06/05/19 – 11 A.M.

A Findlay man was awarded a franchise award this month. Brian Edler owns 20 Domino’s stores in Findlay and the surrounding area. He was awarded the International Franchise Association Gold Franny Award for operational excellence.

The Gold Franny Award was created over 20 years ago by the International Franchise Association. The awards are given based on several key factors including operational audit scores, community involvement, safety and security, and team morale.

Edler purchased his first Dominio’s story in 1989 and continued to grow his business.

6/5/19 – 5:27 A.M.

Fostoria is gearing up for a summer of repaving work. City Council reviewed a list of potential projects during their Tuesday meeting. The streets have a “Priority 1” designation. That means they need the most work. A stretch of North Union Street between West Culbertson Street and Jones Road.

Ten total streets are in the top tier of projects.

MORE: Full list of potential projects

6/5/19 – 5:17 A.M.

Kids in Mount Blanchard can get free lunches this summer. The Mount Blanchard Wednesday Kids Lunches program starts today and runs through August 7th at the Mount Blanchard United Methodist Church fellowship hall. Lunches are served between 11:30 a.m. and noon.

The Hancock Park District will present a nature program at Island Park following lunch on June 19th and July 24th. Anyone attending the lunch and park program can get into the pool for free those days.

A Salad Smorgasbord on July 9th helps fund the program. The cost for the event is $8 for adults and $4 for children. It will run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the church fellowship hall.

6/5/19 – 5:10 A.M.

A new kiosk in downtown Findlay aims to guide visitors and residents to businesses and activities in the area. The digital display is at the corner of South Main and Crawford streets. Visit Findlay says the kiosk has information about area restaurants, shops, hotels, and more. It also will display Visit Findlay’s calendar of events.

Visit Findlay community relations chair Danielle Wilkin says Cincinnati has a similar machine. Wilkin says the kiosk is primarily an effort to help visitors to the community find what they are looking for. She also encourages local residents who don’t make it downtown that often to use the machine to keep up to date with new businesses or events taking place.

Private funds paid for the kiosk.

The Blanchard Valley Port Authority wants to split from the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority territory. A group from the port authority lobbied the Hancock County commissioners Tuesday to send a letter to the Ohio Development Services Agency to ask for the separation.

Board Chairman Doug Huffman says the Blanchard Valley Port Authority wants local control over local investment by county residents. Paul Toth is the CEO of Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. He says the organization has helped with financing several projects in Hancock County, including the Findlay Surgical Center and the Liberty Ridge Townhouse development.

The commissioners didn’t take action Tuesday. They said a cooperative agreement is a good idea.

MORE: How port authorities work.

06/04/19 – 6:50 P.M.

The Ohio State Senate is looking at a bill to make fireworks legal. Senator Rob McColley joined us on WFIN to talk about Senate Bill 72. He said that they know people use fireworks regardless of the law and that making it legal can help make things safer…

He added that it will allow the government to create laws in regards to safely using fireworks.

There are opponents of the bill that have concerns about people suffering from PTSD, child safety, and reckless use. McColley said that they will be granting local authority to communities that can prevent fireworks from being used at certain places and times.

06/04/19 – 6:15 P.M.

We had an expert on WFIN to talk about virtual training for police officers. Jeremy Combs works for Meggitt Training Systems and explained that virtual training allows police officers to practice handling stressful situations.

Combs said that this helps officers understand and evaluate a situation while in a practice setting. This can help them prepare for real-life encounters.

Combs added that there are programs that allow police departments to create their own scenarios. He said that this is helpful for departments that face unique scenarios related to their area.

The training is done using a projector and a camera. The scenario is played in front of the officer creating an immersive experience.