10/25/17 – 3:45 P.M.

Three local groups are teaming up to host their first Q Commons event this Thursday in Findlay. The University of Findlay’s Buford Center for Diversity and Service, Winebrenner Theological Seminary, and the Churches of God, General Conference are hosting the event. The event is titled “Healing Our Divided Nation” and it will seek to address issues that are affecting communities. More than 140 cities across the U.S. plan to take part in similar events.

The event will be at Winebrenner from 7-9 p.m. with a dinner at 5:45 p.m. Admission is $19.

10/25/17 – 2:48 P.M.

The #metoo campaign has grown on several social media outlets to raise awareness of sexual harassment and assault. Open Arms Findlay’s Ashley Ritz says that the opening up the discussion is critical to addressing the issue.

Ashley Ritz

Ritz said that it is important to keep the conversation on sexual harassment and abuse alive and going. This will make it more comfortable for people that have suffered in these situations to come out and talk about them. Ritz said that she hopes this will get more people to open up because it can be scary to talk about.

Ashley Ritz

Ritz said that Open Arms will continue to keep the dialogue flowing. They are also educating young people on how to treat others and address unhealthy relationships.

10/25/17 – 5:37 A.M.

Halloween is almost here and the Putnam County District Library is getting in the spirit. Storyteller and entertainer Jim Kleefled will talk about haunted places in Ohio during a presentation in Ottawa Monday night at 6:30 p.m.

Kleefled will share stories about allegedly haunted places in Ohio and share ghostly and unusual artifacts.

The program is not recommended for children.

10/25/17 – 5:32 A.M.

The Seneca County Commissioners want the Red Cross to update its list of shelters in the county. The Review-Times reports the commissioners talked about the issue during their Tuesday meeting. Commissioner Shayne Thomas said the agency hasn’t updated the list in some time. Thomas says the county needs to know if all the shelters on the list are still viable. He adds there aren’t any shelters on the east side of the county.

The commissioners voted to send a letter to the Red Cross to ask the organization to look into the issue.

MORE: Review-Times

10/25/17 – 5:24 A.M.

The North Baltimore school district is closely watching CSX’s plans for the intermodal rail yard in the village. The Courier reports news that CSX plans to scale back operations at the facility has district officials keeping a close eye on their budget.

Treasurer Steven Stuart gave an outline of a five-year forecast Tuesday. Stuart says the plan will evolve as he learns more about CSX’s plans.

School officials are working on cost containment plans in case CSX reduces business in the area.

MORE: The Courier

10/25/17 – 5:13 A.M.

A Former Fostoria track and cross country coach has pleaded no contest to several charges involving minors. The Courier reports a judge found 28-year-old Nelson Cousin guilty on three counts of contributing to the unruliness of a minor and four counts of child endangerment. Judge Mark Repp also found Cousin guilty on one count of prohibitions concerning companion animals. The crimes were first-degree misdemeanors.

Repp sentenced Nelson to 180 days in jail and suspended 170 days of the sentence. Cousin is also prohibited from contacting his victims.

The Fostoria School district fired Cousin in July after finding he encouraged three teenage girls to send him sexually explicit pictures. He also sent nude photos of himself to the victims. Officers investigating the case found Cousin’s children living in filth, with a dead dog decaying in a bedroom of their home.

MORE: The Courier

10/24/17 – 2:19 P.M.

Hardin County saw an increase of fatal car accidents so far this year. The Lima News reports that Ohio State Patrol statistics showed six crashes with six fatalities. Failure to yield violations caused half of these accidents.

In response the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Hardin County Sheriff’s Office and the Kenton and Ada Police Departments are teaming up. They will enact a target enforcement effort during November. The focus will be on failure-to-yield, seatbelt, and distracted driving violations.

10/25/17 – 11:21 A.M.

Unemployment is down all across the region. September numbers from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services show Hancock County tied with Holmes County for the third lowest jobless rate in the state at 3.3 percent. That’s down from 3.9 percent in August. Unemployment is down nearly a half percentage point from a year ago.

Putnam County has the second lowest jobless rate in Ohio. The unemployment rate there dropped to 3.2 percent in August.

Elsewhere in the region, Wyandot (3.4) and Henry (3.9) counties were both under 4 percent unemployment. Wood (4.1), Seneca (4.2), Hardin (4.6), and Allen (4.6) counties all checked in below 5 percent unemployment in September.

10/24/17 – 10:59 A.M.

The Hancock County Commissioners are hoping for a mild winter. The commissioners approved a contract for snow removal from flood mitigation properties during their Tuesday meeting. The Feasel Group will charge the county just over $1,000 per snow event to remove snow from more than 70 properties.

The county has removed houses and other buildings from flood-prone areas. However, sidewalks remain on the properties. They are subject to the same snow removal ordinances as other properties in Findlay.