While Findlay City Schools wasn’t able to put on a holiday choir concert this year because of COVID, they have been entertaining people with their Virtual Choir project.

Choir Director Kevin Manley says the Virtual Choir videos have been very well received by the public but they will never replace in-person performances.

Manley explained how he put the videos together.

“To make the videos, each student is singing along to a rehearsal track that I created for them. The rehearsal tracks are what hold the project together. Each student then records themselves singing their part at home, their bedroom, a closet, their car…or anywhere they can find a quiet spot to record. It is up to me to collect all of the videos, create a master audio track, and then align all of the videos into the final project. For the Joy To The World project, I collected 80 videos from the students. I don’t know for sure, but I am guessing that this project took around 40 hours to complete. While virtual choir videos will never replace singing together in person, it is an innovative way to keep the singing going during the pandemic. The students enjoy putting them together, and they love watching the final project.”

Manley says the choirs have not performed since December of 2019 and it is a very tough time for the performing arts.

“Here’s to hoping that we will be able to get together soon for a traditional, in-person concert.”

In the meantime, you can enjoy the Virtual Choir performances of Joy To The World and Wonderful Christmastime below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBa9Bn72jWw

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is reminding everyone to drive sober over the holidays.

And if you plan on drinking, designate a driver before you start imbibing.

Last year during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday weekends, there were 12 fatal crashes that killed 16 people on Ohio’s roadways.

Seven of those fatalities were the result of an impaired driver and nine were unbuckled.

Troopers will have an increased presence on Ohio’s roadways to promote a safe holiday season.

The OSHP shared a video of a trooper conducting a sobriety test on a driver who ended up being arrested for his 7th DUI.

You can hear the Bucyrus District trooper saying to the driver “my job is to make sure everyone gets home safe.”

The Highway Patrol says Gary Papst, 64, of Mansfield, was arrested and charged with OVI, his 7th in the last 43 years.

On average, troopers remove 25,000 impaired drivers each year from Ohio roads.

The public is urged to call #677 to report impaired drivers.

Hancock County EMS personnel were the first people in the county to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic in Findlay on Friday morning.

“We got the people that are taking care of us going first, just to show everybody the faith they have in the vaccine,” said Health Commissioner Karim Baroudi.

He says Hancock County received 500 doses of the Moderna vaccine in this initial shipment. (video below)

Baroudi says these first doses of vaccine will be administered to healthcare workers, first responders and those at the greatest risk of severe illness.

He says, as the county receives more shipments of vaccine, a multi-sector coalition will allocate them in order to efficiently vaccinate the community.

He expects the vaccine to be available to the general public sometime in March.

But until it is widely available, he’s asking everyone to continue following all the proper safety protocols, especially over Christmas and New Year’s.

A Findlay firefighter is the individual getting vaccinated in the video.

The nurse told him he could have either a Spider-Man or a Care Bears band-aid.

He chose Spiderman.

Some Findlay churches will be holding a Live Nativity on Christmas Eve.

Trinity Lutheran Church, at 935 West Bigelow, will put on its Living Nativity Christmas Eve Service from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

“On a year when everything is different, the community can come and experience the birth of Jesus Christ through drama and song with actors, animals, carols, and candles we will watch the miracle of our Savior’s Birth unfold from their vehicle.”

The live animals include a horse, donkey, sheep and camels, all from the Patterson Family Exotic Animal Ministry.

Get more details by clicking here.

Also, St. Marks United Methodist Church, at 801 South Main Street, will be holding a drive-thru Live Nativity from noon to 2 on Christmas Eve.

Learn more about that here. 

Ohioans are being urged to be safe and smart on the roadways over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

Officials say, even though fewer people are expected to travel than in years past, the roads could still be busy.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says 16 people were killed in crashes over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays last year, and troopers will be focusing on removing impaired drivers from the roadways.

More details are in the following news release from the Ohio Department of Transportation.

As the Year-end holiday period officially gets underway on Wednesday, AAA, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), and the Ohio State Highway Patrol are urging Ohioans to drive carefully this holiday season.

After 11 straight years of year-end holiday travel growth, AAA is predicting a 30% drop in the number of Ohioans traveling during the 12-day year-end holiday travel period, which runs from Dec. 23 through Jan. 3. While public health concerns over COVID-19 are keeping nearly three-fourths of Ohioans home this holiday, 96% of those who do travel will be driving to their destination.

