The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Warning for Eagle Creek in Findlay.

Flood stage is 9 feet and forecasters predict the creek will rise to above flood stage and crest at 9.8 feet by Sunday night.

It will then fall below flood stage early Monday morning.

Minor flooding is forecast for along the creek.

As for the Blanchard River in Findlay, as of 5 p.m. Sunday, the river was forecast to rise to 11.4 feet by Monday night, which is a little shy of minor flood stage of 12 feet.

As for the Blanchard River in Ottawa, as of 5 p.m. Sunday, the river was forecast to rise to 23.1 feet by Tuesday afternoon, which is right around minor flood stage of 23 feet.

Click here to check out local river levels.

WTOL is reporting that Findlay picked up 1.85 inches of rain on Sunday.

Monday’s forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies and a high of 56.

The Fostoria Police Division is asking people to keep their eyes open for a missing juvenile.

Police say 15-year-old Zach Reilly has been missing from Fostoria since April 27th.

Zach is about five feet five inches tall and weighs approximately 135 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes.

Police are asking people in Tiffin and Toledo to pay special attention.

Anyone with information about where Zach might be should contact the Fostoria Police Division at 419-435-8573.

A driver was killed when he crashed into the back of another vehicle in Fostoria.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says the crash happened at about 3:54 p.m. Friday on Midblock Underpass near West Lytle Street.

The Highway Patrol says Kevin Tomkinson, 50, of Fostoria, was driving south on Midblock Underpass when he crashed his car into the back of a box truck that was stopped at a red light.

Tomkinson was taken to ProMedica Fostoria Community Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The driver of the vehicle that was struck from behind was also taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

The Highway Patrol says Tomkinson was not wearing a seat belt and alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash which remains under investigation.

Blanchard Valley Health System says labor and delivery services will not be reopening at Bluffton Hospital after closing last December due to the pandemic.

Details are in the following news release from BVHS.

Blanchard Valley Health System (BVHS) will maintain the consolidation of labor and delivery services to the Findlay main campus. Bluffton Hospital labor and delivery services temporarily closed in December of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will not reopen.

“Over the last several decades, BVHS has consistently invested in maintaining obstetric services at Bluffton Hospital. During that time birth rates have fallen, and more and more women are having babies at a later age. This has steadily increased the acuity and risk factors for mom and baby. This was not an easy decision,” explained Myron D. Lewis, president and chief executive officer of BVHS.

“Our OB-GYN office remains open. Our physicians and midwives will be readily available in the Bluffton practice as they always have, to serve the community. All prenatal care will remain available at the office as well as gynecological surgery and prenatal classes at Bluffton Hospital,” explained Valerie Johnson, BSN, RN, director of women’s health services.

Of the 33 critical access hospitals in Ohio, only nine continue to offer labor and delivery services. “While Bluffton Hospital has always focused on quality services, the low number of deliveries means there is a higher risk to our patients,” continued Barbara J. Pasztor, chief nursing officer and vice-president of patient care. “By consolidating labor and delivery services to the Findlay campus, we can ensure that our moms and babies are receiving the safest possible care.”

“The experience that women have had in Bluffton Hospital labor and delivery has always been near and dear to our hearts,” added Pasztor. “Blanchard Valley Hospital will work with patients, nurses, midwives and physicians to create a birthing center within the Findlay hospital. We will provide a home-like atmosphere, focused on families and a natural birthing experience. The added safety benefit will be nearby pediatricians and surgery staff to respond in the event of an unforeseen emergency. While this can’t replace Bluffton Hospital’s labor and delivery services, we are committed to re-create many of the special features for our families.”

“BVHS remains committed to maintaining quality care at Bluffton Hospital,” shared Lewis. “Our team at Bluffton Hospital has always raised the bar and provided exceptional service and patient experience. We continue to provide general medical inpatient services, outpatient services, surgery, podiatry, infusion therapy and specialty health services such as cardiology, gastroenterology, orthopedics, ear, nose and throat, general surgery, pain management and urology.”

Additionally, Bluffton Hospital also offers 24/7 emergency care, imaging, mammography, laboratory services, rehab services, wound care, cardio-pulmonary services and inpatient care.

For more information about services available throughout Blanchard Valley Health System, please visit bvhealthsystem.org

Congratulations to Daniel Sanchez  of Donnell Middle School who was a winner in the National Poetry Digest competition.

