Stock+Field is closing its 25 locations, including the one in Findlay at the mall.

Stock+Field (formerly Big R) says 2020 presented many challenges and they were not immune to them.

Stock+Field says they’ve partnered with providers of new merchandise and will be selling items at massive discounts in the coming weeks.

“Even (and especially) in a pandemic – we believe the customer should be able to get some wins,” the company said on its website.

The company thanks its employees and customers, especially in the rural communities it has partnered with.

They hope to reopen stores at some point in the future.

The Findlay Police Department says a driver is facing a variety of charges after running into some parked cars, fleeing the scene and then crashing. (video below)

At around 9 p.m. Sunday police say Dustan Thompson, 36, of Bluffton, crashed into some vehicles in the 1300 block of South Main Street in Findlay.

One of the three cars that was hit, the Corvette, is likely totaled and as the owner told us is “going to the big junkyard in the sky.”

Police say Thompson kept driving and turned onto Sixth Street and then Blanchard Street.

Police say he crashed into a pole and took out a portion of the fence in front of the water department on North Blanchard Street.

Police say Thompson is charged with OVI, leaving the scene of a crash, left of center, a marked lanes violation and two license violations.

WFIN News was on the scene and spoke with the owner of two of the vehicles that were hit.

Ray says in November of 2019 he had another one of his vehicles totaled by a driver who went off the road on the other side of the street. Read about that crash here.

There was no one inside any of the three vehicles that were struck.

Police say the crashes are still under investigation.

City of Findlay flags and flags across Ohio have been lowered to half-staff in remembrance of the service and sacrifice of U.S. Capitol Police Officers Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood.

Sicknick died on Thursday, a day after he was injured while defending the U.S. Capitol from the violent group of President Trump supporters who stormed the building after Trump gave a speech encouraging supporters to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden’s election win.

Officer Liebengood died of an apparent suicide on Saturday.

Governor DeWine ordered the flag-lowering to extend until sunset on Wednesday.

https://twitter.com/CityOfFindlay?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

UPDATE- The boil alert has been lifted.

The Village of Columbus Grove has issued a drinking water warning saying disease-causing organisms may have entered the village’s water supply.

The village says, due to a loss of power at the water plant, organisms that cause illness in people may have entered the water supply.

People who use the village’s water should boil their water before using or use bottled water.

Officials say there’s no evidence that the water system is contaminated but the possibility does exist and the warning was issued as a precaution.

No timeline for the boil order was given. The village says it’s taking the necessary steps to correct the problem.

The Findlay Police Department has two new officers on the force.

Officers Joshua Bortel and Mason Warnimont were sworn in by the mayor on Monday morning.

Bortel, 32, graduated from Fremont Ross High School and then attended Brown Mackie College.

He earned an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice and then went on to complete the Police Academy at Owens Community College.

Bortel was an officer with the Cedar Point Police Department and the McComb Police Department for the past six years.

Warnimont, 22, graduated from Cory-Rawson High School.

He attended Ashland University, the University of Findlay, and the Owens Community College Police Academy, earning his Peace Officer’s Certificate.

Both officers will begin their field training program in the department’s patrol division.

One of the lucky Buckeye fans who will be in the stands for the championship game Monday night against Alabama is The Big Nut, who you no doubt have seen at the games wearing his scarlet and gray face paint.

Jon Peters, who is from Fremont, was interviewed by WKXA’s Rex Howard.

Rex asked Jon where his passion for Ohio State comes from.

The first football game he attended as the Big Nut was the title game against Miami in 2003 and says that was the greatest game he’s ever seen.

Jon even has a Big Nut Scholarship Fund.

Learn more about that and much more in the interview below.

(picture courtesy of The Big Nut – Facebook)

The railroad crossing gate in the eastbound lane of East Sandusky Street in Findlay was knocked down in an apparent hit-skip crash around 5 o’clock Saturday afternoon.

An officer was on the scene with his lights on to let drivers know something had happened.

A few minutes after the crossing gate was damaged a train came by and the one operational crossing gate came down.

The crossing gate was quickly replaced.

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is making sure the newest members of Buckeye Nation are appropriately attired as the football Buckeyes ready for the national title game.

The hospital posted on its Twitter account pictures of two babies in a scarlet-colored sleep swaddle that says ‘Beat Alabama 2021’.

The hospital says all Buckeye Babies born at the Wexner Medical Center through Monday will receive one of the special Beat Alabama sleep swaddles.

Ohio State plays Alabama in the college football championship game on Monday night in Miami.

The University of Michigan and football coach Jim Harbaugh have reached a deal on a contract extension through the 2025 season.

Harbaugh had one year left on his current contract, which paid him a little more than $8 million in 2020.

ESPN reports that Harbaugh’s new contract will pay him a base salary of $4 million next season, which will increase to $4.426 million in 2025. And he can earn a maximum bonus of $3.475 million in each year of the contract.

The Wolverines are 49-22 with him as head coach and 34-16 in the Big Ten.

He is 0-5 against Ohio State.

The two teams didn’t play in 2020 because Michigan called off the game due to COVID cases in their program.

(above picture courtesy of Columbus Wired)

A hotline has been established by 50 North to help Hancock County seniors get pre-registered to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Executive Director Carolyn Copus says Hancock Public Health was getting overwhelmed with the number of people contacting them for assistance in signing up so they stepped in to help out.

She says 50 North registered more than 450 seniors on Friday, the first day the hotline was up.

Seniors can call 50 North at 419-423-8496 to get pre-registered.

An online form is also available by clicking here.

Phase 1A of the state’s vaccination program is underway now.

Phase 1B, which includes people 65 and older, is expected to begin the week of January 18th.

Phase 1A
– Healthcare Workers
– EMS responders
– staff and residents at long-term care facilities

Phase 1B
– people age 65 and older
– people living with severe congenital, developmental, or early-onset medical conditions
– adults who work in schools (K-12)