5/28/19 – 5:21 A.M.
You’ll see road work on a few highways in Putnam County this week. Crews will restrict traffic to one lane on parts State Route 115 between State Route 12 and the Allen County line for pavement repair.
Elsewhere repairs continue on U.S. 224 between Kalida and the Van Wert County line. Work is also taking place on State Route 114 in Kalida between U.S. 224 and Road M. That project will continue through late July.
5/28/19 – 5:15 A.M.
ODOT is ramping up work in Hancock County this week. ODOT says crews will reduce State Route 235 in McComb and Mount Cory to one lane for curb and sidewalk replacement in the villages. The curb work is part of a larger resurfacing project that will start on June 17th.
Crews are also reducing State Route 613 to one lane between McComb and the Putnam County line for pavement repairs.
You’ll also see pavement repair work on I-75 in both directions between State Route 235 and the Allen County line. That will restrict the interstate to one lane in spots. The repairs will also close the entrance ramp from State Route 103 to I-75 southbound in Bluffton on Friday.
5/28/19 – 5:04 A.M.
A train hit a man in Fostoria over the weekend. The Fostoria Police Department reports the incident happened Saturday morning along the Adams/Tiffin train tracks. Investigators identified the man as 21-year-old Brett Barchus of Fostoria.
Police Chief Keith Loreno says they don’t suspect foul play. He added, “This is an unfortunate incident and a reminder to be cautious around any rail lines, whether on foot or in an automobile.”
An autopsy is pending. The incident blocked the CSX line in Fostoria for several hours.
5/28/19 – 4:57 A.M.
UPDATE – 8:38 A.M.
The 9-1-1 system is back up and running in Wood County. The Wood County Sheriff’s Office says the system returned to normal operation just after 8:30 a.m. The outage lasted nearly four hours this morning.
05/24/19 – 7:24 P.M.
There will be several Memorial Day services in the area this weekend. The Hancock County Veteran’s Council will be hosting a parade and service on Monday. The parade will start at 10 a.m. in front of the American Legion and head to Maple Grove Cemetary where they will hold the service.
VFW Post 4510 in Arlington will visit area cemeteries on Memorial Day and give a rifle squad salute. The squad will meet at 7:15 a.m. at Good Hope Lutheran Church. Bluffton will have a parade on Monday at 9:30 a.m. starting at Maple Grove Cemetary.
McComb’s parade will be at 10 a.m. Monday starting at the McComb VFW.
05/24/19 – 4:23 P.M.
Lima Police are looking for help in identifying the man who robbed a Dollar General this morning. The Lima Police Department reports that the robbery happened around 9:17 a.m. this morning. The suspect is a black man around 6 feet tall and 30-40-years-old. He was wearing a dark brown Carhart jacket with a white mark on the right shoulder.
If you have any information, you’re asked to call Detective Matt Boss at 419-812-0061.
05/24/19 – 2:39 P.M.
Three men were arrested after burglarizing a Leipsic restaurant and leading officers on a chase Tuesday. The Crescent-News reports that a suspect entered Mi Familia Mexican Restaurant around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. He stole from a cash register and was chased outside by the restaurant manager. He jumped into a car with two others inside and then sped off but the manager got the license plate number.
Officers spotted the vehicle at Putnam County Road 5 and Y and the men led officers on a chase that ended in Henry County.
21-year-old Jordan Nieto of Leipsic was charged with burglary. 19-year-old Thomas Miles of Jenera and 22-year-old Mike Pardo III of Leipsic were charged with complicity to commit burglary. All three are scheduled for preliminary hearings on May 30.
05/24/19 – 1:20 P.M.
With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, we reached out to Hancock Public Health to talk about food safety tips. Registered Sanitarian Heidi Phillips said that you want to avoid cross-contaminating cooked food with raw food. This includes when you use a marinade…
She added that you’ll want to use a clean plate when transporting food from the grill. If you use the same plate you used to get the food to the grill, you run the risk of contaminating your food with food-borne illnesses like E. Coli and salmonella.
Phillips added that temperature plays an important part in good safety as well. You want to make sure you’re beef and chicken is cooked to an appropriate temperature to kill off any bacteria.
Phillips said you’ll want to cook beef to around 155 degrees Fahrenheit and chicken to around 165 degrees. She added that you’ll also want to keep an eye on cold foods like potato and pasta salads. She said that they could be a risk if they get too warm.
You can catch the full interview below.
5/24/19 – 6:40 A.M.
Parts of the Kenton Walmart store are starting to reopen following a fire earlier this month. WKTN radio reports the general merchandise section reopened today. However, only limited selections are available as the store works to restock inventory. The clothing sections remain closed.
A May 6th fire closed the store. Investigators say they believe 26-year-old Caleb Poole of Fredericktown intentionally set the blaze. Poole is facing federal charges in the case.
MORE: WKTN Radio
5/24/19 – 5:23 A.M.
Renovations at the Putnam County Courthouse should start in about a month. The Putnam County Sentinel reports the commissioners recently awarded a nearly $1.1 million contract to Schimmoeller Construction. The deal includes another $48,000 for gutter replacement.
The project includes a new tile roof, stone restoration work, and new steps and a wheelchair ramp.
MORE: Putnam County Sentinel