06/18/19 – 11:33 A.M.
Findlay City Schools received a grant to help kids attend preschool. The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation awarded the district $60,000 to provide assistance to families in need so that the students can attend. The money came from several different funds.
Funds from the foundation and the United Way have helped expand the district from six preschool classes to nine.
06/18/19 – 10:32 A.M.
Construction crews are hard at work at Fostoria City Schools for projects in the elementary and junior/senior high school buildings. Superintendent Andrew Sprang gave the school board an update last night. He said most of the drywall is completed in the 7-12 building. He added that crews are also installing windows and painting. The work should finish up in December.
The PreK-6 building is going through its last phases. This includes the creation of the final classrooms. Sprang said the work in this building should be completed this summer.
06/18/19 – 8:43 A.M.
A Tiffin police officer received the Medal of Valor yesterday for saving a woman from a fire Sunday night. A woman in a wheelchair was stuck in the fire. Officer Justin Nowak went into the fire and carried the woman out. Nowak suffered minor burns from falling debris.
Nowak was recognized for his heroism by the Tiffin City Council.
06/18/19 – 5:26 A.M.
A Findlay man pleaded guilty to 8 child pornography charges related to material found on his computer last August. Robert Sams made the plea yesterday as part of a deal to have seven other child pornography charges dismissed. Sams was indicted on 15 counts of pandering sexually-oriented material involving a minor last November.
Sams’ lawyer, Howard Elliot, and Hancock County Assistant Prosecutor Colleen Limerick jointly recommended that Sams be sentenced to 180 days in the Hancock County Jail. They added that a 51-month prison sentence should be reserved in case he violates community control. He will also have to register as a Tier II sex offender for 25 years.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 9.
06/18/19 – 5:13 A.M.
An oily substance was spilled onto a stretch of State Route 186 heading into McComb Monday evening. McComb Fire Chief Anthony Stateler reports that they were made aware of the issue shortly before 6 p.m. The oily substance was most likely spilled from a vehicle on 186 between County Road 97 and the intersection with State Route 613.
Stateler said that the road is extremely slick and that drivers should be careful when driving through the area.ODOT has been contacted to put sand on the roadway.
06/17/19 – 12:01 P.M.
Generators can be very useful after heavy storms, but they can also be deadly. We had Joe Martyak from the Consumer Product Safety Commission on WFIN to talk about Carbon Monoxide, a deadly gas that has no color or smell. He said that you should always make sure to know how to work your generator.
He added that you’ll want to make sure the generator has plenty of ventilation.
He added that you can also buy carbon monoxide detectors that will alert you to the dangerous gas.
06/17/19 – 10:19 A.M.
Area farmers continue to suffer from the heavy rainfall this season, but Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is looking for help. He has sought help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture by requesting a disaster designation for Ohio. DeWine said that the record rainfall has caused flooding and saturated fields, preventing farmers from planting.
Only 50% of Ohio’s corn crop and 32% of the soybean crop has been planted as of today. Many crops will remain unplanted. DeWine said that the disaster designation will make assistance available to Ohio farmers.
Ohio has experienced the wettest 12 months in more than a century. Local farmers continue to look at prevented planting options. This has its drawbacks as well. Farm and Dairy Newspaper reports that farmers don’t know what the payout will be. There are also restrictions on how much you can plant if given the opportunity, and what can be planted.
06/17/19 – 5:21 A.M.
An accident on U.S. 68 south of Findlay injured four people, causing one to be flown to a Columbus hospital. The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office reports the accident happened shortly after noon yesterday. 30-year-old Ryan Wu of Westerville was trying to turn left onto U.S. 68 and struck 23-year-old Andrew Hunter of Arlington. Both vehicles went off the west side of U.S. 68 and came to rest in the ditch.
Wu was removed from his vehicle by Arlington firefighters using mechanical means. He was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital and then flown to Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus. His condition is unknown.
Relatives took Hunter to Blanchard Valley Hospital. Ambulances took two passengers in his car, Paula Dean Hunter and Holly Hunter, to Blanchard Valley Hospital. Their conditions remain unknown at this time as well.
06/17/19 – 5:02 A.M.
Two people were injured in a car accident yesterday morning in Findlay. Police responded to an accident around 7:15 a.m. at the intersection of 6th Street and Washington Avenue. 41-year-old Mario Hernandez of Findlay failed to yield to 53-year-old Molly Benson of Findlay.
Hernandez and a passenger in his car both went to Blanchard Valley Hospital. Officers cited Hernandez for failure to yield, OVI, and seatbelt violations.
06/17/19 – 4:51 A.M.
The Hardin County Sheriff’s Office arrested three juveniles after two high-speed chases spanning several counties. The Sheriff’s office reports that a high-speed chase began at around 12:10 a.m. Friday. The chase went through Hardin and Hancock Counties. The car eventually stopped at the end of a road in Hardin County.
One juvenile was captured and taken to Hardin Memorial Hospital. Two others ran away but were later spotted driving through Kenton which started another chase. This time the chase went through Logan and Allen counties before the two were arrested.
Their names were not released.