2/14/19 – 7:02 A.M.
Putnam County’s 2019 budget includes $2.5 million for improvements at the courthouse. The Putnam County Sentinel reports the work includes replacing the leaky roof. The plans also include renovations on the east entrance of the building. The county will install a new ramp and stairs. They might also replace doors on the east side.
An elevator replacement project gets underway in the courthouse this month.
MORE: Putnam County Sentinel
2/14/19 – 6:45 A.M.
A man involved in a police chase along U.S. 224 in January is facing charges. The Hancock County grand jury recently indicted 41-year-old Matthew Holman of Toledo on counts of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and receiving stolen property.
Holman allegedly stole a car on January 31st and then sped away when a Findlay police officer tried to pull him over. Officers arrested Holman after he abandoned the car in a wooded area in Marion Township.
A passenger in the car is also facing charges. 41-year-old Victor Vawter faces one count of obstructing official business.
2/14/19 – 5:31 A.M.
Findlay’s Downtown Design Review Board will hold hearings about two South Main Street buildings soon. The Courier reports the board voted Wednesday to move forward with hearings about possible maintenance violations. It will be the first time the board has held hearings about building issues.
The board didn’t publicly name the buildings in question because the board has to rule if they are in violation of the code first.
Review board administrator Matt Cordonnier filed the complaints. He says the goal is to work with the owners to improve the appearance of the buildings.
2/14/19 – 5:21 A.M.
An Akron-area lawyer wants to reopen a now two-decade-old criminal case against a Rawson man. Attorney Adam VanHo is representing Nathan Graham in the action. Graham is serving a lengthy prison sentence for his conviction in the kidnapping, rape, and attempted murder of a Findlay teenager in 1999.
VanHo says he is basing his review on recently discovered evidence that “may form the basis for a claim of actual innocence.” Motions filed in the Hancock County Common Pleas Court do not say what the new evidence is. VanHo wants to review trial transcripts and evidence in the case.
Authorities charged Graham following an incident on February 13 of 1999. Prosecutors said others charged in the case beat a 13-year-old girl when she flirted with men at a party at a Tiffin Avenue apartment. They then took her to Graham’s house near Rawson where they raped her and eventually put her in a drainage tile and covered it with rocks.
Graham and his girlfriend came back and removed her. Prosecutors considered Graham the ringleader.
2/14/19 – 5:02 A.M.
More than 200 people were on hand at a meeting to discuss problems at the Sunny Farms Landfill Wednesday night. Representatives of Sunny Farms, the Seneca County General Health District, and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency all attended and attempted to answer questions. Ben Nutter from Sunny Farms says they are working to correct odor issues…
Audio:
However, Nutter’s answers didn’t do much to calm the crowd on hand. Many said the bad smell continues.
Dina Pierce is with the Ohio EPA and talked about what her agency is doing to try and hold the landfill’s owners responsible…
Audio:
Pierce says projects like gas extraction wells will take longer to complete. Many outbursts in the crowd made it clear that changes couldn’t come soon enough.
Representatives from Sunny Farms said they are working to comply with EPA orders. Matt Eely is the senior vice president of Tunnel Hill Partners, the owner of Sunny Farms. He said they are going to build a permanent wastewater treatment plant at the facility.
Health concerns stem from the smells created by hydrogen sulfide. Ohio Department of Health representatives said the Center for Disease Control has found no connection between hydrogen sulfide and cancer among humans.
MORE: Comments from government officials and community members
02/13/19 – 3:26 P.M.
The Backyard Mission Trip is coming up at the end of April but you can get applications in now. Co-Chair Dan Kennard said that all kinds of people can ask for help during this event.
He added that you can fill out the application if you need work done and lack the resources to get it done. The service is done by a group of volunteers and work can consist of cleaning, building ramps, and even painting to a name a few.
You can apply to get the work done by filling out an application online at findlaybmt.com or at various locations around the city. These include Jobs and Family Services, 50 North, and the Family Resource Center to name a few.
02/13/19 – 2:32 P.M.
The Findlay Area Human Resources Association got a presentation on hiring veterans. Regional Veteran Workforce Consultant Daniel Semsel said that veterans have a lot of skills that apply in any job.
Semsel said that the list of veteran skills goes on and that veterans have great discipline. He added that the Ohio Department of Veterans Services is working to connect employers to veterans.
Semsel added that if a veteran is looking for work, they should start with their local Veterans Services Department.
02/13/19 – 10:15 A.M.
Madison Hubbell is a reigning U.S. National Champion figure skater and a world silver medalist and she’s making a stop in Findlay this weekend. Hubbell will be at the Reineke Honda on Bright Road this Saturday. The general public is invited to come to meet Hubbell. The event will be from 10 – 11 a.m. with a light breakfast available. There will also be photo opportunities.
2/13/19 – 7:26 A.M.
An Ottawa resident wants the village to move a light pole at Water Works Park. The Lima News reports John Agner told village council the pole is a safety hazard. During a Tuesday meeting, Agner said several people had hit the pole because it’s too close to a driveway.
Public Works Director Dan Lehman said he would get quotes to move the pole. Mayor Dean Meyer said that it was a safety issue, but added they also need to have a light in the area because it helps light up a Boy Scouts meeting location.
MORE: Lima News
2/13/19 – 7:14 A.M.
The Hancock County Park District board is going to repave a parking lot this year. The group voted to spend more than $43,000 to upgrade the parking lot at Blanchard Landing. The money is coming from an ODOT grant that the park receives every year.
The board also plans to take a look at an area on Hancock County Road 9 between the Dold subdivision and Aurand Run. A shallow ditch proposed for that area could reduce high water during heavy rainstorms. The board took no action on the plan Tuesday.
MORE: Board reviews compensation comparison prepared by Director Gary Pruitt