Fulton County Ohio Media

At their February 28 meeting, the Swanton Village Council discussed a draft of the policy written for the live streaming of the Village’s public meetings as a standard practice.  The new and unprecedented policy will now be reviewed by Swanton’s legal counsel before a vote is taken to approve and implement.

The document containing the policy is lengthy.  Below are some of the major points, as determined by the editor, spelled out in the document.

Purpose:  To provide community members with the most commonly requested information about Regular meetings and Special Meetings of Council (as well as Standing Committee Meetings, Boards and Commission Meetings).  Whenever the word “Meeting” is used the intent is to include all aforementioned meeting types.

Background/Content:  Council has adopted a number of procedural matters to be followed through its Meeting Procedures and Rules of the Council.  This governs the proceedings of all Meetings by prescribing the rules and protocols for proper meeting conduct and debate.  It is typical of meeting procedures used by local governing authorities.  By developing this policy, Council aims to provide timelier, cost effective and flexible reviews of certain provisions in Meetings, in particular, those that relate to the community engagement in Meetings.

Objectives:  Council intends to provide various opportunities for the community to participate, or to be acknowledged, and recognize improvements in technology and engagement practices at Meetings.  This policy also addresses the aspect of privacy in the provision of personal details at the meetings and outlines Council’s responsibility to be open and transparent in making material (including submissions, questions and petitions) available to the public.

Streaming Council Meetings:  Live streaming allows the public to view proceedings via the internet without the need to physically attend Meetings.  This gives greater access to Council debate and decisions and eliminates geographic barriers that may prevent the community from attending meetings.  By attending a Meeting, those present may be recorded or image captured, although all care is to be taken to maintain a person’s privacy as an attendee in the gallery.  By participating in a public meeting, those members of the public in attendance agree to be recorded.

The Chair has the discretion and authority at any time to direct the termination or interruption of live streaming if they believe it is advisable to do so.  Such direction will only be given in the exceptional circumstances, where the content of debate is considered misleading, defamatory or potentially inappropriate to be published.  Confidential Meetings are not recorded.

Access to Archived Recordings:  Meetings that are streamed live on the internet will later be archived and be available to be viewed by the public free of charge.  Archived recordings of meetings will be available for a period of 12 months.

Identified Risks and Mitigation Action:  Public Council meetings are an open forum of statements, questions and answers.  Occasionally, comments could be made which may be regarded as offensive, defamatory, inaccurate or contrary to the law.  By live streaming and publishing recordings of meetings, the potential audience is significantly increased, which also increases the likelihood and/or severity of potential liability.

It should be noted Council members, public officials and employees or the public may be held liable for comments made during meetings which are subsequently challenged in a court of law and determined to be inaccurate or slanderous.

Currently:  All Council meetings are recorded with audio only and are available upon request from the Village Administration.

At Monday night’s Swanton Village Council meeting, Administrator Rosanna Hoelzle informed Council that the date for the 2022 Independence Day Fireworks event would be July 2, 2022. A major change in the launch area was also announced. The fireworks display will be set off from the property of the new Faith Lutheran Church on Dodge Street/County Road H. The grounds and parking areas at Swanton High School will still be made available for viewing. More details will be announced at a later date.

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The Archbold Blue Streaks found themselves in a 24-14 hole at halftime of the DIII Boys Sectional Championship game against the Genoa Comets but fell just short despite a furious second half comeback, losing 42-41 to end their season. Cade Brenner scored the first eight third-quarter points and the teams would finish quarter tied at 34, but the Comets were able to score just enough in the fourth to walk away with the Sectional Title.

Archbold had several chances to take the lead in the final frame thanks to poor free throw shooting, 3 of 12, by Genoa but were unable to capitalize on the opportunities. The Blue Streaks finished the season with a 15-8 record.

DJ Newman led Archbold with 14 points and Brenner scored 13. Ashton Kammeyer added six points, Alex Roth had four and Gavin Bailey and Ty Hurst each had two.

Pictured: Cade Brenner scores on a third quarter layup.

Click on the link above to access photos from the game.

