Van Wert, Ohio breaking news and local information from the Van Wert Independent.

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Emergency Management Agency, National Weather Service, and the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness are promoting Lightning Safety Awareness Week, which began on Sunday and ...

The Van Wert Civic Theatre has announced plans for its fall 2025 production of Bonnie & Clyde, a powerful and provocative musical based on the real-life exploits of two of America’s most infamous ...

A Rockford man convicted of shooting and killing his girlfriend in Van Wert in early September of 2023 was sentenced this morning and there were no surprises. Ryan Houser, 39, will spend the next 15 ...

VW independent staff/submitted information The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) invites the public to a meeting to discuss three projects that will improve safety along the U.S. 30, U.S. 224, ...

A Venedocia man is going to prison for three years for sex crimes. In Van Wert County Common Pleas Court this week, Michael Flickinger, 59, was sentenced to 36 months behind bars for sexual battery, a ...

Linda Darlene Mendez, 60, of Van Wert, passed away Sunday afternoon, July 6, 2025, at the OhioHealth Van Wert Hospital. She was born December 11, 1964, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the daughter of ...

Della K. Hauter, 74, passed away Wednesday, July 2, 2025, at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She was born on March 24, 1951, in Decatur, Indiana to Harold Franklin Sheets and Lillian Ruth ...

Finances and personnel matters were the focus of this month’s second meeting of the Vantage Career Center Board of Education, which was held Thursday evening. The meeting was considered the July ...

Editor’s note: The Friday Flashback has returned to the VW independent Sports page and will run each Friday until the start of the 2025 fall sports season. This installment takes us back to March, ...

While there are more steps to go, a data center in Van Wert moved a bit closer to reality Monday night. By a unanimous vote, Van Wert City Council approved an ordinance to accept an annexation ...

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor Despite a plea for community control sanctions, a Van Wert woman who admitted to her role in the drug overdose death of her father was sentenced to prison on Monday.