News in brief

Here are a selection of brief news items from this week’s paper edition, and possibly a few news briefs that didn’t make it in the paper.

BRIEFLY: Sept. 9

See what's happening in and around Marion.

Watching his mother's life go up in smoke

Aaron Gray remembers being 8, and crawling underneath a bingo table by his mother's feet so he could escape the heavy fog of cigarette smoke hovering in the room above him.

Local masseuse puts training in Chinese techniques to work

COSHOCTON -- Ancient Chinese techniques are now being practiced at a Main Street business.

Lucy's legacy lives on at 'Fly-Away'

AMESBURY — When Lucy Grogan was sick with leukemia, she received thousands of gifts, from local friends to strangers in Texas. Her mother, Beecher Grogan, said a multitude of them had a butterfly theme, from clothing to note pads to figurines.

Researchers map spread of invasive reed in Great Lakes basin

Phragmites australis is an uncommon term for an increasingly common sight in the wetlands and along the beaches of the Great Lakes. It`s the scientific name for the common reed, a fast-growing perennial wetland grass. An immigrant from Europe, it`s an exotic species that has a reputation for taking over any wetland real estate it visits.