A road-widening project on Findlay’s east side has been completed.
County Road 236 is now open to traffic between U.S. 224 (Tiffin Avenue) and State Route 568.
The road was expanded to three lanes to allow for a center shared turn lane.
Also, a separate multi-use path was constructed along the east side of the road.
Click here for information on other road projects around Findlay.
Three more Hancock County residents have died of COVID-19.
The Wednesday numbers from Hancock Public Health show that 36 people have now died from the virus, an increase of three from Friday.
Total cases in Hancock County went up to 1,995, which is an increase of more than 200 cases from Friday.
294 of the cases are active, which is an increase of 36 from Friday.
Active cases are defined as patients who are currently under quarantine or isolation.
21 people are currently hospitalized in Hancock County with COVID-19.
State data shows that Putnam County has had 2,024 cases and 42 deaths.
Statewide there have been more than 312,000 cases and 5,700 deaths since the pandemic began.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol says a pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Seneca County.
The crash happened at around 8:30 Monday night on State Route 53 in Pleasant Township, north of Tiffin.
The highway patrol says Amanda Borer, 35, of Tiffin, entered State Route 53 from the west chasing after the family dog.
The patrol says Borer was struck by a northbound car being driven by Carrie M. Conner, 33, of Tiffin.
Investigators say Conner fled the scene and her car was located at a residence in Seneca County on Tuesday but her whereabouts are unknown.
She is wanted for questioning for her involvement in the crash and charges are pending, the patrol says.
Borer was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to the Lucas County Coroner’s Office.
It’s been a tough year, but The Salvation Army Findlay Corps says the community is once again stepping up to brighten the holidays for local children.
Major Diana Morales is encouraging people to check out the Angel Tree (pictured) at the Findlay Walmarts and buy a toy or two for one of the children on the tree.
She says their Red Kettle Campaign will kick off soon and they still need some volunteer bell-ringers as it’s their biggest fundraiser of the year.
With the pandemic continuing, she says they also have plenty of hands-free, socially distant options that people can utilize to give.
Learn more about how you can help out by clicking here.
Deer hunters in some counties in northwest Ohio are being encouraged to submit samples of harvested deer to be tested for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife says this is for hunters in Lucas, Fulton and Williams Counties.
Wildlife officials are asking hunters to remove the head from the harvested deer and drop it off at one of the 12 collection stations.
Only adult deer harvested from Lucas, Fulton and Williams counties will be accepted.
CWD is an incurable fatal neurological disease that affects deer populations.
While CWD has not been detected in Ohio’s wild deer herd, Ohio is enhancing surveillance efforts in northwest Ohio after the disease was detected in southern Michigan.
Collection station kiosks will be available until Sunday, January 10th, 2021.
The collection station locations are:
Lucas County
Cleland’s: 10306 Airport Highway, Swanton, OH 43558
Spencer Township Fire Department: 9445 Frankfort Road, Holland, OH 43528
Mallard Club Marsh Wildlife Area: 8349 Cedar Point Road, Oregon, OH 43616
Magee Marsh Wildlife Area Check Station, Ottawa County: 13299 West State Route 2, Oak Harbor, OH 43449
This location is not a kiosk, but all supplies and instructions will be located at the self-serve controlled waterfowl hunt station.
Fulton County
Pettisville Community Park: 18405 County Road D-E, Pettisville, OH 43553
ODNR Rest Area: 10601 U.S. 20, Lyons, OH 43533
Maumee State Forest Headquarters: 3380 County Road D, Swanton, OH 43558
Franklin Township Garage: 10392 State Route 66, Archbold, OH 43502
Williams County
Lake LaSuAn Wildlife Area Headquarters: 9455 County Road R, Pioneer, OH 43554
Williams County Fairgrounds: 619 E. Main Street, Montpelier, OH 43543
Florence Township Building: 362 S. Michigan Street, Edon, OH 43518
Pulaski Township Garage: 6646 U.S. 127, Bryan, OH 43506
Hunter should dispose of carcasses by double-bagging any high-risk tissues and including them in household trash to be delivered to a landfill.
Those who hunt out-of-state can help prevent the spread of CWD by following carcass regulations and not bringing high-risk tissues across state lines.
Visit wildohio.gov for more information. Questions can be directed to the Ohio Division of Wildlife District Two office in Findlay at 419-424-5000.
A lot of people were cited for not wearing a seat belt during an initiative to enforce and raise awareness of safety belt use.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol says 3,504 people were ticketed during the initiative that ran from November 9th through November 16th.
Also, 36 people were cited for a child safety seat violation.
