The Findlay Police Department says a body was found in the Blanchard River on Sunday.

Police say they received a call of a body in the river at around 6:15 Sunday night.

Responding officers located a deceased person in the river west of the Norfolk and Southern Railroad Bridge, north of the 300 block of Washington Street.

The body was recovered from the river by the Findlay Fire Department and turned over to Hanco EMS for transport to the Lucas County Coroner’s Office.

Police say the cause of death is unknown at this time.

The name of the individual will be released pending positive identification and notification of family.

It was definitely a nice weekend for a hike, and the Hancock Park District is holding monthly 50th birthday hikes leading up to their big birthday celebration in October.

The March hike was held on Saturday, going from Riverside Park to Centennial Park in Findlay.

The park district’s Naturalist, Michelle Rumschlag, led the hike and educated people about plants and animals along the way.

The park district turns the big 5-0 in October and a birthday celebration will be held at Litzenberg Memorial Woods.

Click here for more on the birthday celebration and the monthly hikes.

The Fostoria Police Division is asking people to report crimes to police before posting things online to lessen the spread of misinformation.

Police say they became aware of a post on Facebook referencing an alleged incident in Fostoria.

They say they felt it was their duty to determine the circumstances and validity of the post, so they contacted the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office to reach out to the alleged victim.

Police say the victim has come forward and reported the incident and it is being investigated as an assault.

The incident occurred along the 800 block of North Countyline Street on March 5th around 1 a.m.

Police are asking anyone who witnessed the assault or who has seen a male with a bite injury to their neck to get ahold of them.

“As with any investigation or incident, we strongly urge anyone to report the incident immediately to their local law enforcement agency prior to any posting on Facebook. This not only delays our ability to investigate but also can create fear and misinformation by individuals who regularly post malicious comments to make the situation even worse,” said Police Chief Keith Loreno.

Presidential candidate Joe Biden is coming to Ohio.

The former Vice President will make a stop in Columbus on Tuesday before heading to a campaign event in Cleveland.

No word yet on the times or locations.

Biden’s visit to the Buckeye State will take place one week before the state’s primary election – March 17th.

(picture courtesy of the Biden Campaign)

It’s time to spring forward, but some lawmakers in Ohio aren’t happy about it.

Daylight Saving Time begins this weekend, meaning clocks will advance by an hour on Sunday at 2 am.

Ohio state senators are urging Congress to make Daylight Saving Time permanent.

Read more about that here. 

The number of concealed-carry permits applied for and issued in Hancock County was way down last year.

A total of 715 CCW licenses were issued last year, down from 1,297 in 2018.

Sheriff Michael Heldman says the number of permits issued goes up and down, usually depending on if gun control is the hot topic that year.

“It’s kind of interesting to watch the trend, but it has grown ever since 2004 when we started issuing the carry concealed licenses.”

191 permits were issued in that first year in 2004.

The sheriff says 5 permits were denied last year and 12 were suspended.

Statewide, 132,385 CCW permits were issued in 2019.

Of those, 77,959 were renewals, a 21 percent decrease from 2018, and 54,426 licenses were new, a 21.5 percent decrease.

Denials were rare – 1,310 in total, for a rate of less than 1 percent.

Go over the full attorney general’s report here. 

Amid near-record debt, tariff wars and insufficient government bailouts, more than 450 farmers killed themselves across nine midwestern states – including Ohio – from 2014 to 2018.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that farmers are among the most likely to die by suicide, compared to other occupations.

That’s based on a January study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The problem has plagued agricultural communities across the nation, but perhaps nowhere more so than the Midwest, where extreme weather and falling prices have bludgeoned dairy and crop producers in recent years.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Got Your Back campaign is helping farmers with their mental health.

Meantime, Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague is reminding farmers and agribusinesses there is still time to take advantage of the Ag-LINK program.

The 2020 application period for Ag-LINK runs until March 20.

Through the program, farmers and agribusinesses may qualify for reduced interest loans for operating costs related to feed, seed, fertilizer, fuel, and other expenses.

Get more on the program here.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has released its final report on the investigation into the death of Port Clinton teenager Harley Dilly.

The 14-year-old’s body was found inside a chimney in a vacant home in January.

Investigators believe he became stuck in the chimney and died shortly after he left his family’s home in December.

The BCI’s report says Dilly was found standing up. There was an open vent above him.

His coat, eyeglasses, sweatshirt, and a Cleveland Browns jersey were pushed through a hole, and the vent cover was found near the clothing.

Agents had to remove a wall and the brick chimney to recover his body.

They say Dilly climbed an antenna on the side of the home and slid down the chimney feet first and couldn’t get out.

(ONN) – After some back and forth about coronavirus concerns between state leaders and organizers of this weekend’s Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, an agreement was reached.

The 22,000 athletes are still competing, but mostly without an audience.

The state has issued an order saying spectators cannot be at the festival until the finals.

But family members of athletes can be there to cheer on their loved ones.

The expo is still canceled, including the kids and teens expo.

The athletes are being screened at both the airport and the event.

13 people were turned away during the screening process: nine people from China and four people from Japan.

Governor Mike DeWine says he understands that some people are upset about restrictions at the Arnold Sports Fest, but he says the international aspect of it, along with the crowded venue at the Greater Columbus Convention Center makes these measures necessary.

The stretch of Interstate 75 between Findlay and Beaverdam has been designated a Distracted Driving Safety Corridor with extra enforcement and higher fines.

Captain Altman, Commander of the Findlay Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol says they see all kinds of distracted behavior behind the wheel.

“People on their cell phones, i-pads, eating cereal, reading newspapers, even studying for term papers, you name it and I guarantee law enforcement has seen it behind the wheel.”

And Lt. Matt Crow with the Findlay Post says he recently pulled over an 18-year-old in the construction zone at State Route 15 and Lima Avenue who was face-timing with his girlfriend.

“So, not only did he get a citation for the construction zone violation but also the enhanced penalty for the distracted driving violation.”

The Lt. says distracted driving incidents like that are becoming more and more common.

The 20-mile stretch of highway will be designated with signs that inform drivers of the dangers of driving distracted.

One of those signs reads “this could be your last text”.

The highway patrol says that stretch of highway saw more than 400 crashes over a three-year period, resulting in three deaths and nearly 80 injuries.

The corridor is the second of its kind in northwest Ohio. The first in the region is on U.S. 6 in Henry, Wood and Sandusky Counties.

The first in the state was implemented in Youngstown in 2018, and authorities say they did see a significant drop in crashes.