 or email sub-

scription@progressnewspaper.

org to get your username and

password. Find out what you’re

missing.

Classifieds 8 | Entertainment 9 | For The Record 10 | Local-State 3-4 | Obituaries 10 | Sports 6-7

Volume 150, No. 68

Saturday, February 6, 2021 www.delphosherald.com Established in 1869 $1.00

A DHI Media Publication serving Delphos & Area Communities

Farm Billupdates

Page 5

Big Green grabs slice of PCL title

Page 6

The Delphos Herald

DHI MEDIA©2021 • Published in Delphos, Ohio

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1

www.delphosstjohns.org

Delphos st. John’s schools

www.delphosstjohns.org

To each family and each student who choose to be a part of Delphos St. John’s,THANK YOU for being a part of the mission of our school!

Students are the heart and soul of all that we do at Delphos St. John’s.

From our Preschool, where the littlest Blue Jays are as young as three years old to our graduating class of seniors, we are a family.

Troyer celebrates Catholic Schools Week with snowman, snowpupAddie Troyer made this St. John’s snowman, complete with a snowpup, after last week-

end’s snow in anticipation of Catholic Schools Week. As in year’s past, Mother Nature

whittle the week down to two days for students. (Photo submitted)

Information submittedDELPHOS — An excit-ing change is coming to Delphos Senior Citizens. Starting March 1, the center will launch a new automat-ed check-in system that all visitors and volunteers will use upon entering the build-ing. The system is called MySeniorCenter. It was pur-chased with funding from the State of Ohio Coronavirus Relief Funds.Designed specifically for senior centers, the sys-tem is keytag based, mean-ing visitors can simply swipe their keytag across a digi-tal scanner to check in. An easy-to-navigate touchscreen will also allow them to quick-

ly register for activities of their choosing.Three major benefitsAccording to Alice Curth, Director of Delphos Senior Citizens, this advanced func-tionality will improve the center’s performance in three key areas: registration, sched-uling and reporting.“For starters, it’s a vastly more efficient accountability tool,” said Curth. “When we were open, we usually had more than 135 people coming in and out of our doors each week, and they all need to be registered. Right now staff uses paper and pencil, but soon we can track them by computer.”The system will also be used on each of their trans-

portation vehicles to track cli-ents who ride the vans. The chore program will be using the system as well.The automated check-in sys-tem will also provide the cen-ter with detailed demographic information on the people using its services. This will help the center with the scheduling and reporting of activities.“By telling us the ages, backgrounds, and even the economic status of our vis-itors, MySeniorCenter will help us schedule —and fund — activities that are more in line with their preferenc-es,” explained Curth. “It’s all about serving our people better.”

Senior center to install advanced check-in system

The automated MySeniorCenter will improve the Delphos Senior Citizen Center’s regis-

tration, scheduling, and reporting capabilities. (Photo submitted)

See SENIOR, page 2

Jennings Lions donate to water rescue boatThe Fort Jennings Lions Club recently donated $5,000 to the Fort Jennings Fire Department for its water rescue boat.

Lions Club President Alex Maag, right, presents a big check to Fort Jennings Fire Chief Josh Warnecke. Read more about

the water rescue boat and what it will mean to the fire department in Wednesday’s Herald. (Photo submitted)

BY JIM LANGHAMDHI Media Correspondentinfo@timesbulletin.comVAN WERT COUNTY – Bursts of heavy snow squalls and strong, gusty winds ushered in the coldest air of the sea-son Thursday evening and into the night. Temperatures that fell into the middle teens in some areas were predicted not to recover above the high teens and low 20’s over the day Friday.

Fresh snow ushered in Thursday evening and early Friday have been predicted by National Weather Service officials to cause blowing and drifting snow that could cause problems on rural roads over the next couple of days. In the meantime, fall-ing temperatures are continued to expand across the Midwest early into next week.Earlier, National Weather Service officials had predicted that Thursday’s system would begin as a mixture of snow and rain and then eventually turn into snow as cold air fed into the system. However, the precipitation started with a burst of snow and remained as such, blown around by swirling winds as the Arctic air moved toward the local area later in the evening on Thursday.

Coldest air of the season on the way

See COLD, page 2

The Jefferson Schools Band will host its first-ever one-day Mattress Fundraiser from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb. 20 at the Delphos Eagles.Thirty different mattress styles will be on display in all sizes for customers to try, priced below retail.