The highway patrol says it’s a shared responsibility between the driver and passengers to ensure that each time you get in a vehicle that everyone is using a seat belt.
A Findlay man recently joined the highway patrol’s Saved by the Belt Club. Read about that by clicking here.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on Tuesday announced a statewide curfew to lessen the spread of the coronavirus.
The curfew will run from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for 21 days beginning Thursday night at 10.
The curfew does not apply to people who need to be at work, those who have an emergency or who need medical care.
The governor says the curfew is not intended to stop anyone from getting groceries, a carry-out/drive-thru meal, or delivery.
In addition to the curfew, the governor is asking each Ohioan to do at least one thing daily to reduce their contact with others.
The governor says cutting down our contacts by 20 to 25 percent, paired with mask-wearing, will go a long way in preventing our hospitals from being overrun with COVID cases.
As of Tuesday, there had been 312,443 cases of COVID in Ohio since the pandemic began and 5,772 deaths.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on Monday said “we’re not talking about shutting down, we’re talking about slowing down.”
He says this is a very crucial time in the pandemic as cases continue to surge across the state.
The governor’s asking people to reduce their social interactions over the next few weeks, as we’re seeing a tremendous spread in the virus because people are letting their guard down around family and friends.
He says, with this amount of community spread in Ohio, your odds of getting this virus are much higher now.
“COVID-19 numbers for Nov. 16 show that 7,268 cases were reported in the past 24 hours. To compare, five months ago on June 16, there were 434 new cases reported in 24 hours. The coronavirus spread we’re seeing now is like nothing we’ve seen before,” DeWine said.
“This is a different ballgame. We must all wear masks, practice social distancing, and protect one another.”
The statewide total for cases since the pandemic began has surged past the 300,000 mark, while the death toll stands at more than 5,700.
The governor has threatened to close restaurants, bars and gyms again if coronavirus cases continue to rise.
The United Way of Hancock County is hoping people participate in a community-wide food drive to benefit local food pantries.
The United We Can Food Drive will benefit City Mission of Findlay, CHOPIN Hall, the Salvation Army, and other local food pantries experiencing shortages due to the pandemic.
Full details are in the following news release from the United Way.
United Way of Hancock County is inviting the community and organizations to participate in a food drive to benefit local food pantries beginning Nov.16 through Dec. 4. This effort is in response to the increased need for supplemental meals and supply shortages at local food pantries as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The United We Can Food Drive will benefit City Mission of Findlay, CHOPIN Hall, the Salvation Army, and other local food pantries experiencing shortages.
Joy Barger, Chief Development Officer for City Mission said she is seeing food insecurity in the county increase while donations continue to decrease and expects this trend to continue through 2021.
“With your help we can continue to provide three nutritious meals a day, 365 days a year to our neighbors in need,” Barger said.
“Having the community come together for the United Way’s United We Can drive is truly going to impact many men, women, and children in our community. Thank you for your generous and compassionate care.”
United Way dollars helped to provide deeply discounted bulk food items to local food pantries which is the equivalent of more than 750,000 supplemental meals to food insecure Hancock County residents in 2019. With the increase in need and the cancellation of local fundraisers and canned food drives the pantries are finding it difficult to keep basic food items in stock as the holiday season approaches.
“This year has introduced many emerging needs within our community,” said Angela DeBoskey, CEO of United Way.
“Lead pantries and kitchens are seeing a reduction in canned goods and pantry items. By organizing a collection event we hope to connect resources to those who need them most.”
Items requested by local food pantries are dry cereal, dry pasta, peanut butter, jelly, and canned goods appropriate for holiday meals.
If your business or organization would like to participate in the United We Can food drive, contact Taylor Coote at taylor.coote@uwhancock.org who can assist with donation pickup.
Members of the community can drop off donations of non-perishable foods at the United Way of Hancock County, 245 Stanford Pkwy., or at both First National Bank branches: 1114 W. Trenton Ave. or 1630 Tiffin Ave.
Monetary donations can be made to United Way of Hancock County at www.uwhancock.org with “Halt Hunger” in the memo.
The Ohio Department of Health has issued an order further limiting mass gatherings at banquet halls in the state.
The order, which does not apply to religious observances, says there is to be no socializing or activities in open congregate areas and no dancing.
Guests must be seated at all times.
Traditional wedding reception events such as first dance, toasts, tossing the bouquet and cutting the cake are permitted.
If serving food and beverages, guests must be served at their seats and no self-serve bar areas permitted.
Masks must be worn at all times unless actively consuming food or beverages.
No more than 10 people should be seated at a table and those individuals must be from the same household.
Read over the order by clicking here.