Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on Thursday said the state’s restaurants and bars will be allowed to reopen in two phases beginning on Friday, May 15th.

On May 15th outdoor dining will be allowed and on May 21st indoor dining will be allowed to resume.

The establishments must require employees to wear a facial covering, ensure their customers maintain safe social distancing and follow other safety protocols.

The governor also revealed that the reopening date for barbershops, hair salons, day spas, nail salons and related services will be May 15th.

As the state continues to slowly reopen, DeWine is urging people to continue following social distancing guidelines and to wear a face mask.

“This is a marathon, not a sprint. We are in it for the long-haul. As Ohioans, we need to know that we’re not going to get through this quickly,” the governor said.

You can go over the requirement for bars and restaurants here, and for salons here.

https://twitter.com/GovMikeDeWine/status/1258470282165202950

The Ohio State football team is welcoming another recruit from Australia with the announcement of a commitment from punter Jesse Mirco.

A native of Perth, Mirco posted on his Twitter that he has accepted a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes to play football as part of the class of 2021.

Mirco is 23-years-old and plays Australian Rules Football, which is a fast-paced contact sport similar to rugby.

Mirco joins a growing list of native Australians to play for Ohio State that includes current Philadelphia Eagles punter Cameron Johnston

https://twitter.com/Jesse_Mirco/status/1258003622589198336

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company on Thursday reported a first quarter 2020 loss of $12 million.

The company had a net income of $7 million during the first quarter of 2019.

In response to the coronavirus, Cooper temporarily shut down its manufacturing plants for periods of time while continuing to operate its distribution centers around the globe.

The U.S., China and Serbia plants are back in operation and will continue to ramp up production as conditions improve.

The company’s U.K and Mexico facilities remain temporarily closed.

“Overall, we believe Cooper is in a good position to benefit when the economy recovers,” said President and CEO Brad Hughes

“Over the past two years, we have transformed our company into a consumer driven organization with Cooper products now more available where consumers want to buy tires. We believe that our value proposition — high quality tires at an affordable price — will be even more compelling for consumers in the future economy, and our heritage of manufacturing tires in the U.S. for U.S. drivers will become even more important coming out of this period of uncertainty. Our research suggests consumer confidence in the Cooper brand is growing, and we believe that we stand to be a consumer tire partner of choice.”

Some Ohio Republicans are looking to limit the powers of Dr. Amy Acton, the director of the Ohio Department of Health.

The Ohio House on Wednesday passed a measure that would stem the authority of the department by limiting stay-at-home orders to no more than 14-days.

Acton would need to get bipartisan approval from the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review, a 10-member Senate-House panel, to extend any health order beyond 14 days.

The amendment is not likely to get out of the Senate and if it did it would be vetoed by the governor.

Dr. Acton has built a nationwide following during the coronavirus pandemic.

A new video essay produced by the New York Times calls Acton “the leader we wish we all had.”

It compares Ohio’s response to the COVID-19 crisis with that of Michigan’s, noting that while the Buckeye State has a bigger population, it suffered fewer coronavirus deaths.

The essay concludes that “Dr. Acton convinced millions of Ohioans to stay at home. Not by ordering them, but by inspiring them.”

Findlay High School has named the valedictorian and salutatorian of the 2020 class and is preparing for a virtual graduation.

Megan Earhart earned the designation of valedictorian, while Michael Copeland is the salutatorian.

Assistant Principal Christine Siebeneck says Earhart and Copeland are two of 16 members of the senior class with a 4.0 GPA or better.

“All of them are involved in activities in school and out of school, it’s just a testament to the amount of time that they put in.”

She says this senior class is very impressive with a diverse skill set.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, Findlay High School will have a virtual graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 23rd at 10 a.m.

Siebeneck says their goal in planning the virtual ceremony was to preserve the rich traditions of a Findlay High School graduation ceremony.

For example, she says they will still have their choirs performing at the virtual graduation ceremony as well as the speech from the valedictorian, the reading of the graduate names and, of course, the turning of the tassels.

Each of the 337 seniors recently received a yard sign that was delivered by FCS staff and made possible by local businesses.

(ONN) – A big announcement is expected this week about when a major segment of Ohio’s businesses will be allowed to reopen.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine did not hold one of his daily coronavirus briefings on Wednesday.

Instead, he’s been reviewing a plan that was submitted to him Tuesday night from the Ohio Restaurant Association.

The association is pushing to set a reopening date of Friday, May 15th.

The governor is expected to announce an update on when Ohio bars and restaurants can reopen on Thursday.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol didn’t have to wait long to catch several drivers speeding during an aggressive driving speed enforcement initiative in Findlay on Wednesday.

Lt. Matt Crow, Findlay Post Commander, says in just one hour six vehicles were stopped on Interstate 75 and cited for speeds of at least 20 miles per hour over the speed limit.

Crow says the slowest speeder was going 91 miles per hour and the fastest, a juvenile driver, was going 108 miles per hour.

“We have seen speeds increase dramatically since the COIVD-19 quarantine went into effect in March,” the Lt. said.

“First and foremost the purpose of this enforcement initiative was to prevent serious injury and fatal traffic crashes due to extremely high speeds. Secondly, we wanted to remind drivers that just because the traffic volume has decreased, it is not a green light to drive recklessly.”

He says troopers also found drugs and two handguns that were being illegally transported in one of the vehicles.

The initiative was worked in conjunction with the Ohio State Highway Patrol Aviation Unit on Interstate 75.

Crow says just because drivers don’t see any troopers around doesn’t mean it’s time to speed.

“Absolutely, they always need to be aware that there could be a trooper up in a plane.”

The administrator of the Hancock County Jail says National Correctional Officers Week is a time to salute a group of officers who are often overlooked but carry a tremendous amount of responsibility.

“Unless you work in it it’s very hard to understand what each of our frontline officers do every given day,” said Captain Ryan Kidwell, the jail administrator at the Hancock County Justice Center.

He says the danger doesn’t end when a person is incarcerated, and inmates can make weapons behind bars, use their physical strength against officers and be verbal and confrontational.

Captain Kidwell says the 45 members of the jail staff continue to serve honorably and excel at their jobs.

“Their job is not simply to secure a facility and the people in it. Correctional officers and employees teach, train, mentor, preach, and cure.”

He says it’s an honor to have so many dedicated individuals working in the justice center and serving their community.

This is Teacher Appreciation Week, and the administrative team of Findlay City Schools has been busy placing signs in the yard of each teacher.

“Just to let them know that we value what they do and that they are truly appreciated,” said Krista Miller, the principal at Glenwood Middle School and incoming assistant superintendent.

She says they placed between 300 and 400 of the signs which say FCS Teachers Are The Best.

“No one will ever truly understand how much our teachers have done in this remote learning setting to support our students.”

She says there will also be a tree dedicated to teachers in Donnell Park.

The Hancock County Engineer says traffic will be restricted on Hancock County Road 313 from Findlay to Bluffton as the road is resurfaced.

The asphalt resurfacing began on Tuesday and will last about three weeks, said Hancock County Engineer Douglas Cade.

He says traffic will be maintained but drivers should use caution when traveling through the area or choose an alternate route.

Cade says the project is part of a $1.78 million Federal Highway and Hancock County Engineer funded project for resurfacing County Road 313.