Monthly Archives: June 2020

Motorcyclist Injured In Findlay Crash

A man was injured in a motorcycle crash in Findlay.

It happened around 6:30 Tuesday night at West Main Cross and Stanford Parkway/Emma Street, just west of Interstate 75.

The Findlay Police Department says Anthony Warner, 34, of Findlay, was driving his motorcycle northbound on Emma Street and was crossing West Main Cross when he was hit by a car that was southbound on Stanford Parkway intending to turn left onto West Main Cross.

Warner was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital by Hanco EMS for a foot injury.

The driver of the car, Vagios Gkaintatzis, 28, of Bowling Green, was cited for failing to yield.

Both the car and motorcycle had to be towed from the scene.

Findlay-Hancock County Housing Market Study Conducted

A housing market study for Findlay and Hancock County has been completed.

Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn says the study will help the community grow more effectively.

She said they don’t want to just build housing to build housing but it needs to be done at the right price points and the right mix of housing so it’s sustainable for the long-term.

The mayor said the study concluded that the Findlay-Hancock County housing market is capable of supporting approximately 1,000 for-sale and 500 rental units over the next five years among a wide variety of housing types and price points.

She says about 22,000 people come into Hancock County daily to work.

“There are a number of folks that would like to live in our community that are already working here that are unable to do so because they can’t find housing that they’re looking for.”

The mayor says they need to make sure that anyone who wants to live here will have the opportunity to do so.

She said the study found that the greatest need in Findlay-Hancock County is for 800 to 1,000 units in the moderate price point, which would be in the range of $160,000 to 300,000 in the for-sale market and $750 to $1,000 for a rental.

Click here for more.

 

Ohio Says Goodbye To Front License Plates

Starting Wednesday, Ohio drivers are only required to have a rear license plate.

The change in state law, approved last year, brings Ohio in line with more than a dozen other states, including Indiana and Kentucky, who only require a rear plate.

Supporters of the change, who include car dealers and auto enthusiasts, argued that the two-plate requirement is costly and cumbersome.

But law enforcement agencies say the second plate gives them twice the odds of identifying criminal suspects.

Previously, you could be fined and face a minor misdemeanor charge for not having a front plate.

 

FBI Arrests Four Toledo City Council Members

Four Toledo City Council members along with a local attorney have been arrested and are being investigated for an alleged bribes-for-votes scheme.

A criminal complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court, meaning the group could face federal charges.

Larry Sykes, Yvonne Harper, Tyrone Riley and Gary Johnson are named in the suit.

The filing says these members accepted bribe payments for official acts.

It also says local attorney Keith Mitchell helped funnel the payments.

Findlay Police Chief Retiring, New Chief To Be Sworn In

Findlay’s police chief is retiring.

Police Chief John Dunbar’s last day on the job will be Friday, July 3rd.

Chief Dunbar has been with the Findlay Police Department for 28 years, the last three as police chief.

During his time with the department, Dunbar served as a field training officer, detective, and served on the emergency response team (ERT) for 15 years.

He received Officer of the Month recognitions in November 1994 and November 1995 and received the Officer of the Year Award in 1995.

The City of Findlay says it is grateful to Chief Dunbar for his years of service to the police department and the community as a whole.

Captain Robert Ring will become the police department’s next police chief.

He’ll be sworn in by Mayor Christina Muryn on Monday July 6th at 9 a.m. at Dorney Plaza.

(Captain Ring can be seen in the picture above over Chief Dunbar’s right shoulder)

Sisser Assumes Presidency Of Findlay Rotary Club

Sarah Sisser has been installed as the new president of the Findlay Rotary Club.

The changing of the guard was held at the Rotary’s Monday meeting with Julie McIntosh passing the leadership to Sisser.

Sisser is the Executive Director of the Hancock Historical Museum.

Get more in the full news release from the Rotary below.

Sarah Sisser was installed as president of the Findlay Rotary Club at the Club’s weekly meeting on Monday, June 29, 2020.

Sisser is a Findlay native and has served as the Executive Director of the Hancock Historical Museum since 2013. The museum was founded in 1970 and provides programming to more than 20,000 people annually, including more than 4,000 Hancock County schoolchildren.