Adjustable power bases, premium pil-lows, bed frames and mattress protec-tors will be available as well.The brands, including Simmons Beautyrest, Therapedic, Southerland, Intellibed, Innomax and Wellsville, come with full factory warranties

and are made to order. Mattresses are available 2-3 weeks after the fundraiser. Delivery is available. The Jefferson Band benefits from every purchase.For information about the sale, go to: bit.ly/beds4djbands.

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BY KIRSTEN BARNHARTTimes Bulletin News Editorkbarnhart@timesbulletin.comVAN WERT – On Friday, the Van Wert County General Health District held their third large-scale COVID-19

vaccination clinic at the Council on Ag-ing. So far, the health department has distributed over 2,000 doses of the vac-cine.“We’ve been doing clinics at the health department almost daily,” said Environmental Health Director Britt

Menchhofer. “There is more space at the Council On Aging, which allows us to have more people in there.”After a person receives the vaccina-tion, they must sit for 15 minutes before leaving to make sure there is no reaction to the vaccine. Utilizing the COA allows for more people to be vaccinated during the day because there is more room for patients to sit and wait until their time is up. Up to 300 people have been sched-uled per day at the COA clinics.“The Council on Aging has been great to work with; they’ve been very helpful and have provided volunteers,” said Menchhofer who noted that the CERT group has also been helpful in di-recting traffic for the large clinic events.Menchhofer said to date, no one has had any adverse reactions to the vaccine in Van Wert County.

The COA and the health department has been working to compile a contact list of those who qualify for the vac-cine and want it. Menchhofer noted that scheduling sometimes occurs last min-ute because there is no way of telling how many doses may come each week or when they may show up.

Volume 174, No. 119 $1.00 Serving Van Wert County since 1844 www.timesbulletin.com

Classifieds 6-7 | Puzzles 8 | For The Record 2-3 | Local-State 4 | Opinion 5 | Sports 12-14 | Weather 2

Sunny with a high near 27º.

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Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Lincolnview chooses Home-coming royalty. Read more on

page 9

Fire leaves family in need. Read more on

page 7

BY JIM LANGHAMNews Correspondentinfo@timesbulletin.com

VAN WERT COUNTY – Ominous weather forecasts of a heavy snowstorm issued by the National Weather Service late last week proved to be fully accurate as seven to 10 inches of snow dropped in a path from Hammond to Van Wert County, Ohio Saturday night and Sunday. A few iso-lated spots reported close to 12 inches of snow by late Sunday afternoon.In the middle of last week, National Weather Service computer models began to pick up hints of several low pressures coming together to form what weather officials commonly call a “panhan-dle hooker,” a strong winter storm that moves northeast out of Texas toward the north-west Great Lakes States, the strongest storms of heavy snow for the local area.

Friday afternoon, weather specialist Rick McCoy pro-nounced the storm a “near certainty.” By Saturday morning, weather officials were speculating five to nine inches of snow for the local area.The snow arrived at ap-proximately 10 p.m. on Sat-urday evening and immedi-ately began dumping one to two inches of snow per hour through much of the night.

Biggest snowstorm of the season buries area on Sunday

DHI MEDIA STAff REpoRTinfo@timesbulletin.comVAN WERT – Ashley McKee, 37, of Van Wert, entered “not guilty” pleas to several felony charges in the Van Wert County Court of Common Pleas on Wednesday.

During Wednesday’s appearance, McKee was arraigned on the following charges: involuntary man-slaughter, a felony of the first degree; corrupting an-other with drugs, a felony of the second degree; traf-ficking fentanyl-related com-pound, a felony of the fifth degree; complicity, a felony of the second degree; and conspiracy, a felony of the third degree.According to a secret indictment filed Jan. 7, 2021, in the Van Wert County Court of Common Pleas, the charges stem from an incident that occurred on Feb. 20, 2020, which resulted in the death of Katie R. Zimmerman.McKee was placed on a surety blond in regard to the arraignment charges but was also sentenced to prison on Wednesday for other charges. She was sentenced for two counts of failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer (fleeing and eluding), both felonies of the third degree, and was handed a one-year prison sentence on each count. McKee was given credit for 123 days al-ready served and ordered to pay court costs.A telephone pretrial was set for Feb. 16 at 3 p.m. for the charges she was arraigned on.

