Municipal workers in North Baltimore could get a raise in the future. Village council heard the first of three readings on a pay raise ordinance during their Tuesday meeting. Council members expect some changes to the proposal before it gets to a final vote.
Council members say a recent finance committee meeting ended in frustration when they talked about the raises. Some village representatives walked out of the meeting.
A Sunny Farms Landfill official says the facility is taking steps to reduce odors. Regional Sales Manager Ben Nutter spoke at Tuesday’s Fostoria City Council meeting. He says they are working to put in place measures mandated by the Ohio EPA.
Nutter said, “Whether you believe it or not, I’m here to fix this issue, not to make it worse. We work very hard and we’re investing all the resources necessary to make it better.”
Nutter says the state of the landfill never should have reached this point. He said while that’s the case, a lot of criticism of the landfill has crossed the line into personal attacks.
Congressmen Bob Latta and Jim Jordan attended a Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner in Leipsic Tuesday night. WLIO-TV reports Jordan talked about President Trump’s efforts to reduce taxes and regulations and to grow the economy. He also said he’s excited that Trump is going to tour the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in Lima.
Latta added that it was good for the President to see the importance of the tank plant to northwest Ohio. He added that the JSMC is the only place in the country where the M1 Abrams Tank is built.
The Putnam County Republican Party hosted the event at the Fogle Center. WLIO says around 400 people attended.
The Blanchard River benching project is making its way through a former tire dump. Project manager Steve Wilson says that so far crews have removed around 1,500 tires from the area between Cory Street and Broad Avenue. That amounts to around 70 tons of rubber. Wilson says they are recycling the tires they find.
The benching project is widening the river. The $6.1 million project is meant to expand the river’s capacity during a flood. Stantec Engineering says the benches should lower the 100-year flood in downtown Findlay by about a foot.
President Trump will pay a visit to northwest Ohio today. The president is scheduled to visit the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center for a tour and a speech on military investments. The facility makes the M-1 Abrams Tank.
White House officials say Trump will stay in Ohio tonight for a GOP fundraiser in Canton.
Findlay City Council voted to voice their opposition to House Bill 27 Tuesday. Councilman Grant Russel explained that the bill takes protections away from emergency responders.
Russel added that this would make emergency services harder to operate.
Council voted unanimously to oppose the legislation.
U.S. Senator Martha McSally came forward about being sexually assaulted while serving in the military, but she isn’t alone. Hancock County Veterans Service director Nicole Coleman was drugged and raped at a unit party. She explained that many women find it difficult to come forward and that if she wouldn’t have if she remembered the event at the time, she wouldn’t have either.
She said that there was a lack of trust of the system that the issues would be addressed. She added that coming forward can also be traumatic.
Coleman said that there is much being done to address sexual harassment in the military, though, and she remains optimistic.
Coleman explained that during her time in the Air Force she was subject to a lot of sexual harassment. She said that she has spoken with many female service members today and things are getting better, but that there is still room for improvement.
Findlay is taking part in a statewide test of the tornado warning system tomorrow morning. The test is typically done the first Monday of every month. The Findlay Police Department announced that the test will be at 9:50 a.m.
The department adds that there is no emergency, just a test of the system.
Several homes and businesses in Findlay were vandalized with spray paint on Sunday. Findlay Police Lt. Ryan Doe said that the Hancock Hotel, The Wine Merchant to Painters’ Pottery, Wolfie’s on Glessner Avenue, and 718 Putnam Street were all vandalized. Doe said that they aren’t sure if they are all connected but are confident that the Hancock Hotel and the area around the Wine Merchant are connected.
Doe added that they are working to get security footage of any suspects. He said that they will post the pictures on their Facebook page.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose stopped in Findlay Tuesday. During a visit with the Courier Editorial Board, LaRose said one of his main priorities in Columbus is to secure the state’s technology infrastructure…
Audio:
LaRose says the bill has four main goals. The first would establish a “cyber-reserve” of civilians to help respond to a cyber attack. The other points would create a chief information security officer, give the Secretary of State a seat on the homeland security advisory council, and require post-election audits after every election.
LaRose also says he wants to bring financial transparency to the local candidates…
Audio:
LaRose says the information they get from candidates isn’t searchable online, which makes it hard for people to follow where the money in a campaign is coming from. He says candidates should file that information electronically.
LaRose says it’s not unreasonable to believe that the treasurer for a candidate can file an excel document with the state. State candidates have had to file finance reports online since 2000.
LaRose also talked about the work of local elections boards. He said he’s seen great bipartisan efforts across Ohio’s counties to make sure elections run smoothly.
