Monthly Archives: September 2018

Overtime Costs Up In Fostoria

9/19/18 – 5:22 A.M.

Overtime costs are up in Fostoria. The Review-Times reports that through September 13 the city has spent more than $498,000 on overtime costs. The police department accounts for more than $254,000. The fire department has logged more than $181,000.

Mayor Eric Keckler says the city is hiring police officers and firefighters. He says they are currently working on background checks for the applicants.

Keckler says the entire state is seeing a decline in people applying for police and firefighter jobs. He adds that’s made it hard to fill open safety service positions.

MORE: Review-Times

Van Buren Still Trying To Fill Open School Board Seat

9/19/18 – 5:14 A.M.

Hancock County Probate Judge Kristen Johnson will have to pick the newest member of the Van Buren school board. That’s because the board wasn’t able to pick a new member this week. Superintendent Tim Myers issued a statement that said the board was “presented with two extremely competent and talented candidates. Unfortunately, the board is unable to reach a decision in favor of one candidate and is now at an impasse.”

Both Scott Grant and Karen Flanagan are up for the job. Flanagan previously served on the board for 12 years. Scott Grant is an assistant professor of business at the University of Findlay. He has also served as Van Buren’s athletic director in the past.

The position is open because Dolores Cramer resigned when she moved out of the school district.

MORE: The Courier

Findlay Man Sentenced In Child Porn Case

9/19/18 – 5:07 A.M.

A Findlay man will spend 120 days in jail after he pleaded no contest to several counts of pandering sexually-oriented material involving a minor. Judge Jonathan Starn also sentenced 33-year-Ronald Hoke to five years of community control sanctions. Hoke will serve his sentence in 20-day increments. He’ll also have to register as a Tier II sex offender.

Hoke originally faced 12 counts of child pornography. The state dropped eight charges as part of a plea deal.

Hancock County Prosecutor Phil Riegle says Hoke used search terms on his computer to look for child pornography. FBI agents found videos and photos downloaded on Hoke’s computer during their investigation.

Hoke is legally blind and also has Asperger’s syndrome. The AP says people with Asperger’s can have high intelligence and narrow, sometimes obsessive interests. They can also lack social skills.

MORE: The Courier

Findlay City Council Discusses Government Credit Card Policy

09/19/18 – 3:16 A.M.

Findlay City Council had the first reading of an ordinance to adopt a credit card policy for government cards. City Auditor Jim Staschiak said that the city has a policy to protect the cards but that it hasn’t been adopted.

Jim Staschiak

Staschiak explained that the policy needs to be adopted because of new state legislation.

Jim Staschiak

The legislation says that all communities must have a policy in place by January 30 of next year.

City Of Findlay Partners With Purchasing Alliance To Save Money

09/19/18 – 3:00 A.M.

The City of Findlay has become a member of the purchasing alliance U.S. Communities. Service director Brian Thomas explained that this eliminates a lot of hassle when the city has to buy assets.

Brian Thomas

Thomas said that there are items that don’t have a state bid, which requires the city to go through a lengthy process. By joining U.S. Communities, the city will save time and money.

Council voted to suspend the rules requiring three votes and passed the ordinance on its first reading.

Cory-Rawson Superintendent Talks About State Report Cards

09/18/18 – 6:51 P.M.

Many schools in our area didn’t appear to score well on their report cards but that doesn’t mean they’re bad schools. Cory-Rawson Schools superintendent Bob Hlasko explained that the rating system is confusing.

Bob Hlasko

He said that this shows how many of the schools are doing exactly what the state expects or surpassing it. He added that these compilation reports don’t do schools justice.

Bob Hlasko

Hlasko said that this doesn’t show what has been improved on in the schools. He added that Cory-Rawson High School scored very well in several categories when compared to county schools, as did the elementary school. But when added together the schools got a lower grade.

Marathon Representatives Discuss Energy Efficiency At The University Of Findlay

09/18/18 – 6:48 P.M.

Representatives of Marathon Petroleum Corporation talked about energy efficiency and sustainability at the University of Findlay Tuesday. Vince Lichtinger and Dan Short talked about how the company maximizes its energy efficiencies. MPC develops roadmaps for its refineries to become greener. The company also tries to keep its products clean and useful.

They also covered how the company is lowering greenhouse gasses by using bigger plants. This helped them earn 75% of the certification labels awarded to refineries by the EPA.

Strong September Propels Surge In Hancock County Income Tax Collections

9/18/18 – 11:21 A.M.

After a year of mostly declining sales tax revenues in Hancock County, the numbers suddenly look more promising. County Auditor Charity Rauschenberg says the latest figures from the state show collections are now up 1 percent compared to last year…

Audio: Charity Rauschenberg

Rauschenberg says they are still looking to see where the uptick came from. She adds it appears consumer use may have played a role…

Audio: Charity Rauschenberg

Rauschenberg says consumer use includes taxes collected from production rather than people spending money in stores.

Rauschenberg says the sudden increase in numbers is a pleasant surprise.

Questions About Fostoria School Dress Code Raised

9/18/18 – 7:33 A.M.

Fostoria parents raised several questions about the district’s dress code during a Monday school board meeting. The Review-Times reports many asked about an uptick in code violations.

Fostoria Junior/Senior High School Principal Drew Bauman said they’ve stepped up enforcement of the dress code this year. Bauman said students took advantage of warnings without consequence last school year. Assistant Principal Mike Daring added, “the reason for the rejuvenated commitment to enforcing policy is because of the noncompliance, the blatant disregard for the dress code.”

MORE: Review-Times

Carey Moves Forward With “Safe Routes To School” Program

9/18/18 – 7:23 A.M.

Carey is moving forward with a Safe Routes to School grant project. Village council passed an ordinance to take part in the program that will provide around $306,000 in state funding during their Monday meeting.

The grant will provide money for the school and village to build sidewalks around the South Vance Street area near the new school. The grant could also pay for road improvements that make the area safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Carey officials estimate paying around $4,500 locally for the improvements. They won’t know the final amount until sometime in 2020.

MORE: The Courier