Ada's latest news

  • /

Pamela Diane Cavinder, age 76, of Harrod, passed away on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Medical Center, Lima.   

She was born on April 5, 1949, in Lima, Ohio, to the late Ernest F. and Elizabeth (Mason) Ackerman.  Diane was married to Johnny D. Cavinder.   

Diane is survived by her children: Steven (Michelle) Ackerman of Lima and Tracy Park of LaFayette; five grandchildren: Brooke, Brian, Brittany, Tiffany, and Skyler; eight great-grandchildren; and brother, Steven Frank (Nancy) Ackerman. 

She was preceded in death by her husband, Johnny D. Cavinder on July 17, 2025; and grandson, Chris. 

  • /

CLICK calendar to enlarge

FROM FACEBOOK__The Ada Public Library, 320 N. Main, has announced the following activities for January 2026 and provided a full calendar (above). The library will be closed on Monday, January 19, for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Toddler & Preschool Storytime -- Thursdays @ 10 a.m. (New!)
Adult Book Group -- Tuesday, Jan. 6 @ 7  p.m. 
Friends of the Library meeting -- Wednesday, Jan. 14 @ 7  p.m. 
Closed for MLK Day -- Monday, Jan. 19
Amish Book Group -- Tuesday, Jan. 20 @ 1  p.m. 
Tween Art -- Thursday, Jan. 22 @ 3  p.m. 
Bingo with Officer Penny -- Tuesday, Jan. 27 @ 7  p.m. 
Tween Book Club -- Thursday, Jan. 29 @ 3  p.m. 

Stay up to date with library events at adalibrary.org/calendar/month

  • /

Dear readers,

Linked below are 22 articles of lasting interest from among the 119 news items posted on AdaIcon.com during December 2025, selected for the print Ada Icon Highlights, which are distributed for in-house reading at the Ada Public Library, Beatitudes, Heterick Library at Ohio Northern University and Vancrest of Ada.

Included are obituaries for attorney Charles Van Dyne and former ONU president Kendall Baker, a 70th wedding anniversary announcement (more please!), and a partial changing of the guard on the Ada Council and Ada School Board, as several long-serving elected officials finished their terms.

  • /

STAY TUNED for coverage of the AHS Alumni Association Hall of Honors induction of Mike Lenhart and David Lusk, which included a reception and presentation at the basketball game.

By Cort Reynolds

ADA __The Ada High School boys basketball team rode a big second period to drub visiting non-conference foe Delphos Jefferson 68-44 on Saturday, January 3.

Ada trailed 15-13 after the first period. But the Bulldogs poured in 27 second-quarter points to forge ahead 40-27 at halftime, and were never threatened thereafter.

  • /

Compiled by Liz Gordon-Hancock

The following eleven land transfers took place in the Ada Exempted Village School District in December 2025 as reported on the website of the Hardin County, Ohio auditor Michael T. Bacon  and Hancock County, Ohio auditor Charity Rauschenberg.

Commercial

218 N MAIN ST 12/9/2025 – $150,000 – Other Retail Structure – From Tanya Lau & Chi Yong Chen to Zhimin Yang

  • /

Unique zone stymies 11-2 Tigers

By Cort Reynolds

NORTH BALTIMORE__The visiting Ada High School girls basketball team upset once-beaten non-league foe North Baltimore convincingly, 57-37, on Saturday, January 3.

The Bulldog girls pulled away from a 10-10 first-period tie to grab a 26-20 lead at intermission they would not relinquish. 

An 18-point third quarter extended the margin to 44-30 going into the final stanza. Ada won the fourth period 13-7 to win going away by 20.  

Pages