1/4/18 – 5:03 A.M.

You might be looking for extra heating sources during this cold snap, but area firefighters say to be careful when you do. Fostoria Fire Chief Brian Herbert tells the Review-Times people need to take precautions with space heaters. Herbert says to make sure you keep space heaters away from anything flammable. He says you shouldn’t use a space heater with an extension cord. Instead, plug it directly into an outlet.

Make sure your fireplace is properly vented and have it checked by a certified technician every year.

When fires do break out, they’re hard to combat in the frigid temperatures. Herbert says firefighters try and take extra gloves and boots to calls so they can swap out wet gear. The freezing temperatures also cause problems with equipment. Fire hydrants and even hoses can freeze.

MORE: Review-Times

01/03/18 – 4:53 P.M.

A December assault in Findlay has claimed a life. The Findlay Police Department says 53-year-old Gregory Hammer passed away Sunday. Several men jumped Greggory and his brother Darryl outside the Walnut Saloon on December 16. So far the police haven’t arrested anyone in the case. Lt. Robert Ring says they are looking into a “person of interest”. He added that they are expecting to present the case to the Hancock County Grand jury in the coming weeks.

A medical examiner has conducted an autopsy on Hammer, but hasn’t relased the report yet.

Gregory Hammer suffered head injuries in the attack. Police officers found him unconscious in the parking lot of the bar. Darryl suffered injuries to his face.

01/03/18 – 4:42 P.M.

A McComb native is in Columbus to help women escape sex trafficking. The Courier’s Brenn Griteman said that Crissy Bontrager works for Eleventh Candle Company to save women.

Brenna Griteman

Griteman explained that Bontrager helps counsel these women back into their lives. She added that the candles are for sale.

Brenna Griteman

You can purchase the candles at eleventhcandleco.com

01/03/17 – 2:41 P.M.

With the freezing temperatures, it’s important to make sure you protect your pipes. Aqua America reports that metal pipes contract as water expands in the colder temps which causes them to burst. They recommend you insulate your pipes with heat tape or pipe insulation if they’re in an unheated part of your home. They also say you should open cabinet doors to let heat on your pipes and bring in hoses.

Other things you can do include eliminating drafts, running water from the tap farthest from the water main, and finally monitoring your water meter. If your pipes do freeze, you might be able to them out with a hairdryer.

01/03/18 – 1:37 P.M.

The Fostoria Police Division is on the lookout for a missing blind man. The Courier reports that 38-year-old Quincy Pullom of Fostoria was last seen on December 22. He was near Maple and Jackson Streets wearing a black hoodie when he was last seen. His family reported him missing on December 27.

Pullom is a light-skinned black man. He is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs around 160 pounds. If you’ve seen or come into contact with Pullom, contact Fostoria police at 419-435-8573.

1/3/18 – 6:38 A.M.

Carey officials are deciding what to do with undeveloped land near U.S. 23. The Courier reports S&S Developers is asking to split and sell around 15 acres of land to Vaughn Equities of Carey. Village Administrator Roy Johnson says the village’s planning commission will consider the zoning of the property in question.

Johnson says a business or commercial use classification would be appropriate, but not a manufacturing or industrial use.

The developers haven’t announced plans for the property.

MORE: The Courier

1/3/17 – 5:27 A.M.

The owner of a Fostoria home is fighting the city’s efforts to tear the blighted building down. The Review-Times reports Anne Barger of Upper Sandusky filed a petition in the Hancock County Court of Common Pleas Tuesday. She served copies of the injunction to Fostoria officials before their Tuesday council meeting.

Barger’s complaint says city officials didn’t follow due process in their efforts to demolish the home at 515 West Fremont Street. However, Safety-Service Director Deb Hellman and Law Director Tim Hoover showed the newspaper several letters sent to Barger dating back to 2015. The letters told Barger the city planned to tear down the house.

In 2015 the neighbors of the vacant home contacted the city more than 100 times to report code violations.

MORE: Review-Times

1/3/17 – 5:14 A.M.

The retrial of a Putnam County man on a murder charge started Tuesday. The Lima News reports the jury heard opening statements in the case against Michael Luebrecht. Luebrecht killed his 13-month-old son Joel on May 23 of 2005. He’s arguing that a combination of medication for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder caused him to kill his child.

Luebrecht’s lawyer said they aren’t disputing that his client killed the boy. He added they will show the combination of Luvox, Remeron and Zoloft led to the murder. The prosecution says Luebrecht is a “cold, calculating killer” who planned the murder for weeks.

Witnesses on Tuesday included Joel’s former babysitter and an EMT who responded to a 9-1-1 call the day of the murder.

MORE: Lima News

1/3/18 – 5:01 A.M.

It was historically cold Tuesday morning. The thermometer dropped to 10 below zero early in the day, setting a new record for Findlay for January 2. The previous record was 5 below zero, set in 1945 and matched in 1974.

Even though the cold snap continues in the region, it doesn’t look like we’ll see any more record low temperatures. Media partner WTOL-11 only forecasts lows below zero for Thursday and Friday.

Temperatures start to improve Sunday, with highs topping 20 degrees for the first time in several days.

1/3/18 – 4:53 A.M.

The Hancock County grand jury has indicted a Lima man for allegedly robbing a Findlay pharmacy last May. The Courier reports 18-year-old Jarrett Mann faces one count of robbery for the May 7 incident. Investigators say Mann was one of three men who jumped over the counter at the CVS Pharmacy on Tiffin Avenue and demanded a specific narcotic.

Mann was only 17-years-old at the time of the incident. County Prosecutor Phil Riegle tells the newspaper it took time to get his case transferred out of the juvenile court.

The grand jury indicted co-defendant Amari Island of Lima in September.

MORE: The Courier