A highway safety group says more than 800 rear-seat passengers who weren’t wearing seat belts died last year in U.S. traffic crashes, showing that states arent making enough progress in getting people to buckle up.

The Governors Highway Safety Association says more than 400 of the 803 people who died would have survived if they were wearing seat belts.

The association put out a report in 2015 drawing attention to rear seat-belt use.

It says only two more states enacted rear seat belt laws since then.

20 states, including Ohio, still don’t have laws requiring rear belt use.

The federal government is seeking public comment on a rule requiring automakers to warn drivers if rear passengers aren’t belted in.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says a woman was killed in a two-vehicle crash northeast of Findlay on Monday.

The crash happened at around 5:30 p.m. at the intersection of County Road 18 and County Road 109 in Cass Township.

The sheriff’s office says Starr Platt, 38, of Fostoria, was driving south on County Road 18 when she collided with a car that was westbound on County Road 109.

Starr’s car, after impact, overturned in a field and came to rest on its side.

She was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Crash investigators say Starr was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.

The other car came to rest in a ditch.

The driver of the other car, Alyssa Greenwald, 20, of Fostoria, and a passenger, were not injured in the crash. They were each wearing their seat belt.

The crash remains under investigation.

The paving of Lima Avenue at U.S. 68/State Route 15 in Findlay will cause the ramps there to close temporarily this week.

The Ohio Department of Transportation says, on Tuesday and Wednesday, drivers can expect temporary ramp closures due to the paving of Lima Avenue.

Work will begin on the west side of U.S. 68/State Route 15, near the airport, and progress east through the roundabouts to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and circle back traveling west through the roundabouts.

The U.S. 68/State Route 15 ramps will experience temporary closures for short periods up to a couple hours. Traffic should find an alternate route.

On Monday, paving occurred along Lima Avenue and between the roundabouts under U.S. 68/State Route15.

Also, on Thursday, River Road and Howard Street, underneath the Blanchard River bridge, will be closed for pavement repairs.

The closure is expected to be in place for only a few hours. Traffic should find an alternate route.

Pavement repair will also occur along Logan Avenue. Traffic will be restricted to one lane.

ODOT still anticipates having the Lima Avenue roundabouts at U.S. 68/State Route 15 ready to go sometime in December.

The entire I-75 reconstruction and widening project is slated for completion in late 2020.

Ohio is getting prepped for the 2020 census and the Development Services Agency says it is very important that people get counted.

DSA director and former Mayor of Findlay Lydia Mihalik said that the census will help figure out how $675 billion of federal funds will get distributed.

She added that it is important for communities to get their census correct so that they also get an appropriate distribution from the state.

It’s not only but funds, however.  Mihalik said that the census will also determine how many representatives each state can have in Congress.

The Census will be taken between April and May and can be done online.

You can learn more here.

Awakening Minds Art held its 9th annual Art Auction over the weekend in Findlay.

“It gets bigger and bigger every year,” said Executive Director Sarah Crisp. “We just keep gaining momentum.”

She says the 31 pieces of art that were auctioned off brought in $51,285 which will be used to keep their programming affordable for families.

The art was made by students in the program, many of which were at the auction to represent their work.

The artwork featured a variety of different scenes and topics and came with names like “Flowers Out My Window” and “America”.

“This is our biggest event of the year and we really look forward to it, it’s a really special event,” Crisp added.

Learn more about Awakening Minds Art here.

Hunters in Ohio are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the state’s deer-gun season that begins in early December.

Deer-gun season in Ohio this year runs December 2nd through the 8th, with an additional weekend of hunting December 21 and 22.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife says hunters harvested more than 60,500 deer during last year’s weeklong gun season and more than 9,600 during a weekend hunt.

State officials advise hunters to check the 2019-2020 Ohio hunting and trapping regulations for county-specific bag limits, updates on permits and other information.

The statewide bag limit is six deer. The bag limit in Hancock County is two deer.

The University of Findlay has a way for you to help needy children have a happy Christmas this year.

Details are in the following media release from the university.

University of Findlay’s annual Toys for Tots drive, which provides holiday gifts to disadvantaged Hancock County children, will begin Monday, Nov. 18. This year’s goal is to collect 300 toys.

In collaboration with the U.S. Marine Corps, Salvation Army and CHOPIN Hall, the drive will accept toys at a drop-off location in the Alumni Memorial Union (AMU) on Frazer Street, outside of the Office of Student Activities, Room 8A. Donations can be made Nov. 18-22 from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1-5 p.m.; and from Dec. 2-5 during the same time periods.

Toys most needed include those for ages infant to 15 years. U.S. Marine Corps volunteers are requesting that toys be new and unwrapped. Electronics such as DVDs, CDs, video games, and gaming systems are discouraged.

At the drive’s conclusion, Student Activities Board will host a Toys for Tots Christmas Party on Thursday, Dec. 5 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in AMU’s Fireside Lounge. Guests will have the opportunity to greet U.S. Marines, and visit with Santa and his helper, Mishka. Christmas music, snacks and pictures with Santa will be available.

UF’s Toys for Tots 2019 drive is sponsored by Student Activities Board, Commuter Services, Leadership Development, Campus Safety, E

(ONN) – The Supreme Court of Ohio will decide whether a law prohibiting gun owners from carrying firearms while intoxicated should be applied inside a gun owner’s home.

A Clermont County man was arrested in 2018 after he acknowledged having an unloaded shotgun while drunk.

His lawyers say the law is unconstitutional when applied to homeowners.

They say a person’s sobriety or intoxication level should have nothing to do with possessing a weapon in the hearth and home.
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Gun control advocates argue that the safety of Ohio residents and responding police officers would be jeopardized if the court overturns the arrest.

A Michigan woman is facing felony charges after a traffic stop in Hancock County.

Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers say they pulled over 32-year-old Constance Harrison of Flint, Michigan and found drugs in the car.

They say they found 23 grams of marijuana, 80 ecstasy pills, 6.5 grams of powdered ecstasy, and 376 milliliters of liquid codeine worth around $3,250.

Troopers stopped Harrison for speeding on I-75 in the early morning hours of November 9.

If convicted she could face up to eight years in prison and up to a $15,000 fine.

Hancock County Veteran Services executive director Nicole Coleman was invited to Washington D.C. to take part in Veterans Day festivities.

Coleman said she was honored to join the group that included the leaders of the VA and Vice President Mike Pence.

Coleman even got to help lay the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Below is a video Coleman sent to us.