Community News

WILMINGTON, OHIO (January 27, 2026)—Wilmington City Schools invites kindergarten-eligible children and their families to attend Kindergarten Exploration, a fun and informative open house designed to help families prepare for the start of kindergarten. The event will take place on Saturday, February 28, from 10am to noon at Holmes Elementary, 1350 W. Truesdell St. The open-house style format allows families to attend at their convenience and explore at their own pace. “We want

"Shop with a Cop" Event, Mark Kraus (far right) "My goal is to have [the Clinton County Foundation] be as out front and as involved as we can be," said Mark Kraus, Executive Director of the Clinton County Foundation (CCF), located at 2333 Rombach Avenue. Kraus, originally from the Dayton area and currently a resident of Jamestown, saw the position at the CCF, and "put [his] hat in the ring." Three weeks later, Kraus took on the position. He has 36 years of prior experience

Submitted Photo Courtesy of Robin Studios "When things come down to the wire... in a self-defense situation or [in] the sports aspect, you have to kick your body into overdrive" said Bryce Whelchel, Co-Founder of Overdrive Jiu-Jitsu that held its first class on September 2, 2025, in Vital Fitness at 1050 Prairie Avenue. Whelchel and his wife, Kerrie Fahey, along with their fellow instructor, Hannah Parks, hold roughly ten classes a week for men, women, and children. Whelche

Tom Dreyer & Dustin Pearce Tom Dreyer joins the podcast to share about his new venture with the National Christian Foundation, joined by their president of their Ohio team, Dwight Montgomery. Tom was formerly the Business Development Director at Ohio Living Cape May and is still very involved in Wilmington by serving on the board at Wilmington-Clinton County Chamber of Commerce. Since 1982, National Christian Foundation has facilitated more than $25 billion in charitable gran

Sugartree Mill Co. "Having that support from individuals locally... it makes you appreciate being in a small town and... the whole environment kind of makes you feel like you're in a Hallmark movie but in the best way possible," said Joanna Swenson, Manager and Merchandiser at Sugartree Mill Co., located at 316 E Sugartree Street. Swenson was born and raised in Wilmington, Ohio, by her parents, Randy and Diane Dell, the owners of Sugartree Mill Co. After college, Swenson star

Joshua Perez & Dustin Pearce Josh Perez joins the podcast to share about Dub Town Soccer Club. You may know Josh from his family’s restaurant, El Dorado Mexican Restaurant, on Rombach Avenue in Wilmington. Josh graduated from Wilmington High School and currently helps coach their soccer team—which recently went undefeated in their regular season for the first time in school history! After teaching soccer lessons and seeing his own son excel, Josh started Dub Town Soccer Club

Curt Bradshaw "I want our staff to be a champion for children—and all that we do, and all of the decisions that we make, it all has to come back to what's best for the kids," stated Curt Bradshaw, Superintendent of the Southern Ohio Educational Service Center (SOESC), located at 3321 Airborne Road in Wilmington. Bradshaw, a farmer and fourth generation teacher, started his career as a middle school teacher at Wilmington City Schools. He was later contracted through SOESC to t

WILMINGTON, Ohio (January 14, 2026)— Wilmington VFW Post 6710 and PAWS Humane Society are holding a St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Polar Plunge on Saturday, February 14, beginning at 3pm, to benefit both organizations. The event will take place at Wilmington VFW Post 6710 and will feature local veterans braving cold water plunges as donations are made. Community members are encouraged to attend, make a donation, and watch as veterans take the mid-February plunge for a good caus

Joshua Perez "Even if you don't know [anything] about soccer, you can see how much joy [the kids] have playing... The positivity around the field, and around the stadium is so big," stated Joshua Perez, Founder and Coach of Dub Town Soccer Club, a club soccer team for children in Clinton County. Perez's passion for soccer goes beyond the club team, as he also helps coach the Wilmington High School soccer team. Perez stated, "You unify people of every size, shape, culture, age

Mark Kraus & Dustin Pearce Mark Kraus joins the podcast to share how the Clinton County Foundation is helping manage $41 million dollars to make a positive local impact in education, health and wellness, and economic development. Mark has a long career in business development and management for nonprofits, including The Boy Scouts of America, which took him all over the country, including California, before he came back to Ohio and settled in Jamestown with his wife. Listen t

WILMINGTON, Ohio (January 6, 2026)— The City of Wilmington is updating its public transit service hours following feedback from residents and a recent public meeting. Starting February 1, 2026, Wilmington Transit will operate from 6:30am to 10pm Monday through Friday, and from 9am to 10pm on Saturdays. Sunday service hours remain unchanged, running from 9am to 3pm. EXTENDED HOURS (enacted on April 1, 2025) CITY REDUCTIONS (proposed for Feb 1, 2026) COMMUNITY REVISIONS (planne

WILMINGTON, Ohio (January 7, 2026)— Wilmington College continues to demonstrate steady progress and renewed momentum—a theme reflected throughout the fall meeting of the Board of Trustees. We began our time together with a moment of gratitude for our Quaker High Note feature, Patricia Thomas, whose remarkable $2 million gift will endow the Campus Minister position in perpetuity. Patricia, a former campus minister and current clerk of Wilmington Yearly Meeting, spoke about her

WILMINGTON, Ohio (January 7, 2026)— Davids Dr., between Fife Ave. and Rombach Ave., Wilmington, OH The City of Wilmington announces a crew will be taking core samples of pavement on Davids Drive from Fife Avenue to Rombach Avenue beginning on Wednesday, January 7. While the crew is working, portions of lanes will be closed, and an arrow board will be in place to direct motorists around the work area. The City of Wilmington asks that all motorists be patient, reduce speed, and

Photo Courtesy of Wilmington News Journal "I think that had this presentation been out a whole lot earlier, a lot of the issues that are running around right now would have been toned down," stated Robert Gross during comments at the Wilmington City Council and Clinton County Port Authority (CCPA) first public meeting on November 25, 2025, to discuss a proposed Amazon Web Services (AWS) data center at 1488 South US-68. The sale of the farm land was between a private land owne

Bryce Whelchel & Dustin Pearce Superintendent Curt Bradshaw joins the podcast to share how the Southern Ohio Educational Service Center is helping support local schools in Clinton, Fayette, Highland, Adams, and Brown Counties. Curt is a Clinton County native who has a passion for community and service to others. Before becoming Superintendent of the Southern Ohio ESC, Curt was a teacher at both Clinton-Massie Local Schools and Wilmington City Schools. Listen to episode 78 of