8/7/17 – 5:20 A.M.
If you’re driving in Putnam County this week you’ll see road crews in several areas. ODOT says workers are cleaning drainage structures on State Routes 12, 613 and 109. The work will reduce the roads to one lane at times.
State Route 190 north of Fort Jennings remains closed for a culvert replacement project.
8/7/17 – 5:09 A.M.
Findlay firefighters will get some new equipment thanks to a grant. FEMA recently gave the department more than $285,000 to replace 15-year-old equipment. Fire Chief Josh Eberle says the department will buy self-contained breathing apparatus that firefighters wear into a fire. He says some of the units they use now are becoming unreliable.
Eberle says he believes they’ll but the new equipment this fall.
8/7/17 – 4:59 A.M.
Firefighters expect hot spots to smolder for a few more days at BR Pallet. Vanlue Assistant Fire Chief Steve Baum tells the Courier his department was still monitoring three areas Sunday afternoon. Fire ripped through BR Pallet on County Road 7 Friday night. At least eight fire departments responded to try and contain the blaze.
The Vanlue Fire Department and the State Fire Marshal’s office are investigating the cause of the fire.
So far there is no damage estimate. No firefighters were injured fighting the blaze.
08/05/17 – 2:53 A.M.
Firefighters from many area fire departments battled a large fire east of Findlay Friday night. The Courier reports that the fire was at BR Pallet, a rural pallet yard on Hancock County 7. The blaze was reported around 6:30 p.m. and firefighters said that a building was “fully involved” when they arrived.
BR is a pallet and mulch business. Witnesses said that pallets were burning but a big pile of mulch was not. The smoke from the fire could be seen for miles. Firefighters were still on the scene at 11:30 p.m.
08/04/17 – 4:40 P.M.
The Findlay-Hancock County Chamber of Commerce will host a discussion on social media use for Women’s Mentoring Connection. The discussion will feature a panel of local women from various professional backgrounds. They will share their experiences and advice on using social media.
The discussion will be held on August 18 from 8 – 9:30 a.m. at the Birchaven Retirement Village Clubhouse. Admission is free but you are urged to bring a donation for the Hancock COunty Veterans Service Office. You can register at FindlayHancockChamber.com
08/04/17 – 2:41 P.M.
Business leaders in Hancock County raised concerns about the evidence of a needed sales tax increase early this week. Commissioner Brian Robertson said that the increase is needed that that they failed to check all of the statistics.
Robertson added that the jail expansion is a need and not a want. He explained that the beds in the Hancock County Jail are full and it costs money to transport inmates to and from other county jails.
He added that they are also having to release felons because they can’t keep them in the jail due to the lack of space. Robertson used the example of a felon released back to Michigan a few weeks prior. He said that this sends the wrong message about Hancock County not being tough on crime.
Robertson also addressed the concerns of why the tax will be over a 20 year period instead of the previous 10 year tax. He said that they will need a source of long term income to ensure the jail expansion.
Robertson added that it is a use tax which means that the money will go towards capital improvement and operations. It cannot be saved.
8/4/17 – 9:25 A.M.
A Michigan kidnapping suspect was apparently in the Findlay area this week. WXYZ-TV in Detroit reports Grady Lamar Barrett used a machete to take his girlfriend’s 2-year-old girl from the home of her great aunt Tuesday morning. According to a police report, the GPS coordinates for Barrett’s cell phone showed he was south of Findlay sometime after the kidnapping.
Barrett eventually made his way back to the Detroit area with the girl. Police arrested him following a high-speed chase.
8/4/17 – 9:14 A.M.
UPDATE – 4:01 P.M.
A SWAT team member shot and killed a man during the last of three searches in Lima Thursday. WIMA radio reports that the incident took place just before 9 a.m. at 218 West Michigan Avenue. In a press conference, Allen County Sheriff Matt Treglia said that the man was armed.
Treglia said that the Wood County Sheriff’s Office will have to take control of the investigation.
Ohio BCI, the FBI, the State Highway Patrol, and even the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office were among the agencies helping with the search.
The names of the suspect and of the officers involved in the shooting have not yet been released.
Officers found contraband in each of the homes they searched.
8/4/17 – 7:38 A.M.
Cooper Tire & Rubber is reporting lower second quarter numbers compared to a year ago. The company’s income statement for the three month period shows Cooper posted a net income of $45 million. In 2016, the company had $71 million in income for the same time period.
Net sales for the quarter were $721 million, down from $740 million in 2016. A release from the company says higher sales volumes for the international segment were offset by lower volumes in North America. Sales volumes were higher in the second quarter than they were in the first quarter.
Raw material costs increased by $60 million compared to 2016 numbers. CEO Brad Hughes says, “The tire industry continues to face turbulence in the U.S. market in the form of raw material cost variability, weak trends in retail sell-out of tires to consumers, elevated inventory in the channels and a fluid pricing and promotional landscape.”
8/4/17 – 6:56 A.M.
A recent letter about river cleanup assessments confused some Fostoria residents. The Review-Times reports many people got notices about the assessments in the mail this week. The project calls for maintenance on the east and south branches of the Portage River.
However, it turns out those who got the notice won’t actually have to pay anything. Fostoria is paying for the assessments through its storm sewer fund. City Engineer Dan Thornton tells the newspaper the project planning finished in 2015. He adds many people may have simply forgotten about it.
The estimated assessment for Fostoria properties is a little more than $46,000.
MORE: Review-Times