All registered Ohio voters can expect to get an absentee ballot request form in the mail, as has been custom for nearly a decade.

Secretary of State Frank LaRose says $1.5 million in federal funds will be used to send the forms to nearly 8 million Ohioans.

“For nearly a decade, Ohioans have received an absentee ballot request ahead of the Presidential and Gubernatorial General Election, and today’s controlling board action ensures that will be the case again this year,” LaRose said.

“Sending the request – not the ballot – helps voters participate in the election and means each registered voter in Ohio can continue to choose one of three options available to them – early voting, absentee voting by mail, or voting in person on Election Day.”

LaRose says no state tax dollars were used for the mailings and they should arrive around Labor Day.

The last day to register to vote in the November election is October 5th.

The U.S. Supreme Court has delivered a big victory for LGBTQ employees.

In a sweeping landmark decision, the court ruled that employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is prohibited under federal civil rights law.

Dr. Jasmin Bradley is the executive director of LGBTQ+ Spectrum of Findlay.

Dr. Bradley says this ruling is the most significant affirmation of LGBTQ rights in the United States since the 2015 Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage.

And she said it’s nice that this victory for LGBTQ rights came during Pride Month.

Also, a few weeks back, we spoke with her during a street painting event to kick off Pride Month and she told us Findlay has made progress recently when it comes to respecting the LGBTQ community.

Get more on that here.

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company has announced its annual Roy V. Armes and Centennial Scholarships.

The national scholarship program benefits children of the company’s U.S. employees.

Details are in the following news release from Cooper Tire.

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company today announced that six recent high school graduates have been selected to receive scholarships to pursue higher education.

The Roy V. Armes Scholarship, a renewable scholarship which provides up to $5,000 over the next four years, was awarded to one student, and Cooper Centennial Scholarships, in the amount of $1,000 each, were awarded to five students.

The Roy V. Armes Scholarship was established in 2016 to honor former Cooper Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, Roy Armes, upon his retirement. Armes served Cooper for nearly a decade, and this fund was created in recognition of his many contributions and achievements. The scholarship is focused on high-achieving students who will attend a four-year institution of higher learning to pursue careers in business or engineering and goes to the child of a Cooper employee in the United States.

The recipient of the Roy V. Armes Scholarship is:

Mitchel Schroeder – Mitchel is the 18-year-old son of Kim Schroeder, who works in Distribution and Operations Planning at Cooper’s Findlay, Ohio headquarters, and her husband Roy. A salutatorian of Ottawa-Glandorf High School in Ottawa, Ohio, Mitchel intends to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering at The Ohio State University in the fall. He was a member of the National Honor Society, Key Club vice president, Game Guys founder and vice president, soccer captain, and participated in tennis, baseball, and CYO basketball. He has also served as a Sunday school teacher at St. John the Baptist church and volunteered for Putnam County HomeCare & Hospice.

The Cooper Centennial Scholarship is in its sixth year and was originated to commemorate the company’s 100th anniversary in 2014. The scholarship is available to the children of Cooper employees in the U.S. who are outstanding high school seniors and who will pursue degrees at a college, university or technical school.

Centennial Scholarship recipients are:

Madeline Fulk – Madeline is the 18-year-old daughter of Beth Fulk, an Engineer in Cooper’s Findlay, Ohio plant, and her husband Joshua. As a graduate of Findlay High School in Findlay, Ohio, Madeline plans to attend Kent State University and earn a degree in architecture. She is a piano player and competes in cheerleading. She also serves as a member of her church’s youth group, has taken six mission trips with her church, and supports youth by volunteering as a junior cheer coach.

Abigail Hatch – Abigail is the 18-year-old daughter of Robert Hatch, who works within Original Equipment Sales at Cooper’s Findlay, Ohio headquarters, and his wife Arika. Abigail graduated from Liberty-Benton High School in Findlay, Ohio, and intends to pursue a degree in pharmacy at the University of Findlay. She was a member of National Honor Society, Fermata, the Blue Acapella group, Student Council, and played basketball and soccer. Abigail’s community involvement included participation in the 2019 Hancock Youth Leadership program, as well as service as a STRIDES leader.

Kyleen Hewitt – Kyleen is the 18-year-old daughter of Jimmy Hewitt, who is a Section Manager at Cooper’s Texarkana, Arkansas tire manufacturing facility, and his wife Crystal. Kyleen is a graduate of Fouke High School in Fouke, Arkansas, and plans to attend Southern Arkansas University where she will study agribusiness. She was a member of the softball and trap shooting teams as well as active in Fouke FFA, Two Rivers 4-H Club, and BETA Club. Kyleen also volunteered with the Miller County Fair Association and the Circle J Cowboy Church youth group.

Madeline Parmelee – Madeline is the 17-year-old daughter of Ray Parmelee, a Cooper Master Black Belt working in Findlay, Ohio, and Nicole Wortman. She graduated from Liberty-Benton High School in Findlay and, this fall, will pursue a degree in biology at Siena Heights University with the intention of going to medical school. In addition to playing soccer, Madeline also participated in her school musical and was a member of the National Honor Society. She was active in her community through ENGAGE and the Zach Morgan Memorial Soccer Tournament.

Maggie Rump – Maggie is the 18-year-old daughter of Brad Rump who works in Testing Services at Cooper’s Findlay, Ohio headquarters, and his wife, Kara. Maggie is a graduate of Ottawa-Glandorf High School in Ottawa, Ohio. She plans to attend The Ohio State University at Lima as a pre-med student. She has served in a number of leadership roles including Key Club officer, Builders Club president, and Glamour Gals secretary. Maggie also participated in cross country and track and field, as well as religious education and youth group activities at St. John’s church in Glandorf.