Van Wert woman charged with involuntary

manslaughter, other felony charges

Ashley McKee

VAN WERT – During Saturday night’s snowstorm that dumped several inches of snow in Van Wert County, a semi jackknifed on U.S. 30 coming up to the 127 overpasses. According to EMA Director Rick McCoy, 100 gallons of diesel fuel was spilled out of the tanks in the embankment. The spilled fuel will have to be cleaned up by hazmat crew. The driver was not injured. The Van Wert Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol handled the crash and was assisted by the Van Wert Fire Department, the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office, Hague Towing, the Van Wert EMA. (Photo courtesy of Rick McCoy)

Jackknifed semi spills 100 gallons of diesel in embankment off U.S. 30

A nurse with the Van Wert County General Health District provides a COVID-19 vaccination to a senior in the community on Friday. (DHI Media/Kirsten Barnhart)

Health Department partners with COA to hold COVID-19 vaccination clinic

Myla Mae Sawmiller, 2, gets ready to launch a snowball she created out of Sunday’s snow. (Photo courtesy of Ali Sawmiller)

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Eagle Print is a group of the finest craftsman and top-notch customer service representatives in the printing industry. The company has been active in commercial offset printing since 1968. Eagle Print is a full service commercial web offset, air-dry printing company that takes pride in its printing ability, its quality and its competitive pricing. Headquartered in Delphos, Ohio, the company serves customers in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. Eagle Print’s quality standards are backed by its SNAP (Specifications for Newsprint Advertising Production) certification – one of the most stringent standards in the commercial print industry.

1-800-589-6950Cell 419-231-1370Taking printing to the next level111 E. Fourth St.

Delphos, OH 45833

What our customers say about us

Reasons why we are glad to have found Eagle Print and chose to continue:

1. Excellent cooperation and communication; fast attention to

problems

2. Concern for costs; suggestions how we

might save

3. Reliability

4. Nice people!

Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22, begins 40 days of preparation, bothof body and of spirit, as Christians walk with Jesus on his jour-ney to Calvary and share in the joy of his resurrection onEaster, April 8.

As the Catechism of theCatholic Church observes, “Theinterior penance of the Christiancan be expressed in many andvarious ways. Scripture and theFathers insist above all on threeforms, fasting, prayer, and alms-giving.” (CCC #1434)

As a reminder, the rules of fast-ing and abstinence are as follows:

Catholics in the United States,ages 18 to the day after the 59thbirthday, are obliged to fast onAsh Wednesday and Good Friday.Only one full meal is allowed onthese days, with no eatingbetween meals.

Catholics in the U.S., from theage of 14, are obliged to abstain

from meat on Ash Wednesday, the Fridays of Lent and GoodFriday.

Illness or other circumstances might make it necessary foran individual to practice ways of doing penance other than

fasting and abstinence.As a way to continue welcom-

ing the Roman Missal ThirdEdition in the Diocese ofCovington, the Messenger willfeature for its Lent reflectionsthe “Collect” from the Sundaysof Lent. The collect is the prayersaid by the priest after the“Gloria” and before the “Creed.”This prayer is called the “col-lect” because through the invita-tion “Let us pray,” the priestinvites himself and the assem-bly to silently gather theirprayers together and thenunites them to the officialprayer of the Church, theSacred Liturgy.

U.S. Health and Human ServicesDepartment decision tramples onright to free exercise of religion

A statement from the Kentucky BishopsThe Catholic Conference of Kentucky joins our fellow bish-

ops and other religious leaders in expressing our deep concernabout the recent decision of the U. S. Department of Health andHuman Services to require that almost all employers, includingCatholic employers, will be forced to offer their employees’health coverage that includes sterilization, abortion-inducingdrugs, and contraception. Almost all health insurers will beforced to include those “services” in the health policies theywrite. And almost all individuals will be forced to buy that cov-erage as a part of their policies.

In so ruling, the Administration has cast aside the FirstAmendment to the Constitution of the United States, denyingto Catholics our nation’s first and most fundamental freedom,that of religious liberty. And as a result, unless the rule is over-turned, some Catholic employers will be compelled either toviolate their consciences or to drop health coverage for theiremployees (and suffer the penalties for doing so). TheAdministration’s sole concession was to give these institutionsone year to comply.

