The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s nationwide Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving awareness campaign to help keep impaired drivers off the road over the Independence Day holiday.

In 2019, 515 people died in motor vehicle crashes over the July 4th holiday period.

38 percent (198) of those fatalities occurred in alcohol-impaired crashes.

Nighttime hours are especially dangerous.

Over the 2019 July 4th holiday period, of the 198 people who died in alcohol-impaired motor vehicle traffic crashes, almost 4 out of 5 (79 percent) of them occurred in nighttime crashes.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office is reminding people to always plan ahead and designate a sober driver.

And if it’s your turn to be the designated driver, take that role seriously and don’t consume any alcohol.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says people can report a possible drunk driver by calling the Sheriff’s Office at 419-422-2424.

The Findlay Rotary Club has awarded two $3,750 Rotary Club scholarships to Libby McVetta from Cory Rawson High School and Brooke Schroeder from Liberty-Benton High School.

McVetta plans to attend the University of Toledo.

Schroeder plans to attend Miami of Ohio majoring in Architecture.

Several other scholarships have also been awarded by the Rotary Club.

A $1,000 John W. Hollington Scholarship has been awarded to Lilian Melenburg from Findlay High School.

She plans to attend Ohio State University majoring in Biomedical Engineering.

The $1,000 Beth Bradley Heck Scholarship has been awarded to Grace Heitkamp from Van Buren High School.

She plans to attend Bowling Green State University majoring in Interior Design and Architecture.

Two area students have received $3,750 as second year renewals for the Findlay Rotary Club scholarship:

1. Ashlyn Tong, a 2020 graduate of Findlay High School, is a Nursing major attending the University of Cincinnati. She is the daughter of Tracey Tong.

2. James (Braden) Richards, a 2020 graduate of Findlay High School, is attending Ohio State University with a major in Industrial and Systems Engineering and a minor in Psychology. His parents are James B. Richards, Sr. (deceased) and Elizabeth Richards.

The Richard E. “Dick” Daugherty Scholarship was previously awarded to Grant Ekstrom.

He is a 2021 graduate of Findlay High School and plans to attend the Ohio State University in the fall to pursue a degree in Finance/Economics and a minor in Business.

Matt McVicker will be stepping down as director of the Findlay Airport.

His resignation will be effective September 30th, 2021.

McVicker started with the City of Findlay on May 1st, 2014.

Mayor Christina Muryn said, during his tenure as director of the Findlay Airport, McVicker planned and executed an Airport Capital Improvement Program that invested more than 4 million dollars into the facility in way of infrastructure improvements and capital equipment.

“I have greatly enjoyed my time working with Matt. He has a contagious passion for aviation, business development, and marketing. He has many talents, and though I am going to miss having him as part of our team I know that he is going to serve his family and community well,” the mayor said.

The mayor says McVicker actively represented Findlay on the state level while serving on the Board of Directors of Ohio Aviation Association, an advocacy group for the sustainability of the Ohio Airport System.

McVicker prioritized public engagement via the Findlay Airport by creating and managing five free events for the community, with the sixth event planned for Sunday, September 5th, 2021.

McVicker will be moving on to other pursuits within the aviation industry, and he and his family will remain Findlay residents for the foreseeable future, where he plans to continue volunteering for the airport’s Aviation Exploring Chapter and future airport events.

“I am excited for this next chapter for me and my family. I have loved my time with the City of Findlay and all that we have accomplished. I know that as I turn my focus to my family, personal business passions, and various opportunities that I will also continue to be a strong advocate for the Findlay Airport and all that the Findlay community has to offer,” said McVicker.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says the pandemic order allowing people to apply for a CCW license in any county in Ohio will expire and not be renewed.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says, as of July 1st, 2021, it will no longer be allowed to accept CCW applications from non-adjacent counties.

The Sheriff’s Office says their office is allowed to accept applications from Hancock, Seneca, Wyandot, Hardin, Allen, Putnam, Henry, and Wood Counties.

In 2020, sheriff’s offices in Ohio issued 169,232 CCW licenses, which was an increase of 27.8 percent from the year before.

They also rejected 1,777 applicants who failed to meet state-mandated requirements and revoked 429 licenses for causes including felony convictions and mental incompetence, as required by law.

You can go over the Ohio Attorney General’s annual CCW report by clicking here. 

About 100,000 driver licenses and 221,000 vehicle registrations with expiration dates that had been exempted under the COVID-19 extension still need renewed before the July 1 deadline, according to Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) Registrar Charlie Norman.

Failure to renew early could result in long lines at the BMV and fines up to $150 per state law violation.

“We don’t want to see anyone penalized for not renewing in time,” said Norman.

“We have heavily promoted the extension through a variety of avenues hoping that all Ohioans are aware of the deadline. Those promotional efforts include media stories, paid ads on social media, and TV and radio public service announcements.”

Those with an expiration date on their driver license, ID, or vehicle registration of March 9, 2020 and after, need to renew by Thursday, July 1st.

Before heading into the BMV, remember to take advantage of the BMV’s virtual queuing system – “Get in Line, Online” and also check out the number of services available to you from the comfort of your own home through BMV Online Services.

