Some animal shelters are seeing quite a few pets that were adopted during the pandemic returned, but the Humane Society & SPCA of Hancock County says they are not.

Operations Manager Natalie Reffitt credits their adoption process over the pandemic.

The shelter was closed during the pandemic and people had to fill out an application beforehand which gave the shelter a better idea of what the person was after.

She said that process led to better matchmaking than having people come in and look around and choose a pet just because they looked cute.

Natalie is still highly encouraging people to fill out an application ahead of time so they can make a better match, but people can now come in and look around as the shelter has reopened.

She said they did see an increase in adoptions over the pandemic but it wasn’t a huge increase.

She said pets offered people a lot of comfort and purpose during the pandemic.

Natalie said that veterinary clinics have seen a big increase over the pandemic with people bringing in newly adopted pets for checkups or other concerns.

She said during the pandemic and stay home order people had a chance to be around their pets 24/7 which led to people seeing more possible ailments in the pets and having them checked out.

People are asked to be patient as veterinarians work to catch up with the increase in patients.

Click here to see the pets up for adoption at the Humane Society & SPCA of Hancock County.

In the picture above are Star and Hudson.

The Hancock Park District Board of Commissioners passed a resolution that could lead to the next benching project along the Blanchard River in Findlay.

The board passed a resolution stating that the sale or transfer of Park District land, including Civitan Park, to the City of Findlay would result in the best public use of the land.

Park District Director Gary Pruitt says Park District land cannot be sold or otherwise transferred without the approval of Hancock County Probate Court.

And probate court will not approve the sale or transfer of land unless-or-until the board of park commissioners determines that the sale or transfer of land to Findlay for benching followed by park development will result in the best public use of the land, and that’s what the resolution was for.

The resolution states that it’s the desire of the city and other stakeholders to determine how the benched area, which will include Civitan Park, may also provide recreational and entertainment benefits.

The resolution indicates that a benching project north of the river and east of Main Street would be completed in 2022.

On the heels of the Vax-A-Million incentive program, Governor DeWine says he will soon unveil a new plan to boost the state’s vaccination rates.

The governor says the new incentive program will be announced in the next week.

He hasn’t given out any details but he did hint that smaller amounts of money could be offered to jump-start the vaccination slowdown.

DeWine made the announcement during a news conference about the opening of a new ramp from downtown Columbus to Interstate 70.

Ohio’s vaccination dashboard shows that around 48 percent of Ohioans have started the vaccination process, and the governor is concerned about the spread of the delta variant of the COVID virus.

The Ohio State University is hiring staff to work football games during the upcoming season.

Positions are open in all departments including concessions, merchandise, parking, security and ushering.

On Wednesday and Thursday from 2 to 8 p.m. Ohio State Athletics will be holding a hiring fair for anyone interested in these positions.

Ohio State Athletics is looking to hire at least 200 red coats and ushers and hundreds more other positions.

People interested in attending one of the job fairs can click here for more details.

Ohio State opens the season at Minnesota on Thursday night, September 2nd.

The Buckeyes’ first home game is Saturday, September 11th against Oregon at noon.

Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith recently stated that, barring the delta COVID variant getting out of control, Ohio Stadium will be at full capacity this fall.

The Solon Police Department won’t display the Thin Blue Line flag on police property anymore.

The police chief said the flag caused “a divisive and unhealthy” reaction in the community, which is unfortunate.

He said the flag for them represents support for those in the profession and for those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

The chief said, for others, the flag is a symbol against the racial justice movement.

He said it was never their intention to heighten tensions and it’s important to maintain trust between the police department and citizens.

The mayor’s office says the Thin Blue Line flag will be replaced with a National Law Enforcement Memorial flag for display on police grounds.

In this WFIN article from May 2020 we speak with Hancock County Sheriff Michael Heldman about the wooden flag he made and displayed at the courthouse that reads “Blessed are The Peacemakers.” Click here for that story.

An investigation into the distribution of methamphetamine in Wyandot County resulted in some arrests.

The Wyandot County Major Crimes Unit along with the METRICH Enforcement Unit served two search warrants on Monday at 20184 and 20228 State Highway 67 in Upper Sandusky.

Detectives say a large amount of meth and suspected fentanyl was seized from the 20184 address and the tenant, Arthur L. Jackson, 53, was arrested along with Larry R. Hill, 53, of Florida.

Hill was charged with felony possession of drugs and Jackson was held on a probation violation.

Authorities say four other people also face charges of felony possession, pending lab results on the drugs.

The Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team and The Wyandot County Prosecutor’s Office assisted with the investigation.

People are urged to report illegal drug activity to their local law enforcement agency, the Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office or at www.METRICH.com.

President Joe Biden is coming to Ohio.

According to The White House, President Biden will be holding a CNN Town Hall meeting in Cincinnati on July 21st.

Anchor Don Lemon is expected to moderate the live, one-hour event.

Topics covered in the town hall will range from the economy, to voting rights to COVID-19.

The audience will be by invitation only.

Heavenly Pizza in Findlay held an Employee Appreciation Day recently in which all the money that came in that day went directly to the staff.

Owner Josh Elchert says his employees ended up making $78 an hour on Monday, July 5th.

“We just really wanted to make a big deal, and 78 dollars an hour to make pizza is a pretty big deal, but we just wanted to make sure they felt valued and appreciated.”

Josh said, while many restaurants have been experiencing staffing shortages, they’ve been able to stay fully staffed thanks to their dedicated employees.

He says their Employee Appreciation Day wouldn’t have been such a big success without their loyal customers.

He said, on an average Monday they do around 90 orders, but on Employee Appreciation Day they did upwards of 200, which meant more money in the pockets of his employees.

(ONN) – Governor DeWine has signed into law a bill allowing county commissioners in Ohio to determine the fate of renewable energy projects in their county.

When the measure signed Monday takes effect in 90 days, county commissions will be able to block proposed wind turbines, solar farms or other renewable projects or site them in specific areas of a county.

The proposal will also add a commissioner and trustee to the Ohio Power Siting Board while it reviews local projects.

Proponents say the changes will put local control and input at the forefront, but opponents say they discriminate against renewable energy.

The bill was sponsored by State Senators Bill Reineke and Senator Rob McColley.

In June, the Ohio Power Siting Board denied plans for a wind farm project in Seneca and Sandusky Counties.

Senator Reineke said it was gratifying that the Ohio Power Siting Board reached a logical conclusion with regards to the project after an extensive review of the facts and the law and consideration of the overwhelming public concern.

The Findlay Police Department is asking for the public’s help in connection with a lost wallet case.

Police say a man lost his wallet at Hot Head Burrito at 2025 Tiffin Avenue on Thursday, July 1st.

Police say they believe that the woman pictured took the wallet.

Anyone who can identify the woman in the picture or who has information concerning the case is asked to call police dispatch at 419-424-7150 or private message them on Facebook.

People can also contact Crime Stoppers at 419-425-TIPS and may be eligible for a reward.