Donnell Middle School says librarian Mrs. Brooks brought the competition to Donnell students.

Daniel’s haiku about Zambia came back a winner and will be published in the Young American Poetry Digest.

In the picture, courtesy of Donnell Middle School, is Mrs. Brooks and Daniel.

The Hancock County Veterans Service Office says it could use some help flagging cemeteries for Memorial Day.

They are seeking volunteers to insert flags at the graves of all the Veterans at Maple Grove Cemetery in Findlay.

Volunteers are asked to meet Saturday, May 8th at 8 a.m. at the cemetery office/garage.

Maple Grove Cemetery is located at 1120 West Main Cross in Findlay.

Wreaths Across America Day was observed at the cemetery in December (video below) and you can read more about that by clicking here.

Blanchard River Watershed Solutions asked the Maumee Watershed Conservancy District to include the Eagle Creek Floodwater Storage Basin project as part of their official plan at the Conservancy Court’s meeting on Friday.

Tim Mayle, director of Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development, is a board member on Blanchard River Watershed Solutions.

He tells WFIN that the Conservancy Court voted 8-5 to table the plan so that a community meeting about the basin can be held in Findlay.

The Conservancy Court will then meet again on July 9th to consider including the basin as part of their official plan.

Mayle said he was hoping to have the basin included in the MWCD’s official plan on Friday but he’s more than happy to have a public meeting to discuss the significant benefits of the project.

Mayle said it’s an exciting time because when you combine the benching that’s been done and is planned — and other flood mitigation projects like replacing the Norfolk Southern Railroad bridge — with the Eagle Creek Floodwater Storage Basin it will mean more than three feet of flood reduction at Main Street, giving people peace of mind.

Blanchard River Watershed Solutions provided the Maumee Watershed Conservancy District with a letter signed by dozens of Findlay and Hancock County companies in support of the Eagle Creek Floodwater Storage Basin project being added to the MWCD’s official plan.

The 600 to 800-acre floodwater storage basin would be constructed west of U.S. 68 and just north of Township Road 49 in Hancock County, just south of Findlay.

Project Manager Steve Wilson previously told WFIN he believes the storage basin will have a great impact on flood reduction in Findlay once its completed.

“It will reduce the 100-year flood elevation at Main Street by around a foot and a half, and that would be on top of the reductions were seeing with the work that’s currently being done along the Blanchard River.”

The overall project is anticipated to cost around $60 million, which includes land acquisition, engineering and construction.

On March 1st, the flood stages for the Blanchard River in Findlay were raised as a result of flood mitigation efforts that have included benching the river and removing flood-prone properties along it.

Blanchard River Watershed Solutions was established in 2017 by the business community in Findlay and Hancock County Ohio to support a comprehensive community solution to flooding in the Blanchard River Watershed.

(ONN) – Ohio has become the latest state where Republicans are proposing a significant rewrite of state election laws.

Legislation introduced calls for prohibiting off-site ballot drop boxes, eliminating a day of early voting and tightening voter ID requirements, all restrictions criticized by Democrats.

The bill also would add some conveniences to elections, including an online absentee ballot request system and automated voter registration.

The bill’s sponsor, Republican State Rep. Bill Seitz, says the sweeping overhaul isn’t suppressive but incorporates changes advocated by both parties, as well as election officials and voting rights advocates.

The Findlay Police Department is investigating a shooting the left a man with a gunshot wound to his leg.

Police say it happened at 434 Center Street at around 9:30 Thursday night.

Responding officers located a man, identified as Garrett Kurk, 34, of Findlay, on a back patio who had been shot in the leg.

An officer applied a tourniquet to the man’s leg and Hanco EMS transported him to Blanchard Valley Hospital.

Police say, information received on the scene indicates a verbal argument occurred outside the residence and the suspect pulled a gun and fired a couple of shots.

Police say the motive of the shooting is yet to be determined.

Police say the suspect at the time of the call was unknown and had fled the scene before they arrived.

Anyone with information about the shooting should contact police at 419-424-7150.

Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn spoke at the National Day of Prayer event in front of the Hancock County Courthouse on Thursday night.

The mayor read a proclamation declaring Thursday, May 6th National Day of Prayer in Findlay and Hancock County.