Monthly Archives: October 2019

Family Confirms Identity Of Body As Missing Man

The body found by the railroad tracks outside of Arcadia has been identified as Dallas Critchett by a family-run Facebook account created to find the missing man.

A post on the account said that they had identified the 38-year-old that had been missing since July.

Critchett went missing on July 19 near Arcadia. His body was found by a railroad worker on October 9.

The Sheriff’s Office had not yet received confirmation of the identity by the Lucas County Coroner’s Office when we called Thursday afternoon.

New Law Goes Into Effect Raising Tobacco-Buying Age In Ohio

A new Ohio law went into effect on Thursday raising the minimum age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21.

Ohio is one of 18 states that have raised the minimum age for buying cigarettes, cigars, electronic cigarettes and other tobacco products.

The ‘Tobacco 21’ law signed in July by Governor Mike DeWine also applies to rolling papers, filters and other smoking and vaping accessories.

Violations could lead to penalties for both the seller and buyer.

State officials say it also will become illegal to give such products to someone under 21.

The governor and other supporters of the change say the new law is intended to help prevent children from becoming smokers.

National statistics have shown Ohio has one of the highest rates of adult smokers, at just over 21 percent.

Local Veterans Advocate To Participate In Ceremony At Arlington National Cemetery On Veterans Day

The director of the Hancock County Veterans Service Office, Nichole Coleman, will be joining President Trump in honoring our veterans in November.

Coleman will be representing the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers at the ceremony honoring our country’s veterans at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day.

Last year around Veterans Day, Coleman attended a ceremony honoring veterans at the White House.

“President Trump came and spoke with us and it was a huge honor to be there and really feel like it was being recognized what we’re doing to make sure veterans are getting taken care of in our country.”

Coleman has been the director of the Hancock County Veterans Service Office since December 2011.

She’s been vice president of the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers since June of 2018.

Coleman served as a security specialist in the Air Force for three years and then in public relations for four years.

She’s a Desert Storm veteran and also served in Bosnia.

Bill Forbidding LGBTQ Discrimination Introduced In Ohio Legislature

(ONN) – Ohio lawmakers have introduced a bill to forbid employment and housing discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community.

The latest iteration of the Ohio Fairness Act was introduced by Democratic Rep. Michael Skindell and Republican Rep. Brett Hillyer.

The Columbus Dispatch reports the bill’s unveiling comes about two weeks after a request from minority Democrats to extend employment protections to gay house employees was denied by House Speaker Larry Householder.

A similar bill has been filed every session of legislation since 2003 but has only won passage in the House in 2009, before it died in the Senate.

Jury Selection Underway In Federal Opioid Trial In Ohio

Jury selection is underway in Ohio in the first federal trial over the nation’s opioid epidemic.

The landmark trial in federal court in Cleveland focuses on lawsuits filed by Cuyahoga and Summit Counties claiming drug companies that made, distributed and sold prescription painkillers engaged in a deadly conspiracy that has inflicted massive damage on their communities.

The trial is considered a bellwether because it could help shape how future trials are conducted or possibly help spur a global settlement.

Opening statements are Monday in what is expected to be a trial lasting more than two months.

Golden Apple Awards Presented To Three Area Teachers

Three teachers were were honored Wednesday evening at the local Golden Apple Awards Ceremony hosted by the Findlay Rotary Club.

4th-grade teacher Tom Whipkey from Wilson Vance won the elementary division.

Wendi Davis is an instrumental music director at Cory-Rawson Local Schools and won the middle school division.

The high school award went to Cassie Van Horn, a program instructor at Millstream Career Center.

They were all humbled by the experience saying that they had some stiff competition from respected colleagues.

The three received “golden apples” from Dietsch Brothers as well as a $2,500 cash prize.

The three were chosen among 9 semi-finalists. They received “golden apples” from Dietsch Brothers as well as a $2,500 cash prize.

They are all also invited to join the Golden Apple Academy which consists of past Golden Apple Award finalists.

Blanchard Valley Hospital Listed Among Best In The Nation

The Blanchard Valley Hospital was named one of the top community hospitals in the U.S.

Becker’s Hospital Review listed Blanchard Valley Hospital in its list of “100 Great Community Hospitals”.

According to the review, hospitals were judged on quality, accolades, and service to their community.

BVHS president and CEO Scott Malaney said that they are extremely honored to be included on the list.

Malaney said and quote, “This kind of recognition is a testament to the quality of the associates, physicians, and volunteers that work in our organization, and demonstrates our ability to deliver safe, high-quality care for the communities we serve.”

Findlay Trojans And Ohio State Buckeyes Play On Same Night

A programming note for people who were planning to tune into WFIN for the Findlay Trojans football game Friday night at Toledo St. Johns.

The game will be online only on our secondary stream at WFIN.com due to the fact that the Ohio State Buckeyes have a rare Friday night game on WFIN against Northwestern.

Contractual obligations call for the Ohio State game to be on-air and online Friday night, while the Trojans game will be online on our secondary stream.

The Findlay Trojans game will be available online at WFIN.com on Friday by clicking on the banner for the game.

The Trojans broadcast will begin at 6:30, while coverage of the Buckeyes game begins at 7.

See our full sports schedule here. 

Findlay has a record of 3-4 after a 28-21 win at Clay last Friday.

Woman Will Soon Lead Library She Grew Up In

The next director of the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library is looking forward to taking over the reins in January.

“This is the community I want to serve, I went to storytime at this library, I’ve grown up here and this is the library system I want to be part of,” said Sarah Clevidence, the library’s current assistant director.

Sarah knows she has big shoes to fill when she takes over for the retiring Jeff Winkle, and she expects it to be a rather seamless transition.

“We have an excellent library, a wonderful staff, a supportive community and a dedicated board so we’re already heading in a great direction here.”

Sarah has been with the library since 1996 when she got a part-time job there as a teenager.

She said, in the interview all those years ago she was asked why she wanted to work at the library.

“And I was just dumbfounded by the question, because where else would I want to work.”

Jeff Winkle’s retirement will be effective January 10th, and Sarah will take over as director on January 11th.

 

ODOT Advising Drivers Of Upcoming Ramp Closure In Findlay

The Ohio Department of Transportation is advising drivers of an upcoming ramp closure in Findlay.

ODOT says the flyover exit ramp from Interstate 75 southbound to U.S. 68/State Route 15 will close overnight on Sunday, October 20th for paving.

The ramp will close at approximately 7 p.m. Sunday and is expected to reopen by 7 a.m. Monday.

Traffic wishing to access U.S. 68/State Route 15 from I-75 southbound will be detoured east onto State Route 12 (West Main Cross), then onto South Main Street, and then directed to continue south to the U.S. 68 interchange with State Route 15, south of Findlay.

The work is part of the Interstate 75 reconstruction and widening project through Findlay.