The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday morning issued a Level 1 Road Alert, meaning roadways are hazardous and you should drive with extreme caution.

Around 3 inches of snow fell overnight into Sunday morning in the Findlay area, and a few more inches of snow is possible for Sunday.

Putnam County and Seneca County were also placed under Level 1 Road Alerts on Sunday morning.

Allen County was placed under a Level 2 Road Alert.

Get details on what the different levels of road alerts mean by clicking here.

A Winter Weather Advisory for Hancock County goes until 7 p.m. Sunday.

A Winter Storm Warning for Putnam County and other counties goes until 7 p.m. Sunday.

The video below is from the 5 o’clock hour Sunday morning.

To view local Sheriff Road alerts, NWS advisories, event cancellations and school delays visit WFIN.com, or sign up for text and email alerts at GoFindlay.com.

The Findlay Police Department says a man was injured when a driver ran a red light and caused a T-bone crash.

The crash happened around 7:30 Saturday night at the intersection of Tiffin Avenue and Dunn Street.

The police department says Jonathan Heistand, 24, of Findlay, was driving north on Dunn and entering the intersection with a green light, when Tyler Baum, 17, of Bloomdale, who was going east on Tiffin, failed to stop for the red light and the vehicles collided.

Airbags deployed in both vehicles and they had to be towed from the scene.

Jonathan suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital by private vehicle.

The police department says Tyler was cited for running the red light.

Forecasters are calling for accumulating snow for the second half of your weekend.

Findlay and Hancock County are under a Winter Weather Advisory from 10 p.m. Saturday to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Forecasters say 4 to 8 inches of heavy, wet snow is likely to fall.

The graphic below from the NWS shows Findlay on the line to receive 6 or 7 inches of snow.

It’ll also be windy, with gusts up to 35 miles per hour at times.

People should plan slippery driving conditions and use extreme caution on the roads.

Other area counties, like Putnam and Hardin, are under a Winter Storm Warning from 7 p.m. Saturday to 7 p.m. Sunday and could receive 5 to 9 inches of snow.

To view local Sheriff Road alerts, NWS advisories, event cancellations and school delays visit WFIN.com, or sign up for text and email alerts at GoFindlay.com.

A Van Buren Middle School student won the Hancock County Spelling Bee.

Sixth grader Rajshekhar Basu Sarkar took home the first place trophy after the event Thursday night at Glenwood Middle School in Findlay.

One of the words that he spelled correctly on the way to the victory was ‘triceratops’.

Rajshekhar now moves on to the regional spelling bee, which will be held in Toledo in March.

Lucy Mallamaci, a student at Donnell Middle School, came in second place.

Get your shovels and snowblowers ready — forecasters say part of your weekend is going to be rather snowy.

The National Weather Service says anywhere from 4 to 8 inches of heavy, wet snow is possible from late Saturday through Sunday.

The snow will be heavy at times, making travel difficult.

In the tweet below, NWS Cleveland is calling for Findlay to receive 6 to 8 inches of snow.

Saturday’s forecast is calling for mostly cloudy conditions and a high around 33.

Then there’s a 100 percent chance of snow on Sunday with a high also around 33.

Snow showers will linger into Sunday night and possible into Monday morning.

To view local Sheriff Road alerts, NWS advisories, event cancellations and school delays visit WFIN.com, or sign up for text and email alerts at GoFindlay.com.

The Findlay High School Girls Basketball team had a show of support for one of their teammates who has been diagnosed with cancer.

Before the Thursday night game, Natalie Rakestraw’s teammates and friends lined up wearing shirts that read ‘Natalie Strong’ on the back as Natalie joined them on the court.

Natalie has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease, a type of lymphoma.

“Natalie is beginning a journey that will not always be easy,” her mom said on Facebook.

“She will undergo chemotherapy and other treatments. But we all know Natalie has a STRONG will, mind, attitude and spirit!!! We as a family are prepared to win this fight for Natalie!!!”

She says they have chosen to go to the James Cancer Hospital at the Ohio State University for Natalie’s care.

The basketball team will be collecting cash/gift card donations for the Rakestraw family to help support Natalie’s fight against the disease.

A donation box was available at the Thursday game and one will be available at the Saturday boys and girls games as well.

People can also consider sending a donation via Venmo to @Lori-Prusnek.

(above picture courtesy of @fhsLadyTrojans – Twitter)

A man is facing an OVI charge after a fiery crash in southeast Hancock County.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says Zachary Dufek, 26, of Forest, was driving a 1989 Chevy Corvette south on Township Road 154 Thursday night when he crashed into a ditch.

