Forecasters say to expect a lot of rain the next few days.

The National Weather Service says heavy rain is likely from late Tuesday through the day Wednesday.

The map below from the NWS shows northeast Hancock County getting 4-6 inches of rain, while the rest of the county is shown getting 3-4 inches, with Findlay in the middle of both predictions.

Those estimates are for the time frame of Tuesday at 2 p.m. through Thursday at 8 a.m.

Forecasters say the heavy rain will cause localized flooding and people are reminded to never attempt to drive through high water.

The high on Tuesday is forecasted to be 79 while the high temp on Wednesday only 62.

50 North is partnering with OhioMeansJobs to hold a Senior Job Fair.

The Senior Job Fair will be held at 50 North, 339 East Melrose Avenue in Findlay, on Wednesday, September 22nd from 2 to 5.

More than 30 businesses will be in attendance.

There will be full-time, part-time and seasonal opportunities.

Also, career counselors will be on-site to help with resumes and applications.

People can call 419-423-8496 for more information or visit the 50 North website by clicking here.

The Findlay Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying a person accused of assaulting two people with a can of pepper spray.

Investigators say the male in the picture approached a vehicle in the Taco Bell drive-thru on Tiffin Avenue and pepper-sprayed two females inside.

The male then fled the area on foot.

The incident happened on Wednesday, September 15th.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Findlay police dispatch at 419-424-7150 or contact Crime Stoppers at 419-425-TIPS. Tipsters may be eligible for a reward.

The Seneca County Drug Task Force-METRICH Enforcement Unit says a woman was arrested after a search warrant was executed at her residence.

Police say Mara D. Simpson, 32, was arrested on an outstanding warrant out of the Findlay Police Department and taken to the Hancock County Jail.

The drug task force says a search of 638 Maple Street in Fostoria on Friday revealed suspected methamphetamine, a gun, money and drug paraphernalia.

Police say Simpson has charges pending that include possession and trafficking in drugs, having a weapon under disability and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Fostoria Police Chief Keith Loreno said their department had been receiving a lot of drug intelligence on that specific residence and he considers the investigation to be successful due to drugs and a gun being removed from the community and having citizens’ complaints addressed.

He encourages anyone to report suspicious activity to their local police agency.

The Findlay-Hancock County Public Library has been giving out a lot of free COVID testing kits the last few weeks as cases have surged.

The library started making the at-home testing kits available to the public in early March.

Joel Mantey, adult services manager for the library, says they gave out around 200 in March, around 100 in April and fewer than 100 in May, June and July.

But he says they handed out around 500 in August and already in September they’ve handed out well over 1,000.

We spoke to Joel on Thursday and he said on Wednesday they gave out nearly 400 of the testing kits.

He says the Ohio Department of Health has been good with restocking them with kits on the few occasions that they’ve run out.

Joel recommends that people call ahead to make sure they have kits available, and if you’re symptomatic, request curbside service and they’ll bring them out to you.

To request a kit, stop by the reference desk or ask for one through the curbside service by calling 419-422-1712.

A Findlay company that says it’s leading the industrial decarbonization revolution welcomed a class from the University of Findlay to check out their operation.

During their visit to One Energy the students toured the wind turbine component yard, getting an up-close look at wind energy to supplement the class’s discussion on different types of electricity generation.

One Energy said “it was a pleasure to host these students and help round out their energy conversations.”

One Energy is an industrial power company that builds modern, on-site power grids and on-site wind turbine installations for large C&I customers such as Whirlpool Corporation, Marathon Petroleum, and LafargeHolcim.

One Energy’s North Findlay Wind Campus is located at 12385 Township Road 215.

One Energy recently announced the formation of its Board of Directors.

CEO Jereme Kent said the company has reached a milestone in its history where they need a Board of Directors that’s ready to advance the customer-centric power grid of the future.

(pictures courtesy of One Energy)

A trooper at the Bowling Green Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol has been recognized for his efforts in recovering stolen vehicles.

