The Mount Sterling Chamber of Commerce is preparing to jingle all the way for their annual Christmas in the Village A couple of the event’s highlights include actual lights one being a tree lighting scheduled for 5:30 p.m in the gazebo at Veterans Park across from town hall The other high“light” is the illuminated parade in which all entries contain some kind of holiday glow The Madison-Plains and Westfall high school marching bands are among the entries Anyone who would like to be part of the parade can contact Chamber member Barbie Wallace at (614) 832-0796 Claus will make their grand entrance aboard a horse-drawn carriage at the end of the parade after which they will be available to visit with children at the gazebo The Clauses aren’t the only ones who get to ride in a carriage Visitors to Christmas in the Village can ride anytime during the event for a small fee The pickup/dropoff spot will be on Main Street between town hall and Rapp’s Hardware is the hub for many of the night’s activities Mount Sterling Church of the Nazarene will be there with a live nativity scene Horse-n-Round Fun will provide a petting zoo The Mount Sterling Eagles Youth League will be selling hot chocolate handmade and homemade items–from freeze-dried candy to laser-cut earrings–will be set up under a 30×30-foot tent Downtown businesses are planning to stay open children can participate in craft projects and write letters to Santa Visitors also will find a Giving Tree stocked with gloves and throw blankets that free for the taking Organizers invite the public to donate items for the Giving Tree prior to the event; items can be dropped off at town hall Town hall also is the place to be for the Mount Sterling Community Center’s annual Trim-a-Tree auction and contest Area businesses and organizations are invited to decorate and donate tabletop trees for the auction the public can bid on the trees and vote for their favorite a Chamber and Community Center board member Hall also is involved with Mount Sterling OH Rocks a group that paints and hides rocks around the downtown area for children to find and return to town hall in exchange for a glow wand the rocks will be painted to look like snowmen we decided to double the amount this year,” Hall said and other family-friendly activities are all part of the fun visit the “Mount Sterling Ohio Chamber of Commerce” Facebook page and website in this browser for the next time I comment Canal Winchester and South - Covering Canal Winchester and entire Canal Winchester School District Covering all of Obetz and Hamilton Township Groveport - Covering Groveport and the entire Groveport School District & Madison Twp Grove City - Covering all of Grove City and Commercial Point Madison - Covering Madison County including: London STERLING (KHQA) — Two people critically injured in a head-on crash in western Illinois Thursday have now died That makes three fatalities stemming from the wreck on Highway 24 Thursday at the intersection of Highway 24 and Timewell Road Illinois State Police said a passenger car and a minivan collided head-on at that location The driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene The driver and a passenger in the minivan suffered serious injuries and were rushed to area hospitals where they later died The names of those involved have not been released yet The crash closed Highway 24 for almost four hours Thursday afternoon The roadway reopened at approximately 5:50 p.m (LEX 18) — After a crash that killed a Mount Sterling teen a notoriously dangerous intersection was re-designed it's set to officially be dedicated to her with signage this weekend Emilee Collins was just 16 years old when she lost her life in a crash at the intersection of Indian Mound Drive and Spencer Lane in May 2021 Her death sparked a community-wide push to make the intersection safer took her concerns to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet "It was just a 4-way with a flashing red light over the top of it," Collins said KYTC found that a roundabout would be the best solution to protect drivers while also allowing traffic to flow smoothly "The roundabout will hopefully prevent anymore fatalities at that intersection," Collins said The cabinet's SAFERoad Solutions project emphasizes alternative layouts for intersections to improve both efficiency and safety on the roads KYTC reports roundabouts see 90% fewer fatal crashes than traditional intersections "There's just less opportunity for drivers who make a mistake to get into a crash," said Michael Vaughn He added that in traditional four-way intersections there are 32 conflict points for drivers that could result in a crash According to a statewide map of alternative intersection styles there are roughly three dozen roundabouts of varying sizes in Kentucky "We've really started to accelerate the construction of roundabouts in the last five to six years," Vaughn said signage is set to be unveiled at the Mount Sterling roundabout officially dedicating it as the 'Emilee-Grace Collins Memorial Roundabout' after the state legislature passed a law to name it this year Report a typo (LEX 18) — Support for flood victims is reaching far beyond county lines immediately began collecting cleaning supplies to deliver to hard-hit Jessamine County “It's not just about coming in and clocking in and getting a paycheck everybody supports each other,” said Richard Ostrander Standing alongside several Wastequip