Findlay and Hancock County are included in a Severe Thunderstorm Watch.

The watch goes until 10 p.m. Wednesday.

Forecasters say damaging wind gusts of 75 miles per hour will be the main threat.

Large hail is also possible as well as a few tornadoes.

Blanchard Valley Health System will be holding an online event to discuss how COVID-19 is impacting our region and where we go from here.

Details are in the following news release from BVHS.

Blanchard Valley Health System (BVHS) will host a Facebook Live entitled “Our Response to COVID-19,” a part of the “State of Our Organization” series, on Thursday, June 18 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

President and CEO Scott Malaney and Dr. William Kose, vice president of special projects, will be joined by Findlay, Ohio Mayor, Christina Muryn to discuss the COVID-19 situation, how it has impacted our region and where do we, as a community, go from this point. The event will be streamed on the health system’s Facebook page, facebook.com/BlanchardValleyHealthSystem/. Community members can “like” the corporate Facebook account of BVHS and visit the page to watch live.

Our healthcare leaders and Mayor Muryn will be taking questions from the community. Questions may be submitted ahead of time by emailing community@bvhealthsystem.org or by visiting https://bit.ly/2YbZNOp.

Anyone in need of assistance with the livestream should call 419.423.5551. For those who do not have Facebook access, a recording of the Facebook Live will be posted to bvhealthsystem.org after the livestream.

The severe weather threat level for Findlay and Hancock County for Wednesday has been raised to a “moderate” level.

That’s the second-highest threat level the National Weather Service uses.

The National Weather Service says damaging wind gusts of 70 miles per hour will be the main threat.

Large hail is also possible as well as a few tornadoes.

Forecasters say the main window for the severe weather threat is late afternoon Wednesday through early evening Wednesday.

Putnam County is included in a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The National Weather Service says you should go over your severe weather plan to be ready when bad weather strikes.

Governor Mike DeWine on Tuesday acknowledged a need for police reforms following the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police, however, he said calls to defund police departments are “absurd.”

Speaking from the Ohio Statehouse on Tuesday, DeWine said he doesn’t understand why some groups want to cut funding, as law enforcement are the people charged with protecting us.

DeWine says Ohio Criminal Justice Services is developing minimum standards on how officers respond to mass protests.

The governor also announced that he’s creating a new Ohio Office of Law Enforcement Recruitment within Ohio Criminal Justice Services to help local agencies with the recruitment and retention of minorities and women in law enforcement.

Two Findlay men were arrested after a drug task force searched their residence.

The Hancock County METRICH Drug Task Force and the Findlay Police Department Emergency Response Team (ERT), executed a search warrant at 8167 Oakwood Drive in Findlay on Tuesday.

The task force says they found a large amount of marijuana, LSD, a handgun, cash and other drug paraphernalia when they searched the residence.

The two people arrested were Henry Palacios, 23, and Cruzito Sanchez, 19.

Both are facing possession charges, and charges of drug trafficking are expected at the end of the investigation.

Findlay and Hancock County will be under the threat of severe weather on Wednesday afternoon and evening.

The National Weather Service says damaging wind gusts of 70 miles per hour will be the main threat.

Large hail is also possible as well as a few tornadoes.

Forecasters say the main window for the severe weather threat is 5 p.m. Wednesday to 2 a.m. Thursday.

The National Weather Service says you should go over your severe weather plan to be ready when bad weather strikes.

A Findlay house was damaged in a fire.

Firefighters responded to 208 Tioga Avenue at 6:55 Monday night on the report of smoke coming from the house.

Firefighters arrived to find smoke and flames coming from the gables of the house.

Assistant Fire Chief Brian Sanders says firefighters used the deck gun from their truck to get water on the fire and then went inside the attic to put out the rest of the fire.

He says it took them about ten minutes to get the fire under control.

He says firefighters did a fantastic job of stopping the fire in its tracks and preventing further fire damage to the home.

The three occupants of the home were out of the home when firefighters arrived.

The three, including a baby, were not injured.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Findlay’s Independence Day Parade has been canceled.

Officials said the parade was canceled in accordance with the continued state ban on parades, festivals and carnivals.

“We are obviously disappointed that we cannot celebrate with a parade this year,” said Bob Driftmeyer, who typically coordinates the parade.

“It is something that we all look forward to. As a veteran and an American, I would remind everyone that there is much more to this holiday than fireworks and parades. It is about remembering our heritage, the sacrifice made by so many, and the uniqueness of our great republic.”

Driftmeyer added, “these may be challenging times, but I would encourage everyone to, instead of being disappointed, find a new way to celebrate. Too often, because of the activities of the 4th, we lose sight of what we are truly celebrating.”

Findlay’s Riverside Pool reopened on Monday under COVID-19 guidelines.

The pool quickly reached its COVID capacity and with a high in the mid 90s forecasted for Tuesday it will fill up very fast again.

“We met capacity within an hour of opening today and it’s supposed to be even hotter tomorrow,” said Katie Nielson, assistant aquatics coordinator for the YMCA.

The maximum occupancy will be 100 people and everyone is asked to maintain a social distance of six feet, unless they’re in the same household.

People are required to sign a waiver and no one under the age of 16 will be allowed to enter without an adult.

Open swim is from 2 to 6 daily.

The entrance will be marked and be one way.

The entrance will be the west hallway (women’s side) by the front gate and the exit will be the east hallway (men’s side) by the front gate.

Locker rooms will be open and have an entrance and exit also.

All patrons must bring their own equipment, including chairs, and no inflatables are allowed.

There will be no lost and found.

Concessions will be open and operate under the same guidelines as restaurants.

Employees will wear a face mask and gloves while working and washing and sanitize their hands frequently.

The splash pad and slide will remain closed for now.

People are being reminded to watch out for their pets on Tuesday as temperatures are expected to flirt with the mid-90s.

Natalie Reffit, with the Humane Society and SPCA of Hancock County, says the biggest thing to remember is to not take your pet in a hot car with you.

“Just please leave them at home during the heat. They will be much safer at home, a car can heat up very, very fast.”

She says if your dog is going to be alone at any time in your vehicle just leave them at home in the air conditioning.

She says if you do take your dog for a walk make sure to do so early in the day or late in the day when the heat isn’t as bad.

If you have an outdoor dog, she says to make sure it has plenty of shade and fresh water.

Signs of heat distress in a dog include excessive panting, vomiting and diarrhea.

She says older dogs and short-nosed dogs like pugs and bulldogs are less tolerant of the heat.

When it comes to cats, she says beware of opening your windows too wide because a cat could push the screen out and fall out and get lost.

Get more safety tips from the Humane Society here.