03/14/18 – 1 A.M.

Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development announced a new investment from Blanchard Valley Health Systems. Economic Development director Tim Mayle said that BVHS is buying 20 acres of land by I-75 and County Road 99. He added that there is no set use but there are other interested parties..

Tim Mayle

He added that the goal is to create a mixed-use space.

Tim Mayle

He explained that they would like the space to include fitness areas and indoor sports fields. They would also like the space to have a residential area.

Mayle said that he is in conversations with Total Sports out of Michigan and the YMCA to see about having them invest in the land as well.

03/13/18 – 6:28 P.M.

The Hancock County Commissioners got an update from the Hancock County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Director Alyssa Preston said they made a lot of headway in 2017.

Alyssa Preston

Preston said that 2018 could be even better.

Alyssa Preston

Preston explained that you can see a spike in the number of people staying in Findlay and Hancock County when there are sports events or group meetings. The extra space will increase the average amount of people coming to Findlay.

03/13/18 – 2:16 P.M.

ODOT announced the latest update on the I-75 Widening project. U.S. 68/State Route 15 will be reduced to one lane in both directions between Lima Avenue and the Findlay city line, which is north of West Hobart Avenue. This is due to drainage work in preparation for road construction.

The restrictions start today and will continue through next week. All entrance and exit ramps will remain open at Lima Avenue.

3/13/18 – 11:37 A.M.

Unemployment rose slightly in Hancock County in January. The latest numbers from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services show a 3.5 percent unemployment rate in January, up from 3.4 percent in December. That’s still almost a full percentage point below the jobless rate in February of 2017.

Putnam County saw unemployment climb by half a percent, from 3.5 in December to 4 in January. That’s still below the 4.8 percent jobless rate in January of 2017.

All area counties saw in increase in jobless claims last month. The unemployment rate for all of Ohio is currently 5.1 percent.

3/13/18 – 8:02 A.M.

The State Highway Patrol recently took part in an effort to remove drugs and illegal weapons from our communities.

The 6-State Trooper force led an initiative that resulted in 17 weapons arrests and 248 drug arrests over the course of two days. The State Patrol and law enforcement agencies in five surrounding states all took part.

3/13/18 – 7:23 A.M.

The Lincoln-Reagan Day Lunch will be at the University of Findlay on April 14, and is set to feature Congressman Devin Nunes.

Nunes is the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He oversees seventeen agencies and departments involving the U.S. intelligence community.

Fifth District Congressman Bob Latta says Nunes has “been a strong advocate for providing our intelligence agencies and departments with the tools they need while ensuring transparency for the American people.”

Tickets for the event are $20 per person.

3/13/18 – 6:55 A.M.

McComb might establish an auxiliary police force in the near future. Council heard the first reading of an ordinance on the subject Monday night. If council approves the measure, the McComb police chief could add two or three auxiliary officers to his department.

Village officials say auxiliary officers could do things like work high school sporting events.

Police Chief Greg Smith says the volunteer officers would get certifications before going to work.

MORE: The Courier

3/13/18 – 6:47 A.M.

The Carey Athletic Boosters are talking about the possibility of building new baseball and softball fields at Carey High School.

The school board met Monday to discuss the fields that will share a press box and concession stand. Dan Vaun is with the boosters. He says if approved, the fields will be ready by the end of the 2019 seasons.

The cost of the project is $265,000. Vaun says the boosters have collected $150,000 in pledges.

The school board has said they support covering any remaining costs, but have not yet taken any action. They are meeting with another board member before giving a final decision.

MORE: The Courier

3/13/18 – 5:30 A.M.

Fire departments in three counties will benefit from a large donation. The Review-Times reports Duracell recently gave 37,000 9-volt batteries to departments in Seneca, Wyandot, and Sandusky counties. The fire departments will distribute the batteries to residents to replace old batteries in smoke detectors.

Bettsville Volunteer Fire Department Captain Allen Wineandy got the ball rolling. He wrote to the company to make the request after fatal fires in all three counties.

29 fire departments split the batteries to give out to residents in their communities.

MORE: Review-Times