The NFL Hall of Game game won’t happen this year.

The Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers were set to play in the game on August 6th in Canton, Ohio.

The game was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic and the Hall of Fame enshrinement was moved to next year as well.

“The health and safety of our Hall of Famers, fans and volunteers who make Enshrinement Week so special remains our top priority,” said Pro Football Hall of Fame president and CEO David Baker.

“The Hall will honor the Centennial Class of 2020 next August, along with what promises to be an equally spectacular Class of 2021, as part of a multi-day celebration of football with an atmosphere that will deliver for fans ‘Twice the Fun in ’21’.

The Hancock County County Sheriff’s Office says a man was injured in a single-vehicle crash just east of Findlay.

It happened a little before 2 p.m. Thursday on Township Road 234, south of Township Road 208 in Marion Township.

The sheriff’s office says Christian Richardson, 47, of Findlay, was driving north on Township Road 234 when he went off the left side of the road, entered the ditch and took out a utility pole.

Richardson was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital by Hanco EMS.

The crash remains under investigation.

Ohio is seeing its fourth-largest single-day increase of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in March.

Governor Mike DeWine gave the latest figures on Thursday afternoon, which include a spike of 892 cases in the last 24-hours, bringing the statewide total to 47,651.

As of Thursday afternoon, there are just over 7,500 people hospitalized with the virus in Ohio.

The death toll in Ohio stands at 2,772.

While the state has recently ramped up testing efforts, DeWine says that’s not the reason for the spike in coronavirus cases.

The governor said it’s still very important that Ohioans continue social distancing and wearing masks when in public.

“Younger people are driving the increase in the number of cases, indicating the disease is spreading in the community”, said Dr. Richard Lofgren, president of the University of Cincinnati Health.

Nearly 60 percent of the new cases involve patients ages 20 to 49.

Hancock Public Health says there have been 65 cases of coronavirus in the county and one death.

Six of the cases are active.

A Findlay manufacturer expects to double its workforce after landing a contract to make N99 masks for the U.S. Government.

Brad Butler is operations manager for GVS Filtration.

“We were roughly a couple hundred people within the organization making automotive filters and now we’re ramping up to over 400 people doing both automotive and the health and safety masks.”

Butler says they won a $23 million contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to supply them with N99 masks that they starting producing over the last few months.

GVS Filtration is generally a fuel filter manufacturing plant for the automotive industry but they switched gears because of the pandemic and are now making N99 masks and respirators.

(ONN) – Vice President Mike Pence took part in the unveiling of an all-electric pickup truck being manufactured in the former General Motors plant near Youngstown.

WKYC-TV in Cleveland reports that Pence rode into the venue in the Endurance pickup being produced by Lordstown Motors.

Pence described the new venture as “a new beginning for Lordstown and a new day of leadership for electric vehicles.”

Lordstown Motors took over the shuttered GM plant late last year.

The company says that the truck has “the fewest moving parts of any motor vehicle,” which will lead to “fewer maintenance costs and lower total cost of ownership.”

The truck’s base price is $52,500.

(picture courtesy of the Vice President’s office)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39y5FNxvHgk

(ONN) – The days are numbered for the statue of Christopher Columbus that has stood outside Columbus City Hall since 1955.

The Columbus Art Commission voted to approve its removal and it will be taken down in the next few days and placed in a city warehouse.

As for what will go in its place, the art commission says there will be public input on what replaces it and which art or artists are selected.

Mayor Andrew Ginther said removing the statue “demonstrates our enduring fight to end racism and celebrate the themes of diversity and inclusion.”

The statue was a gift from the people of Genoa, Italy in 1955.

Columbus State Community College recently removed its statue of Columbus, and there is debate about the future of another one outside of the Ohio Statehouse.

A driver was injured in a two-vehicle crash that shut down U.S. 224 just east of Findlay.

The crash happened at around 4:15 Wednesday afternoon at U.S. 224 and Township Road 237, near Shady Grove Golf Club.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says Lauren Spaeth, of Findlay, was turning west from Township Road 237 onto U.S. 224 when she struck a car that was eastbound on U.S. 224 being driven by a Kayla Williams.

The sheriff’s office says Williams was transported to Blanchard Valley Hospital with unknown injuries.

U.S. 224 was shut down for about an hour as the crash was investigated.

June 21st through June 27th is Lightning Safety Awareness Week.

Hancock County EMA Director Lee Swisher says there’s a reason the saying “when thunder roars, go indoors” is so popular.

“People don’t realize that lightning can actually strike as far as 25 miles away from the actual parent thunderstorm.”

He says while it’s tempting to watch a storm roll in, you should do so from inside to be safe.

About 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning strikes occur in the United States each year.

Over the last 30 years, the U.S. has averaged around 50 lightning fatalities per year.

Get more lightning safety tips here.

The non-profit organization Welcome To a New Life is seeking volunteer mentors to help people live productive, crime-free, drug-free lives.

Get more details in the full news release below.

Also, click here to read a success story of how the organization is helping a local woman turn her life around.

Welcome to a New Life is a nonprofit organization in the Findlay/Hancock County area with a mission to provide mentorship and resources for people who are involved in the Hancock County criminal justice system, helping these individuals live crime-free, drug-free, productive lives. The newly formed organization received its IRS charity status in June of 2019 and has been matching mentors to inmates and others since that time. To date, the organization has mentored 15 people, most of whom have made great strides in their lives and are continually improving their personal situations.

“Volunteer mentors are vital to our organization and are needed to help these individuals with their road to recovery and a second chance for a new life,” said Carla Benjamin, executive director. “We have been able to establish an online orientation so that new mentors can have an understanding of the resources in our community as well as the knowledge of how to encourage and coach these individuals who want to improve their lives.”

Both men and women are being sought for mentors. Mentors are asked to spend approximately one hour a week with their mentees to set goals, provide encouragement, and help with resources. These times together can be accomplished by phone call, video conference, or meeting in appropriate places that allow for social distancing. Training for mentors occurs through-out the year with the initial orientation being approximately two hours long. Volunteer mentors will need a background check, drug test, references, and the ability to use a web-based tool for note-taking from the weekly meetings with their mentee. The length of the mentor/mentee relationship can be anywhere from two months to a life-long relationship.

The organization was co-founded by Stan Kujawa and Harold “Puck” Rowe. They developed the program to help the individuals make changes in their lives while also addressing the overcrowding of the Hancock County jail.

To learn more about Welcome to a New Life, please contact Carla Benjamin at director@welcometoanewlife.org or by calling 419-455-6082.

Vice President Mike Pence is coming to Ohio for the unveiling of Lordstown Motors’ new pickup.

The all-electric Endurance truck will be launched on Thursday.

Company officials say the truck has the fewest moving parts of any vehicle while also featuring four in-wheel hub motors.

The company launched last year in the old GM plant in Lordstown.

People can watch the unveiling at noon Thursday on Lordstown Motors’ Facebook page.

The vice president reportedly will also meet with local law enforcement leaders.