The district's October newsletter highlights a U.S. News ranking for WHS, football lost 38-13 at Carlisle, Monday brings the school board meeting and Ohio's voter-registration deadline, and a sunny weekend fills up with Viking Weekend, Hisey Fall Fest and the rodeo.

Weather

Today: 68°F, Sunny (high 68° / low 48°)

Outlook: - Sunday — high 74° / low 48°, Mostly Sunny - Monday — high 67° / low 41°, Sunny - Tuesday — high 66° / low 42°, Sunny

No NWS alerts in effect.

Source: National Weather Service

This morning in Waynesville

1. Waynesville High ranked among the top 12% of U.S. public high schools. In the district's October newsletter, Wayne Local reports that WHS is ranked #2,165 nationally among nearly 18,000 ranked public high schools and #80 in Ohio in U.S. News & World Report's 2026-27 Best High Schools rankings. The district says 38% of WHS students take Advanced Placement coursework and exams. (The Spartan, Wayne Local Schools newsletter (October 2026); wayne-local.com)
2. Football falls at Carlisle, 38-13. The varsity Spartans lost Friday night at Carlisle; the JV teams meet this morning at 10:00. Varsity returns home next Friday, October 9, against Madison for the Pink Out game. (box score)
3. Monday: school board meets, voter registration closes. The Wayne Local Board of Education meets Monday, October 5 at 6:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center (second floor). The district's newsletter also reminds residents that Monday is the deadline to register to vote or update registration for the November 3 election; early in-person and absentee-by-mail voting begin Tuesday, October 6. (BoardDocs; The Spartan, October 2026)

Schools

The district's October issue of The Spartan arrived this week. Beyond the U.S. News ranking, Superintendent Sam Ison's letter restates the 2025-26 Ohio School Report Card results: 4.5 stars overall for the district, 5 stars each for Waynesville High School and Waynesville Elementary, and 4 stars for Waynesville Middle School, up from 3.5 last year. The newsletter also details campus work completed before the first day of school — new window coverings at the WES, WMS/WHS and athletics entrances, and new wayfinding signage near the WMS/WHS entrance — paid for with funds from outside the district's operating fund. Athletics lists new turf and track, a new stadium sound system, resurfaced tennis courts and a refinished high school gym floor, and notes that its largest fundraiser of the year is parking cars at the school during the Sauerkraut Festival ($5, supporting athletics). At WMS, seventh and eighth graders in the Gateway class designed game apps for preschoolers and beta-tested them with WES preschool classes. Waynesville Elementary will welcome its own Circle Tail facility dog in January 2027, joining Welkin at the secondary campus.

The WES PTO Fun Run is within reach of its $45,000 goal, with fundraising open through Tuesday, October 6, and the grades 1-5 run rescheduled to Thursday, October 8. Coming up on the district calendar: parent-teacher conferences Thursday, October 8 (4-7 p.m.); no school for students Friday, October 9 (teacher professional day) and Monday, October 12 (fall break); and a two-hour early release Friday, October 16 to end the quarter. (The Spartan, Wayne Local Schools newsletter (October 2026); wayne-local.com)

Check: - Wayne Local BoardDocs — https://go.boarddocs.com/oh/waylo/Board.nsf/Public - District news — https://www.wayne-local.com/district-news - Spartans / MaxPreps — https://www.maxpreps.com/oh/waynesville/waynesville-spartans/ - Mary L. Cook Library — https://www.mlcook.lib.oh.us/ - Wayne Local Schools Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/waynelocalschools

From the September 14, 2026 board meeting - A new partnership with Catalyst Counseling has placed a school-based mental health therapist in each building — Waynesville Elementary, Waynesville Middle School and Waynesville High School. - The WES PTO has raised $20,000 toward a $45,000 Fun Run goal, with proceeds going in part toward playground equipment, and has begun a YMCA partnership teaching elementary students swimming and water safety. - New English Language Arts and Math curriculum rolled out for grades 6-8, with MAP standards testing for grades 6-10. The Warren County Career Center is offering new Global Foods and Health & Nutrition classes in partnership with WHS, and driver education is now available on campus. - Principal Chip Will reported an early read on the new cell phone policy, describing a rise in student interaction, particularly at lunch. - Facility dogs are now in place at both campuses — Welkin at the secondary campus, funded by the Student Councils, and an elementary dog funded by the WES PTO. Dr. AJ Iwasko is donating veterinary services and La Bella Vida Pet Salon is providing grooming.

