The Manchester cagers climbed back to the .500 level for the fifth time this season after topping visiting Tuslaw 65-51,  Jan. 22 in a Principal Athletic Conference game.

The Lady Panthers, winners of 13 straight, downed a dangerous Fairless squad 56-49, which has been playing some of its best basketball of the season since the calendar year turned over.
Manchester (16-1, 12-1) trailed by two points (45-43) entering the final eight minutes of action, but went on a 10-0 run to open the fourth quarter, and was able to foil the Falcons upset bid..
Senior Jackie Bonnett was instrumental in the run as she had a traditional three-point play, followed by one free throw, which put the Panthers ahead  for good at 47-45. The black and red would hold Fairless scoreless until the 3:22 mark of the finale.

Network Computer Technology (NCT), a program at Portage Lakes Career Center, links students with high-paying careers.
 

New faces abounded at the January PLCC board meeting. Four new board members, one from each of the four home schools, were sworn in. They were Neal Hess, Tina Gable, Lynn Wiggens and Mark Tallman. Hess is a first-year member of both the Springfield and PLCC boards. Gable is in her second year on the Coventry board and her first at PLCC. Wiggens of Green is a first year school board member for both schools. Mark Tallman, from Manchester, is back for his second term with PLCC after serving 12 years previously.
 

A South Main Street woman, 22, was arrested Jan. 24 for domestic violence. She is accused of assaulting her mother by pulling her hair and hitting her during an argument at their home. Deputies also found the woman had an outstanding warrant in Lakemore for underage consumption.
 

 Their love of the art of spinning has brought together a group of like-minded individuals to form the Tudor Spinners. The group meets the last Sunday of every month at the Tudor House in New Franklin.
 

 Jo Anne Ragan of New Franklin is healthier. Her success in losing nearly 120 pounds gained her notability as a Weight Watchers Inspiring Stories of Change winner.
 

New Franklin City Council is taking time to further examine issues facing the city in the new year.
 

The Ohio High School Football Coaches Association is proud to recognize Craig Dougherty and Brit Hunter of Manchester High School as members of the 2009 Academic All-Ohio Football Team.

A 33-year-old Schneiderman Road man was arrested on two counts of child endangering Jan. 14 following a traffic collision on South Main Street. Deputies said his two small children were in makeshift seats and not wearing seat belts. Both were injured in the accident and taken to Akron Children’s Hospital.
 

Local wrestlers had an impressive showing, with Coventry scoring 175.5 points and placing third overall and first in Division II at the Bill Dies Tournament held at Firestone High School. Placing 10th overall with 119 points was Manchester, while Green took 35th scoring 40 points and Springfield was 42nd with 16 points.

There is a photo gallery o 16 shots of all four teams from the wrestling tournament.

After an early season loss to league rival Tusky Valley, the Lady Panther cagers have rebounded quite nicely as they have ran off 10 consecutive victories including a pair of wins in PAC-7 action the past week.

Despite reaching the halfway point of their campaign, the jury is still out on the Manchester boys basketball team with a season full of many highs and lows.
 
The Panthers, who are 5-6 this year, haven't been able to put together back-to-back victories, but on the other side of the coin their longest losing streak has only been two games.

For the third time this season, the Manchester grapplers came home with some hardware as they captured the team title at the Woodmore "A" Classic wrestling tournament on Jan. 9 at Elmore High School (near Toledo).

 The administration, teaching staff and board of education hope to put Manchester in contention for Ohio's Race to the Top.