Nearly 50 years ago, when the U. S. Bishops attending theVatican Council took part in writing and promulgating theCouncil’s “Declaration on Religious Freedom,” they wouldhardly have imagined that these words would be describing ourcurrent situation:

“The further fact is that forms of government still exist under

which, even though freedom of religious worship receives consti-tutional recognition, the powers of government are engaged inthe effort to deter citizens from the profession of religion and tomake life very difficult and dangerous for religious communi-ties.” (DRF, p. 15, 1965)

It saddens us that the Administration is making life difficultfor Catholics and other believers by infringing on their right tothe free exercise of religion.

One way the exercise of religion – religious liberty – takesconcrete form is in institutions established by people of faith tohelp members of society. Whether it is education, health care,social charities, worship or another activity, each activity is anexpression of faith. Each one has a unique quality flowing fromthat basis of faith. To deny that underpinning of faith is tochange the very character of the institution and of the serviceit provides. This ruling by HHS denies this underpinning offaith. It ignores the diverse ways through which faith isexpressed. It forces people to act against their free, consciousdecisions made in the light of faith.

We call upon the Administration to rescind this order, there-by recognizing the right established by the Constitution and inconformity with the teaching found in the “Declaration onReligious Freedom”:

“Government therefore ought indeed to take account of thereligious life of the citizenry and show it favor, since the functionof government is to make provision for the common welfare.

MESSENGERMESSENGERServing the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky since 1926

February 17, 2012

In This Issue

Bishop’s Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4People and Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Shopper’s Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14News Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Kentucky’s Catholic bishops urge government to honor the Constitution

Lent — Fast, pray, give alms2 Thomas More College

Increases ‘Parochial Promises’

2 World Youth Day 2013

3 Makes plans to attendNational Black Congress

3 You’re invitedYear of Women Religiousopening Mass

3 Official assignments

3 Cathedral Concert Series

6 ‘Super’s Smart Page’

7 Upcoming catechists’ and adult faith formationclasses

7 Immaculée IlibagizaWitness to hope and forgiveness

10 ‘We Choose Life’

11 Squire’s CircleNow forming at MQH parish

CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec

Please see page 16 for the complete statement of the U.S. bish-ops rejecting the Obama Administration’s announcement Feb. 10of a proposed accommodation to the HHS mandate.

(Continued on page 16)

Ash Wednesday CollectGrant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign

of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.

Tim FitzgeraldEditor + Publisher

Editor/General Manager, The Messenger

1-800-589-6950Cell 419-231-1370

Taking printing to the next level111 E. Fourth St.Delphos, OH 45833

What our customers say about us

When we first made the decision to move our printing to Eagle Print I was concerned about the distance. Howev-er, it didn’t take long for my concerns to disappear. You and your staff have done a great job making sure our newspaper is delivered to them well within the es-tablished deadlines. Of course, the consistent print quality makes all of it worthwhile. Your flexibility gives us as much color capability as we need and usually where we need it.

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10th District: Request for ID is not illegal seizure

WEDNESDAY • FEBRUARY 8, 2012

ESTABLISHED 1896VOL. 166, NO. 81

50 CENTS

89076 047996 9Today’s Features & Sections:

Public Notices, County Filings & Court Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 2Business & Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 2Puzzles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 2Law & Government . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5

Doonesbury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7Real Estate & Development . . . . Page 21

Weekly newsletter of

PAGE 13

By TIFFANY L. PARKSDaily Reporter Staff Writer

The legislative process is in motion for a bill to increase the speed limit on interstate freeways.House Bill 395, sponsored by Rep. Ron Maag, would raise the speed limit from 65 to 70 miles per hour for all vehicles and adjust the use of the left-hand lane of interstate free-ways.

Maag, R-Lebanon, recently offered sponsor testimony for the proposal before the House Transportation,

Public Safety and Homeland Security committee.“Most neighboring states including Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana and Michigan all have 70 mph speed lim-its,” he said.

