December 2025

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Berniece “Bea” Collingsworth, age 96, of Alger, passed away on Friday, December 26, 2025, at Lima Memorial Health System. 

She was born on July 9, 1929, in McGuffey, Ohio, to the late Troy and Lorena (Bradley) Prater.  Bea married Paris F. “Pat” Collingsworth, and he preceded her in death on March 4, 1980.  

Bea is survived by her two sons: Paris “Pat” (Beverley) Collingsworth, Jr. of Alger and Steve (Nikki) Collingsworth of Alger; daughter-in-law, Brenda Collingsworth; seven grandchildren, seventeen great-grandchildren and sixteen great-great-grandchildren; and two sisters: Phyllis Fry of Alger and Linda Dienstberger of Alger. 

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PHOTOS by Mark Andreasen / CLICK to enlarge and view at your own pace

By Cort Reynolds

ADA__The Ada High School girls basketball team lost a 53-52 nailbiter to visiting non-conference foe Marion Elgin on Saturday afternoon, December 27.

Comet Madison Hill sank the tie-breaking free throw with 20 seconds remaining to put the visitors on top, 53-52. The second foul shot was waved off due to a lane violation.

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PHOTOS by Mark Andreasen / CLICK to enlarge and view at your own pace

By Cort Reynolds

ADA __The Ada boys basketball team started strong and rode a big second quarter to crush non-conference foe Elgin 68-21 on Saturday afternoon, December 27.

Ada jumped to a 16-5 lead after the first period. The Bulldogs authored a 28-9 second quarter outburst to build a commanding 44-14 cushion at halftime.

Ada also won the second half handily, 24-7.

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Mary Jane Moloney, age 77, of Ada, passed away on Friday, December 26, 2025, at Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Medical Center, Lima. 

She was born on May 6, 1948, in Lima, Ohio, to the late Robert W. and Mary Catherine (Schemmel) Moloney, Sr.  

Mary Jane is survived by three brothers: Robert W. (Julia) Moloney, Jr, of Jacksonville, FL, Msgr. Stephan J. Moloney of Columbus and Michael Moloney of Ada; sister, Monica A. Moloney of Columbus; nephews and niece: Tim (Sharon) Moloney, Patrick Moloney and Aleshia Rohrer. 

Mary Jane retired from Cole Motor Sales, Ada, where she worked as a bookkeeper.  She was a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church of Ada. 

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By Katie Fultz, PA-C
Orthopedic Sports Medicine, Blanchard Valley Orthopedics & Sports Medicine

Bone spurs, also called osteophytes, are bony projections that form along the surfaces of bones. They are most commonly associated with joints, where two bones meet, and can also develop on the spine. Although the name may suggest something sharp or jagged, bone spurs are usually smooth. They form when the body attempts to repair itself in response to ongoing stress, friction, or pressure on a bone or joint. Conditions such as osteoarthritis, where the protective cartilage breaks down over time, often trigger this process. As cartilage thins and the joint becomes unstable, the body lays down new bone to provide reinforcement. 

Unfortunately, this extra bone growth can lead to pain and impaired mobility rather than relief.

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By Paula Pyzik Scott
Bluffton and Ada Icon editor

Here come Christmas and 2026! The Bluffton and Ada Icons will take a little break–and I hope you can, too. The Icons are updated daily–almost every day. But as the saying goes, “All work and no play makes Paula a dull editor.” Between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, the Icons will be in holiday mode, with new content limited to breaking news, including sports.

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By Paula Pyzik Scott

On December 15, a family home in the 4000 block of Township Rd. 30 was destroyed by fire. The Ada-Liberty Fire Department took the call at 3:36 p.m. and worked until about 8:00 p.m. to put out the fire.

The family was home and evacuated the ranch structure without injury, according to Fire Chief Jay Epley.

On December 23, the fire department and insurance investigators were still working to determine the cause of the fire.

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MEDIA RELEASE__The Village of Ada is currently seeking volunteers for non-paid vacancies on the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Planning Commission. All appointments will be made by the Mayor and approved by Council.

The Board of Zoning Appeals has five vacancies, 3 vacancies  are alternate positions, should any of the 3 seated board members be unavailable for any reason. 

The following vacancies are open:

1 member- 2-year term- Will hold a seat on the board

1 member- 1-year term- Will hold a seat on the board

Alternates will serve in the event a seated board member is unable to attend a meeting or hearing.

1 alternate- 1-year term

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By Karen Kier
Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team

The term dilly-dally is often used to indicate someone is wasting time or moving too slow.  Some may use the term as a gentle way to tell a friend to hurry up! You could hear them say “quit dilly-dallying and get a move on it.”  This is not a new term, with records indicating its use in the 16th century.  

Dilly-dally may be a term to describe this year’s flu season.  It took its time coming, but it is now spreading rapidly in the United States due to a new variant of the flu.  

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Thank you to Miss Daniels' 3rd-grade class at Ada Elementary for sharing their letters to Santa. This is the final installment. Today we have letters from Easton, Elliott, Mila, Raelyn and Kellan.

Dear Santa, 

I was wondering what do you do if your elves get tired when they're packing up the presents? I am looking forward to Christmas this year with my family.

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