While ODOT works to accommodate the anticipated increase in motorists on Ohio’s roads by removing as many work zones as possible, travelers will still encounter orange barrels in locations like I-75 in Cincinnati and Toledo and I-70/71 in downtown Columbus. Drivers should pay extra attention while driving through work zones and allow additional time to reach your destination. You can find real-time travel information at OHGO.com.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is reminding motorists to buckle up, never drive impaired and always follow traffic laws. Last year during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday weekends, there were 12 fatal crashes that killed 16 people on Ohio’s roadways. Seven of those fatalities were the result of an impaired driver and nine were unbuckled. Troopers will have an increased presence on Ohio’s roadways to promote a safe holiday season.

UPDATE – ODOT now says that U.S. 30 westbound in that area will be closed starting 12/23 and lasting for several days to prepare for removal of the damaged beam and bridge deck.

An overpass over U.S. 30 in Allen County is closed indefinitely after being struck by a boom truck.

The Ohio Department of Transportation says Slabtown Road, over U.S. 30, north of Lima, is closed due to the bridge strike.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol said the truck was westbound on U.S. 30 around 4:15 Tuesday afternoon and didn’t have its boom lowered all the way and struck the overpass.

The impact caused structural damage to the overpass, and Slabtown Road will be closed indefinitely.

U.S. 30 remains open.

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

The Hancock County Engineer’s Office and Ohio Department of Transportation have concluded the public feedback process and have decided to proceed with the project.

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 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.

ODOT says the most common concern raised during the public involvement process had to do with the loss of access to State Route 15 from County Road 180.

To mitigate that issue, Cade says Hancock County will be widening County Road 172 to facilitate better access to U.S. 68 and State Route 37.

Both routes are about two miles from County Road 180 and have an interchange with State Route 15.

ODOT said another concern raised by the public was that the overpass may cause new traffic problems at other intersections, such as County Road 8.

ODOT says, due to the planned improvements to County Road 172 prior to the overpass project, it’s anticipated that most traffic will use U.S. 68 or State Route 37 to connect with State Route 15.

During construction, County Road 8 will be restricted to right-in and right-out, with left turns prohibited.

No access across the divided highway will be allowed.

Once the project is complete, Hancock County will re-evaluate the intersection to determine if further action is necessary.

The project now moves into the detailed design phase.

Construction is tentatively set for 2025, but could begin as early as 2022 if funding becomes available earlier.

ODOT says the recorded presentation for the public involvement period and all materials regarding the project will be available for an indefinite time at the following website: www.transportation.ohio.gov/Hancock180.

(FYI – the sign at the intersection says Township Road 180 but it is County Road 180)

Hancock County EMS personnel will begin to be inoculated against the coronavirus on Wednesday.

Hancock Public Health points out that the COVID-19 vaccination clinic will not be open to the general public.

Health Commissioner Karim Baroudi previously told WFIN’s Chris Oaks that he anticipates the vaccine to be widely available in early March, and mass vaccination clinics to be organized.

The number of COVID deaths in the county as of Tuesday was 76, which is an increase of eight from Friday.

Statewide, there have been more than 637,000 cases and more than 8,200 deaths.

The Putnam County Health Department also received a shipment of the vaccine on Tuesday, as they announced on their Facebook page.

Findlay students are brightening the holidays for seniors by making them Christmas cards and other crafts.

Findlay High School students made and delivered 300 cards as part of a service learning project.

Michele Branham, Activities Coordinator at Sunrise Senior Living, says the cards and other items the seniors receive really mean a lot to them.

“It makes a smile come to their face and a joyful laugh, they like getting those little gifts and treats from the kids. It makes them feel like they’re being thought about.”

She says they usually have carolers come in and sing for the seniors but they couldn’t do that this year because of the pandemic.

The preschool class at St. Michael the Archangel School (below) also made manger scenes as part of their Senior Cheer Program.

“We’re very appreciative of all their hard work they’ve been doing in the local schools to brighten the day for our residents here,” Branham added.

With Christmas just a few days away, Governor Mike DeWine is asking Ohioans to repeat what they did over Thanksgiving – to celebrate small.

Dr. Bruce Vanderhof, Chief Medical Officer for the Ohio Department of Health, says it is important for people to remain vigilant about the virus over Christmas and into the new year.

Ohio has now surpassed 8,000 deaths from COVID-19.

Click here for the Ohio Department of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard.

For the latest Hancock County numbers click here.