News-Journal from Mansfield, Ohio • A3

NEWS JOURNAL II 3A LOCAL Diabetes prevention program offered at MANSFIELD The Diabetes Prevention Program is being offered to OPERS pre- Medicare retirees and dependents enrolled in the OPERS Medical Mutual Plan. This program is available at no cost to Medical Mutual participants and available at local Ohio YMCAs. The program will help those at risk for type 2 diabetes adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles and reduce their chances of developing the disease. In a classroom setting, a trained lifestyle coach helps program participants change their lifestyles by learning about healthy eating, physical activity and other behavior changes over the course of the program. Topics covered include portion sizes, getting started with physical activity, overcoming stress, staying motivated and more.

For program details, visit mansfieldy.org or contact James Twedt at 419-522-3511 ext. 258 or Hospice adds second screening of documentary ASHLAND Hospice of North Central Ohio and the Ashland County Mental Health and Recovery Board are now hosting two free community screenings and discussions of the documentary, based on Dr. Atul best-selling book. The first showing will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb.

21 in the Hawkins-Conard Student Center Auditorium at Ashland University. The second viewing will from from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 25 at Hospice of North Central Ohio, 1050 Dauch Drive. Both screenings will be followed by a guided conversation.

The second viewing on Feb. 25 event will include a panel discussion featuring Dr. Wyndy Corbin Reuschling, professor of theology and ethics at Ashland Theological Seminary; Brad Bostic, CNP, Seasons Palliative Care; and Kailey Bradley, bereavement coordinator at Hospice of North Central Ohio. delves into the hopes of patients and families facing terminal illness and underscores the importance of planning ahead and talking with family members. The film investigates the practice of caring for the dying, exploring the relationships between patients and their doctors.

For details, contact Kailey Bradley at 419-281-7107 or Kail ey.Bradley@myhnco.org. Pioneer receives Auditor of State award SHELBY A recent financial audit of Pioneer Career and Technology Center by the Auditor of office has returned aclean audit report. record-keeping has earned it the Auditor of State Award for the fourth consecutive year. Pioneer Treasurer, Linda Schumacher, attributes the success of financial record keeping to teamwork. The Auditor of State Award is given to those entities that file timely financial reports in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, as well as receive a clean audit report.

The clean audit report means that the financial audit did not contain findings for recovery, material citations, material weaknesses, significant deficiencies, Single Audit findings or any questioned costs. fundraiser planned Feb. 25 MANSFIELD Whiskey Warehouse Bar and Grill is hosting a community fundraiser, bags for the ho- The event will take place at noon Feb. 25 at Whiskey Warehouse, 1400 W. Fourth St.

The fundraiser will feature a full day of entertainment, raffle, silent auction, basket raffle, bake sale and more. All proceeds will be used to purchase blessing bags for the homeless. Additional funds raised will be used to purchase shoe vouchers and any remaining funds will be donated to local charities in the community. BRIEFS BUCYRUS The danger of fentanyl was highlighted Friday in the conviction of an Ontario man who sold heroin laced with the drug. Tyler Ward, 25, was sentenced to 54 months in prison 4.5 years by Crawford County Common Pleas Judge Sean Leuthold after a jury found him guilty on four felony charges.

Crawford County Prosecutor Matt Crall said Ward was convicted on two counts of fifth-degree felony trafficking of heroin, one count of fourth-degree felony trafficking of fentanyl and one count of fourth-degree felony trafficking of Xa- nax. The fentanyl charge carried a maximum penalty of 18 months prison, and each other charge a maximum of 12 months. bad enough, but heroin laced with fentanyl is even more Crall said. trial began Thursday after he rejected plea offers from prosecutors. Crawford County Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Hoovler attempted to prove to jurors throughout the trial that Ward sold the mixture of drugs to a confidential informant.

That informant took the stand in front of the jury, Judge Leuthold and the accused. did you come Hoovler asked the man. were you two days the informant responded. a confidential informant in prison is probably an unsafe thing, Hoovler asked. sir, it the man said.

The informant told Hoovler that he was aconvicted felon who agreed to help the Crawford County Office with drug purchases to avoid penalty for a probation violation he tested positive for cocaine last year. The man said he met Ward twice in July 2016 at a park in Galion. Each time he purchased a gram of heroin for $100. Deputies outfitted him with a hidden camera that also recorded audio. Hoovler asked the man if the person who sold him the heroin was in the courtroom.

He pointed to Ward. Detective Craig Moser of the office also took the stand Thursday. Moser said he was off in the distance while the informant made the purchases. Hoovler placed a bag of evidence in front of Moser. you identify Hoovler asked.

the heroin that was purchased from Mr. Moser said. Moser explained that the substance was taken to a lab to determine if it was, in fact, pure heroin. what was the result of that Hoovler asked. it contained heroin and fenta- Moser said.

Moser clarified that fentanyl is a drug sometimes added to heroin to increase its effect. Hoovler asked Leuthold if he could show the jury the video Moser collected from the informant during one of the undercover drug purchases. The judge allowed it. Crall said that even though the informant purchased bags sold as heroin, Ward was handed both heroin and fentanyl charges because the concoction he sold contained both drugs. has given it two seperate levels of Crall explained.

intended for these things to be sentenced The danger of such a mixture is why Crall asked for the maximum penalty. He recommended the judge sentence him to maximum on each conviction, and that the sentences run consecutively. felt that was Crall said. judge agreed, given the harm that fentanyl causes to our ONTARIO MAN FOUND GUILTY OF SELLING FENTANYL-LACED HEROIN ZACH TUGGLE REPORTER MANSFIELD -Columbus-based radio station Sunny 95, or WSNY, started an ad campaign after some listeners said struggling to pick up the station after a public radio station began broadcasting on the same frequency in Mansfield. But station officials have decided not to file a complaint at this time after receiving relatively little feedback.

Columbus Radio Group president and general manager Chris Forgy said the station first became aware of the interference issues on Jan. 19, after a Columbus listener driving through Mansfield called the station to say they were picking up a different station in place of WSNY. After some research, WSNY, which plays adult contemporary music, realized the Federal Communications Commission granted a non-commercial license to Kent State WKSU for a low-power signal translator for educational purposes. knew nothing about Forgy said. Both WSNY and W234CX, the Kent State public radio translator, are on 94.7 frequency on the FM dial in Mansfield, but Mansfield is on the fringe of coverage area.

WKSU communications specialist Ann VerWiebe said she was unaware there was another station operating on the same frequency. is the first time hearing about she said in a phone interview Wednesday. She said the FCC granted the application to add a translator in Mansfield with no issues, and she said the 94.7 was an available frequency in Mansfield. FCC allow you to have things on the same frequency if close she said. Under FCC law, an authorized FM translator is not permitted to operate if it causes actual interference to the transmission of an authorized broadcast station.

The Kent State station went live Dec. 27 and airs National Public Radio news and entertainment programming, as well as classical music, VerWiebe said. The broadcast airs using a translator, or a small antenna. It has a five-mile radius, with the center just north of U.S. 30.

VerWiebe said because the translator signal is relatively weak, it most likely completely block out WSNY in all parts of Mansfield. not going to be able to completely overwhelm she said. WSNY started an advertising campaign, Have My Sunny 95 in in late January to raise awareness for the issue, offering t-shirts to listeners if the issue could be resolved. Some of the ads ran in the News Journal. Forgy said the station also considered filing a complaint with the FCC to get the Kent State translator in Mansfield taken off the air.

But Forgy said the station only received two or three listener complaints, so there are no plans to file a complaint at this time. this point, not going to pursue he said. seem as big an issue as we thought it was WSNY has not reached out to Kent State, but Forgy said that could be an option in the future. VerWiebe said the situation sounds similar to an issue WKSU has with WOSU out of Columbus, which both operate on 89.7. Listeners between Kent and Columbus also struggle to hear either station.

just get a hot mess of going back and forth all the she said. VerWiebe said the Kent State public radio station received requests for a station to be added in Mansfield after a translator was added in Ashland in 2006. station only has a five-mile radius, so it was difficult to pick up in Mansfield. In addition to Mansfield, the Kent State station broadcastson 89.7 in Kent; on repeater stations at 89.1 in Thompson, 89.3 in Wooster, 91.5 in New Philadelphia and 90.7 in Norwalk; and on translator station 95.7 in Ashland. 419-521-7205 Twitter: Radio station backs off fight for 94.7 EMILY MILLS REPORTER SUBMITTED Columbus-based radio station Sunny 95 started acampaign after some listeners said having issues picking up the station on 94.7 after a new WKSU public radio translator started on the same station in Mansfield.

Chilly weather calls for a JASON J. JOURNAL Despite temperatures in the low 20s, on Friday at noontime, customers were flocking to Dairy Queen for a free ice cream cone and other tasty delights on its opening day for 2017..