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The storybook season of the 2021-2022 Swanton Bulldogs boys’ basketball ended last Friday night when the Cardinal Stritch Cardinals upset the Bulldogs 57-46 in the DIII Sectional Championship game played at Wauseon High School. For Swanton, it was just the third loss of the year compared to 20 wins. Senior Nic Borojevich led the Bulldogs with 25 points in his final game in a Swanton uniform.

Click on the link above to access photos from the game.

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When the top-seeded Elmwood Lady Royals took a 52-46 early in the fourth quarter, the second-seeded Wauseon Lady Indians were reeling, having been outscored 12-3 over the last few minutes and their two top offensive players, Marisa Seiler and Hayley Meyer, having just been put back in the game after picking up their fourth foul. 

What followed was the response of a true champion.  Wauseon went on a 16-0 run, outscoring Elmwood 26-8 in the deciding frame and defeated the Lady Royals 72-58 to win the DIII District Title at Anthony Wayne High School.  The victory sends the Lady Indians to the Regional Tournament for the first time since the 2010-2011 season.

The fourth quarter turn around may have been made much more difficult if not for the senior leadership and performance of Wauseon point guard Autumn Pelok.  When Seiler and Meyer were sent to the bench midway through the third, Pelok stepped up and took control, scoring, playing great defense and bringing calm to the unsettled Indians.  The task was made even more daunting when Elmwood’s All-Ohio standout Brooklyn Thrash eclipsed the 2000-point mark for her career with a basket late in the quarter, firing up her fans and giving the Royals a 47-43 lead and all the momentum.

“I just had us huddle up and said, ‘Relax.  You got this.  This what we’ve worked for.  We can do it.  You got to believe in yourself.  I believe in you,’” said Pelok encouraging and rallying her teammates.  Pelok scored nine of her 20 points in that pivotal period and kept the score close until the other starters were able to return.

Wauseon coach Dan Seiler gave a lot of credit to the players who filled in for the starters in foul trouble.  “I just can’t say enough about their efforts when they came in to bail us out for that little bit,” he remarked.  “When you’re giving up that much height it’s hard to do.”  Coach Seiler also commented on the play of Pelok in those moments.  “Autumn plays her best when she has to,” he said.  “When she picked up her defense in that second half, I thought everything was easy for her.  Her offense was so much easy for her and her defense was phenomenal.  She was all over the floor.”

Once back in the game. Meyer and Seiler began to dominate the inside on offense, scoring almost at will with layups and short bank shots, all while somehow avoiding their game-ejecting fifth foul.  “We just needed to be smart on the defensive end and not too aggressive on the offensive end,” explained Meyer who had 11 of her team-high 25 points in fourth quarter.

Soon after the Indians regained the lead, the play of the Royals began to disintegrate on both ends of the court.  Elmwood committed 13 turnovers in the final eight minutes, some of them self-inflicted, and 27 for the game.  Their inside defense had all but disappeared, allowing most of the 26 points scored against them. 

Wauseon, on the other hand, turned the ball over just 12 times in the contest.  They also outscored Elmwood from the foul line, making 25 of 35 free throws to 10 of 11 for the Royals.

“I’m excited.  I’m so happy for this community.  So happy for these kids and their parents,” said Coach Seiler after the Regional-qualifying win.  “These parents put in so much time with these young ladies.  That’s what it takes.”

Statistically, the trio of Meyer (25 pts), Pelok (20 pts) and Seiler (20 pts) combined to for 65 of Wauseon’s 72 points.  Seiler also had a team-high seven rebounds, Meyer had five boards and two steals and Pelok pulled down four rebounds and had four steals.  Ellie Rodriguez and Kadence each scored three points and Johanna Tester had one.  Thrash had 27 points for Elmwood to lead all scorers.

Wauseon will now travel to Findlay to take on the Lady Titans of Ottawa-Glandorf at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 3/2/22 in the DIII Regional Tournament Semi-Finals.

Pictured:  Wauseon Head Coach Dan Seiler

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.

