4/24/18 – 7:14 A.M.

The State Fire Marshall’s Office is investigating a rash of house fires in Kenton from the past weekend. WKTN radio reports firefighters responded to four fires in a short amount of time early Saturday morning. People were living in two of the homes.

Kenton Fire Chief Tim Clark says someone deliberately set the fires. He adds the homes were apparently picked at random.

Anyone with information on the fires is urged to call the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office or the Kenton Fire Department.

MORE: WKTN

4/24/18 – 6:58 A.M.

A Fostoria City School bus sideswiped a parked SUV Monday afternoon. The Review-Times reports the incident happened in the 100 block of West Fourth Street. The Fostoria Police Department says the bus got too close to a Jeep parked on the side of the road. No students were hurt in the incident.

Fostoria Schools Superintendent Andrew Sprang says they transferred kids to another bus as a precaution. The bus driver is not allowed to drive for the district for the time being.

The driver hasn’t been publicly identified.

MORE: Review-Times

4/24/18 – 5:28 A.M.

A hit-and-run incident sent a Findlay teenager to the hospital Monday night. The Findlay Police Department says 16-year-old Destinee Hauenstein was trying to cross Western Avenue near Lake Cascades Parkway around 5:35 p.m. when a car hit her and then drove away.

Hanco EMS took Hauenstein to Blanchard Valley Hospital for treatment.

The only description of the car involved in the incident is that it was black.

4/24/18 – 5:22 A.M.

You’ll see a lot of work taking place at the McComb village park in the coming weeks. Village Administrator Kevin Siferd says they expect to get new scoreboards for the baseball diamonds today. The village is also installing a new shelter house this spring.

At the same time, workers will drain the pool this week so they can start maintenance work on the facility. Siferd says he expects the pool to open Memorial Day weekend.

Workers are also installing security cameras in the park and around the swimming pool.

MORE: The Courier

4/24/18 – 5:15 A.M.

Leipsic is getting a grant to improve roads ahead of a factory expansion. Ohio awarded the village more than $856,000 to resurface roads that lead to Pro-Tec. The grant will help pay for work on County Road 5 between U.S. 224 and State Route 65. It will also pay for repaving on Cross Creek Drive.

Aside from the grant, Putnam County is paying $350,000 for the work and Leipsic is pitching in $105,000. Van Buren Township is also helping pay for the project.

Pro-Tec is set to build a $400 million plant addition in 2019. It will add 80 jobs at the steel coating facility.

MORE: The Courier

4/23/18 – 3:00 P.M.
4/24/18 – 5:07 A.M. (Update)

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office is morning the loss of one of its own. Sheriff Mike Heldman says Deputy Barry Turner passed away unexpectedly at his home Sunday morning. Turner had worked for the sheriff’s office for more than 20 years. He was the deputy of the year in 2008 and 2012.

Heldman says Turner often patrolled school zones in the morning hours to keep kids safe.

Turner is survived by his wife and two daughters.

4/24/18 – 4:57 A.M.

The craft beer boom could help area farmers. OSU Extension educator Ed Lentz says barley could be the next cash crop in our area. Speaking to the Findlay Rotary Club, Lentz said northwest Ohio is a hot market for craft beer brewers. He added that those brewers want local ingredients.

Lentz says farmers could get more use out of their fields by growing barley. That’s because they could still grow soybeans after harvesting barley.

Lentz adds they still need to see how barley holds up during Ohio winters. It also has to have the malting qualities the craft beer industry wants.

MORE: The Courier

4/23/18 – 11:07 A.M.

A semi hauling hogs crashed in Allen County Sunday night. The State Patrol says the crash happened on U.S. 30 near the I-75 interchange in Beaverdam around 9:15 p.m.

42-year-old David Fraley of Cardington, Ohio was driving west when his semi went off the right side of the road and overturned. The crash did not injure Fraley.

The semi’s trailer was hauling around 165 hogs. They remained contained following the crash.