Trooper Jeffery Huffman was presented with the Ace Award during a ceremony at the Bowling Green Post on Friday.

The Ace Award is for excellence in auto larceny enforcement.

So far in 2021, Trooper Huffman has recovered five stolen vehicles with a combined value of more than $54,000 and apprehended six suspects in connection with the thefts.

A certificate, uniform ribbon and an Ace license plate for display on his cruiser were presented.

Lieutenant Shaun J. Robinson, Bowling Green Post commander, presented Trooper Huffman with the second Ace Award of his career.

“This award is representative of Trooper Huffman’s dedication and service to the citizens he has sworn to protect,” said Lieutenant Robinson.

“His ability to look beyond the plate during each and every traffic stop is apparent through his recovery of five stolen vehicles.”

Trooper Huffman earned his first Ace Award in 2018 after recovering six stolen vehicles.

The United Way of Hancock County’s Fall Days of Caring service event begins on Monday.

This is the first time the United Way will have held two Days of Caring in one year.

During the Days of Caring event in May of this year, more than 550 volunteers from area corporations completed 79 projects for 15 agencies.

The fall event will be smaller, with about 150 corporate volunteers tackling 24 projects for local non-profits. The fall event will run September 20-22.

“In 2020 because of the pandemic, we had to postpone our May Days of Caring until September,” said Sarah Mayle, Volunteer Coordinator for the United Way.

“There was a great response to that. Some volunteers can’t help in May because of their work schedule and were happy another opportunity was available. Non-profit leaders were happy to tackle projects related to preparing for winter, and everyone liked the weather. We’re looking forward to another great event.”

During Days of Caring, employees of area corporations and small businesses lend a hand to local organizations.

Non-profits in need of help submit projects, volunteer teams register to help, and the United Way matches up the two groups.

Volunteers then head out in force to complete projects such as landscaping, organizing, painting, construction and cleaning.

Participating this fall are Marathon Petroleum, Whirlpool, First National Bank of Pandora, Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies, the McComb High School Future Farmers of America Club, City Apparel, Gilmore Jasion Mahler Ltd., Reineke & Roush Financial Planning Group, LaRiche Chevrolet Cadillac, and a team assembled by Findlay Municipal Court Judge Stephanie Bishop.

The United Way says it has worked with Hancock Public Health and the agencies to establish COVID19 safety protocols for each project.

“It’s a busy and exciting time for the United Way,” said United Way CEO Angela DeBoskey.

“We kicked off our 2021 campaign season last week with our 419 Sings competition and this week are inspired to see so many volunteers heading out to help non-profits providing essential services to the community.”

To learn more about Days of Caring click here.

(ONN) – Northeast Ohio Republican Congressman and former Ohio State Buckeye Anthony Gonzalez will not seek re-election next year.

In a statement on twitter, Gonzalez said the current state of politics – including the many toxic dynamics inside the Republican Party – was a significant factor in his decision.

The former Buckeye and NFL wide receiver was elected in 2018 to the 16th congressional district seat.

Gonzalez is one of ten House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Trump and had become a target of Republicans loyal to the former president.

The New York Times reports in an interview that he called Trump ‘a cancer on the country.’

https://twitter.com/RepAGonzalez/status/1438670555922771968

Hancock Public Health is reporting another significant increase in COVID cases in the county.

The agency says there were 342 new cases, 25 new hospitalizations and one new death during the week of September 10th through the 16th.

Hancock County averaged 48 new cases per day over that period.

Community transmission in Hancock County remains “high” as defined by the CDC.

Hancock Public Health says 43.5 percent of Hancock County residents are fully vaccinated.

There were 253 new cases of COVID over the previous reporting period, the week of September 3rd through the 9th.

574 people have been hospitalized with COVID in Hancock County since the beginning of the pandemic and 140 have died.

Blanchard Valley Hospital recently reopened its drive-thru testing site in response to the surge of new cases.