The Wauseon Lady Indians got big offensive performances from Hayley Meyer with 25 points and Autumn Pelok and Marisa Sieler with 20 points each, defeating the #1 Seed Elmwood Lady Royals 72-58 to take home the DIII District title at Anthony Wayne High School this afternoon. Article and free photos soon to follow.

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The Wauseon Lady Indians wasted no time in establishing their dominance, opening up a 20-point halftime lead and coasting the rest of the way to a 70-47 victory over the Archbold Lady Blue Streaks in a DIII District Semi-Final basketball game at Anthony Wayne High School. 

Hayley Meyer scored 25 points and Marisa Seiler added 23 as the Wauseon tandem combined to outscore Archbold 48-47.  Also contributing to the Indians’ scoresheet was Ellie Rodriguez with eight points, Johanna Tester with seven, Autumn Pelok with four and Candace Carroll with three.

Addi Ziegler led the Streaks with 16 points and Karsyn Hostetler had 11.  Leah McQuade scored seven points, Grace Meyer had five, Harley Phillips had four, Carly Grime added two and Sophie Rupp and Addison Moyer each had one.

Archbold finishes the season with a record of 16-9.  Wauseon improves to 20-3 and will meet the Elmwood Lady Royals for the District Championship on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at Anthony Wayne High School.

Pictured:  Hayley Meyer scores two of her game-high 25 points.

Click on the link above to access photos from the game.

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With great defensive plays, timely scoring and full-throttle hustle, Evan Lumbrezer showed why he was recently named the NWOAL Player of the Year when he rallied the Evergreen Vikings to a 50-43 come-from-behind victory over the Maumee Valley Country Day School Hawks in a boys DII Sectional Semi-Final game at Springfield High School Wednesday night.

The Vikings jumped out to a lightning-quick 5-0 lead, scoring off the opening tip then adding a three-pointer before 60 seconds had ticked off the clock.  That lead, however, vanished almost as fast as the Hawks began to find the range and went on to outscore the Vikings 14-11 in the first quarter.  Maumee Valley stayed hot in the second quarter and took a 24-19 lead into the halftime break.

Evergreen began their comeback in the second half with Lumbrezer, Ethan Loeffler and RJ Shunk each scoring five points and the Vikings trailed only by one point, 36-35, entering the final quarter.  In the fourth, Lumbrezer took control, scoring 10 of his game-high 20 points and the Evergreen defense shut down the Hawks, outscoring them 15-7 for the win. 

In addition to Lumbrezer’s 20 points, which included eight free throws on nine attempts, Shunk scored 13, Eli Kiefer added eight, Loeffler had seven, and Brock Hudik and Tyler Woodring had one apiece.

The Vikings now take on fellow NWOAL foe Liberty Center Tigers at 7:30 p.m. at Springfield.

Pictured:  Evan Lumbrezer scores in close.

Click on the link above to access photos from the game.

Below is an article I wrote for the Village Reporter in May of 2018 about a young girl, Anastasiya Kravchenko, from Ukraine who was in this country as a foreign exchange student attending Swanton High School. My thoughts and prayers are with her, her family and her country as I watch the horrors being unleashed on the innocent people of Ukraine by the merciless Vladimir Putin and his Russian military killing machine.

Obviously, it is difficult to watch the images of a country being attacked without provocation and to be very concerned about what will happen next to Europe and the rest of the world, including, of course, America. But knowing somebody caught up in this human tragedy makes it even more fearful and personal as well.

Anastasiya Kravchenko – By Bill O’Connell

Her name is Anastasiya Kravchenko, which may sound like a character in a Leo Tolstoy novel, but she is actually a student at Swanton High School, a foreign exchange student to be precise.  Anastasiya is from Ukraine, a country that gained its independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Her home town is Mykolaiv, a city of approximately 500,000 people located in southern Ukraine, close to the Black Sea, and well known for its ship building industry which began in the 16^th century.  She lives in an apartment with her mother, a cardiologist and her father, a surgeon.

