(WFIN) – The Hancock County Fair officially opened on Tuesday with a ribbon-cutting.

The opening ceremony included the recognition of local and state officials as well as the coronation of the Fair Royalty.

King and Queen this year are Tristan Cox and Hannah Betts. Garrison Holland and Emma Smith were named as the prince and princess.

You can find the full schedule for the fair on our website.

(WFIN) – There are two students from Kawaguchi schools in Japan kicking off a foreign exchange program at Findlay High School.

Principal Ryan Imke says that Mari Ito and Ayano Shimozono arrived last week to learn about life in Findlay.

Imke adds the goal is to send two FHS students to Japan next school year.

He explains that Kawaguchi, Japan and the City of Findlay act as sister cities and the school districts share advice and ideas.

(WFIN) – Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development posted on twitter last week that they broke some workforce records.

Director Tim Mayle said they looked at two different metrics.

Mayle said that Hancock County had 42,300 people in the labor force in July.

He added that there were 40,800 residents that were employed that same month.

He explained that some workers don’t live in Hancock County and that economic development is working on making more affordable housing available.

(WFIN) – The Hancock County Sheriff’s office is kicking off their Everbridge Campaign at the Hancock County Fair Wednesday.

Everbridge is a mass notification system that allows the public to receive alerts for emergencies such as flooding events, severe weather, and road closures.

You can get signed up for these alerts at the sheriff’s tent at the fair or by visiting the Everbridge web site, which we have linked here.

Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn says the city should have done a better job of explaining why the Blanchard Street reconfiguration project is important.

“We missed the mark on getting communication out there about why we’re doing this project, what the proposal was and what it means for the community. Unfortunately, people just really got focused on the bike lanes.”

She knows a lot of people are focusing on the bike lanes, but says the project has been about safety from the beginning.

“There were extensive studies done by multiple firms and confirmed by our engineers and ODOT that this is the safest, most efficient route and configuration for that area.”

She says increasing safety is the reason they want to reconfigure Blanchard Street to one through lane in either direction and a dedicated center left turn lane.

And with the new design, some room would be left over on each side of the road which would become a bike lane.

The city says the project would improve safety at 17 intersections along the Blanchard Street corridor and reduce rear-end and T-bone crashes.

The project also includes a multi-use path along Lincoln Street.

The city’s taking comments on the proposed project through September 6th, and once they digest all the feedback will make a decision on whether to proceed.

“We ultimately are going to make the best decision for the community as a whole,” the mayor said.

“That’s our responsibility, making sure people are safe and that we have a strong infrastructure, not just for now but for the future.”

A recent open house on the proposed project got heated at times.

Even with the gas tax hike that went into effect on July 1st, Ohio drivers are going to see lower gasoline prices this coming Labor Day holiday.

According to AAA, gas prices are expected to be around 25-cents lower this year than they were at the same time in 2018.

They say Ohio drivers can expect an average of $2.60 at the pumps this week.

AAA says international crude oil prices continue to drop as seasonal demand wanes and refiners switch over to winter-blend fuels.

According to GasBuddy.com, there were several gas stations in Findlay selling gas at $2.48 a gallon on Tuesday.

(WFIN) – There are about 4,000 adults in Hancock County that can’t read and Hancock Literacy is seeking your help so that they can continue to offer their services.

The organization has partnered with WFIN and sister stations 106.3 The Fox and 100.5 WKXA for a creative and messy fundraiser.

This means one morning show host will get covered in hot fudge, whip cream, cherries, and of course, sprinkles.

One vote costs a $1 donation and all of the money raised will stay in Hancock County to combat illiteracy.

You can cast your vote for WKXA’s Big Dave, WFIN’s Chris Oaks, or The Fox’s Big Kahuna on any of the stations’ websites as well as on hancockliteracy.org.

(WFIN) – A Findlay man threatened to shoot the employees of a Bowling Green Jimmy John’s Sunday morning.

The Courier reports that 21-year-old Alan Durden was charged with aggravated menacing and criminal mischief.

According to the paper, Durden told employees that he had a gun but officers did not mention if he actually had a gun.

Durden also damaged a vehicle at another business before he was arrested.

More at thecourier.com

Photo credit Kathryne Rubright

(WFIN) – A pile of trash belonging to Hancock Park District was found dumped at Riverbend Recreation Area.

The Courier reports that the pile included picnic tables, benches, signage, cardboard, and styrofoam to name a few.

Hancock Park District director Gary Pruitt told the newspaper that this not how the park district should operate and directed staff to clean the mess up.

You can read more at thecourier.com.