Those who love strolling along the banks of the Maumee River may have noticed a rare sight: someone swimming toward the bay. Joe Sparks is hard to miss, wearing a neon pink swimmers cap with goggles atop his head. Mr. Sparks sees himself as “a local guy who’s trying to show that I can do big things.”

Registered voters will be asked to decide one issue on the ballot Tuesday, August 8. The state has a proposed Constitutional amendment that would: •require that any proposed amendment to the Constitution of the State of Ohio receive the approval of at least 60 percent of eligible voters voting on the proposed amendment; •require that any initiative petition filed on or after January 1, 2024 with the Secretary of State proposing to amend the Constitution of the State of Ohio be signed by at least 5 percent of the electors of each county based on the total vote in the county for governor in the last preceding election; •specify that additional signatures may not be added to an initiative petition proposing to amend the Constitution of the State of Ohio that is filed with the Secretary of State on or after January 1, 2024 proposing to amend the Constitution of the State of Ohio.

Visitors to W.W. Knight Nature Preserve in Perrysburg Township will be pleasantly surprised to find one of the park trails has reopened. Last year, the Wood County Park District closed the boardwalk through a marshy section of the park due to its deteriorating condition.