The Wynford Elementary School spelling bee went 24 rounds with fifth grader Drew Johnson (left) claiming the champion spot. Fifth grader Marty Schuster (middle) took second, and fourth grader Emily Schuster was third.

AKRON — As winter begins drifting into the Ohio Valley, people are pulling on parkas, adding extra blankets to their beds and building cozy fires to keep away the cold. But what about wildlife? How do they survive the cold months of winter?

BUCYRUS — The Ohio State Highway Patrol encourages motorists to use caution when driving around commercial vehicles. Large trucks and buses have operating limitations such as blind spots, longer stopping distances and limited maneuverability that make it essential for other vehicles to focus on safety.

The What’s Cookin’ cookbook discussion group at the Upper Sandusky Community Library will host a potluck and soup cook-off contest at 6 p.m. Jan. 22 at the library. The soups will be judged for taste, appearance and originality.

A series of three one-hour programs is being offered by the SNAP-Ed program assistant from the Wyandot County OSU Extension service. Tami Baumberger once again will conduct a series of Cooking with Tami sessions at the Open Door Resources Center in Upper Sandusky.

Open Door Resource Center has begun offering Getting Ahead classes for men and women in Wyandot County who are seeking to find solutions to life’s ongoing challenges: economic, social, physical and spiritual. In a Getting Ahead workshops, a group of six to 12 people meet to help one another take steps to improve their lives.

The Home Energy Assistance Program Winter Crisis Program was created to provide financial assistance, one time per heating season, to income eligible households who are threatened with disconnection of their heating source, have service already disconnected, need to establish new service, seek to transfer service, or have less than a 25 percent supply of bulk fuel.

The Upper Sandusky Athletic Boosters have announced Kaidence Iles (left) and Ethan Kessler as the Upper Sandusky Middle School Student-Athletes of the Month for December.

BUCYRUS — The Crawford Park District has announced upcoming events. Rock n’ Fossil Day is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 20 at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 Ohio 598.

TIFFIN — “Still We Rise, Still We March” is the theme of this year’s Tiffin-Seneca Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at 7:15 p.m. Jan. 15. The keynote speaker, University of Toledo professor of social work Dr. Celia Williamson, is the director of the Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute.