REYNOLDSBURG — As winter approaches and more people look to firewood to help heat their homes, the Ohio Department of Agriculture is offering some basic tips to help when purchasing wood.

COLUMBUS — A Crawford County native and former executive vice president of the Ohio Farm Bureau was selected to receive the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation’s distinguished service to agriculture award this year. John C. “Jack” Fisher was recognized for outstanding contributions to agriculture, the state of Ohio and the Ohio Farm Bureau.

One of Upper Sandusky’s longest-standing businesses has plans to expand on the condition city officials agree to vacate an alley. Kurt Kimmel of Kimmel Corporation visited the city service committee Monday evening to share the company’s expansion plans with officials and request the vacancy of an alley.

The city’s safety committee unanimously approved to recommend to council a draft ordinance allowing certain vehicles to be operated on roadways with speed limits of 35 mph or less during a regular meeting Monday. An Ohio law going into effect Jan. 1 prohibits low-speed vehicles from being operated in roadways with speed limits of 45 mph or greater, and a local ordinance is needed to keep low-speed vehicles, like golf carts, on the roads legally.

CAREY — Council passed an emergency ordinance for the immediate issuance of bonds to finance a new ladder fire truck at a favorable interest rate during a brief meeting Monday. Village legislators unanimously enacted the policy, which provides for bonds to be issued this year in an amount not to exceed $868,900 for the purchase of a 2017 Pierce Impel 107-foot ascendant aerial pumper fire truck, which was ordered in September and is expected to arrive in late 2017.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has announced the availability of no-interest loans for communities seeking to address combined sewer overflows, the Upper Sandusky service committee heard during a regular meeting Monday with representatives of AECOM, an engineering, design, construction and management firm.

Upper Sandusky City Council began preparing for 2017 on Monday evening with the first readings of ordinances to make appropriations for expenses for the next fiscal year and fixing salaries, wages and rates of pay for city employees.

Warpole Street from Walker Street to Wyandot Avenue will be closed this week as crews hook up catch basins as part of the sewer separation project. South Seventh Street will be closed between Wyandot Avenue and Johnson Street, and then potentially Johnson Street to the railroad tracks if the crew gets that far this week.

Upper Sandusky crews will conduct one more sweep of the entire city for leaf pickup Wednesday, streets supervisor Allen Boes announced during the regular service committee meeting Monday. Residents are asked to pile leaves away from all obstructions and curbs.

Rose Gombarcik (right), a resident of Country View Home, was looking for an opportunity to give back when she made a blanket and donated it to Pat Lust, a resident of Fairhaven Community. The two became fast friends and now plan to visit monthly to work on art projects together, according to a press release from Fairhaven.