For Anastasiya, voluntarily changing schools before the start of her senior year was not an easy decision.  Choosing to leave her home, her family and friends, her city and even her country to do so made that decision all the more harder and took a lot of courage as well.  And coming to the United States for her final year of high school took more than just filling out an application. 

Anastasiya had to advance through three levels of rigorous testing administered by the International Student Exchange Program (ASSE) and Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) and was awarded a scholarship that funded her travel expenses and well as a monthly stipend of 125 American dollars or 3272 Ukrainian hryvnias.  The programs send students only to America and they assign the student to the state and the school.  Fortunately, these students are taught English beginning in kindergarten and speak it very well when they come over.

While in the United States she was required to work on projects and presentations, complete 50 hours of community service, maintain good grades at her host school and keep up with her studies at her school back home, an arduous task that left very little time for much else.  While here she lived in Monclova with her host parent Kristen Watkins who provided Anastasiya with food, transportation, guidance and sound parental advice as needed.  “One of the stipulations of the scholarship is to learn about American culture and democracy and take them back to their country and teach others how we do things,” explained Ms. Watkins. 

Graduation for Swanton High School is June 3^rd and when Anastasiya returns home, she will be graduating for the second time on June 23^rd.  As is their custom in Ukraine, the “diploma ceremony” will be followed by the prom later in the evening.

At Swanton she was able to find the time to compete on the track team which is not something that would have been available in Ukraine where sports are not included in their extra-curricular activities.  Being on the track team also proved to be a good physical outlet for the academic stress Anastasiya was under and helped with the affects from her love of Little Debbie’s Cakes she quickly developed when she arrived.

Learning and adapting to life in America was like drinking water from a fire hose.  Of course, she had to have American football explained to her.  With soccer being her main frame of reference, she could not understand why everyone would suddenly stop running and then line up and start running again.  She also wondered what the shouting was about coming from some girls (cheerleaders) standing in front of the crowd.

A lot of her belief of what America is all about came from American movies which can be extremely misleading, however, she will have learned a great deal about this country before her nine-month educational visit ends.  Ms. Kravchenko did confess her struggles with an American History class.  “I’m dying in there,” she said.  “I don’t understand the Electoral College at all.”  A lot of Americans would definitely say the same thing.

In a few weeks Anastasiya will make the 5000-mile trip back to Ukraine to finish her home high school career and prepare for college entrance exams.  Like her parents, she is considering a career in medicine but she also has a strong interest in becoming an interpreter and would like to learn French and German.  In her region of Ukraine, Russian is the dominant language so being fluent in both English and Russian could afford her many job opportunities and a chance to travel, which she really wants to do. 

Anastasiya realizes what a great opportunity she was given by spending so much time in America and has obviously enjoyed her time here.  She plans on making a life for herself in her native Ukraine and her experience in America will have an impact on the shape of that life.

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The DIII Sectional Championship game between the Lady Vikings of Evergreen and the Lady Indians of Wauseon, held at Lake High School, was close for first four minutes of the first quarter.  But the scoring duo of Wauseon’s Marissa Seiler and Haley Meyer began to dominate inside on the offensive end.  And, when those opportunities were not there, Indian guards Ellie Rodriguez and Kaden Carroll hit from long range and the game quickly became no contest as Wauseon defeated the Vikings 63-33 to advance to the District Tournament.

Seiler and Meyer each scored 10 points in the first half and Rodriquez and Carroll drained two triples apiece as Wauseon opened leads of 18-10 in the first quarter and 34-15 at halftime.  Seiler added 10 more points and Meyer another six as the advantage ballooned to an unsurmountable 52-25 after three quarters.

Evergreen’s Bekah Bowser scored 11 points in the second half, nine of which came on three-pointers, but it was not enough to keep the Vikings from falling further back until the margin reached 30 points.

Seiler finished with a game-high 23 points for Wauseon.  Meyer scored 16 points, Rodriguez added eight, Carroll and Autumn Pelok had seven each and Kaylin Ersham had two.

Bowser led Evergreen with 15 points.  Addison Ricker scored nine points, Lucy Serna had four, Jessica Riggs and Jocelyn Schuster added two apiece.

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