employees Ostrander explained that the business started collecting donations last week “I don't even know how much money we’ve raised several thousand dollars…along with paper towels the team members delivered all of the supplies to Nicholasville where Jessamine County officials were eagerly waiting to thank them “We need to live like this more often because when people come together to get little things done…it's amazing,” said Johnny Adams 75% of the structures along Jessamine County’s river communities were damaged in the flooding cleaning supplies is crucial and will be distributed immediately you have friends outside of Jessamine County and throughout the state and anything that we can do to help and support (LEX 18) — Kentucky's longest-running festival Visitors can find various items from vendors will perform on the main stage at 5:30 p.m The festival will also feature the fifth annual mullet competition on Saturday on the main stage on South Maysville The contest will have medals for three categories: youth and contestants will compete for cash prizes and trophies Free train rides with stops throughout downtown will be provided on Saturday from 9 a.m Live music will be played by many different artists across two stages on Friday October Court Days began in 1794 when the Kentucky General Assembly made the decision that each county should meet and hold court once per month The day eventually turned into an annual event where people gathered to buy sell and trade More information about the festival can be found by clicking here to visit the Mt. Sterling Tourism website. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) — People around Mt Sterling say they’re used to flooding and while the high waters can be an inconvenience this isn’t the worst storm they’ve had to deal with we’ve actually been lucky enough not to have to deal with a storm other than the usual tree down Battalion Chief of the Montgomery County Fire Department said Jackson says the fire department has not had to do any water rescues this time around this current one we’re getting this weekend ain’t nearly as bad as the ones we’ve had in the past,” Mt Sterling say even though it’s not as bad as past storms people still need to be careful on flooded roads “People still see that flood water from 100 feet away and still drive straight through it without a care in the world,” Cockerhem said The Fire Department says the barricades are up for a reason and even if it looks like you’ll be able to drive through the water “They always say ‘turn around don’t drown’ I mean that’s the smartest thing,” Jackson said Even though the community says it’s dealt with much worse emergency officials urge people to use the same amount of caution Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application 2024 due to complications resulting from a sudden illness A graveside service will be held at 1:00 PM at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Bismarck.  Sue was born and spent her early years in Bismarck She graduated from Devils Lake Central High School and attended the University of North Dakota earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration.  she worked for prominent employers such as the State of North Dakota (Bismarck) she returned to North Dakota to attend to her parents who had increasing medical issues in their final years She found the most meaningful and fulfilling career of her life with Pride Inc. providing direct care and assistance to persons with physical and developmental disabilities She loved her “peeps” and continued this work for the rest of her life She especially loved her dogs and adopted several rescues over the years Sceone “Bugs” Sorneson of Boise ID; numerous cousins and a host of close friends Clay and Ramona Sorneson; her grandparents; and many aunts and uncles Memorial contributions may be made in remembrance of Sue to the Central Dakota Humane Society Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (KHQA) — Hagel 1891 will be closing in February and Jerseys Bar & Grill will be opening in the space currently occupied by Hagel 1891 in March Sterling's contemporary American cuisine restaurant will permanently close its doors on Saturday "It has been a wonderful ten years serving our community at Hagel 1891," said Dick Tracy after years of community requests for another high-quality restaurant option in Uptown Mt We remain dedicated to that commitment to the community That's why we've entered into an agreement with a great local restaurant operator to take over the space." Jerseys Bar and Grill will move into the restaurant space at 115 E Sterling location just a few weeks after Hagel's closing James and Ashley Barnett and Ben Schultz opened the original Jerseys location in Camp Point and it quickly became a favorite in the region The Jerseys team will serve its existing menu at the new Mt with the addition of a few Hagel favorites Sterling community," said James Barnett "The location along E Main puts us right in the heart of town We're known in Camp Point for our great food and drinks and look forward to bringing both to Mt Sterling and becoming Brown County's new hometown sports bar." Hagel's last day of operations will be Saturday Current Hagel employees have the option of joining the Jerseys team or applying for another role with Dot Foods Hagel gift certificates can be redeemed through February 22nd Hagel will continue to offer large group