09/13/17 – 6:17 P.M.
Two people were injured in a crash involving a semi-trailer on I-75 southbound Wednesday afternoon. The Courier reports that the accident happened near mile marker 173, north of Cygnet.
The State Highway Patrols says that two people were taken to the Wood County Hospital in Bowling Green. They were then taken to a Toledo-area hospital.
We’ll have more information as it becomes available.
09/13/17 – 6:10 P.M.
Lindsay’s Law went into effect this school year and State Senator Cliff Hite talked about it at the Findlay Kiwanis meeting. He said that the law will spread awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest in student athletes.
Hite explained that it can go unnoticed.
He said that this is why Lindsay’s Law is so important. He added that he understands that this can be inconvenient but that the goal is to raise awareness and save kids.
09/13/17 – 11:27 A.M.
Findlay Police were involved in a car chase early Wednesday morning. According to a release, an officer stopped a vehicle in the 2500 block of North Main Street. The vehicle stopped but the driver sped off as the officer made contact. The driver got to Greenacre Drive and started going through yards and parking lots when they reached the dead end. The suspect made it back onto Greenacre drive and headed east onto Bigelow Avenue where the vehicle spun around.
The driver then headed out of Findlay on West Bigelow, hitting speeds over 100 mph. He turned on County road 135 where he lost control and crashed into a culvert in the ditch.
Joey O’Neal Jackson was the driver of the car. Officers arrested him on several charges including driving while intoxicated. A female passenger was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia. A third passenger was released with no charges.
The chase covered 7.2 miles and lasted about 15 minutes.
09/13/17 – 10:53 A.M.
The City of Findlay has qualified for the Auditor of State Award with Distinction. Auditor of State David Yost’s office returned a clean audit report for the city. The city’s excellent record keeping is what qualified Findlay for the award.
The award is presented to local governments and school districts upon the completion of a financial audit. Receiving the award means that the entity has filed timely financial reports and has no questions or comments related to finances.
9/13/17 – 8:56 A.M.
A Fostoria man will spend two years in prison for threatening to shoot people outside an apartment complex in the city earlier this year. The Review-Times reports a judge sentenced 26-year-old Logan Chilcote Tuesday. Chilcote faced inducing panic and having weapons under disability charges.
Fostoria police officers arrested Chilcote on April 12 after he threatened to shoot people outside of his apartment. When the officers arrived, Chilcote went back into his home and refused to come out. The special response team arrested him about an hour later.
MORE: Review-Times
9/13/17 – 8:45 A.M.
Hancock Park District employees could get raises later this year. The Courier reports the district commissioners took the first step to make wage increases during their Tuesday meeting. Director Gary Pruitt suggested a 3 percent base pay increase for four full-time employees not eligible for overtime. He also suggested 3 percent base pay raises for 10 seasonal positions.
Under the plan, 19 part-time positions would see a $1 an hour pay raise next year, followed by a 3 percent base pay increase through 2024. The raises would cost the district nearly $46,000 over a seven year period.
Employee evaluations take place in October. Raises could follow in December.
MORE: The Courier
9/13/17 – 7:44 A.M.
The Seneca County Commissioners have voted to accept a $270,000 grant to fight the opioid epidemic. The Review-Times reports the county can use the money for programs that keep drug users from serving prison sentences.
Commissioner Shayne Thomas voted against the measure, saying he has concerns about a state law that penalizes counties for sending fifth-degree felony offenders to prison. Common Pleas Court Judge Steve Shuff said the law applies only to drug users, not drug dealers.
MORE: Review-Times
9/13/17 – 5:34 A.M.
Two architectural firms are lobbying the Arcadia School District to design a new addition to the school. The Courier reports the school board heard from the Buehrer Group from Maumee and RCM Architects out of Findlay during a Tuesday meeting.
Kent Buehrer told the board that adding classrooms and replacing modular classrooms would cost around $1.5 million. He said they could start construction in June and finish by the end of 2018.
Jerry Murray of RCM pointed out the firm’s long history with the district. He added that the business has helped the district put together a master building plan already.
School officials did not make a decision Tuesday.
MORE: The Courier
9/13/17 – 5:25 A.M.
More waste is finding its way to the Hancock County Landfill this year. Sanitary Engineer Steve Wilson says normally at this time of the year around 125,000 tons of material gets hauled into the landfill. Wilson told the Hancock County Commissioners that number is closer to 150,000 tons this year.
Wilson says debris from July’s flood is part of the reason for the increased tonnage. He added that ongoing construction projects and a soil remediation project have added to the total.
The extra waste means extra revenue. The commissioners approved an additional appropriation of $325,000 to the county landfill as a result of revenue generated.
9/13/17 – 5:17 A.M.
Recovering addicts talked about their experiences in Findlay Tuesday. The Courier reports Owens Community College hosted the panel discussion to shed light on recovery efforts in the community. Two recovering addicts and the director of addiction services at Century Health spoke at the event.
25-year-old Anna VanWormer told the audience that sexual abuse eventually drove her to drugs. She says it eventually took getting arrested and going to jail to get her sober. She started out in a faith-based recovery program called “Teen Challenge.” She’s now serving as the residential monitor at Tree Line Recovery Center in Findlay.
Jamie Decker told the group he had a good home life but started using alcohol and marijuana at 13. After he graduated high school he lost his job when Whirlpool started drug testing. He said he eventually ended up in the Salvation Army Rehabilitation Center in Dayton.
Overdoses continue to rise in the community. From January through May, Blanchard Valley Hospital had 143 visits due to overdoses. That’s on pace to significantly surpass the 159 visits in all of 2016. It’s already more than the 139 overdose visits the hospital had in 2015.
MORE: The Courier