For more information visit Ohio BMV’s website.

The Hancock County Vehicle Center is at 8210 County Road 140, just west of Findlay.

Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn is bringing back her Move with the Mayor events which weren’t held during the pandemic.

The Mayor says ‘Move with the Mayor‘ is an initiative of the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and promotes active lifestyles and strengthens a healthy culture change in Findlay.

During the walks, people will have the opportunity to talk with Mayor Muryn about any topics they like with the benefit of being physically active for 30 minutes.

The Move with the Mayor initiative also encourages kids to be more active, and in the picture above the Mayor is walking with students at Glenwood Middle School in September of 2019.

The Mayor says The Surgeon General has issued a call to action to promote walking and walkable communities to combat heart disease, stroke and other chronic diseases.

Walking 30 minutes a day can reduce a person’s risk for heart disease by 40 percent.

Half of U.S. adults have a chronic illness such as heart disease or stroke.

On Wednesday, June 30, Mayor Muryn invites people to meet up at Coffee Amici at 328 South Main Street at 7:30 a.m. for a 30 minute walk through downtown Findlay.

Then on July 14th, she invites you to meet her at JK Juices, 117 E. Crawford Street at 11:30 a.m. and walk from there.

The Findlay Rotary Club has installed a new president.

Matt Black will take over that role from Sarah Sisser.

Full details are in the following news release from the Rotary.

Matt Black was installed as president of the Findlay Rotary Club at the Club’s weekly meeting on Monday, June 28, 2021.

Black joined the Findlay community in 2016 to open a branch for Trust Company Family Offices (formerly The Trust Company of Toledo) where he is a Principal and Chief Strategy Officer. The bank is a locally controlled trust company and multi-family office serving families, businesses and non-profit organizations.

Black received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Miami University and his Juris Doctor from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville. Prior to joining the Trust Company, Black worked in regional bank trust departments in Toledo and Louisville, Kentucky.

Black is involved in numerous organizations including the Findlay Rotary Club, the Black Swamp Area Council Executive Board and the University of Findlay Gift Planning Council. In the past, he has also served on the Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development Board. Black is a 2017 graduate of Hancock Leadership and a 2011 graduate of Leadership Toledo.

Black resides in Findlay with his wife Renee and their four children.

Other Rotary officers are: Cheryl Buckland, president-elect; Robin Ridge, treasurer; John Harrington, secretary; Craig Burnside, sergeant-at-arms; and Sarah Sisser, immediate past president.

Club board members include, Black, Buckland, Burnside, Scott Hohman, Matt Hull, Glenn Jost, Stan Kujawa, Erin Poling and Precia Stuby.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal crash on Interstate 75 in Findlay.

The Highway Patrol says a silver 2018 Kia Rio was being driven northbound on I-75 near County Road 99 around 4 a.m. Tuesday when it went off the right side of the interstate and struck a sign post.

The car then caught on fire.

Responding Troopers tried to put out the fire but could not.

The Findlay Fire Department responded and fully extinguished the fire.

The Highway Patrol says its unknown what caused the driver to drive off the side of the interstate.

Due to the fire the identity of the driver was not able to be immediately confirmed.

The crash remains under investigation.

A community meeting was held in Findlay on Monday night on the proposed Eagle Creek Floodwater Storage Basin.

Around 200 people attended the meeting at the Old Mill Stream Centre at the Hancock County Fairgrounds.

Several officials with the Maumee Watershed Conservancy District and Blanchard River Watershed Solutions explained the project and the need for it.

Hancock County Commissioner Tim Bechtol spoke in support of the project as did Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn.

Dave Blatnik, Senior Business Development Advisor at Marathon and President of Blanchard River Watershed Solutions, spoke with WFIN’s Chris Oaks the following morning and addressed the safety concerns that some people raised at the meeting as well as people saying there’s not a complete plan for the project.

Eagle Township Trustee David Bower (at the mic in the above picture) was one of the several people who spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting.

He told WFIN he doesn’t believe the basin will be that effective and isn’t worth the cost.

People who live in the vicinity of the project also spoke about their concern that the basin will negatively affect their home’s value.

Officials believe the basin, just south of Findlay, will reduce the 100-year flood elevation at Main Street by around a foot and a half, which is on top of the benefits being seen from other flood mitigation projects like benching and removing flood-prone properties.

In May, the Maumee Watershed Conservancy District Court voted to table their decision on the Eagle Creek Floodwater Storage Basin so the community meeting on the project could be held.

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

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

The  Findlay Police Department says a teenager was cited for OVI after crashing through a guardrail and into a pond.

It happened at the intersection of West Sandusky Street and Emma Street at around 12:30 Monday morning.

Police say a 17-year-old girl was driving south on Emma Street and failed to stop at the  West Sandusky Street intersection.

Her car proceeded through the intersection and then crashed through a guardrail, coming to rest in the retention pond in front of Freudenberg-NOK.

Hanco EMS, the Findlay Fire Department and Hancock County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team responded.

Police say the teen suffered injuries that are not life-threatening.

She was cited for OVI and for running the stop sign.