The car caught on fire and became fully engulfed.

Dufek was able to get himself out of the car and was found standing alongside the road when responders arrived.

He was treated at the scene.

The sheriff’s office says alcohol was a factor in the crash and Dufek has been charged with OVI and failure to control.

The Cancer Patient Services Chili Cook-Off for 2021 will be held virtually through February.

Instead of serving up their tasty concoction at the University of Findlay’s Koehler Recreation Complex, teams this year will send in a picture of their chili and the tastiest-looking chili will be chosen as the winner.

There will also be awards for other categories. Winners will be announced on March 1st.

The Chili Cook-Off is Cancer Patient Services biggest fundraiser of the year with proceeds going to local Hancock County cancer patients.

Get details about registering a team and purchasing raffle tickets here.

See our write-up from last year’s event here and there’s also video below.

Judge Vernon L. Preston, of Findlay, is retiring after a lengthy and distinguished judicial career.

Judge Preston was appointed to the Ohio Third District Court of Appeals in 2007, then elected in 2008 and reelected in 2014.

Before joining the Third District Court of Appeals he served on the Findlay Municipal Court for 13 years.

For eight of those years he was presiding and administrative judge.

In addition to his full time schedule as an appellate judge, for 16 years, at night, Preston was an Adjunct Professor of Equine Law at the University of Findlay.

Before being elected as a full time trial judge, Vern served his community in a series of part-time positions including; a magistrate for the Findlay Municipal Court, Assistant Hancock County Prosecutor and Findlay City Prosecutor.

As an attorney, Preston practiced administrative law and insurance law representing both individuals and business clients.

He tried cases in all local State Courts and Federal District Court. He also served as corporate secretary and general counsel for a manufacturing corporation.

Judge Preston proudly served his country on active duty for six years, joining the U.S. Navy in 1972.

Initially, he reported to Great Lakes Training Center for boot camp and attended A School.

Subsequently, he was assigned to Officer Candidate School and upon graduation from OCS, received his Commission as an Officer in the U.S. Navy, ultimately being assigned as a Supply Corps Officer serving the submarine force.

After leaving active duty, he served in the U.S. Navy Reserve for 25 years, holding 11 duty assignments as logistics or finance officer.

Judge Preston was selected as commanding officer of four Reserve Units, including Commanding Officer of Cargo Handling Battalion Nine during Operation Desert Storm on a Presidential Recall.

During the conflict, his combat cargo handlers performed operations in six foreign countries.

Preston received his “Eagles” in 1994. In 2003, he retired at the rank of Captain, after more than 31 years of service to his country.

Judge Preston was born and raised in Findlay, Ohio.

He is a 1968 graduate of Findlay High School and a 1972 graduate of Findlay College.

In 2012, Judge Preston received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Findlay.

He earned his law degree at the University of Toledo.

After a short time in Portsmouth, where he opened a law practice, he and his wife, Debby, decided to move back home to raise their sons, JJ and BJ.

The Prestons have been married since 1971; son JJ and wife Alissa have two daughters, Molly and Claire.

Community is very important to Judge Preston, as reflected by his volunteer work in his church, with local charities and youth programs, where he served as coach and commissioner of Findlay Youth Baseball, along with involvement in Findlay Youth Football.

Judge Preston has always strived to make Findlay a great place to live and raise a family.

Judge Preston will retire on February 8th after 27 years of distinguished judicial service.

For the second straight year Cooper Tire has been named a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality.

The company met all the criteria and scored a 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI).

Full details are in the following news release from Cooper Tire & Rubber Company.

Cooper Tire announced today it has received a score of 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) and has been designated as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality for the second consecutive year. The CEI is a national benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ equality in the workplace.

“At Cooper, our Purpose says everyone deserves to travel through life’s journeys with confidence – that means everyone. To be recognized again this year for our policies and programs that support equality demonstrates Cooper’s commitment to building a workplace where everyone feels respected, valued and included for who they are and how they contribute to making great tires,” said Brad Hughes, Cooper’s President & Chief Executive Officer. “We will continue to seek opportunities to promote diversity, equity and inclusion within our business and communities.”

The CEI rates companies on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars: non-discrimination policies across business entities, equitable benefits for LGBTQ workers and their families, supporting an inclusive culture, and corporate social responsibility.

For more information on the 2021 Corporate Equality Index click here.