The Ohio State Highway Patrol says a man from Fostoria was seriously injured in a crash in Seneca County.

The crash happened at around 2 a.m. Saturday on County Road 61, west of State Route 53, in Pleasant Township.

The Patrol says John C. Fritz, 61, of Fostoria, was driving east on County Road 61 at a high rate of speed when his 1996 Ford Explorer went off the right side of the road, hit a utility pole and rolled onto the driver’s side.

Fritz was trapped in the wreckage and had to extricated by mechanical means by responding firefighters.

He was life-flighted to St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo with serious injuries.

The Patrol says alcohol does appear to be a contributing factor in the crash.

They say Fritz was wearing his seat belt.

Assisting at the scene were the Old Fort Fire Department, North Central EMS, Mercy Life Flight, AEP Electric and Reinhart’s Towing.

(ONN) – A lawmaker from southwest Ohio wants to give a break to bars and restaurants hit hard by the pandemic.

Butler County State Representative Sara Carruthers’ proposed legislation, House Bill 46, would exempt bars and restaurants from having to renew their liquor permits this year.

The bill would also lift restrictions on buying alcohol with gift cards.

The legislation is under consideration in the House Commerce and Labor Committee.

Learn more about the bill by clicking here. 

(ONN) – The Ohio State Highway Patrol says the cost of providing security at the Ohio Statehouse after the January 6th U.S. Capitol breach was nearly $2.5 million.

Lt. Craig Cvetan is spokesman for the Highway Patrol.

He said the extra security needed to patrol state facilities in the aftermath of the breach included $2.3 million in payroll costs and about $178,000 in non-payroll costs such as lodging.

Along with members of the Ohio National Guard, the patrol prepared for potential protests on January 17th as well as on inauguration day on January 20th.

The Highway Patrol’s costs are on top of the $1.2 million that was spent to activate members of the Ohio National Guard for security duty.

Sink’s Flower Shop is gearing up for one of their busiest times of the year…Valentine’s Day.

While we were talking with manager Tammy Jordan about how they prepare for Valentine’s Day, we also asked how the pandemic has been affecting their business.

“We have seen that our business has been busier since the pandemic,” Tammy said.

“Because a lot more people are reaching out and letting their loved ones know they care about them because they can’t be in contact with them.”

Tammy says it’s best to get in your Valentine’s Day order early, but she’s also got you procrastinators covered — they’ll be open on Valentine’s Day on Sunday from 9 to 4.

She says Valentine’s Day is a close second, but Mother’s Day is actually their busiest time of the year.

Sink’s Flower Shop is located at 2700 North Main Street in Findlay.

(In the video below is Lily, the house “diva” at Sink’s Flowers.  She’s been with them for 10 years and survived the fire at their previous location)

A woman from Fostoria was life-flighted from the scene of a fatal crash in Defiance County.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says Amy Puckett, 42, of Fostoria, was driving east on State Route 18 Thursday night in the Village of Sherwood when she was struck head-on by a pickup that had crossed the center line.

The Patrol says the driver of the truck, Jorge Casares, 31, of Mark Center, was transported to a Defiance hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was not wearing a seat belt.

The Patrol says Puckett was flown to a hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She was wearing her seat belt.

The Highway Patrol says alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash and it remains under investigation.

Hancock County first half real estate taxes are due on Friday, February 12th.

Payments can be made on the due date or before at the Hancock County Treasurer’s drop box located inside the entry to the courthouse.

Mailed payments must be postmarked by the due date to be accepted without penalty.

Check payments should be mailed to the Hancock County Treasurer at 300 S. Main St Findlay, OH 45840.

The Treasurer’s Office points out that the Ohio Revised Code states that the taxpayer is responsible for any taxes due and failure to receive a tax bill does not avoid penalty and interest charges.

Get more from the Treasurer’s Office by clicking here.

The Ohio Department of Transportation is reminding drivers to give their plow trucks plenty of room to do their jobs.

The warning comes after a second plow truck was struck by a driver in the same 24-hour period.

ODOT said the latest collision took place Wednesday night in Hocking County.

The Highway Patrol reports that no one was injured in that crash.

On Tuesday night, the Highway Patrol said a drunk driver struck a plow truck in Stark County. No injuries were reported.

ODOT says three trucks have been hit in less than two weeks.

ODOT says drivers should slow down and move over when they see the plow truck’s flashing lights.

So far this winter three trucks have been hit. Last winter eight plow trucks were hit.

https://twitter.com/ODOT_Statewide/status/1359670418106245121

Governor Mike DeWine has lifted the statewide COVID-19 curfew.

DeWine had said previously that if hospitalizations drop below 2,500 for more than a week, he would do away with the 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew, which expired on Thursday.

However, the governor says the Ohio Department of Health may reinstate it if hospitalizations begin rising again.

Ohio had been under a curfew since November.

https://twitter.com/GovMikeDeWine/status/1359945215629484042

The City Planning Commission has approved the site plan for a tenant to begin operating at a spec building site in Findlay.

Tim Mayle, Director Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development, says a distribution/logistics operation will be filling the 100,000 square foot building at 2615 Crystal Avenue.

Mayle said they can’t say who it is quite yet, but it is a Fortune 100 Top 10 company and will be employing around 160 people and begin operations in the summer.

He says the building is part of a master plan extension of Tall Timbers in that area.

Mayle says things will start progressing quickly in the next several weeks.

Mayle says Humble Robinson Development and the usual members of the “Findlay Formula” began planning for a spec building in 2017.

“The site location along with a business friendly community attracted us to build the spec building,” said Jerry Robinson, Managing Partner of Humble Robinson.

“Findlay is one of the fastest growing communities in northwest Ohio. Their recognition as the top Micropolitan in the United States reflects the investments made year after year by business.”

The spec building site was developed in partnership with Jobs Ohio, Regional Growth Partnership, City of Findlay, Ohio Department of Transportation and Hancock Regional Planning Commission.

Mayle said they wanted to protect Crystal Avenue from truck traffic so the address will be changed to a Production Drive address, and truck traffic will use Production Drive and the traffic signal at Production Drive and Bright Road.

An Ohio lawmaker is proposing stronger penalties for drivers who fail to stop for a stopped school bus.

State Senator Theresa Gavarone, of Bowling Green, introduced the “School Bus Safety Act” as part of a proposed law that would create a civil fine of $300 for failing to stop.

“No parent should have to worry about their child’s safety when getting on or off of a school bus,” Gavarone said.

She says it’s obvious to drivers when students are getting off or onto a school bus.

“It’s particularly egregious for someone to go past a school bus under those circumstances.”

The $300 civil fine would be on top of the $500 fine that can already be leveled against offenders.

Of the $300, $250 would be issued to the school district, $25 would be issued to local law enforcement and $25 would go to the ‘School Bus Safety and Education Fund’, a newly created fund through the Ohio Treasurer.

The fund is intended to enhance school bus safety and raise public awareness of the laws governing school bus safety.

“Cameras have proven to be effective at combatting the issue of illegally passing school buses, but the cost of installation and maintenance is prohibitive for many school districts. That is why I am proud to introduce this bill, the first of its kind in Ohio, that would give every school district the opportunity to equip cameras to their entire fleet of school buses without a single dime of taxpayer funds.”

The bill would allow for a clear image, images or video to be used to identify a driver illegally passing a school bus, or the license plate for the purposes of issuing a citation.