Category: Columns

Local writers and stories

Penny For Your Thoughts

By: Nancy Whitaker My children ask me each year: “What do you want for Christmas?” and after thinking about it for a while, I decided to give them my real answer: I want you to keep coming around. I want you to ask me questions. Ask my advice. Tell me your problems. Ask for my…

Matt’s Mishaps

“Serving overseas as a small-town boy from America is intense, stressful and humorous! Enjoy a light-hearted story with me from our last 20 years overseas!” —Matt  Squirrels and Reindeer My trusty pump-action BB gun and Marlin .22 rifle brought me many squirrels in mosquito ridden woodlots around my county.  I learned early how to reproduce…

The Left Turn

By: Ron Burt The First of A Two-Part Series Do your children want to get into racing? The first thing I will tell you, racing and affordable are two words that don’t go together. This goes for any kind of racing but here we’re talking about cars that go around in circles making left turns.…

Military History In Paulding County 

By: Mark Holtsberry Harry Harrison Kerns was born in Antwerp, Ohio July 30, 1888, the son of Mathew Allison born July 1844 in Ohio and Margaret (Groscost) Kerns born February 1850 in Ohio. Thomas was a Civil War Veteran who served with Company A. 66th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He served October 25, 1861 to July…

MATT’S MISHAPS

“Serving overseas as a small-town boy from America is intense, stressful and humorous! Enjoy a light-hearted story with me from our last 20 years overseas!” —Matt  Misplaced Mishaps It is an unspoken pride that we small-town Americans are pretty good at practical and well thought through placement.  Placement of things is a big deal.  Whether…

The Good Son

By: James Neuhouser Christmas is gone. The candy has been eaten, the Chex Mix, and only two Lebkuchen cookies left. Three of our four were home and many grandkids. Our daughter came from Atlanta and stayed nearly a week. It was capped off the day after Christmas by a package on the porch. It was…

The Left Turn

By: Ron Burt I want to thank all of you that follow The Left Turn here in the West Bend News and my daily sports blog on Facebook, Ohio Sports Blitz. I want to wish you and yours a great New Year.  My sources tell me 2024 will be a breakout year for Midwest short…

MILITARY HISTORY IN PAULDING COUNTY

Oliver Oren Kemerer, an  Antwerp fella, was born April 6, 1893, the son of Albert J., born in Ohio 1865 and Cloa L, (Rogers) Kemerer born in Ohio 1871. This couple was married in Paulding on November 6, 1890 and were the parents of Carl J. born 1891, Oliver O. born 1893, a daughter, Florence…

Depression Era Recipes

Penny For Your Thoughts By: Nancy Whitaker If you lived any time during the Great Depression, you may recall the shortage and the high cost of food. I have heard and read about Victory Gardens and the various methods and substitutions which people used in order to enjoy and cook sone of their favorite foods. …

MATT’S MISHAPS 

“Serving overseas as a small-town boy from America is intense, stressful and humorous! Enjoy a light-hearted story with me from our last 20 years overseas!” —Matt Against US Army policy Our son had been through basic training and was in the final stages of training to be a US Army Cavalry Scout when his Christmas…

 Woolworths 5&10

One of the greatest comeback stories I have ever heard. At age 24 Frank Winfield’s life was over. A failure in his chosen field, and now he was dying. A neighbor girl was hired to take care of him. She had faith in him and fed him when he was too weak to feed himself.…

The Left Turn

By: Ron Burt Indoor Racing Kicks Off 2024 These next few weeks are big for indoor racing. The Tulsa Shootout set records for two new car entries in the 38th annual event. The Shootout in Tulsa, Oklahoma is the largest event for micro sprint racing in the world. Imagine sitting in the stands of a…

MILITARY HISTORY IN PAULDING COUNTY

By: Mark Holtsberry  Frederick F. Johnson was born in Antwerp, Ohio in 1883. The son of James L. born December 31, 1858 in Ohio and Carrie S. (Goshorn) Johnson born in 1864 in Ohio. Her father, Andrew Jackson Goshorn, was a Civil War Veteran who served with 147 Ohio Volunteer Infantry.  Anyway, I went down…