MOUNT BLANCHARD — The Riverdale girls basketball team was looking for revenge Friday night in the season opener against rival Carey in a non-conference game. They found it, defeating Carey 40-36 in a thriller that went down to the wire and was decided by free throws. The teams shot a combined 60 free throws in the game, with Riverdale connecting on 20-of-29 while Carey was just 13-of-31 from the charity stripe.

COLUMBUS — Winter weather is here. Annually, the Ohio Department of Transportation makes final preparations to ensure equipment and employees are ready for whatever Old Man Winter throws our way. Each of ODOT’s 1,629 trucks received a 150-point check as part of annual county-by-county Operational Readiness Inspections.

A roadside decoration was given a special Thanksgiving twist between CH 61 and Ohio 199 by the overpass running south out of Upper Sandusky towards Marion. The holiday season is in full swing in Wyandot County with Christmas being celebrated next week in Upper Sandusky.

Over 400 Upper Sandusky Middle School students paid it forward with some good deeds Tuesday morning for the second annual Robby Lee Day of Service. Starting at around 8:45 a.m., every single sixth, seventh and eighth grade student at Upper Sandusky Middle School was either helping rake leaves at the Wyandot County Fairgrounds or putting up Christmas decorations at the Wyandot County Museum.

Upper Sandusky Middle Schoolers Hayden Pahl, Cassidy Breidenbach, Kaleb Byrum, Alyse Swartz and many more helped set up Christmas decorations at the Wyandot County Museum this morning as part of the Robby Lee Day of Service.

Four Upper Sandusky competition cheerleading squads competed at the Oak Harbor Cheerleading Invitational last weekend. Not only did every squad — the Tiny Rams, Mini Rams, Little Rams and junior high — win first place in their individual division, but the Rams also earned the Nancy Leaser award for the highest school district average.

PARADISE, Calif. — As the huge Camp Fire roared through Paradise, California, Merleen Barnes waited by her phone in Kenton to hear an update on her sister and family who were directly in the path of the deadly flames. “Kathy had sent me a video, but then we lost communications with them for about three hours,” Barnes said. “Things were a little tense.”

The Wyandot County Special Olympics kicked off its basketball season with an exhibition game Sunday as the Wyandot Indians took on the Sycamore Dream Team at Mohawk High School.

The Dafne Bianchi Cheer Spectacular was held Sunday at Upper Sandusky Middle School with 28 teams competing. Event organizer Katie Taylor spoke to open in the opening ceremony, followed by Jack Bianchi, the father of the late Dafne Bianchi.

Firelands Counseling and Recovery Center Site Director Michelle Clinger has a message for Wyandot County residents: “We’re here to help.” “As of the beginning of October, every position has been filled at Upper Sandusky Firelands,” Clinger said.