As many had anticipated would be the case, Governor DeWine announced Wednesday afternoon that he would be issuing a statewide mask order.

The statewide mask order goes into effect at 6 p.m. Thursday.

DeWine stressed that the wearing of masks in all of Ohio’s counties – not just those at a level 3 or 4 health alert – will be crucial to determining how swiftly the state is able to return to something closer to normalcy.

The governor said that, in the 19 Ohio counties where mask mandates have already been put in place, there is a noticable decline in the number of new cases and hospitalizations.

Masks will be mandatory when in an indoor public place, and outdoors when social distancing cannot be maintained.

The mask order is for those 10 years of age and older, and includes some exceptions you can read about below.

https://twitter.com/GovMikeDeWine/status/1286001731529302025

A man accused of robbing a Maumee bank while holding his young child has been arrested.

Police say Steven Kozak, 38, has been charged with aggravated robbery and was booked at the Lucas County Jail.

FBI agents say the man walked into the Directions Credit Union on Reynolds Road Tuesday afternoon while carrying his child and passed a threatening note to a teller.

He got away with some money but was arrested later that day.

The case remains under investigation and police say additional charges of endangering children will be filed against Kozak.

The child was unharmed and is now with his mother.

The Hancock County Fair will not be held this year, becoming the latest casualty of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a special board meeting held on Tuesday, the Hancock County Agricultural Society Board of Directors upheld the motion passed at the June 22nd meeting to postpone the fair until 2021.

The decision includes all junior and senior fair activities as well as concessions, rides and entertainment.

Fair officials say they will begin their work to plan and prepare for the 2021 fair in the coming months.

“The board would like to thank all our Junior Fair Board members, superintendents, committee members, and employees for all the many hours spent these past six months addressing the 2020 Fair plan,” said Jeff Cole, President of the Hancock County Agricultural Society.

“Your creativity and commitment to the effort are greatly appreciated.”

The Ohio Department of Transportation is advising drivers that State Route 15 under the U.S. 68 bridge on the south end of Findlay will be restricted to one lane starting Wednesday.

ODOT says the lane restriction will be in place for approximately 30 days as crews put the finishing touches on the U.S. 68 bridge deck replacement project.

Drivers are being reminded to slow down and stay alert in work zones, as 20 ODOT work crews have been struck so far this year by drivers not paying attention.

The U.S. 68 bridge over State Route 15 reopened last Tuesday after being closed for four months.

https://twitter.com/ODOT_NWOhio/status/1285670561495089162

The Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership says Webster Industries will be investing more than $3 million at its Tiffin facility in 2020 and has invested more than $5 million over the last two years.

Details are in the following news release from the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership

Webster Industries has announced that for a second year in a row, it is investing more than $2 million in its operations in Tiffin, Ohio. In 2020, the company expects to spend over $3 million in major productivity, capacity, capability and facility enhancement projects.

Machinery and equipment purchases for 2020 include a new plasma cutting system, modernization of tool room machining technology and capabilities, automated heat treat in-feeding equipment, steel processing automation, new robotic welding work center, enhanced automation in core fixtured welding and assembly processes, and key plant infrastructure upgrades.

In 2019, Webster invested $2.1 million in machinery mainly for its sprocket line, which is one of the company’s strategic growth businesses.

Webster Industries, Inc., is headquartered in Tiffin with facilities in Meridian, Mississippi, and Portland, Oregon, and employs about 300 people nationwide. Since its start in 1876, Webster has evolved into a vertically integrated manufacturer that serves a variety of industries as an innovative leader in the engineered class chain, sprocket, vibrating conveyor and specialty iron casting markets.

“Even during these challenging times, we continue to strategically invest in our business to execute growth and empower our employees to enhance service and brand value for our customers. Our purpose is to make a difference for decades to come for the people, families and communities where we work and live,” said Andrew J Felter, President and CEO.

“Webster Industries and the other members of our business community continue to prove that Tiffin is stronger than this pandemic. Congratulations to the entire Webster team on their continued growth and success,” said Tiffin Mayor Aaron Montz.

About Webster Industries

Webster Industries, Inc., headquartered in Tiffin, Ohio, is an employee owned, leader in the engineered class chain, sprocket, vibrating conveyor and specialty iron casting markets. Since its start in 1876, Webster has evolved into a vertically integrated manufacturer that serves a variety of industries. The company now employs around 300 people nationwide and has facilities in Ohio, Mississippi and Oregon. Throughout its 140 plus years in business, Webster’s focus has consistently been on superior value for customers through empowered people, product excellence, and evolving processes. Learn more at www.websterindustries.com.

