5/1/17 – 6:46 A.M.
Everyone is safe following an early morning fire in Putnam County. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office says firefighters responded to a home east of Continental at Road E-16 around 2:15 a.m. A dispatcher says everyone in the home was outside the house when firefighters arrived.
Officials say the home was a total loss. They have not determined the cause of the blaze.
5/1/17 – 5:32 A.M.
Local gas prices are down over the last week. OhioGasPrices.com reports the average price for a gallon of regular in Findlay today is $2.22. That’s down 13 cents since last Monday. Prices are roughly the same in Findlay as there were at the beginning of April.
Drivers in Ottawa report paying $2.22 per gallon as well. That’s a 17 cent drop over the last seven days.
The statewide average stands at $2.26 per gallon, which is down 12 cents from last week.
05/01/17 – 5:30 A.M.
Focus on Friends is bringing a new workshop to Findlay that focuses on creating a personal recovery plan. Executive director Wayne Ford said that the WRAP program can help you avoid troubling and intrusive feelings and behaviors.
WRAP stand for wellness recovery action planning. It focuses on hope, education, and support among others and is available to everyone.
The program will be held This Friday and Saturday at Focus on Friends from 9-5 p.m. You can register by calling (419) 423-5071. There is a $50 fee covering the registration, materials, and lunch.
5/1/17 – 5:22 A.M.
Police blame alcohol for causing a one-car crash in Findlay early Saturday morning. The crash happened on East Melrose Avenue near Breckenridge Road around 2:50 a.m.
Police say 26-year-old Renato Ugarte was driving westbound on East Melrose when he went off the road and hit a tree. He allegedly tried to walk away from the crash, but an officer found him nearby.
Hanco Ambulance took Ugarte to Blanchard Valley Hospital for treatment of injuries. Police cited him for operating a vehicle while under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident, and failure to control.
5/1/17 – 5:15 A.M.
You’ll see ODOT crews in several places around Hancock County this week. Crews will continue to repair concrete on two I-75 overpasses. Work on the State Route 12 and State Route 613 bridges will reduce the interstate to one lane in each direction.
Elsewhere in the county, a bridge on State Route 12 west of Benton Ridge remains closed for repair. Crews are also repairing berms west of I-75 on State Route 12, U.S. 224, and State Route 613.
5/1/17 – 5:10 A.M.
Not much will change on I-75 in Findlay for the widening project this week. ODOT says crews will continue to place temporary pavement on the shoulder in preparation for future shifts in traffic patterns. The work is taking place between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. each day. During those times crews will reduce the interstate to one lane through the city in both directions. The agency doesn’t expect to shift traffic this week.
Elsewhere on I-75, crews are paving the interstate between Hancock County Road 99 and Oil Center Road in North Baltimore. The interstate is down to two lanes in the area as the work continues.
5/1/17 – 5:02 A.M.
Authorities in Putnam County say a Continental man committed sex crimes against a minor over a two year period. The Courier reports 39-year-old Shawn Budd faces a rape charge. Prosecutors have also charged him with two counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance and one count of pandering obscenity involving a minor.
Investigators say the girl in the case was 12-years-old when the abuse began. She was 14-years-old when it stopped. Budd allegedly still had material generated with images of the victim in March of this year.
MORE: The Courier