From Wayne Local Schools on Facebook - Fri, Oct 2 — In this week's WLS Fiscal Focus, we’re breaking down one important part of the budget process: appropriations. 🏫Each… year, the Board of Education approves how much the District is authorized to spend. Ohio law requires school districts to complete this process, which helps provide accountability and transparency for public funds. 💰💰💰District money is divided into different funds, and each fund has a… (post) - Fri, Oct 2 — Good luck, Spartans! Check out the ticket information below 👇Big one in Carlisle tonight! Tickets are cash or card (tap... Good luck, Spartans! Check out the ticket information below 👇 Big one in Carlisle tonight! Tickets are cash or card (tap) at the gate, or on the Hometown Ticketing Fan App. Thanks to this week’s sponsor, Collins Waterproofing & More LLC. (post) - Thu, Oct 1 — WOW! Less than $800 to go until Waynesville Elementary reaches its goal of $45,000! We’re so close! Also, due to the… forecast tomorrow the Fun Run date for grades 1-5 has been moved to October 8. 🎉🐷 WHAT. A. DAY! 🐷🎉 Our Preschool & Kindergarten Fun Run was absolutely AMAZING today! The smiles, energy, cheering, and excitement made today one to remember! 🧡🖤 A HUGE THANK YOU to every teacher, parent,… (post) - Thu, Oct 1 — Fun Run fun today at WES! Be sure to check out the last photo, too!🐷😊It’s been a FUN morning, we can’t wait for this a... Fun Run fun today at WES! Be sure to check out the last photo, too!🐷😊 It’s been a FUN morning, we can’t wait for this afternoon 🖤🧡🐷 (post) - Wed, Sep 30 — 🍎 Fall fun is in full swing at WES! Mrs. Bowersox's young fives and kindergarten students just celebrated Apple Day… with hands-on learning, including tasting different apple products, using apples to measure and compare items, and estimating how many apples tall they are. Great work, students! Your creativity is off the charts!⭐ (post)

Library programs (Mary L. Cook Public Library) - Tue · Oct 6, 10:30 AM — Toddler Time - Tue · Oct 6, 3:00 PM — Teen Tuesday (6th-12th Grade) - Tue · Oct 6, 3:00 PM — Make your Own Veggie Super Hero - Wed · Oct 7, 10:30 AM — Baby Bookworms - Thu · Oct 8, 10:30 AM — Preschool Storytime - Sat · Oct 10, 10:00 AM — Sauerkraut Festival - Mon · Oct 12, 9:00 AM — Monsters University Interactive Movie Kits - Mon · Oct 12, 5:30 PM — Getting Reel Film Club

This week in sports

Results - Girls Soccer (Varsity) — Waynesville 2, Lebanon 4 (Home) — box score - Boys Soccer (JV) — Waynesville 2, Yellow Springs 1 (Home) — box score - Girls Soccer (JV) — Waynesville 0, Troy 2 (Away) — box score - Volleyball (Varsity) — Waynesville 1, Monroe 3 (sets) (Away) — box score - Boys Soccer (Varsity) — Waynesville 4, Yellow Springs 0 (Home) — box score - Girls Soccer (Varsity) — Waynesville 1, Troy 4 (Away) — box score - Volleyball (Varsity) — Waynesville 1, Oakwood 3 (sets) (Home) — box score - Boys Soccer (Varsity) — Waynesville 0, Carlisle 0 (Away) — box score - Football (Varsity) — Waynesville 13, Carlisle 38 (Away) — box score

