On the upcoming New Year’s weekend, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles will release a new automated title processing system to the county clerks of courts in the state of Ohio. In preparation for the upgrade, the current system will be unavailable to title offices Friday and Saturday.

SYCAMORE — Sycamore Village Council on Tuesday approved a 20-percent increase for three fire contracts that are expected to raise approximately $3,500 more in revenue for the Sycamore Volunteer Fire Department. New Fire Chief Rod Clinger said he originally planned for an increase of 10 percent each for fire contracts for Sycamore and Eden townships in Wyandot County and Texas Township in Crawford County, but that increase only was expected to increase revenue about $1,776 in 2017.

The Daily Chief-Union office will be closed Monday and no newspaper will be printed that day in observance of the New Years holiday. The deadline for advertisements for Tuesday’s edition is noon Friday.

The Upper Sandusky FFA recently hosted its greenhand banquet with 27 members receiving their FFA greenhand degrees. To receive the degree, members must have passed an FFA knowledge test, presented the five paragraphs of the FFA creed and have a planned supervised agriculture experience.

COLUMBUS — Ohio Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Agricultural Professionals will host its annual winter leadership experience Feb. 3-4 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Columbus. The event includes 20 workshops covering a wide range of food and farming topics.

Carey FFA presented school board members and administrators with fruit basket gifts during the December meeting of the Carey Board of Education.

BUCYRUS — Annie’s Project — Education for Women, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational programs designed to strengthen women’s roles in modern farm enterprises, will offer a six-week session beginning Jan. 25 and continuing from 5:30-9 p.m. Wednesdays.

A man in the 300 block of Spring Street reported a woman was claiming to be his power of attorney and cashed a check meant to go to a tree care service the afternoon of Oct. 24. Contact was made with the woman who advised she was his POA and the man has a history of mental illness.

CAREY — A local paranormal research group has released its first documentary, a 70-minute film that features history and unexplainable phenomenon at the old Carey School that since has been demolished. The Carey Area Paranormal Energy Research Society, formally organized in September 2011, is made up of members with diverse experience in energy work, psychic abilities and technology work.

MOUNT BLANCHARD — Clay Thompson had everything ready for a surprise wedding proposal. The only thing he couldn’t control was the weather.