By Mark Holtsberry

Education specialist

Paulding SWCD

The local prevalence of non-native invasive species of plants and animals makes a strong case that it is. We have to look no further than the starlings feeding among the dandelions in our yards to find invasive species. But, most of our very agricultural crops that we depend on for food have origins outside of our borders.

Invasive species were either deliberately or accidently introduced through man’s actions. There are nearly 50,000 invasive species in this country, half of them are plants and most are pathogens or diseases with lesser numbers of insects and vertebrate animals.

By NANCY WHITAKER • Progress Staff Reporter

FORT BROWN – The Fort Brown Bicentennial is set to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 29 and the program will have a patriotic theme.

From The Weather Channel - weather.com:

After a brief respite, another significant episode of severe weather is poised to strike parts of the Plains, Great Lakes and Ohio Valley.

It all begins Tuesday afternoon.  Scattered thunderstorms are expected to fire up in the northern High Plains of central and eastern Montana, northeast Wyoming, and western South Dakota, with a threat of a few tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds. To the east, a few severe thunderstorms with hail are possible in New England, including Boston.

Tuesday night, a complex of thunderstorms will roll east-southeastward through South Dakota, northern Nebraska into southern Minnesota and northern Iowa, with a threat of damaging winds and locally heavy rainfall.

Wed./Wed. Night

Wednesday, severe thunderstorms will reignite along a strong warm front from eastern Iowa, northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin into Indiana, southern Lower Michigan and Ohio. This could affect the Wednesday afternoon/evening commute in Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit and possibly Cleveland. Damaging winds, large hail, some tornadoes, and local flash flooding from brief heavy rainfall are all threats.

Wednesday night, a cluster of severe thunderstorms, possibly in the form of a squall line with damaging straight-line winds, will sweep through this region as far east as southwest New York, western Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia. Cities in this late threat include Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio.

Thursday, the threat shifts to the East as the cold front and attendant upper-level dip in the jet stream sweep in. Damaging straight-line winds, large hail and a few tornadoes are possible in the Mid-Atlantic States, including Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. Damaging straight-line winds and heavy rainfall are the main threats farther south Thursday from the southern Appalachians and Tennessee Valley to southern Virginia and the Carolinas.

Tornado/wind threat on Wednesday, June 12:

Scattered severe thunderstorms, possibly in clusters or even a derecho (widespread damaging wind event associated with a bow echo thunderstorm pattern) in northeast IA, south WI, north half IL, north IN, south MI, OH, southwest PA, north and central WV, MD, DC, north VA. 30% chance of a tornado within 50 miles of a location northern IL, southern MI, northern OH

By JIM LANGHAM • Feature Writer

PAULDING – Paulding County Commissioner Chairman Fred Pieper said that he has received information from ODOT District One Deputy Kirk Slusher indicating the appointment of a safety commission to study various intersections of U.S. 24 in Paulding County, in the wake of fatal accidents along the stretch over the past year.

Members of the commission will include Paulding County Sheriff Jason Landers, a representative of the Federal Highway Administration, an Ohio State Patrol representative, an EMS representative, a representative from a public transportation business, and a representative from the Paulding County commissioners.

By NANCY WHITAKER • Progress Staff Writer

PAYNE – A benefit will be held on June 29 for Chase Holt, son of Chris and Megan Holt of Payne. Chase has been diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis Type 2, for which there is no known cure.

By JIM LANGHAM • Feature Writer

PAULDING – After serving as Ohio State University Agriculture Extension Agent for Paulding County for the past 12 years, Jim Lopshire has made the decision to retire from his post as of June 17.