“Cooper’s company purpose is to help everyone travel through life’s journeys with confidence, and to be there for people at every turn. This year, in particular, when graduating seniors had an unusual end to their school year, we’re proud to celebrate the accomplishments and invest in the future of such a deserving group of students,” said Chris Ball, Cooper Tire President – Americas. “We wish these scholarship winners the best of luck on their continued education, and ultimately, their careers.”

Cooper’s scholarship programs are administered by the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation, an independent philanthropic agency that manages nearly 400 funds, including 115 scholarships. To be considered for these awards, each student is required to submit an application and essay. An independent committee of the Community Foundation then selects the winners. Since the inception of these two funds, Cooper has awarded 32 students with scholarships.

Returning Ohio State players were asked to sign a coronavirus waiver before resuming their workouts, according to reports.

Details of the disclaimer, known as the Buckeye Pledge and obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, outline the risks involved with the workouts and other athletic activities and calls for the players to adhere to strict health and safety guidelines directed by the university.

OSU players began returning to campus on June 8th and are currently allowed to undergo voluntary strength and conditioning training but no football drills.

Ohio State Football is scheduled to open the season at home against Bowling Green on September 5th.

Bicycle sales have been soaring since the pandemic began, with big box stores selling out and smaller independent shops doing tremendous business as well.

Joshua Sprunger, the manager of Stout Cyclery at 610 South Main Street in Findlay, says the increase they’ve seen is almost incalculable.

“What we did in the first month of the lockdown was probably about as much as we did in most of the year last year.”

Sprunger says, with people at home during the pandemic, many have decided to get that old bike out of the garage and get it tuned up or even just buy a new bike, or several.

He says families have come in to get a new bike for each family member.

And he says more people are starting to bicycle for fitness because gyms were closed for so long and they needed another way to stay in shape.

Sprunger (below working on a bike) says bike makers just can’t keep up with the demand.

“Everything they had built for the whole year is gone, to where they’re going back to the factories and saying let’s build more, and even those are being sold out.”

In his shop, Sprunger says they have a few entry level road bikes left but all the hybrids are gone.

He says it’s an exciting time for bicycling and a good time to talk about bicycle safety because so many more bikes are out there now.

(ONN) – Cleveland Browns Quarterback Baker Mayfield plans to kneel during the national anthem this season to support protests of social injustice, police brutality and racism.

In answering a post from a fan on his Instagram account that pleaded with him not to kneel, Mayfield responded: “pull your head out. I absolutely am.”

Mayfield has been outspoken recently about the need for more understanding and justice following the killing of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.

New Browns coach Kevin Stefanski made it clear he would back his players in any peaceful demonstrations.

The Findlay Police Department says a man was injured when he ran a red light and caused a crash.

The crash happened at around 4:30 Sunday afternoon at State Route 12 and County Road 236.

Police say R. Lee Ramey, 88, of Findlay, was driving west on State Route 12 when he ran a red light at County Road 236 and was hit by a vehicle that was turning from County Road 236 onto State Route 12.

The impact caused Ramey’s vehicle to roll onto its roof and slide westbound.

Ramey was transported to Blanchard Valley Hospital by Hanco EMS with minor injuries.

He was cited for running the red light and driving under suspension.

The driver of the other vehicle was treated on the scene.

Both vehicles had to be towed from the scene.

The Findlay Police Department says a man was arrested after crashing his car into a utility pole.

Police say Richard L. Zechman, 59, of Findlay, was eastbound in the 200 block of East Foulke Avenue at 9:15 Friday night when he lost control of his vehicle as he went over the railroad tracks.

Zechman’s car went off the right side of the road in the 300 block of East Foulke and hit a pole, bringing down some power lines.

Police say Zechman was not injured.

He was placed under arrest for OVI and also cited for failure to control.

(ONN) – Republicans in the Ohio House of Representatives have introduced a police reform bill.

The bill calls for the creation of a disciplinary database for police to ensure that officers who commit violent offenses won’t be hired by other departments.

The bill also requires law enforcement officers to undergo psychological testing.

The legislation comes as the state grapples with the aftermath of civil unrest over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Sponsors of the bill say it would standardize police training and disciplinary response throughout the state to “weed out the bad actors.”

Republican lawmakers plan to take the bill on the road for a listening tour with local NAACP groups, faith leaders, police unions and community members.

Flag City Honor Flight has suspended the rest of their 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officials said the difficult decision to suspend the season was made in the interest of the health and safety of the veterans they serve.

They recently held a virtual honor flight and posted some of their favorite memories from previous flights on their Facebook page. 

The full statement is below.

To our Flag City Honor Flight family: our Veterans and Guardians, our Volunteers and Supporters, our Sponsors and Donors. In abiding by our promise to keep our Veterans’ health and safety foremost in our decisions, the Flag City Honor Flight Board of Directors made the difficult decision to suspend the rest of our 2020 Honor Flight season. We will resume our flights and our bus trips (which are a partnership with 50 North) once we’re able to ensure the safety of everyone traveling and we’re able to provide the complete Flag City Honor Flight experience.

We appreciate both your understanding and your continued support. Veterans may continue to submit Veteran Applications and donations will be gratefully accepted. Although we cannot travel with our Veterans this year, we will be planning for the time when we all come together again to resume our missions. We treasure our Veterans and look confidently to the future when we will serve our Veterans by taking them on their Honor Flight – One more Tour…with Honor.

(pictures courtesy of Flag City Honor Flight)