Fulton County Ohio Media

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Here are several photos and videos taken with a drone of the Halloween Hoopla from the October 29th event.

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Swanton Lady Bulldog soccer standout Alexis “Lexi” Taylor has signed a Letter of Intent (NLT) to continue her education and athletic career at Terra State Community College in Fremont, Ohio.  As a member of the Lady Titans soccer program, Lexi is slated to compete for a mid-fielder position very quickly.

“I’m very excited for her,” said Swanton Girls’ Head Soccer Coach Kendra Eitniear Gustafson.  “It’s just a great experience for her to be moving up to be playing in college.”

Lexi has been a member of the Lady Bulldogs varsity since her freshman year and has experienced a great deal of success in the program, including a Sectional Championship this fall.

“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to college at first but then they reached out to me and said, ‘Come play soccer,’ so I said, okay.  I played varsity for four years so I wanted to continue that tradition, said Lexi.”  Terra State’s Fremont campus is located approximately a one-hour mostly turnpike drive east of Swanton which will allow family and friends many opportunities to watch her compete.

“I will be going into nursing.  I originally wanted to do teaching but I changed my mind to nursing because I really want to help people,” said Lexi, explaining her chosen course of study.

The Terra State Lady Titans compete in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC).

Click on the link above to access photos from the signing event. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website,

Picture Below: Alexis signs her NLT with Head Coach Kendra Gustafson and Asst. Coach Malcom Edge

During the November 7^th Delta Village Council meeting, Administrator Brad Peebles recommended to Council members to put out for bid refuse collection for the next contract which will cover years 2023 and 2024.  Mr. Peebles explained that Archbold Refuse Service (ARS) charges the Village $2.25 per garbage tag against the $2.50 per tag the Village charges residents, leaving $0.25 per tag for administrative costs under the 2021-2022 contract.  He also said that the 2019-2020 contract paid ARS $2.50 per tag, a break-even price for Delta.

“I do anticipate, with the cost of fuel and everything else, that we’re going to see an escalation in the per tag price for the next two years,” said Mr. Peebles.  “So, we may have to address that rates once we see those prices.  I would like to have a motion to authorizing for the advertising and solicitation of bids for refuse service.” Council approved the motion 6-0.

Old Business:  The Third and Final Reading of Ordinance 22-15, accepting petitioned property for annexation filed with the Village of Delta and establishing zoning classification for the same was approved.

The Third and Final Reading of Resolution 22-13, authorizing the Village Administrator to execute property lease for the Delta Community Fire Department with York Township was approved.

A First Reading of Tabled Resolution 22-17, authorizing the Mayor to execute an employment agreement with Brad Peebles for services as Economic Development Director for the Village of Delta was tabled again, this time indefinitely.  Council woman Lynn Frank made the motion to table it; Ashley Todd seconded it and the Council approved the motion 6-0.

New Business: Emergency Ordinance 22-18, to make appropriations for the Village of Delta for 2023 was approved.

Emergency Ordinance 22-19, amending the compensation plan structure and Administration Manual addressing wages and certain benefits for the employees of the Village of Delta.

Emergency Ordinance 22-20, to supplement Ordinance 21-13 to make supplemental appropriations for the current expenses of the Village of Delta for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022.

The First Reading of Resolution 22-18, authorizing the Village Administrator to dispose of certain surplus property not needed for any municipal purpose.

The next Council meeting will be held November 21, 2022 at 5:30 PM.

It’s that time of year again.  The Swanton Lions Club is conducting their Giving Tree program which will run from now until the 9^th of December.  The program involves people purchasing gifts for less fortunate Swanton students who attend Swanton Elementary.  All applications for assistance have been received and lists have been made out and distributed. Individual lists of gifts a child may need or want will be placed in a Christmas Stocking at seven different businesses in Swanton. 

The businesses are the American Legion (Hallet Ave.), CK Sweets (S. Main Street), Club Salon (Dodge Street), DeEtte’s Dream Diner (S. Main Street), First Federal Savings & Loan (N. Main Street), You-nique Bou-tique (N. Main Street) and the Wings Station (Airport Highway).

If anyone would like to help out a child this holiday season, all they need to do is visit one of these locations and pull the list from a stocking and buy some or all of what is on the list.  Most of the listed items are clothing.  Once purchased, they should bring the gifts to the same location no-later-than December 9^th where they will be picked up by a member of the Swanton Lions.

If they decide, instead, to make a monetary donation, they will be given an envelope for cash or a check that can then be left at that location.  The Lions Club requests that lists not be taken if you intend to make a monetary donation.

Once all gifts have been purchased and collected, the Swanton Lions will contact all the families and arrange for pick up at the Swanton Sports Center.  On behalf of the Swanton Lions Club, we appreciate your generosity.

You may be surprised to know that today, in America, individuals who have served their country as a member of the armed forces, make up only 7.3% of the population.  A far cry from the 18% we counted and counted on in 1980.  And yet, they seem to be everywhere, still serving, in some way, in some local capacity.

Many simply exchange their soldier’s uniform for one in law enforcement or fire and rescue departments, safe-keeping their community from home instead of some far-off location.  Others join post-military social organizations like the American Legion or the V.F.W. (Veterans of Foreign Wars) where they become an integral part of their town or neighborhood running benevolent projects to take care of their less fortunate fellow Americans or helping wherever needed.  You can also find Veterans on the rosters of community service organizations like the Lions Club, the Rotary and on city/town/village councils and school boards.

Veterans man the color guards you see at parades, football games and other events while the American Flag is raised to the top of the pole, reminding all of us what a great country it is we live in and as a subtle reminder of who has had responsibility for maintaining that freedom.