“If a person were to travel I-75 from Michigan down to Florida, Ohio is the only state that has a speed limit of less than 70 mph.”Maag said it doesn’t make sense for the state’s maximum speed to be set at 65 mph.“Recently, Utah raised their speed limit to 80 mph on some roads,” he

said, noting that Utah drivers have tended to drive slower or at the same speed than they had before the speed limit increase.“Also, accidents did not increase in Utah either.”If signed into law, HB 395 would raise interstate freeway speed lim-its to 70 mph at all times for all ve-hicles.

Under current law, certain interstate freeways have a speed limit of 55 mph and others have a 65 mph limit.

(See Speed, Page 12)

Proposed legislation would increase Ohio’s interstate speed limit to 70 mph

By RAY HENRYAssociated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — An executive at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer charity resigned Tues-day over her support to strip Planned Parenthood of funding, but disputed that she was the driving force behind the decision that created a firestorm of criticism last week. Karen Handel, the charity’s vice president for public policy, said in her resignation later she was “deeply dis-appointed by the gross mischaracter-izations of the strategy, its rationale, and her involvement.”

Handel said the discussion to cut funding for Planned Parenthood start-ed before she came to the group last year, and was approved at the highest levels of the charity. However, a per-son with direct knowledge of decision-making at Komen’s headquarters said

Handel was a driving force behind the move.Handel supported a decision Ko-men announced to exclude Planned Parenthood, which provides a range of women’s health care services in-cluding abortions, from future grants for breast-cancer screenings because it was under congressional investiga-tion.

“Neither the decision nor the chang-es themselves were based on anyone’s political beliefs or ideology,” Handel said in the letter. “Rather, both were based on Komen’s mission and how to better serve women, as well as a real-ization of the need to distance Komen from controversy.”Handel said the now-abandoned policy was fully vetted by the Komen organization. Its board did not raise any objections when it was presented with the proposed policy in Novem-ber, Handel said.

Komen Founder and CEO Nancy G. Brinker said she accepted Handel’s resignation and wished her well.“We have made mistakes in how we have handled recent decisions and take full accountability for what has re-sulted, but we cannot take our eye off the ball when it comes to our mission,” Brinker said in a statement. “To do this effectively, we must learn from what we’ve done right, what we’ve done wrong and achieve our goal for the millions of women who rely on us.”Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Andrea Hagelgans declined to com-ment on the resignation.The breast cancer charity cited a probe backed by anti-abortion groups and launched by Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., to determine if Planned Parent-hood improperly spent public money on abortions.

(See Komen, Page 12)

Komen vice president for public policy quits after Planned Parenthood flap

By JESSICA SHAMBAUGHDaily Reporter Staff Writer

Ruling that defense counsel was not ineffective, a 6th Circuit Court of Ap-peals panel recently rejected a former Case Western University employee’s request for a writ of coram nobis. A writ of coram nobis is an order by an appeals court to a lower court to consider facts not on the trial record which might have changed the out-come of the lower court case if those facts had been known at the time of trial.The appeals panel Tuesday affirmed the judgment of the district court for the Northern District of Ohio at Cleve-land, denying Ramani Pilla’s claim of ineffective trial counsel for a case in which she was convicted of supplying false and fraudulent information to the FBI.

“Pilla ... has not shown that (her attorney)’s advice created even a ‘rea-sonable probability’ of prejudice. And thus she cannot show that (his) advice

‘probably ... altered the outcome of the challenged proceeding,’ as required for a writ of coram nobis,” 6th Circuit Judge Raymond Kethledge wrote for the court.Pilla was an assistant professor at Case Western when she told her em-ployer and the FBI that she was re-ceiving hate mail in her office, case summary details. After spending thousands of dollars on the investi-gation, the FBI obtained a confession from Pilla that she had written and de-livered the mail herself.

The government provided still frames from a surveillance camera showing Pilla sliding letters under her door, recorded telephone conversa-tions between Pilla and an FBI agent, and copies of a report containing Pil-la’s confession to the FBI. Seeing the evidence of Pilla’s guilt, her attorney, Steven Bell of Steven D. Bell Co. in Brecksville, encouraged her to plead guilty.

(See Mail, Page 12)

6th Circuit denies writ for former university employee who sent herself hate mail

(AP Photo/Brian Chilson)This Oct. 16 photo shows some of an estimated 45,000 people who participated in the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure in Little Rock, Ark., last year. The nation’s leading breast-cancer charity recently announced it is halting its partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates in 2012. Karen Handel, Komen’s vice president for public policy, resigned Tuesday over her support to strip Planned Parenthood of funding, but disputed that she was the driving force behind the decision.