Upcoming - Football (JV) — vs Carlisle, Sat · Oct 3, 10:00 AM — details - Volleyball (JV) — vs Batavia, Sat · Oct 3, 10:00 AM — details - Volleyball (Varsity) — vs Batavia, Sat · Oct 3, 11:00 AM — details - Girls Soccer (JV) — @ Carroll, Sat · Oct 3, 11:00 AM — details - Girls Soccer (Varsity) — @ Carroll, Sat · Oct 3, 12:45 PM — details - Boys Soccer (JV) — @ Bethel, Sat · Oct 3, 1:00 PM — details - Boys Soccer (Varsity) — vs Bethel, Sat · Oct 3, 2:45 PM — details - Boys Soccer (JV) — vs Legacy Christian Academy, Mon · Oct 5, 5:30 PM — details - Girls Soccer (JV) — @ Tippecanoe, Mon · Oct 5, 5:30 PM — details - Volleyball (Varsity) — vs Fairmont, Mon · Oct 5, 6:30 PM — details - Boys Soccer (Varsity) — vs Legacy Christian Academy, Mon · Oct 5, 7:15 PM — details - Girls Soccer (Varsity) — @ Tippecanoe, Mon · Oct 5, 7:15 PM — details - Volleyball (JV) — vs Carlisle, Tue · Oct 6, 5:30 PM — details - Volleyball (Varsity) — vs Carlisle, Tue · Oct 6, 6:30 PM — details - Volleyball (JV) — @ Madison, Thu · Oct 8, 5:30 PM — details - Boys Soccer (JV) — vs Dayton Christian, Thu · Oct 8, 5:30 PM — details - Girls Soccer (JV) — @ Dayton Christian, Thu · Oct 8, 5:30 PM — details - Volleyball (Varsity) — @ Madison, Thu · Oct 8, 6:30 PM — details - Boys Soccer (Varsity) — vs Dayton Christian, Thu · Oct 8, 7:15 PM — details - Girls Soccer (Varsity) — @ Dayton Christian, Thu · Oct 8, 7:15 PM — details - Football (Varsity) — vs Madison, Fri · Oct 9, 7:00 PM — details - Football (JV) — @ Madison, Sat · Oct 10, 10:00 AM — details

Local government

Next up: Warren County Commissioners, Tue, Oct 6 · 9:00 AM — agenda. Also next up: Wayne Township Trustees, Tue, Oct 6 · 7:00 PM, 6050 N. Clarksville Rd., Waynesville — latest posted agenda: Trustees Meeting Agenda, Sep 15, 2026. The Village Council agenda for Monday, October 5 is posted. The minutes of Council's previous meeting, included in that packet, show Council waived the two-reading rule and adopted Ordinance 2026-041 as an emergency, authorizing the Village Manager to execute a contract to purchase real property on Third Street, and likewise adopted Ordinance 2026-040 as an emergency; all recorded votes were unanimous (agenda packet). The Dayton Daily News reports that Warren County has enacted a six-month moratorium on new data centers (see Local headlines below). Check: - Commissioners agendas/minutes — https://commissioners.warrencountyohio.gov/News/AgendaMinutes/Index - Village of Waynesville — https://www.villageofwaynesville.org/news/ and /meetings/ - Wayne Township (covers Waynesville & Corwin) — https://waynetwpwarrencooh.gov/board-of-trustees/

Wayne Local Schools Board of Education — from the district's recap of the September 14, 2026 meeting (Board President Amanda Garrett was not in attendance. There were no public participants.): - Through August the district's General Fund is tracking roughly $143,315 below forecast on revenue — Treasurer Carolyn Huber attributed the gap primarily to local tax and reimbursement collections — while expenditures are essentially on target, a year-to-date variance of about $1. Together that represents an approximately $143,316 unfavorable impact on the projected General Fund cash balance. - The district received about $5.86 million in revenue through August, roughly $20,000 more than the same period last year, and spent about $3.71 million, up roughly $86,000 from about $3.62 million a year ago. - Levy discussions will resume when Board President Amanda Garrett returns from vacation. - The Board reviewed renewal of the district's depository agreement with LCNB National Bank — a five-year term running August 22, 2026 through August 22, 2031. - The district joined the Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council's cooperative school bus purchasing program, which lets it take part in a competitive bid run for multiple districts. Participation does not obligate Wayne Local to buy a bus; that decision follows once bids and pricing are available. Huber also reviewed the age of the current fleet. - Donations recognized: $1,000 from Leslie Dye, Bradley Wolf and Randall Wolf for the Wolf Family Scholarship, and $200 from the Goldsberry family for the WES Principal's Fund. - The Board adopted a resolution declaring transportation to Summit Academy Secondary School impractical under state transportation guidelines, with families of eligible students to receive payment in lieu of transportation under Ohio Revised Code 3327. - Both the Superintendent's and the Treasurer's consent agenda items were approved.

