Traffic on Interstate 75 in Findlay was brought to a standstill on Friday afternoon thanks to several fires along the roadway.

The fires started at around 4 p.m. along the southbound lanes just south of Findlay.

The pictures and video with this story were taken from the Lima Avenue overpass.

The fires sent smoke across the interstate, making it difficult for drivers to see.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol responded and shut down the southbound lanes.

The Liberty Township Volunteer Fire Department responded and had the fires extinguished in a few minutes.

After about a half-hour closure, the interstate reopened but it took traffic a few minutes to get back up to speed.

There’s no word yet on the cause of the fires.

The Ohio State University is inviting fans to show off their “game face” with their very own fan cutout in the stands at Ohio Stadium.

No fans will be allowed inside the Horseshoe as the Buckeyes kick off the abbreviated season October 24th against Nebraska, but fans can still have a presence in the stadium in the form of their own cutout.

Most of the cutouts will be placed in A-deck although a limited number will be on the 50 yard line.

And student fan cutouts will be located in the student section in the south stands.

Ohio State points out that cutouts will not be available for pick up at the end of the season.

During the order process, there will be instructions available to order a second fan cutout to be delivered to your home.

The student cutout is $25, the A deck cutout is $50 and the 50 yard line cutouts are $75.

Click here for more details and to order.

The number of COVID-19 cases are on the rise locally and across Ohio.

Hancock Public Health says, as of Friday, there have been a total of 866 cases in the county, which is an increase of 43 from Wednesday.

The number of active cases as of Friday stood at 105, an increase of 16 from Wednesday’s numbers.

A total of 67 people have been hospitalized from the virus in Hancock County since the beginning of the pandemic.

14 Hancock County residents have died of COVID-19.

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

State data shows Putnam County had 721 cases and 27 deaths as of Friday.

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.

Meantime, the Ohio Department of Health is reporting the state’s highest single-day coronavirus case count since the pandemic began.

1,840 new cases were added in the last 24-hours, bringing the statewide total to more than 166,000 confirmed and probable cases.

11 additional deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to just shy of 5,000.

The Marion Township Trustees, in cooperation with Hancock Public Health, will be holding a COVID-19 testing event.

The free, drive-thru testing, will take place Wednesday, October 14th from 3 to 7 at the Marion Township House at 16003 State Route 568, just east of Findlay.

No co-pay or insurance card is required.

People will need to have their photo ID and those under 18 will require a parent or guardian’s signature to get tested.

The Ohio National Guard will be administering the tests which are being paid for by CARES Act grant funding.

People looking to save some time in line can print the registration form and fill it out before arriving at the site.

Forms are available through Hancock Public Health by clicking here.

Findlay City Council has voted to proceed with a project to upgrade the city’s water meters, despite concerns by the city auditor that the city didn’t follow all the proper protocols.

Mayor Christina Muryn was on with WFIN’s Chris Oaks to discuss the issue, saying after a review of the project there were no concerns about moving ahead.

The mayor says she’s happy to see the project moving forward, saying the longer they wait the more costly the project will be.

Listen to Mayor Muryn’s full interview with Chris Oaks here.

Live music is returning to the  Marathon Center for the Performing Arts  in a unique way.

MCPA says the Findlay-based Irish folk band The Athen Ry will be performing an outdoor concert on Friday, October 9 at 5:30 p.m.

MCPA says, adopting the socially distanced model of a “pod” concert, people can purchase a 10-foot circle in the parking lot from where they will be able to enjoy the show.

All circles will be general admission and can accommodate up to four people for a single ticket price.

Get more details on the show and purchase tickets  here.

Hancock and Putnam County stayed at their previous levels on the latest COVID-19 alert map that was released on Thursday.

Hancock County remained at level 2, or the orange level, while Putnam County is still at level 3, or the red level.

Hancock and Putnam both have been labeled as a “high incidence” county.

A total of 18 counties are now at the red level, which is an increase from the last map.

And orange counties are at 58, the highest ever.

Hancock Public Health is reporting 823 total cases, 89 active cases and 13 deaths from the virus as of Wednesday.

According to state data, Putnam County has had 709 cases and 27 deaths as of Thursday

Health officials say statewide there have been 164,262 total cases and 4,983 deaths from the virus.

The City of Findlay says noise from the political booths outside the Hancock County Farmers Market has been disrupting the market and the booths will have to move.

The city says some vendors and customers in the farmers market have said that cars honking and the overall noise generated from the booths makes it difficult to talk, and some vendors have even stopped attending the market.

Mayor Christina Muryn says she sent a message to both the Republican and Democratic Party of Hancock County stating that if the noise did not subside, they would have to move.

The farmers market, located in the parking lot of the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts, offered both political parties a chance to have a booth inside the farmers market free of charge as a way to reduce the honking noise being generated.

Both parties were given the option to move into the farmers market or relocate elsewhere.

The city says the Hancock County Republican Party declined to move into the market and has decided to not relocate their booth.

Since the Republican Party elected not to move its booth into the market, the Democratic Party will not be allowed to have its booth in the market and has decided to relocate their booth elsewhere.

“I recognize that many individuals within our community want to show their support for their candidate and that is great! I am in full support of that as long as we are also being considerate of others,” said Mayor Muryn.

“In this case, the Farmers Market was there first and therefore has priority. I hope that each organization chooses to represent their candidate, party, and community by being respectful of the vendors trying to make a living at the Farmers Market and by recognizing we live in a country which allows differing viewpoints that can be expressed with respect and civility.”

Blanchard Valley Health System will be holding an online event to update the community on the COVID-19 pandemic and their response to it.

Join President & CEO of Blanchard Valley Health System, Scott Malaney and Vice President of Special Projects, William Kose, MD for a livestream on Thursday, October 8 from 2 to 3 p.m. to discuss COVID-19.

Do you have a question that you would like answered? Please submit your questions prior to the livestream by sending us a direct message on Facebook or by email to community@bvhealthsystem.org.

If you are in need of assistance with the livestream, call 419.423.5551. For those who do not have Facebook access, this event will also be streamed live on the Blanchard Valley Health System Youtube Channel.

The mayor of Tiffin says he has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Aaron Montz says he suddenly developed symptoms similar to those of COVID-19 on Tuesday.

He says he tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday and began his quarantine period.

The mayor says he’s been fortunate so far to have had relatively mild symptoms and he’ll be monitored closely for any changes.

State data shows Seneca County has had 514 cases of COVID, 45 hospitalizations and 14 deaths.