5/16/19 – 4:55 A.M.
The Arcadia school district is upgrading some technology. The school board approved buying new Chromebooks during their Wednesday meeting. They’ll get 100 Chromebooks and Google licenses for seventh-graders and 50 Chromebooks with Google licenses for third-graders.
The total cost of the deal is a little more than $34,000.
5/16/19 – 4:49 A.M.
A Findlay man stands accused of committing sex crimes against a young child nearly a decade ago. The Hancock County grand jury has indicted 49-year-old Gregory Sakulich on two counts of gross sexual imposition and two counts of pandering sexually oriented material.
The indictment accuses Sakulich of engaging in sexual contact with the child twice in 2010. The alleged victim was only 4 years old at the time. Prosecutor Phil Riegle says his office just recently learned about the accusations.
05/15/19 – 6:24 P.M.
South Blanchard Street in Findlay will be closed Thursday to reinstate water services. The work will take place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. between Sandusky and Lincoln Streets. The road will be closed to all traffic during that time.
You are urged to avoid Blanchard Street if possible.
05/15/19 – 5:33 P.M.
Fifth-graders from Bigelow Hill Elementary School were at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts today raising money for local non-profits. Bigelow Hill’s Beth Nissin explained that they wanted the kids to learn about business skills while also giving back.
Nissin explained that students had to create a product to support their chosen non-profit.
Students sold things like snacks, paper figures, bracelets and keychains. The non-profits being represented included the Humane Society, Gliding Stars, and the Hancock Historical Museum to name a few.
05/15/19 – 5:22 P.M.
The 32nd annual Armed Forces Day Celebration returns to the Hancock County Fairgrounds this weekend. The event will feature a veterans’ appreciation breakfast, cannon fire and flamethrower demonstrations, as well as historical reenactments. Commander of the Findlay Military Association John Cheney added that there will also be a helicopter fly-in by American Huey 369.
Cheney said that there will be a trolley and military vehicles to shuttle people. The celebration runs from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from 7 a.m. to noon Sunday.
05/15/19 – 11:34 A.M.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture will start aerial gypsy moth treatments in Hancock County this week. The treatments are administered using low-flying aircraft that fly just over the tree tops. This will be done in the early morning hours.
The department is using Foray which is a natural bacterium found in the soil that interferes with the caterpillars’ feeding cycles. They are also using Gypchek, a virus that affects only the gypsy moth caterpillars and has no effect on beneficial insects. These treatments are not harmful to humans, pets, birds or fish.
5/15/19 – 9:10 A.M.
Fostoria school officials say someone hacked a Snapchat account to make a threat against the school. A post on the district’s Facebook page says administrators learned about the post late Tuesday. The police and the district investigated and agreed that the threat wasn’t credible.
There will be an increased police presence at the junior-senior high school today. Administrators say they will keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.
5/15/19 – 6:55 A.M.
A Fostoria man has pleaded guilty to a pair of sex crimes. Court records show 21-year-old Brandon Lane recently pleaded guilty charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
Investigators say Lane was a manager at the McDonald’s in Fostoria, where he worked with the two 14-year-old victims. The girls said Lane gave them alcohol.
A sentencing date hasn’t been scheduled yet.
5/15/19 – 6:41 A.M.
You might notice an increased police presence near the University of Findlay the next couple of nights, but it’s nothing to worry about. The University says the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office is using houses at 337, 341, and 403 Howard Street for Special Response Team and SWAT training.
The training will take place between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. tonight and Thursday night.
5/15/19 – 5:26 A.M.
Now that the Liberty-Benton building levy has passed, the school board is moving forward with securing state money for the project. The board held a special meeting Tuesday to approve an initial agreement with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission. The resolution means Liberty-Benton will be on the agenda for the July meeting of the commission. The district should receive its money from the state then.
Once that happens the district will get a project manager who will work with them to pick an architect. That should happen by September or October.
Voters in the Liberty-Benton school district approved a 35-year, 7.3 mill bond issue. It will build a new pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade facility and renovate parts of the high school. It will also pay for an 800-seat auditorium.