events through February 15th Hagel staff is connecting with those who have events booked after that date to notify them of this change Jerseys may re-open the banquet space in the future but Barnett says his team plans to focus on a successful launch of the restaurant for now "I am so grateful to our Hagel team for all their work over the years," Tracy said We were unfortunately not able to make that vision for the restaurant profitable We operated Hagel at a loss since it opened We've been looking for a partner who can successfully run a restaurant while meeting the needs of our community for some time and we believe we've found that in Jerseys." "Hagel was created out of the Tracy family's love of their community and the desire to give their neighbors another place to come together and enjoy a great meal That's exactly how the idea of Jerseys was born," explained Barnett but we share that same commitment to the community Sterling restaurant will feature a lot of Brown County sports memorabilia and we've had a great time planning a space that you'll be excited to bring your family to stop by to grab some lunch in the middle of your work day or come hang out at to catch the game." Jerseys Bar and Grill will be open Monday – Saturday at the Mt serving lunch Monday – Friday from 11:00 a.m "Thank you so much to the leadership and employees at Hagel for a job well done," Tracy said "And a huge thank you to everyone who dined at Hagel in the last decade We appreciate your patronage and hope you will give Jerseys a warm welcome to Mt (KHQA) — Prison employees across Illinois rallied together demanding safer working conditions on October 17th Employees of the Western Illinois Correctional Center in Mt Sterling held a demonstration on October 17 at 3:00 p.m They joined more than two dozen prisons statewide holding demonstrations Union members of the American Federation of State and Municipal employees of Council 31 said that prisons are short staffed and violent assaults on staff are too common Union officials also say guards are increasingly exposed to dangerous fumes from substances as offenders increasingly abuse narcotic Other local prisons that participated in the demonstrations were the Jacksonville Correctional Center and the Illinois River Correction Center “AFSCME members should not have to face violent assaults illegal drugs and chronic staff shortages as common occurrences when just doing their jobs,” Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch said “We demand that leadership of the Department of Corrections step up and do more to make this essential work safer." Saying “Safety Matters,” AFSCME members are calling on the Department of Corrections to prevent illegal substances enforce policies requiring clear consequences for offenders abusing substances or assaulting staff and expedite hiring for safe staffing levels The Mount Sterling Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting for NextGen 1: (from left) Chamber members Nicol Reiterman and Becky Martin NextGen is a children’s activity and care center offering before- and after-school care for students in grades kindergarten and up The business also offers art and physical activity classes for home-schooled students during the day Mount Sterling American Legion Post 417 held a Veterans Day ceremony on Nov 11 at the Veterans Memorial located in downtown Mount Sterling (ABC36 NEWS NOW) – Two people have been arrested on drug trafficking charges following a months-long investigation in Mount Sterling According to the Mount Sterling Police Department 68-year-old Billy Tipton and 44-year-old Donna Robinson were taken into custody Friday at their home on East Locust Street Officers say the two are accused of selling cocaine and fentanyl during the course of the investigation Investigators also revealed that two children were reportedly present in the home during some of the alleged drug transactions Authorities continue to investigate the case Despite their bankruptcy filing in 2024 and previously announced store closures Big Lots plans to reopen nine stores this week and one of those store locations is in Kentucky Big Lots filed for bankruptcy last year after closing several stores. The Gordon Brothers deal resulted in transferring 200-400 stores to Variety Wholesalers Inc., USA TODAY reported with plans to keep the stores operational with the Big Lots brand The CEO and president of Big Lots in late 2024 said the company remained "hopeful" about keeping some stores open More: Big Lots lists even more stores for sale. See which Kentucky locations are likely to close In the Friday release Variety Wholesalers announced nine Big Lots store locations will reopen later this week which was not previously listed as for sale “We’re thrilled to bring the Big Lots! brand back to life by offering more deals than ever, lots of famous brands and a new apparel department for the entire family,” Variety Wholesalers CEO Lisa Seigies said in a Friday press release. 