Four more Hancock County residents have died of COVID-19.

That puts the total number of deaths in the county at 18.

Hancock Public Health says there were 907 cases as of Wednesday.

113 of the cases are active.

State data shows Putnam County had 784 cases and 27 deaths as of Wednesday.

Both Hancock and Putnam Counties are considered a “high incidence” county.

Hancock County is still at level 2, or orange, on the state’s COVID-19 alert map.

Putnam County is still at level 3, or the red level.

The new map will be released on Thursday.

Statewide, Ohio broke the record for the highest number of COVID cases reported in a single day.

2,039 new infections were reported over the last 24-hours, the first time the number has exceeded 2,000.

16 new coronavirus deaths have also been reported since Tuesday.

That brings the death toll to 5,033 statewide while there have been 173,665 cases of the virus.

The Findlay Fire Department conducted a joint training session with Mercy Health Life Flight on Wednesday morning.

Assistant Chief Brian Sanders says the department has new technology allowing them to call in Life Flight directly to the location of the incident using GPS coordinates.

The new technology will get Life Flight to the scene quicker and create a more secure scene for everyone involved.

Sanders says Life Flight pilots are great at landing in tight spots, and recently they had to land on Western Avenue in Findlay for a motorcycle crash.

In the training on Wednesday morning, Life Flight helicopters landed at the high school, Glenwood Middle School, Emory Adams Park and fire station 4 (below).

Also below is a video of Life Flight landing at the scene of a crash from over the summer.

The Kiwanis Club of Findlay will be holding a ribbon cutting for Brucklacher Memorial Park, which is the club’s 100th anniversary project.

The park was built at the site of the Little Red Schoolhouse at 8884 County Road 236.

The ribbon cutting will take place at noon on Monday, October 19th and the park and playground will officially open.

The park is in honor of James Brucklacher, a longtime Kiwanian and one of the founders of the Hancock Historical Museum.

Kiwanian Rick Kidwell says they decided to do a park and playground for their 100th anniversary project because they wanted to do something that would have longevity and that kids would enjoy.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol ticketed nearly 500 drivers during a distracted driving enforcement initiative.

Details are in the following news release from the highway patrol.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol joined forces with other members of the 6-State Trooper Project to focus on distracted driving enforcement. During the project, 491 people were cited with distracted driving related offenses.

The high-visibility enforcement included the Indiana State Police, Kentucky State Police, Michigan Statee, Pennsylvania State Police, West Virginia State Police and the Patrol. The initiative began on Monday, October 5 at 12:01 a.m. and continued through Monday, October 12 at 11:59 p.m.

On October 29, 2018, Ohio passed House Bill 95, a law which broadened what is considered distracted driving, and increased the fine if it was a contributing factor to the commission of the driving violation.

Distracted driving is any non-driving activity with the potential to distract a person from the primary task of driving and increase the risk of crashing. Distractions can be visual, taking eyes off of the road; manual, taking hands off the wheel; or cognitive, taking the mind off driving.

The 6-State Trooper Project is a multi-state law enforcement partnership aimed at providing combined and coordinated law enforcement and security services in the areas of highway safety, criminal patrol and intelligence sharing.

Governor DeWine says it appears we will have a tough winter ahead of us in dealing with the coronavirus.

“Things will get better, but in all likelihood they will get worse before they get better,” DeWine said in his Tuesday COVID update.

The governor says overall cases and hospital admissions are still increasing.

On Tuesday, the state reported more than 1,400 new cases and 12 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Total cases in the state stand at 171,626 and 5,017 Ohioans have died from the virus.

Hancock County is still at level 2, or orange, on the state’s COVID-19 alert map.

Putnam County is still at level 3, or the red level.

Both Hancock and Putnam are considered a “high incidence” county.

Two candidates vying for a Hancock County Commissioner’s seat will participate in a forum on Wednesday.

Republican William Bateson and Democrat Melissa Kritzell will share their thoughts on a variety of issues affecting the county during the event.

The forum will be held on Wednesday, October 14th at 5 p.m. and can be heard on WFIN.

Mike Pepple, a Republican, is also running for a commissioner’s seat. He’s uncontested on the ballot.