The number of Veterans, however, is shrinking.  In large part, due to the fact we now rely more on technology than people to defend our country.  But also, the conflicts we find ourselves in today are, in comparison to World Wars I and II, thankfully much less engaged.  And we have Veterans to thank for that.

Tomorrow, November 11^th, is Veterans Day and there will be celebrations all around the country to honor the men and women who served our United States of America.  It will be a great opportunity to thank them for making the decision to defend and protect us and our way of life.  It will also be a chance to thank the Veterans for still being here for us long after fulfilling their commitment.

Pictured Below:  Lieutenant Colonel Robert Janes, U.S. Army Retired, Swanton American Legion

Last evening at the November 7^th Delta Village Council meeting, Robert Shirer was sworn in as a member of the Council by Mayor Frank Wilton.  The Council seat recently became vacant when Councilman Mike Tanner stepped down after relocating outside the Village limits and not being able to meet the residency requirements.

Mr. Shirer submitted a letter of application to the Village officials after the vacancy was advertised which read, in part:

I originally moved to Delta, Ohio in 2016 and worked at one of the local banks, State Bank and Trust.  I moved out of state temporarily in 2017 for work and then moved back full time to the Village in 2019.  I have worked at Northstar Bluescope Steel facility in Delta since returning.

My background is wide and has allowed me to acquire a broad range of skills and experiences.  In my time as a member of Senior management for Xanterra Parks & Resorts Crater Lake, I liaised with government bodies, National Park Service, ensuring compliance with federal and local laws while establishing procedures to ensure the happiness and well being of millions of visitors.

My time as Purchasing Manager gave me experience in negotiating contracts, dealing with vendors and deadlines, as well as inventory management and billing.  In this role and in others previously held I handled audits of both paperwork and inventories.

After his swearing in, Mr. Shirer took his seat at the Council table and participated in all the proceedings of the meeting.

Pictured Below:  Robert Shirer is sworn in by Delta Mayor Frank Wilton

“This is the most important election in our lifetime,” said many people many times for as long as we have been a country.  This hyperbolic statement is heard at least every four years and sometimes, like this year, in between presidential elections.  There are always major issues to consider and which party or which candidate you believe offers the best solutions to America’s problems.

This election differs only in that it presents us with modified versions of the usual suspects; the economy, taxes, equal rights, immigration, the national debt, health care, abortion and foreign policy among the most debated.  Except for one. 

There is one issue that, at times, will be given some attention and occasional credibility, just not usually at the national level, until recently.  Election integrity.  Elections and election integrity are the foundation of our democracy.  If the integrity of the election of the highest office in the land is lost, our democracy is lost with it. 

We heard the integrity of our election system loudly questioned by Donald J. Trump during the Republican primaries of 2015 then viciously attacked it in the subsequent presidential election when he was sure he would lose to Hillary Clinton.  Even when he won by way of the Electoral College, Trump screamed election fraud because he had approximately seven million fewer votes than Hillary in the general election.

Donald sang this song for the next four years, into the election of 2020 with most of his Republican colleagues, seeing how effective it was, singing along with him.  Despite providing no evidence at any time, not just in the 60 plus court cases he lost claiming he actually won the election. 

But it has become a means to an end.  Election denialism has proved to be so effective for many candidates running in the Republican primaries for the 2022 midterm elections, we are now facing the prospect of putting these deniers in positions of authority to control the outcome of future elections.  Ironically, they claim they just want to return integrity to our election system, to make it fair.  In other words, it will only be fair if they win.

That is why I believe, with all the issues voters disagree on what the best course of action is to solve, giving politicians full control over election outcomes has the most potential to irreparably damage and eventually end our democracy.  If these election deniers get into office, regardless of the party, we may never get them or their kind out. 

All that being said, this may truly be the most important election in our lifetime.  Please vote in this election while your vote still counts and to ensure it will count in the future.

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These photos were taken at Friday night’s Liberty Center’s 41-7 victory over Liberty-Benton in the Division V OHSAA football playoffs.

Click on the link above to access photos. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

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It was a battle of the Libertys as the Liberty Center Tigers played host to the Liberty-Benton Eagles in the second round of the Division V OHSAA Football playoffs. The game was tight only in the early minutes of the first quarter before the Tigers took control and steam-rolled their way to a 27-0 halftime lead on the way to a 41-7 victory.

The LB Eagles, who had put up 63 points the week before against the Archbold Blue Streaks, saw their offense stifled by a tough LV Tiger defense, and did not score until the waning moments of the game during a running clock. Liberty Center, meanwhile, used its strong running game to power up and down the field, reaching the end zone six times.

Liberty Center improves their record to a perfect 12-0 and will take on the 11-1 Coldwater Cavaliers this coming Friday, 11/11/22, at 7:00 PM.

Click on the link above to access photos from the game. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

Pictured Below: Colton Kruse rumbles toward the goal line.

Alva Conger of the Swanton Fire & Rescue Department was recently promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and was ceremoniously sworn in the October 24^th Village Council meeting by Mayor Neil Toeppe.  Lieutenant Conger graduated from the EHOVE Career Center in Milan, Ohio at the top of his class for EMT, Paramedic and Firefighter I.  Beginning next year, he will be attending classes to attain a Firefighter II Certificate and will receive additional education “to further my ability to lead in the fire service.”

Lt. Conger lives in Port Clinton with his wife and three children and also works full-time for the Port Clinton Fire & Rescue Department as well as a Paramedic for the Firelands ER in Sandusky.  “Joining Fire and EMS has been one of the best choices I’ve ever made,” said Lt. Conger.  “It is truly the best job in the world and I would not trade it for anything.”

Pictured Below:  Mayor Toeppe swears in Lieutenant Conger