The number of active COVID cases in Hancock County went up in the latest data released by Hancock Public Health.
The agency on Monday reported 138 active cases in the county. On March 26th, there were 114 active cases.
Active cases are defined as cases currently under quarantine or in isolation.
10 people on Monday were hospitalized with the virus in Hancock County, an increase of one from March 26th.
There have been 122 deaths from the virus in Hancock County.
Ohio’s COVID-19 vaccination dashboard shows that more than 3.7 million Ohioans have received at least one dose of the vaccine so far, which is around 32 percent of the state’s population.
The dashboard shows that more than 23,000 people in Hancock County have received at least one dose of the vaccine, which is around 30.5 percent of the population.
Click here for information on scheduling a vaccination through Hancock Public Health and here through Blanchard Valley Health System.
(ONN) – Governor DeWine has announced revised health orders that he says will help protect Ohioans while simplifying guidance for upcoming events such as proms, weddings and fairs.
The governor said that the measures from the Ohio Department of Health will be familiar, but will be easier to keep track of for individuals, organizations and businesses alike.
Masks are still required in public, indoor spaces and in outdoor spaces where adequate social distancing is not possible.
The orders will still limit gatherings to groups of 10, but individual 10-person “pods” can participate in a larger activity – such as dining at a restaurant or attending a sporting event – with other pods as long as social distancing can be observed.
Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague, of Findlay, says Financial Literacy Month is an opportunity to promote the importance of financial education and empowerment.
Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague recognizes Financial Literacy Month in April as an opportunity to promote the importance of financial education and empowerment and boost awareness about its positive impact on an individual’s future financial decision-making.
“Financial Literacy Month is a great time to acknowledge the innovative ways educators and other professionals are equipping Ohioans with the skills and knowledge to secure a healthy financial future,” said Treasurer Sprague. “Through interactive, experience-based methods, we can bridge the gap between the classroom and the ‘real world.’ The Treasurer’s office remains committed to identifying new ways we can advance this important work and help to set Ohioans on the path toward long-term success.”
The Treasurer’s office has several initiatives surrounding financial literacy education and empowerment:
Most recently, Treasurer Sprague announced a partnership with The Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) to advance and grow participation in the Real Money. Real World. program. Real Money. Real World. places students in an interactive simulation where they make lifestyle and budgeting choices similar to those they will face as adults.
In January 2020, Treasurer Sprague launched the Compass Awards to recognize organizations and individuals across Ohio who are working to advance financial literacy education and empowerment. Through their work, Compass Award honorees are making a lasting impact on Ohio’s young people and preparing them to make wise financial decisions.
In February of 2020 Sprague stopped by Arlington High School (below) to present counselor MaryBeth Hutcheson and the high school with Compass Awards for exemplary work with financial literacy programs.
The Treasurer’s office maintains a Financial Literacy Resource Guide to provide Ohioans with a series of resources to help make informed decisions around budgeting, saving, and borrowing.
More information about the office’s initiatives can be found online here.
A new law regarding Ohio’s rules for the use of deadly force will go into effect on Tuesday.
The new “stand your ground” law eliminates a person’s “duty to retreat” before using deadly force in self-defense as long as they are legally allowed to be in that location and meet other standards.
The law states the person cannot have started the altercation, must be in fear for their life or injury, and articulate their reasons for resorting to using deadly force.
Opponents of the law say it is too vague and will encourage people to stay in confrontations when they might otherwise have walked away.
Supporters of the law say it will allow people caught in life-threatening situations to protect themselves.
The “stand your ground” legislation makes Ohio the 36th state that doesn’t require people to retreat before they can justifiably hurt or kill someone in self-defense.
Lawmakers previously removed the duty to retreat in a confrontation in one’s home or vehicle, known as “castle doctrine.”
The new law expands the castle doctrine concept to almost any place where a person is lawfully allowed to be.
Sarah Clevidence, Director of the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library says the pandemic has presented big challenges and their staff has really risen to the challenge.
The theme of this year’s National Library Week is “Welcome to your Library,” which promotes the idea that libraries extend far beyond the four walls of the building.
Sarah says libraries are places where everyone belongs.
Sarah says the library continues to be grateful to be able to be a part of so many people’s lives.
As part of the week’s festivities, Wednesday is National Library Outreach Day and they’ll be celebrating the arrival of their new bookmobile which will be parked out front with a ribbon cutting scheduled for 1 p.m.
Sarah (pictured below) has been with the library since 1996 when she got a part-time job there as a teenager.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol says one teenager was killed and another injured in a crash in northern Putnam County.
The crash happened on State Route 109 just north of Road X at around 4 a.m. Saturday.
The Highway Patrol says Landon Bailey, 16, of Ottawa, was driving south on State Route 109 when his car went off the right side of the road, got back on the road and then went off the left side of the road.
The car overturned several times, ejecting front seat passenger Jagguare Rich, 18, of Ottawa, before coming to rest on its top.
Rich and Bailey were both transported to Mercy Health – Putnam.
Rich was pronounced dead by the Putnam County coroner while Bailey suffered injuries that are not life-threatening.
The Highway Patrol says alcohol is suspected to have played a role in the crash.
Investigators say Rich reportedly was not wearing a seat belt and it’s unclear if Bailey was wearing one.
(ONN) – Bowling Green State University has announced that the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity is facing six violations of the university’s code of student conduct, including four hazing charges.
The Columbus Dispatch reports each of the hazing charges reflects a different aspect of the school’s code of conduct that fraternity members broke the night of March 4, during an initiation ritual that led to the death of 20-year-old sophomore Stone Foltz.
The letter states that fraternity members “provided individual bottles of alcohol to new members” to be consumed in their entirety and new recruits were forced to “wear blindfolds and led…into a basement area while being yelled at and pushed.”
The university previously placed the fraternity on interim suspension while law enforcement investigated and the university conducted its own internal investigation.
