By ED GEBERT • Times Bulletin Editor

HAVILAND – More than 100 people turned out Tuesday evening, April 9 at Wayne Trace High School to find out about a proposed new wind farm in Blue Creek and Latty townships of Paulding County.

The wind farm is being developed by Northwest Ohio Wind Energy and is slated to see construction begin by the end of December.

By ED GEBERT • Times Bulletin Editor

CONVOY – Many local residents are quite familiar with the sight of wind turbines spread across the horizon, but a group of 72 Ohio State University students got their first look at a wind farm on Tuesday, April 9. The students rode buses from Columbus to Lincoln Ridge Farm, just outside of Convoy for a chance to see the turbines, ask questions, then tour Blue Creek Wind Farm and see for themselves.

COLUMBUS – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) encourages hunters to educate themselves about Ohio’s new game tagging and checking procedure for the 2013-2014 hunting seasons. These changes provide a more consistent tagging process between exempt landowners and those using a permit. The new game check process applies to spring turkey, fall turkey and white-tailed deer hunting seasons.

A new feature this year is that hunters will need to make their own game tag to attach to the turkey or deer. Game tags can be made of any material (cardboard, plastic, paper, etc.) as long as it contains the hunter’s name, date, time and county of kill. The ODNR Division of Wildlife has a blank game tag available at wildohio.com, which is suitable for the tagging and checking process.

Follow these steps when tagging wildlife during the upcoming spring hunting seasons:

1.     Protect permits and game tags from the elements by placing them in a plastic bag or protective pouch before hunting.

2.     Landowners and permit holders must complete a game tag immediately upon harvest and prior to moving the animal. The game tag must include the hunter’s full name, date, time and county of kill. Hunters need to make their own tag from any material they choose, and write legibly with an ink pen or permanent marker.

3.     Attach the game tag to the animal immediately upon harvest and prior to moving it.

4.     Permit holders must complete the spring turkey permit with the date, time and county of kill. Those exempt from purchasing a permit can ignore this step.

5.     Complete the automated game check process and receive an 18-digit confirmation number. Permit holders must record this number on the permit.

6.     The 18-digit confirmation number must also be attached to the animal. Hunters may also choose to write the number on the game tag.

All hunters must report their turkey harvest using the automated game check system. Hunters have three options to complete the game check:

• Online at wildohio.com or ohiogamecheck.com;

• By telephone at 877-TAG-ITOH (877-824-4864). This option is only available to those who are required to have a permit to hunt turkeys; and

• At all license agents. A list of these agents can be found at wildohio.com.

Game-check transactions will be available online and by telephone seven days a week including holidays. License agents’ locations will be available for turkey check-in during normal business hours. Hunters can call the license agent for specific hours of operation. All turkeys must be checked in by 11:30 p.m. the day of the kill.

Landowners exempt from purchasing a turkey permit, and any other person not required to purchase a turkey permit, cannot use the phone-in option.

More information, including a pamphlet explaining the process, is available at wildohio.com. Hunters with questions can also call 800-WILDLIFE (800-945-3543).

PAULDING – A spaghetti supper for the public will be held at First Presbyterian Church, Paulding, on Friday evening, April 19. Doors open at 5 p.m., and delicious spaghetti with homemade sauce, tossed salad, garlic bread, and assorted desserts will be served until 7:30 pm, or until it is gone.

Carry out meals will also be available.

There will be entertainment sprinkled in to enhance your “Italian Bistro” dining experience.

A free-will donation will be accepted. All proceeds will be donated by the choir to the Herb Monroe Community Park project in Herb’s honor and memory.

The new park, being created at the previous site of the abandoned Certified gas station on the northeast corner of the courthouse square in downtown Paulding, is a project of the Leadership In Action (LIA) class of the Paulding Chamber of Commerce.

Herb Monroe, a longtime community figure, known and beloved by many, many people in Paulding, sang in the Presbyterian choir for 70 (yes, 70!) years, until shortly before his death in 2011 at the age of 98.

Bring your appetite to the Presbyterian Church, corner of Caroline and Cherry streets, Paulding, on the evening of Friday, April 19 and enjoy an Italian supper in support of a great cause.

ANTWERP – Integrity Ford in Paulding has partnered with Antwerp High School to offer Ford’s Drive One 4 UR School program in an effort to raise up to $6,000 to benefit the school.

The event will take place at the Antwerp High School from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, April 20.

The Drive One 4 UR School program was developed as a fun, engaging way to help high schools raise money to support their sports programs and extracurricular activities. Ford and Lincoln dealerships partner with a local high school to conduct a test drive fund-raising event.

For every valid test drive completed, Ford Motor Company will donate $20 to the participating school, up to $6,000.

“We’ve always believed in our community and the best way to demonstrate that is to support it in every way we can, starting with kids,” said Rick Greear, general manager of Integrity Ford.