This past Saturday (April 26) was the latest Drug Take-Back Day. The event was held across the state and nation and, once again, Marion-area residents showed up with a lot of unused medications. Officials say 14.2 tons (28,466 pounds) of unwanted prescription medications were turned in across Ohio.

Marion? Well we managed to collect 258 pounds all by ourselves.

Now this may seem like a bad thing, but it’s actually a great effort by local officials and residents to help protect kids and abusers by removing medications that could be abused.

If you missed the drop off, you can still take medications to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for safe disposal. A box is located in the lobby.

Want more details? Find them at this story on Marion Online.

Pictured from left, Tracey Rector, center director and Nikkie Hamm from The Ohio Heartland Community Action Commission’s United Community Prescription Program with English 2367.01 students Erin Bland and Jessica Kersten holding their $1000 Pay It Foward donation check.

English students at Ohio State Marion recently celebrated a semester of planning and giving as a part of the Pay It Forward project with the United Way of Marion County.

Students in Amy Tibbals’ English 2367.01 course presented awards to three local non-profit organizations with the goal of impacting positive, long-term change in the areas of income and health in Marion.

These students experienced philanthropy first hand for nearly the entire semester. They participated in a competitive grant process in which they took organizations’ grant applications, made a first cut which narrowed down the finalists to three organizations, researched each organization and what it did to help the community, wrote papers arguing how the funding should be awarded, and participated in an hour-long debate to determine the final grant awards.

Summing up the Pay It Forward project, Tibbals said, “these English courses teach students far more than I can ever put on a lesson plan.

“Yes, they become better researchers and writers,” said Tibblals, “but they also become more caring and informed citizens.”

“It’s an experience that lasts far beyond the four walls of my classroom,” she added.

Click here to read the entire write up from Ohio State Marion, learn more about the projects and grants, and view more photos.

Trains, train-related stuff, and the people who love them are expected to pour into Marion on May 2 & 3 for the 2014 Spring S Spree at the Marion County Fairgrounds Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum. Model train enthusiasts from across the Midwest (and maybe further away) will be hosted by the 50-member Central Ohio S Gaugers (COSG), a model train club based in the Columbus, Ohio area.

The name of the club comes from the term “S Gauge” which is the modeling of 3/16 to the inch scale trains based on the original American Flyer Trains that dates back to WWII. Yeah, not completely sure what that means either, but I bet you’ll be able to find someone at the show to explain it to you.

Activities will include “How to” Clinics, 150 Dealer tables selling S Gauge products, and several operating train displays from around Ohio and as far away as New Orleans.

You can find all the details at www.COSG.org or telephone (614) 766-9033. You can also find a longer story at Marion Online