The Findlay City Schools Board of Education voted unanimously to place a 5.9 mill operating levy on the ballot in a special election on August 4th.

The same levy was defeated in the April 28th primary by a vote of 4,438 to 3,979, or 52 to 46 percent

Superintendent Ed Kurt says the district needs this levy to pass because they’re in an operational deficit.

“Just so the voters know and the community knows, this is just for us to maintain what we’re doing, and to keep presenting the opportunities that we have in front of our students.”

He says if the levy fails in August it would likely be put before voters in November for a third time.

With the April 28th defeat, Kurt says they’ll already have to make some personnel cuts for the next school year and he says a defeat in August and November would result in cuts that would “cripple” the district.

The school district says the five-year 5.9 mill levy would generate about $5 million annually.

The levy would cost a homeowner $206.50 for each $100,000 of home value, equating to about an additional $17 a month on your school taxes.

The Ohio National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing in Toledo will take flight to salute Ohio’s frontline heroes and to lift the spirits and morale of Ohioans during the pandemic.

Governor DeWine says the jets will conduct flyovers of Ohio cities beginning on Wednesday.

The Salute Ohio schedule has the jets flying over the Findlay area between 1:45 and 2:05 on Thursday.

Marathon Petroleum on Tuesday reported a loss of $9.2 billion for the first quarter of 2020.

That compares to a loss of $7 million in the first quarter of 2019.

“Recent global events, including the COVID-19 pandemic and oil price tensions, have been disruptive to the personal and professional lives of many and significantly impacted demand for the transportation fuels we manufacture,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Hennigan.

“In addressing these challenges, first and foremost, we are focused on the health and safety of our employees, our customers, and the communities where we operate. We are grateful for everyone working on the front lines of this pandemic and are proud to do our part by contributing supplies to those affected by this crisis. These are unprecedented times, leading us to make prudent tactical changes for 2020. We believe these proactive steps will help maintain our financial strength, support our investment-grade credit rating, and enhance the through-cycle resiliency of our business.”

Get details on what actions the company is taking in response to the COVID-19 environment here.

The gravel lot just south of the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library will be getting paved.

The lot is owned by Hancock County, and Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn says the city, county and library are collaborating on improving the space and the sidewalks around it.

She says the City of Findlay Public Works Department will do the paving work while the county and library cover the cost of materials.

Muryn says the lot is a prime location for public parking especially in light of discussions regarding court expansion and the impacts to parking on the south side of West Main Cross Street.

“As Findlay and the nation come back from the impacts of the pandemic, it is anticipated that parking will once again become a public need.”

She says no capital funding is required for the collaborative effort to improve the lot.

The City of Findlay will be allowing the public to attend city council meetings in person for the first time since the pandemic began.

People wishing to attend the Tuesday night city council meeting, or the public hearing beforehand, will have to wear a face mask and be asked to maintain safe social distance of at least six feet from others.

The meeting, which begins at 7 p.m., will also be aired on WFIN and WFIN.com, as well as the City of Findlay’s website and local cable through Spectrum.

The public hearing about rezoning 229 Howard Street is to begin at 6:55 p.m.

Written communications on agenda items should be submitted by email at CityCouncil@findlayohio.com by noon on Tuesday in order to be included on the agenda and can also be read into the record upon request.

Governor DeWine in his daily coronavirus briefing on Monday voiced his disappointment in the people who protested outside of Dr. Amy Acton’s home over the weekend.

The governor made it clear that while he respects the First Amendment, to bother the family of Dr. Acton, the state’s health director, is not right or necessary.

“I’m the elected official who ran for office. I’m the one who makes policy decisions. Members of my cabinet work hard, but I set the policy. When you don’t like the policy, again – you can demonstrate against me – that’s fair game.”

The governor also said it’s not fair game to treat reporters with disrespect and to not practice social distancing with them.

A man was killed in a motorcycle crash north of McComb on Sunday.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says Donald Rosebrook, 71, of Deshler, was driving northbound on State Route 235 Sunday afternoon when he lost control on a curve and went off the road.

His motorcycle struck a ditch and came to rest in a field.

Donald was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A passenger on the bike, Bonnie Rosebrook, 70, was flown to St. Rita’s Hospital by medical helicopter.

The crash remains under investigation.

Findlay Brewing Company has a new beer that will benefit hospitality workers impacted by the pandemic.

FBC says All Together is a New England IPA and is available for takeout in 64 ounce growlers and 25 ounce crowler cans.

Customers can call ahead at 419-419-2739 to place the order for takeout or curbside delivery.

Delivery is available from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Findlay Brewing Company is making the beer alongside many breweries across the globe using a base recipe from New York’s Other Half Brewing.

Proceeds raised from All Together at Findlay Brewing Company will be donated to Ohio hospitality workers impacted by the pandemic via the Restaurant Strong Fund.

Hospitality workers can apply for the grant here.

More information about the All Together collaboration can be found here.

The Findlay City Schools Board of Education will be holding a special meeting on Monday.

The purpose of the meeting is to vote on a resolution to place the 5.9 mill operating levy that failed in the April 28th primary on the ballot of a special election on August 4th.

The meeting will be conducted via teleconference because of the pandemic.

The public can observe the meeting by going to the school district’s website and clicking the link at the top of the page.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7:30 Monday night.

WFIN News recently spoke with Superintendent Ed Kurt about the levy and you can get that story here.

Saturday was a very bittersweet day for hundreds of University of Findlay students including Bryant and Charity.

All their hard work over the last four years has paid off in a well-earned degree, but they weren’t able to have a graduation and to stockpile all of the memories that come with it.

So, on Saturday, which was supposed to be UF’s commencement, the couple, who met as freshmen in the Western Equestrian program, spent some time on campus and performed one very important tradition.

“As you graduate you would walk through the arch to end your time here, so we walked through it together today even though we weren’t able to with the whole class,” Bryant said.

Charity said, while it was great to sort of experience the arch ceremony, she was especially saddened to not be able to have her college graduation because she was home-schooled her whole life until college and has never experienced a big graduation.

Despite not having a traditional graduation, both say the university has done a lot to try and make the end of their undergraduate years as special as possible with special videos and an upcoming virtual celebration.

“They definitely are still trying to make it special for us even though it’s at a hard point in our lives,” Charity said.

Both of the new graduates will be sticking around Findlay.

Bryant will be going to graduate school at UF and Charity got a job as a trainer at the horse farm.