55 other Big Lots stores are set to reopen on May 1 with two other rounds of reopenings set to take place “through early June.” Variety Wholesalers said customers can expect "remodeled stores a large selection of closeout deals and new merchandise categories including apparel for the family and electronics." “We know the stores won’t be perfect to start we’ll add more new products as we build towards the grand opening celebration in the fall,” Seigies continued More Big Lots news: Goodbye Big Lots, Hello Ollie's! Ollie's Bargain Outlet acquired 40 more store leases from Big Lots The Big Lots store located 1342 Indian Mound Drive The Mount Sterling Chamber of Commerce is hosting a parade on July 4 the parade route goes right on Main Street Anyone is welcome to participate in the parade Registration is appreciated but not required Entrants can register the day of the parade just by showing up at 9 a.m The Chamber has chosen Jim Blankenship as the parade grand marshal (LEX 18) — A baby was surrendered by their mother at the Montgomery County Fire Safe Haven Baby Box which is a brand new location in Mount Sterling this marked the 50th surrender for the program says the program provides a confidential National Hotline at 1-866-99BABY1 and anonymous in-person surrenders Montgomery County Fire Captain Zachary Adams said we were honored and blessed to have a baby surrendered at our Fire Station in Montgomery County The baby boy was surrendered and appeared to be in good health and was transported to our local hospital We want to thank Gateway Right to Life for making this possible and Montgomery County Kiwanis for 100% funding of this project There aren’t words to express how happy we are to be part of this opportunity!” and the Local Department of Family Services coordinates the adoption process for surrendered infants The Mount Sterling Safe Haven Baby Box is located at 521 E High Street (KHQA) — Mount Sterling resident James Kitchell has made his way to Bristol Tennessee to compete in a national demolition derby his friends and family back home have been holding a watch party to cheer him and his team on The derby is four days long and gives Kitchell and his team named "Team Kansas" a shot at a $100,000 prize guess [it's] a bunch of cars out there trying to be the last one going," Kitchell said "Sportsman's" owner Tim Wachter wanted to give the whole community a chance to get in on the event "It's a lot of fun to give people a place to come and watch this with the pay-per-view it was a little expensive for some folks to try to buy in we thought if we bought it then people can just come up here and watch it While being in a different state competing Kitchell appreciates the support he has gotten from afar "It's pretty neat that people are willing to go watch Meanwhile Wachter wants to send a message to help cheer Kitchell and the team on "Since we can't travel all the way to Bristol to support him in person we are looking at every opportunity we can to show him support from back home I know he's got a lot of friends down there but it's great to let him know that we're still thinking of him while he's all the way in Bristol and we're still back up here in Mount Sterling," Wachter said Both the derby and the watch party conclude on Sunday Kitchell and "Team Kansas" competed in the championship on Sunday afternoon and finished in second place (LEX 18) — A Mount Sterling restaurant is trying to leave its mark with food they have a larger appetite to impact the community beyond the kitchen by helping those dealing with addiction April Edwards and Callie Byrd have bonded together in their battle with addiction I was kidnapped and gang raped by seven men Had a gun help to my head and told me I was going to die," said Edwards "I fell into a cycle of drug abuse including opioids and meth I was really just trying to cope with this reality and these memories that haunted me." Callie Byrd's battle began with pain."I had chronic pain issues so I was prescribed opioids when I was 18," said Byrd "I was going through cycles of getting a prescription and I would eat that prescription in two or three days and then I'd be sick and have to find them on the street until I could go back to the doctor." The two are using their experience to help others find their way towards recovery through their non-profit "Until you get to the root of that and address it you're just going to continue this cycle," said Byrd "Our goal is to help people figure out which pathway is best for them and enhance that." Sterling is showing them they are not alone."We all know somebody we've all lost somebody to it," said George Romero "Quite frankly you could be sitting in a room with five people and three people are in the throes of addiction and you wouldn't even know it."George Romero helped Peacefully Whole create the Souls of Appalachia It is a singer-songwriter contest to give creative exposure while also supporting the fight against addiction."We've always wanted Romero's to be more than just a restaurant We want it to be here for the community," said Romero "For Romero's to be involved with such a wonderful organization started by such wonderful people that have their own journeys and their own stories It has just been a great honor," said Romero George Romero said he plans to cook up support to make sure everyone can find their own way on the road to recovery.For more information, check out peacefullywhole.org He had served on the Montgomery County Board of Education Chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Party Montgomery County Board of Elections and Montgomery County Rotary Club.Survivors include his wife Abel Vazquez and Max Vazquez.Service was conducted Tuesday Burial was in Machpelah Cemetery.Pallbearers were Nathan McGinnis Brent Risner and Brandon Back.In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Rolling Hills Church of Christ