Next meeting: Monday, October 5 at 6:00 p.m., WLS Performing Arts Center (second floor), 625 Dayton Rd. full agenda and minutes on BoardDocs

Around town

Saturday opens sunny with a high near 68°. The Ohio Renaissance Festival's Viking Weekend runs today and Sunday (10:30 a.m.-7 p.m.); the festival's site says Saturday is sold out, with Sunday tickets still available. The Warren County Park District's Hisey Fall Fest is 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Hisey Park, 5443 Middletown Rd., followed by a Warren County Astronomical Society night sky tour at 6:30 p.m., and Fox Hollow Rodeo has bull riding at 6:00 p.m. At Caesar Creek State Park, Sunday brings Meet the Crew: World Animal Day at 1:00 p.m. and a Fossil Hunt at the Spillway at 3:00 p.m. Looking ahead, the 56th Ohio Sauerkraut Festival fills downtown October 10-11 (9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday), and WKEF reports the historic Hammel House is set to reopen ahead of it. Check: - Chamber — https://www.waynesvilleohio.com/ · Merchants — https://waynesvilleshops.com/

Merchant Association events (waynesvilleshops.com) - Sun, Oct 25 · 1:00 PM–4:00 PM — Trick or Treat - Fri, Nov 6 · 11:00 AM–5:00 PM — Hearthwarming Holidays - Sun, Dec 6 · 10:00 AM–4:00 PM — Waynesville Street Faire The Christmas Market

Caesar Creek State Park

Naturalist programs at the park, about five miles east of the village, over the next 14 days. Times and meeting points are ODNR's own. Check: - ODNR events calendar — https://ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/events-calendar/events-calendar?keyword=Caesar%20Creek - Caesar Creek State Park — https://ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/caesar-creek-state-park

• Sat, Oct 3 · 1:00 PM–3:00 PM — Field Trip to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
• Sun, Oct 4 · 1:00 PM–2:00 PM — Meet the Crew: World Animal Day
• Sun, Oct 4 · 3:00 PM–4:00 PM — Fossil Hunt at the Spillway
• Thu, Oct 8 · 1:00 PM–2:00 PM — Tree Trek
• Thu, Oct 8 · 2:30 PM–3:00 PM — Mystery Animal Meet and Greet
• Thu, Oct 15 · 9:30 AM–11:00 AM — Giving Back to the Wild: Land Stewardship
• Thu, Oct 15 · 1:00 PM–2:00 PM — Nature Shapes and Shadows
• Fri, Oct 16 · 10:00 AM–4:00 PM — Thirteen Mile Guided Perimeter Hike

Public safety

From the Warren County Prosecutor's Office, released in the past week: - 09/28/2026 — Trenton Woman Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Theft of Over $2 Million (release)

No NWS weather alerts are in effect this morning. Check: - Sheriff — https://sheriff.warrencountyohio.gov/ - Prosecutor press — https://prosecutor.warrencountyohio.gov/Public/Press/Index

This week's events

• Wednesdays, Fridays & Saturdays through October · $20 — Historical Haunts — ghost walk of downtown Waynesville (Downtown Waynesville (Museum at the Friends Home)) — details
• Sep 26 – Oct 31 (times not published) — Windmill Farm Market Spooktacular (Windmill Farm Market, 1454 E State Route 73, Springboro) — details
• Sat/Sun through Nov 1 · Sat 11–6, Sun 12–6 (next: Sep 26) — Waynesville Fall Fest (7392 E State Route 73, Waynesville) — details
• Oct 3–4 · 10:30 AM–7:00 PM — Ohio Renaissance Festival — Viking Weekend (Renaissance Park, Waynesville) — details
• Sat, Oct 3 · 11 AM–4 PM — Hisey Fall Fest (Hisey Park, 5443 Middletown Rd, Waynesville) — details
• Sat, Oct 3 · 1:00 PM–3:00 PM — Field Trip to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Caesar Creek State Park) — details

See the full events calendar.

Obituaries

• Rodney D. Wheelen — Jun. 16, 1960 - Sep. 27, 2026 (tribute)
• Betty S. Lynch-Harrah — Jan. 19, 1943 - Sep. 26, 2026 (tribute)

Local headlines

• "Warren County enacts 6-month moratorium on new data centers" — Dayton Daily News, full story.
• "Historic Hammel House set to reopen ahead of Sauerkraut Festival" — WKEF, full story.
• "Former reality TV personality found guilty of rape, child sex-related charges in Warren County" — WCPO 9 News, full story.
• "Ex-reality star convicted of rape, child endangering on some counts; acquitted on others in trial" — WLWT, full story.
• "Betty S. Lynch-Harrah Obituary (2026) - Waynesville, OH - Stubbs-Conner Funeral Home & Cremation Services" — Legacy obituary, full story.
• "Walmart to invest $300M in Tri-State area fulfillment center, adding 300+ jobs" — WKRC, full story.
• "Ohio reality TV star admits to multiple sex crimes in court" — Cleveland.com, full story.
• "Hisey Fall Fest at Hisey Park" — Warren County Post, full story.

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