Hancock County received federal funding to help resurface 13 miles of County Road 313 between Findlay and Bluffton.

County Engineer Doug Cade said the project will cost just over $1.9 million.

The Federal Highway Administration has offered grants totaling over $1.76 million for the project.

The rest of the funds will come from the local gas tax funds.

Cade said that the project was initially scheduled for the summer of 2022 but was moved up when the federal funds became available.

Students from Donnell Middle School turned a lesson into waterslide proposals for use in the City of Findlay’s open green space.

Jenna was one of the students that took part in the project and said that Findlay could use a water slide.

The students had to design a working model waterslide that incorporated green space and the top models from each class were presented to Findlay City Council.

The students say the council took their proposals seriously and will consider implementing ideas from them.

You can learn more from the full interview below. You can also view their Facebook post.

The Findlay High School We The People civics team claimed the state title in the We The People state competition last week.

This has become a standing tradition in the school district.

Members of the team said they felt the pressure from previous teams that all claimed the title.

They added that they didn’t want to let their teacher down and worked very hard for the achievement.

There have only been a few FHS teams since the 1980s that have missed out on being state champions.

The students said they are both nervous and excited heading into the We the People National Invitational where they will face 56 other teams.

Learn more and listen to the full interview below.

Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn was in attendance as President Trump spoke about the importance of strong city leadership at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting on Friday, January 24th.

“It was overwhelming to be there at the White House, listen to “Hail to the Chief” come on, it was a really neat experience for sure.”

The mayor tells WFIN that this was her first time in the White House, and she was in awe of all the history the building has seen.

She says she stood in the back of the East Room as President Trump spoke and had a direct line of sight to the president and jokes that he ‘may’ have seen her.

Mayor Muryn was also in Washington D.C. in October for a roundtable discussion on affordable housing, but this was her first time actually in the White House.

Get more of our conversation with the mayor here.

Yesterday, I ended my trip to Washington D.C with remarks from the President of The United States of America’s, @realDonaldTrump. It was my first time to @WhiteHouse and it was overwhelming as I walked the halls and sat in the East Room. pic.twitter.com/HFiFNASqIO

— MayorMuryn (@ChristinaMuryn) January 25, 2020

A state lawmaker from the Columbus area is introducing legislation to end underage drinking under adult supervision.

Details of the bill introduced by Senator Tina Maharath show it changing Ohio’s law to align more with neighboring states like Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia that ban all drinking by those under 21-years-old.

Under current Ohio law, anyone under 21 is allowed to consume alcohol as long as they are supervised by an adult parent or guardian.

The City of Dublin has already created a total ban on underage drinking after the 2013 death of a teenager who crashed after drinking at an adult-hosted party.

Two students at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio are being tested for possible exposure to the 2019-novel coronavirus.

Due to the testing, Miami canceled its scheduled men’s and women’s home basketball games Tuesday night to limit further risks to students, staff, and fans.

The Ohio Department of Health says the individuals, who live in off-campus housing, were showing signs of the flu on Monday and had recently traveled to China.

Officials say the students have been quarantined and their samples have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta for testing.

The superintendent of Tiffin City Schools has submitted his resignation as he awaits a court date on an OVI charge.

Gary Barber, 55, was charged with driving under the influence after being pulled over in Marion County on November 29th.

After he was charged, the school board approved a medical leave of absence for Barber.

Barber will remain on paid sick leave until July 31st when his resignation becomes effective.

The Tiffin City Schools Board of Education approved the settlement agreement with Barber during an executive session on Tuesday night.

In 2017 Barber entered a no contest plea to an OVI charge in Tiffin Municipal Court and he paid a fine and had his license suspended for 6 months.

He has a court hearing set for February 5th on the current OVI charge.

A federal judge is hearing arguments on whether Toledo’s voter-approved Lake Erie Bill of Rights is constitutional.

According to the Toledo Blade, the hearing is a pivotal one for the future of the Lake Erie Bill of Rights, which Toledo voters approved by an overwhelming 61-39 percent majority in a special election last February.

Hours after the outcome was announced, Drewes Farms, in Wood County, announced it would sue the city, claiming the measure was unconstitutional.

The State of Ohio would later join the farms’ case, pitting the state against the City of Toledo in the case.

A ruling is expected at a later date.

People in favor of the measure lined the sidewalks and filled the federal courtroom to show their support for a clean Lake Erie.

A Findlay High School student took 3rd place in a national speech competition at Ashland University.

Summer Neds competed in the “Speaking Out for Freedom” competition and spoke on the importance of the self-evident truths.

Neds competed against other students from across the U.S. and had to write and videotape her speech.

Neds’ teacher Jessee Hankins said he is very proud of his student.

In her essay, Summer wrote that: “The American Idea … brings the country together during politically divisive times because, although there are different opinions and beliefs, the citizens will carry on the history of the nation and remember the tragedies and triumphs of their country. This is important because the world is changing and constantly facing new obstacles. During these obstacles, it is only right for the American people to remember their country, the history, and the rocky road their country has taken to get to the point that it is at today.”

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services released the unemployment rates for the end of 2019.

In Hancock County, the jobless rate dropped slightly from 3.1% in November of 2019 to just 3% in December.

That’s down from 3.7% from December of 2018.

Putnam County also saw an unemployment rate of 3% for last December but that was up from 2.9% in November.

Still, the unemployment rate in Putnam County was lower than the 4% it saw in December of 2018.

Elsewhere in Northwest Ohio, Wyandot County had the lowest jobless rate at 2.9% and Wood (3.3%) and Allen (3.8%)Counties came in at over 3%.

Hardin (4.0%), Henry (4.7%), and Seneca (4.0%) Counties all saw unemployment rates rise to 4% and higher.