About the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership

Started in 1983 as the Seneca Industrial and Economic Development Corp. (SIEDC), the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership is a private, non-profit corporation dedicated to driving positive economic, downtown, and community development in Tiffin and Seneca County, Ohio, which consistently ranks among the top communities nationally for economic development. Learn more about the great things going on in Tiffin and Seneca County at www.tiffinseneca.org.

Ohio Speaker of the House Larry Householder and four others are in custody in connection with a 60-million dollar bribery case, believed to be the largest racketeering conspiracy in state history.

Former state Republican Chairman Matt Borges, lobbyist Neil Clark, lobbyist Juan Cespedes, and political consultant Jeff Longstreth were all arrested on Tuesday along with Householder.

Federal prosecutors say the defendants received so-called “dark money” in connection with the passage of a measure to bail out nuclear power plants in Ohio.

“Make no mistake, these allegations are bribery pure and simple. This was a quid pro quo, this was pay to play,” said David Devillers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.

He said that $61 million was funneled through a pass-through organization to secure the speakership for Householder, to ensure that lawmakers would vote for the controversial House Bill 6 and to stifle a ballot effort that would have reversed the bailouts.

Devillers said that no one associated with the company providing the bribes has yet been charged, but all signs point to First Energy being at the center of the so-called “dark money.”

Governor DeWine is calling on Householder to resign immediately.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says a teenage driver was able to walk away from the scene of a rollover crash.

It happened at 12:42 Tuesday afternoon on Jackson Township Road 179 south of Hancock County Road 172 south of Findlay.

Deputies arrived to the scene to find an SUV overturned in a corn field and the driver nowhere to be seen.

The driver, Ava S. Mihaly, 16, of Findlay, was eventually found at a residence down the road.

The sheriff’s office says Ava was driving south on Township Road 179 when she went off the east side of the road and struck some large rocks and a mailbox and then went off the west side of the road and into the field.

The SUV rolled onto its top and came to rest in the corn field.

Ava was transported to Blanchard Valley Hospital.

The crash remains under investigation.

Hancock Public Health says it has identified a COVID-19 outbreak associated with an event held in Findlay.

Health officials say 10 people who attended a July 11th event at the AMVETS Post 21 at 423 West Trenton Avenue have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Hancock Public Health is asking anyone who was at the same event to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and quarantine for 14 days after the event.

People who attended the event and start to show symptoms should contact Hancock Public Health at 419-424-7420.

Symptoms include:

• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Headache
• Loss of taste or smell
• Nausea or vomiting
• Body aches
• Sore throat
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal pain
• Runny nose or congestion
• Fever
• Chills

Health Commissioner Karim Baroudi reminds people that, “COVID-19 can be spread asymptomatically from person-to-person when in close contact. Individuals should avoid large gatherings of 10 or more people, practice social distancing of 6 feet or more, wear a facial covering when in public, practice good hand hygiene, and stay home if you are feeling sick to reduce the spread of COVID-19.”

At last check, there were 136 cases in the county and two deaths. 44 of the cases are active.

Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development will be distributing PPE to businesses.

The kits containing personal protective equipment will be distributed on Friday from 8 a.m. to noon in the parking lot of the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.

“The tool kits create a safer business environment and are an important reminder to business that they need to continue to take the appropriate precautions,” said Economic Development Director Tim Mayle

Mayle says their top priority is the retention and expansion of existing businesses, and that they’ve been assisting many businesses through the pandemic.

“Our office has worked on making sure businesses understood the Stay at Home Order, apply for Payroll Protection Program, operate in a digital economy and many other ways.”

Each business will be limited to one tool kit.

For more information people can contact the Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development Office at 419-788-0490 or email tmayle@findlayhancocked.com.

Mayle says PPE is not only being distributed in Hancock County but across the State of Ohio.

In collaboration with Jobs Ohio Network Partners, Jobs Ohio is distributing 15,000 safety tool kits across the state throughout this week.

Each toolkit, valued at $100, provides PPE that at times have been in short supply for small businesses during the pandemic.

Jobs Ohio has partnered with its six regional economic development organizations to coordinate the distribution.

(ONN) – One of Ohio’s top political leaders is the subject of a federal bribery investigation and has reportedly been arrested.

FBI agents and sheriff’s deputies raided Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder’s farm in the Perry County village of Glenford, 45 miles east of Columbus.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports the speaker has since been arrested in connection to what the U.S. Department of Justice is calling a “$60 million bribe to {a] state official and associates.”

The paper says four others were also arrested.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office will hold a news conference later on Tuesday.