Maryland home has been in same family for 274 years

Page 22

Page 2Page 5

By TIFFANY L. PARKSDaily Reporter Staff Writer

Three Columbus organizations have joined forces to celebrate the city’s bicentennial through music and dance.Jazz Arts Group, BalletMet and WOSU Public Media honor the area’s past, present and future with “Jazz Moves Columbus” at the Capitol The-atre – Riffe Center.

The two-hour program began last week and continues this Wednesday through Feb. 12. It is a spin off of last year’s pairing of Jazz Arts Group and BalletMet.“It was an amazing event,” said Scott Peacock, public relations co-chair of 200Columbus. “It was a great marriage of two outstanding groups in Columbus and there was a nice flow through the event. It is a unique blend of music that nods to the past through the modern day.”

The award-winning production has been revamped to serve as the first

major presentation of the bicenten-nial celebration.The multi-media performances in-corporate music, dance and imagery and are under the leadership of Byron Stripling of the Columbus Jazz Or-chestra, Gerard Charles of BalletMet and Mary Rathke of WOSU.

(See Jazz, Page 12)

Local groups honor Columbus’ bicentennial with jazz production

Daily Reporter Small Business Report

By RICK ADAMCZAKDaily Reporter Staff Writer

Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott knows what it’s like to piece together a homicide investigation and hunt down drug dealers, but now seven months into his new posi-tion he’s also learning first-hand what it’s like to be off the streets and in upper management.Scott was appointed sheriff last summer, succeeding long-time Sheriff Jim Karnes who died following a battle with cancer. Karnes had been sheriff for more than 18 years. Scott said he has started to settle into the role of a top-level manager.“I’m a CEO but I’m a CEO who also happens to be able to put you into jail,” said Scott.Certainly he still is very much involved with law enforce-ment issues on a daily basis, but he’s also had to learn more of the business side of the post, such as dealing with the sheriff’s office’s real estate division which oversees the county’s home foreclosure process.Since the housing market collapse of five years ago the county has had to process thousands of home foreclosures annually.

“The bank goes and gets a judgment and then there’s a court order to sell from the courts. We send out our ap-praiser, who sets the value. The price is set about three weeks prior to the sale,” said Scott. “Usually it’s about a 90-day turnaround from the court order to the sale.”Sheriff’s sales for home foreclosures have been a boon for bargain hunters who usually can buy a property for a lower price, often a significantly lower price, than the pre-vious owner paid.Scott said the office handled an average of 5,000 sher-iff’s sales annually from 2007 through 2010. That number dipped last year to 3,047, he said.Announcements of sheriff’s sales, by law, must be pub-lished in a local newspaper, a practice Scott said he’d like to see continue despite efforts by some legislators to convert this step of “due process” to website postings.“Part of the problem is that not everyone has (the Inter-net). The system works pretty well right now, so why fix it?” said Scott.

(See Scott, Page 12)

Zach Scott settling in to role as ‘CEO’ of Franklin County Sheriff’s Office

“I’m a CEO but I’m a CEO who also happens to be able to put you into jail,” said Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott. He’s also the man who handles the sales of foreclosed properties in Franklin County, conducting a little more than 3,000 sales last year.

Tim FitzgeraldEditor + PublisherEditor/General Manager, The Messenger

1-800-589-6950Cell 419-231-1370

Taking printing to the next level111 E. Fourth St.Delphos, OH 45833

What our customers say about us

Reasons why we are glad to

have found Eagle Print

and chose to continue:

1. Excellent cooperation and communication; fast attention to

problems

2. Concern for costs; suggestions how we

might save

3. Reliability

4. Nice people!

Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22, begins 40 days of preparation, both

of body and of spirit, as Christians walk with Jesus on his jour-

ney to Calvary and share in the joy of his resurrection on

Easter, April 8.

As the Catechism of the

Catholic Church observes, “The

interior penance of the Christian

can be expressed in many and

various ways. Scripture and the

Fathers insist above all on three

forms, fasting, prayer, and alms-

giving.” (CCC #1434)

As a reminder, the rules of fast-

ing and abstinence are as follows:

Catholics in the United States,

ages 18 to the day after the 59th

birthday, are obliged to fast on

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Only one full meal is allowed on

these days, with no eating

between meals.