There are three Hancock County Commissioners.

Commissioners Mark Gazaraek and Brian Robertson are not running for re-election.

The other commissioner is Tim Bechtol.

Transportation officials are proposing the construction of an overpass on County Road 180 over State Route 15, just southeast of Findlay.

Hancock County Engineer Doug Cade says the project was initiated in 2018 with a study looking at the number of crashes along State Route 15 in Hancock and Wyandot Counties.

He says the intersection of State Route 15 and County Road 180 has become more and more dangerous as the traffic count and speeds have increased.

Cade says traffic will no longer be able to access State Route 15 from County Road 180 once the overpass is completed.

He says Hancock County will be widening County Road 172, between U.S. 68 and State Route 37, improving access to State Route 15 at those interchanges.

The Ohio Department of Transportation is encouraging people to watch a recorded presentation on the project beginning on October 16th and to provide feedback if they desire.

The project could begin as soon as 2022.

Learn more about the project here. 

More than 5,000 Ohioans have died from the coronavirus since the pandemic began.

Figures released on Monday by the Ohio Department of Health put the death toll to date at 5,005, including six fatalities reported in the last 24-hours.

There have been more than 170,000 confirmed and probable cases of the virus, with 1,430 new cases reported on Monday.

Hancock County is still at level 2, or orange, on the state’s COVID-19 alert map.

Putnam County is still at level 3, or the red level on the alert map.

Both Hancock and Putnam are considered a “high incidence” county.

Findlay City Schools is modifying its hybrid learning model to four days a week in-person learning from the current two days.

The 4-day per week schedule will have students reporting to school on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Wednesday will be a remote day.

The Trojan Academy will still be available for parents who prefer a fully remote option, and around 20 percent of students are utilizing it.

Superintendent Troy Roth says six feet of social distancing cannot be guaranteed under the new schedule but says the board of education was comfortable with that tradeoff to get students back in front of their teachers more.

He says as the school year progresses the learning model may fluctuate based on the COVID conditions in the county.

Hancock County has been at level 2, or orange, on the state’s COVID-19 alert map for several weeks.

The school district began the school year in a hybrid model that placed students in two groups with one group attending school on Monday and Tuesday and the other on Thursday and Friday, with Wednesday being a remote day.

The new 4-day per week schedule will begin October 26th for Kindergarten through 5th grade and on November 2nd for 6th through 12th grades.

Get more on the new schedule here. 

The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation Board of Trustees has selected Dr. Brian Treece to be the organization’s next President and CEO.

Treece will succeed Kathy Kreuchauf beginning Monday, November 2nd.

“I am thrilled to be chosen to lead The Community Foundation in this next chapter,” Treece said.

“I am grateful to Kathy for the meaningful work she’s made possible over 12 years and look forward to continuing to grow the Foundation and our impact. We are The Community’s Foundation because of those who make our work possible – our donors, board members, volunteers, staff, grantees, community members and leaders, and countless partners who are dedicated to improving the quality of life for all who live, work, learn, and play in Hancock County.”

Treece has served as Program Director for Community and Organizational Development and Evaluation at The Community Foundation since 2016. He’s a lifelong resident of Hancock County and a graduate of Findlay High School and the University of Findlay. He received his Doctorate in Organizational Leadership in 2010. Prior to coming to the Foundation, he was the Assistant Dean of Students at the University of Findlay.

“Brian’s leadership experience and familiarity with our work makes him an excellent choice for the future of the Foundation,” said Gary Wilson, Chair of the Foundation Board.

“His work as program director helped advance our mission of improving the quality of life. Now he can use his skills and experience to continue that work as President and CEO.”

Kathy will be working with Brian for the month of October to ensure a smooth transition. Her last day as president will be Friday, October 30th.

The Kathy Kreuchauf Future Generations Fund was established in celebration of Kathy’s 12 years of leadership.

More information is available on the Community Foundation’s website for those interested in honoring Kathy’s tenure at the Foundation.

“It has been a privilege to serve Hancock County in this role since 2008,” Kreuchauf said.

“There are still challenges ahead. However, Findlay and Hancock County is blessed to have an institution like the Foundation that is well-equipped to face them. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as the President and CEO.”