Sisser received her undergraduate degree in Historic Preservation from the Savannah College of Art & Design in Savannah, Georgia, and her master’s degree in Community Planning from Auburn University. Prior to her time at the museum, she worked in planning positions for the Metropolitan Planning Commission in Savannah and for Auburn University.

Sisser is involved in numerous organizations including the Findlay Rotary Club, Hancock County ADAMHS Board, Ohio Humanities Board of Directors and Friends of Ohio Barns Board of Directors. Previously, she has also served on the Findlay-Hancock County Convention & Visitors Bureau Advisory Board. Sisser is a 2015 graduate of the Ohio Tourism Leadership Academy, the 2018 Ohio Museums Association Emerging Professional of the Year and a 2019 recipient of the Toledo-area 20 Under 40 Award.

Sisser resides in Findlay with her husband Ben Streacker, who is employed at Marathon Petroleum Corporation and their two children.

Other Rotary officers are: Matt Black, president-elect; Robin Ridge, treasurer; John Harrington, secretary; Craig Burnside, sergeant-at-arms; and Julie McIntosh, immediate past president.

Club board members include, Black, Cheryl Buckland, Burnside, Dennis Hellmann, Matt Hull, Eric Morman, Erin Poling, Sisser and Precia Stuby.

Ohio Couple Gets Pizza With Pepperoni Swastika

Two Little Caesars Pizza employees were fired after a Cleveland-area couple found a swastika arranged in pepperoni on a pizza they picked up over the weekend.

The employees said the pizza was an internal joke and was never meant to be sold to a customer.

Jason and Misty Laska, of Brook Park, say nothing about the pizza was funny.

The pizza company says they denounce racism and immediately fired the employees.

They also contacted the family directly to apologize.

(picture courtesy of Jason and Misty Laska)

 

Officials Warn About Hot Vehicles As Heatwave Settles In

As this heatwave settles in, safety officials are reminding people how quickly vehicles can become dangerously hot.

“It only takes minutes to increase those temperatures when you’re talking 90-degree weather and very high humidity like we’re having this week,” said Lt. Mark Price with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office.

He says if you think leaving your child or pet in the car is safe because you’re just running into the store for a few minutes, you need to think again.

It only takes 10 minutes for a car to heat up 20 degrees and become deadly.

And officials say leaving a window cracked does not provide enough relief.

The Lt. says if you come across a child or pet left unattended in a parked car in hot weather to err on the side of caution and call it in because you don’t know how long they’ve been there.

These temperatures will only get hotter as the week progresses, with a high of 95 expected on Friday.

Driver Runs Red Light Causing Injury Crash In Findlay

The Findlay Police Department says a driver ran a red light causing an injury crash.

It happened at 12:23 Monday afternoon at North Main Street and Trenton Avenue.

Police say Roy Sensabaugh, 54, of Deshler, was driving north on North Main Street when he failed to stop at the red light and struck a car that was westbound on East Trenton Avenue.

The driver of the car that was hit, Hannah Hassan, 18, of Mount Cory, was transported to Blanchard Valley Hospital for injuries that are not life-threatening.

 

Governor Sets Date For Outdoor Nursing Home Visitation

Governor Mike DeWine says Ohioans can visit loved ones outside at nursing homes starting July 20th.

He made the announcement on Monday in a news conference he called only hours earlier.

The National Guard is currently making progress on testing all nursing homes and once they’re cleared the visiting can start again.

DeWine says he’s confident this approach will keep people safe.

Ohio has had 51,046 confirmed cases of coronavirus since the outbreak began, including an increase in 737 cases in the past 24 hours.

There have been 2,818 deaths.

Hancock Public Health says there have been 74 cases in the county and one death. 13 of the cases are active.

DeWine says hospitalizations in the state are increasing, and the week of June 21st to 27th saw an increase of at least 500 patients.

That’s the highest number in two months.

DeWine says the largest increases are in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dayton.

He says Ohioans need to continue wearing their face masks and practicing social distancing.