8/21/17 – 7:33 A.M.
Local gas prices are down to start the work week. OhioGasPrices.com reports the average price in Findlay is $2.12 per gallon. That’s down eight cents from last Monday. Prices are around 12 cents cheaper than they were a month ago.
Drivers in Ottawa report paying $2.15 per gallon today, a fourteen cent drop over the last seven days.
Local gas prices are below the state average, which stands at $2.21 per gallon. That’s a nine cent decline since last Monday.
8/21/17 – 7:24 A.M.
A three-car crash injured a rural Carey woman late last week. The Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office reports the collision happened around 1:30 p.m. Friday on State Route 15 between Carey and Vanlue.
36-year-old Jill Karcher was driving east when she hit the back of a pickup truck driven by 23-year-old Ryan Hallowell, who had stopped for traffic. Karcher’s car then hit a car driven by 65-year-old Beverly Warnimont of Napoleon. Carey EMS took Karcher to Wyandot Memorial Hospital for treatment of non-incapacitating injuries. The crash didn’t injure Hallowell or Warnimont.
The crash remained under investigation over the weekend.
8/21/17 – 6:52 A.M.
A motorcycle crash injured a Rockford man in Wyandot County over the weekend. The Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office reports the crash happened around 4:50 p.m. Saturday on U.S. 23 south of Wyandot Avenue.
56-year-old Michael Fox was riding onto the U.S. 23 southbound on-ramp when he went off the left side of the road and into the median, overturning. Upper Sandusky EMS took him to Wyandot Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Deputies cited Fox for failure control. The sheriff’s office suspects alcohol was a factor in the crash.
8/21/17 – 5:38 A.M.
A North Baltimore man is facing a rape charge involving a child. The Sentinel-Tribune reports the Wood County grand jury indicted 40-year-old David McDill of North Baltimore on one count of rape and five counts of gross sexual imposition.
Prosecutors say the incidents allegedly happened between 2008 and 2012. The rape count stems from an incident when the alleged victim was between 7 and 8-years-old.
MORE: Sentinel-Tribune
8/21/17 – 5:30 A.M.
Railroad repair work is closing a pair of Putnam County highways this week. ODOT reports workers will close State Route 613 in West Leipsic this week Crews are also working on a crossing on U.S. 224 in Ottawa. Both projects should take around five days to complete. Detours are in place.
Elsewhere in Putnam County work is closing State Route 12 between State Route 115 and Township Road 145 near Vaughnsville for a culvert replacement.
08/21/17 – 5:30 A.M.
Findlay City Council will have a new Strategic Planning Committee at the start of next year. This committee will provide council with a long-term perspective for service delivery and budget planning. Councilman Jeff Wobser said that Mayor Lydia Mihalik and her administration does a great job but that council should play a bigger role.
He said that this practice will help council reinforce community needs. He added that council will better listen to city residents.
Wobser said that council members should hold public meetings to talk about the needs and wants of the area they represent. They will bring this information back to the committee, which will break it down into what is most important and bring it before council. This will help residents give their voice in the budget as well
You can listen to the full interview about the Strategic Planning Committee below.
8/21/17 – 5:23 A.M.
You’ll see plenty of orange barrels around Hancock County this week. ODOT lists several items on their weekly project list. New work in the area includes lane restrictions on I-75 southbound from State Route 235 to the Allen County line. Crews are repairing pavement in that area between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day.
At times this week, only one lane will be open on both sides of the interstate at the County Road 99 interchange for pavement repair as well. You can still use the interchange ramps in those areas.
Elsewhere crews are installing centerline rumble strips on U.S. 224 between State Route 235 to an area west of Findlay, U.S. 224 from Findlay to the Seneca County line, and State Route 12 between Findlay and Fostoria. Work crews will reduce those areas to one lane at times while the work continues through mid-September.
Lane restrictions continue this week on U.S. 68 between the Findlay Airport and Eagle Creek. U.S. 224 remains closed west of Findlay near State Route 235 for a culvert replacement, and State Route 12 is still closed east of Benton Ridge for bridge repair work.
8/21/17 – 5:07 A.M.
10-years ago today it started raining in Findlay, and it seemingly would never stop. Today marks the 10-year anniversary of the start of the 2007 Blanchard River flood. It all started on August 21, 2007 when remnants of Hurricane Erin combined with moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to create a front that dumped between five and nine inches of rain on northwest Ohio. That caused the Blanchard River to rise to the second highest crest in its history, at just over 18.4 feet.
The Courier is chronicling that day and what has happened since then all this week. The newspaper reports the rapidly rising water led to firefighters and even members of the U.S. Coast Guard rescuing more than 900 Findlay residents from their homes. The flood waters took the life of a 92-year-old McComb man, who tried to get out of his car after it got stuck in high water on State Route 235 north of County Road 86.
All told, the flood substantially damaged 250 Findlay homes. More than 1,600 homes were eligible for help from FEMA. The federal government declared Hancock County and eight surrounding counties federal disaster areas.
The 2007 flood kicked off what has now been a decade of talks about flood mitigation. While no major flood control efforts have taken place, the county has torn down almost 150 structures that the 2007 flood damaged. Work to widen the river channel in Findlay starts this spring.
MORE: The Courier
08/18/17 – 5:24 P.M.
Findlay Rotary club will be hosting a perch dinner to benefit the Rotary Foundation and Habitat for Humanity. The perch fry will be held from 4-7 p.m. at 50 North next Friday. The dinner includes three pieces of perch with coleslaw, chips, a roll, and a cookie. You will also get your pick of soft drink or water. The dinner costs $20 and is available for dine-in or carry out.
Adult beverages will be available at an extra charge.
08/18/17 – 5:18 P.M.
The Hancock County Commissioners renewed a deal designating Hancock Area Transportation Services as the county’s rural transportation provider. HATS transportation director Laurie Collins said that this is so that the service can get funding.
She added that the funds allow them to provide transportation to residents of Hancock County. She added that HATS can provide rides to children if their parents schedule one.
Collins added that all the drivers for HATS go through a background check as well as alcohol and drug testing. They can also provide children’s seats.
You can schedule a ride by calling 419-423-7261.