Catholics in the U.S., from the

age of 14, are obliged to abstain

from meat on Ash Wednesday, the Fridays of Lent and Good

Friday.Illness or other circumstances might make it necessary for

an individual to practice ways of doing penance other than

fasting and abstinence.

As a way to continue welcom-

ing the Roman Missal Third

Edition in the Diocese of

Covington, the Messenger will

feature for its Lent reflections

the “Collect” from the Sundays

of Lent. The collect is the prayer

said by the priest after the

“Gloria” and before the “Creed.”

This prayer is called the “col-

lect” because through the invita-

tion “Let us pray,” the priest

invites himself and the assem-

bly to silently gather their

prayers together and then

unites them to the official

prayer of the Church, the

Sacred Liturgy.

U.S. Health and Human Services

Department decision tramples on

right to free exercise of religion

A statement from the Kentucky Bishops

The Catholic Conference of Kentucky joins our fellow bish-

ops and other religious leaders in expressing our deep concern

about the recent decision of the U. S. Department of Health and

Human Services to require that almost all employers, including

Catholic employers, will be forced to offer their employees’

health coverage that includes sterilization, abortion-inducing

drugs, and contraception. Almost all health insurers will be

forced to include those “services” in the health policies they

write. And almost all individuals will be forced to buy that cov-

erage as a part of their policies.

In so ruling, the Administration has cast aside the First

Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying

to Catholics our nation’s first and most fundamental freedom,

that of religious liberty. And as a result, unless the rule is over-

turned, some Catholic employers will be compelled either to

violate their consciences or to drop health coverage for their

employees (and suffer the penalties for doing so). The

Administration’s sole concession was to give these institutions

one year to comply.

Nearly 50 years ago, when the U. S. Bishops attending the

Vatican Council took part in writing and promulgating the

Council’s “Declaration on Religious Freedom,” they would

hardly have imagined that these words would be describing our

current situation:

“The further fact is that forms of government still exist under

which, even though freedom of religious worship receives consti-

tutional recognition, the powers of government are engaged in

the effort to deter citizens from the profession of religion and to

make life very difficult and dangerous for religious communi-

ties.” (DRF, p. 15, 1965)

It saddens us that the Administration is making life difficult

for Catholics and other believers by infringing on their right to

the free exercise of religion.

One way the exercise of religion – religious liberty – takes

concrete form is in institutions established by people of faith to

help members of society. Whether it is education, health care,

social charities, worship or another activity, each activity is an

expression of faith. Each one has a unique quality flowing from

that basis of faith. To deny that underpinning of faith is to

change the very character of the institution and of the service

it provides. This ruling by HHS denies this underpinning of

faith. It ignores the diverse ways through which faith is

expressed. It forces people to act against their free, conscious

decisions made in the light of faith.

We call upon the Administration to rescind this order, there-

by recognizing the right established by the Constitution and in

conformity with the teaching found in the “Declaration on

Religious Freedom”:

“Government therefore ought indeed to take account of the

religious life of the citizenry and show it favor, since the function

of government is to make provision for the common welfare.

MESSENGERMESSENGERServing the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky since 1926February 17, 2012

In This Issue

Bishop’s Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

People and Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Shopper’s Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

News Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Kentucky’s Catholic bishops urge

government to honor the Constitution

Lent — Fast, pray, give alms2 Thomas More College

Increases

‘Parochial Promises’

2 World Youth Day 2013

3 Makes plans to attend

National Black Congress

3 You’re invited

Year of Women Religious

opening Mass

3 Official assignments

3 Cathedral Concert Series

6 ‘Super’s Smart Page’

7 Upcoming catechists’

and adult faith formation

classes

7 Immaculée Ilibagiza

Witness to hope and

forgiveness

10 ‘We Choose Life’

11 Squire’s Circle

Now forming at MQH parish

CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec

Please see page 16 for the complete statement of the U.S. bish-

ops rejecting the Obama Administration’s announcement Feb. 10

of a proposed accommodation to the HHS mandate.

(Continued on page 16)

Ash Wednesday CollectGrant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign

of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils,

we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.

Tim FitzgeraldEditor + Publisher

Editor/General Manager, The Messenger