10/31/18 – 3:38 P.M.

Issue 1 will be voted on by Ohio voters next week. Proponents say that it will help bring about the end of the war on drugs in Ohio. Hancock County Common Pleas Court Judge Jonathon Starn said that this isn’t needed because there has already been a shift in incarceration…

Jonathon Starn

He added that since it is a constitutional amendment, if there are any shortcomings in the bill it will difficult to change.

Jonathon Starn

The Issue will turn 4th and 5th-degree drug possession felonies into misdemeanors.

10/31/18 – 3:00 P.M.

There’s less than a week left until the November election, and Findlay school officials continue to get the word out about the safety and security levy you’ll see on the ballot. Superintendent Ed Kurt joined us on Facebook Live to talk about it today, and says a large part of the levy would benefit mental health services in schools…

Ed Kurt

Kurt says the levy would also raise money to pay for school resource officers from the Findlay Police Department. He adds they would not only work in the schools, but be available to help out in surrounding neighborhoods.

The 1.5-mill levy would generate $1.2 million every year for five years if voters pass it.

10/31/18 – 3:00 P.M.

Voters in the Vanlue school district will see a levy on the ballot Tuesday. The district is asking residents to pass a 6-mill continuing levy to take the place of an existing 6-mill emergency levy. Vanlue Superintendent Traci Conley says they wanted to change to a continuing levy to avoid confusion…

Traci Conley

Conley says money from the levy has paid for building upgrades like a new boiler and new windows in the past. She adds it contributes to overall operations for the district.

10/31/18 – 7:35 A.M.

The Ohio GOP has filed a formal complaint against Democratic state treasurer candidate Rob Richardson. The Dayton Daily News reports the Republican Party is accusing Richardson of illegally accepting nearly $549,000. They say the Laborers’ International Union of North America funneled the money through affiliated unions and political action committees. The complaint goes on to say the union and its affiliates are one organization. That means they would have to stay within the $12,707 contribution cap.

The paperwork also says the union affiliates formed PACs, made the maximum donation, and then ended the PACs weeks later.

Richardson campaign manager Chris Myers told the newspaper, “our fundraising is in compliance with campaign finance law.”

Richardson is running against Findlay-native Robert Sprague for the state treasurer’s seat.

MORE: Dayton Daily News

10/31/18 – 6:46 A.M.

Hancock County business leaders got good news about the economy Tuesday. Bob Morgan, a principal with ProBank Austin, in Toledo, spoke in Findlay and said he expects consumer spending to continue to power the economy. Morgan said he also believes stocks will recover once the election is over.

Morgan told the audience at a presentation sponsored by Citizens National Bank that he believes consumers will spend the economy into 3.5 percent growth for 2019. Economic growth this year will be a little over 3 percent.

Morgan adds that a 50-year unemployment rate is a big reason why people are willing to spend more.

MORE: The Courier

10/31/18 – 5:19 A.M.

A Findlay auto parts maker is growing. Ohio is giving Mitec a tax credit to help the company hire 77 people by the end of 2021. The jobs will pay an average of $61,000 per year. Mitec already employs around 166 people. The company is building a more than 54,000 square foot addition to its facility at 4000 Fostoria Avenue.

Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development director Tim Mayle says the company plans to become a machining company. That means they’ll produce parts in Findlay rather than import and assemble them.

The payroll tax credit approved Monday by the State Tax Credit Authority is worth an estimated $340,000.

MORE: The Courier

10/31/18 – 5:06 A.M.

Health officials from around northwest Ohio met in Findlay Tuesday to talk about improving health outcomes in the region. Representatives of the Ohio Department of Health and the Columbus-based Health Policy Institute of Ohio hosted a meeting at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts to give an update on the upcoming 2019 State Health Assessment. They also talked about the next State Health Improvement Plan, which will launch in 2020.

Amy Bush Stevens is the vice president for public and prevention policy at the Health Policy Institute of Ohio. She says the state needs to improve. In 2015, 16.5 percent of Ohioans were in fair or poor health. The number is now 18.9 percent statewide, and 17.1 percent in northwestern Ohio

Premature deaths due to overdoses are up all across the state as well.

Bush Stevens said the purpose of Tuesday’s event was to “get out of Columbus” and get feedback from other regions. She says rural regions have fewer safety issues, but also transportation challenges when it comes to accessing healthcare.

MORE: The Courier