Van Buren News

By JORDAN CRAVENS staff writer Seven employees at the Hancock County Sheriff's Office will be laid off Dec.

Hancock County Sheriff's deputies were kept busy with a rash of accidents Tuesday, injuring at least six people.

Hancock County commissioners enjoyed a victory Tuesday night when a sales tax, the third proposed in the past four years, not only passed, but by a 60 percent margin.

GLANDORF a ' The Kalida Lady Wildcats sat in wait during the opening Division II sectional soccer contest at Titan Field in Glandorf on Monday evening.

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O'Connor said Thursday that State Issue 2 is an "inappropriate use" of a constitutional amendment.

An accident closed I-75 northbound in Hancock County near milepost 163. That's just south of Van Buren.

By LOU WILIN STAFF WRITER Van Buren -- The dust has settled from the debates over the Home Depot warehouse and its tax break.

By JOY BROWN STAFF WRITER A quiet, leisurely stroll up the midway on the first afternoon of the Hancock County Fair served as a counterpoint to the intensity inside barns and buildings.

The Ferris wheel can be seen peeking over the treetops, and for the Hancock County Fair's opening day today, riders will be able to enjoy the view.

A bell outside Van Buren Elementary School rang early Wednesday morning. 'School!' shouted 5-year-old Alex Jeavello.

It's back to the bargaining table for Home Depot representatives and Allen Township trustees in Hancock County.

Parents, relax: Although its advertising may suggest a kiddie movie about high school bands, or a vocal showcase for High School Musical starlet Vanessa Hudgens, director Todd Graff's Bandslam manages to be energetic, entertaining, and surprisingly mature.

Former Van Buren Elementary teacher Georgia Wilson, left, and her daughter Hilary Holmes and granddaughter Kendall Holmes, 1, check out a room in the new Van Buren Education Center on Thursday.

Findlay school board will not pursue an income tax in the November election. more>> County office hoping to make its mark The Hancock County commissioners have approved a plan to give the county's Office of Economic Development a new office, vehicle, Web site and logo, but not necessarily additional funding, over the next three years.

Four people were hurt Saturday night when two vehicles collided at the intersection of Ohio 613 and Allen Township 142, west of Van Buren.

Four people were hurt Saturday night when two vehicles collided at the intersection of Ohio 613 and Allen Township 142, west of Van Buren.

Findlay and Hancock County's economic future barely survived last Thursday evening in Van Buren, and it's not out of the emergency room yet.By a single vote, the Van Buren school board agreed to accept a property tax abatement for the Home Depot distribution center proposed for Allen Township.

Matt Ryerson/The Hawk Eye Volunteer Brandon Hatfield of Keosauqua holds the homemade wooden kayak of Richard Denton, Adair, Ill., after his trip down the Des Moines River from Keosauqua during the Canoe Van Buren event Sunday at the Farmington boat ramp.

By LOU WILIN STAFF WRITER VAN BUREN -- By a 3-2 vote, Van Buren school board Thursday accepted a property tax reduction for a proposed Home Depot warehouse.

The community of Van Buren could be turning away money and jobs. The debate is over something we first brought you last week - the possibility that Home Depot would build a distribution center employing up to 400 people and making a $30 million dollar investment in Hancock County.