John R. Prater, Sr., age 84, of Harrod, passed away on Monday, April 7, 2025 at his residence, surrounded by his family.
He was born on April 1, 1941 in Bainbridge, Ohio to the late William and Minnie (Jones) Pratter. On October 2, 1965 John married Evelyn Downey and she survives in Harrod.
Also surviving is his daughter, Amy (Kenny) Williams; five grandchildren: Blake (Celeste) Williams, Megan (Brady) Broadstone, Richie (Kayla) Prater, Eric (Omnia) Prater and Abby (Chris Scott) Prater; fourteen great grandchildren; and two sisters: Thelma Deatley of Arcadia, FL and Annie (Ray) Huff of Jeffersonville.
VANLUE – The visiting Ada High School softball team out-slugged Vanlue 23-10 to win their first Blanchard Valley Conference in a wild contest on a cold Monday evening, April 7.
Bulldog center fielder Tess Griffith smacked four doubles and drove in four runs to pace the onslaught. She added a single for a perfect 5-5 batting day, and tallied four runs.
Ada exploded for 22 combined runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to rally and win big.
VANLUE – The visiting Ada High School baseball team blanked Vanlue 12-0 to capture their first-ever Blanchard Valley Conference victory Monday, April 7.
Ada led 2-0 after the first inning, and then blew the game open with six runs in the second frame.
The Bulldogs tacked on two runs in each of the third and fourth frames to invoke the 10-run mercy rule after five frames.
“It was a nice team win,” said Ada head coach Toby Smith. “We are improving each game.”
Ada improved to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the BVC after the blowout league road victory. Vanlue dropped to 0-1 overall and 0-1 in BVC play with the defeat.
KENTON — Ohio State University Extension in Hardin County, in a partnership with Ohio Jobs and Family Services in Hardin County and the Kenton FFA, is planning a Family Engagement Event for Child Abuse Awareness Month.
This event will take place on Sunday, April 27, 2025, from 1-5 p.m. at the Hardin County Fairgrounds located at 14134 Letson Avenue in Kenton. The event will be free to the public, funded by the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund. Included in this event will be local organizations and educational resources. Also present will be healthy food options and entertainment from local vendors.
ADA - The Ada High School track and field teams hosted and took second in their first meet of the season on a cold Monday, March 31 at War Memorial Stadium.
Upper Scioto Valley and Indian Lake also competed at the three-team meet. Indian Lake won both boys and girls meets. The Lakers finished first in the girls standings with 104 points, followed by Ada (45) and USV (17). The Lakers won the boys meet with 92 points, followed by the Bulldog boys (62) and the Rams (20).
Sophomore Grace Lawence won the 100 and 300-meter hurdle races to pace the Ada sprinters.
Ada senior Kennedy Jones took first in the shot put.
