The University of Findlay says fall is a great time to bring new life into your soil and to start preparing plants and trees for the colder temperatures with fresh fertilizer.

The university says its animal science and equestrian farms have plenty of horse manure that farmers, community garden operators and the general public can get their hands on free of charge.

The manure can be picked up at the university’s Western Equestrian Farm located at 14700 U.S. Route 68 in Findlay, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

UF asks that you call the farm office at 419-434-4656 to schedule your pick up.

Upon entering the facility, follow the road to the first stop sign, then turn right.

A staff member will meet you at the manure pad to load your truck or trailer.

For more information click here, or if you have any manure-related questions, call the farm office at 419-434-4656.

The Findlay Meijer is one of the first locations in the state to have one of the new Ohio BMV self-service kiosks.

Lt. Governor Jon Husted, Director of InnovateOhio, and Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles Registrar Charlie Norman joined representatives from Meijer and Intellectual Technology, Inc. to announce the pilot launch of new BMV Express self-service kiosks to better serve Ohio drivers.

Featured at nine deputy registrar and retail locations across the state, the new system will allow customers the ability to conveniently renew their vehicle registrations at the self-service kiosk.

The announcement was made at the Meijer in Fairfield, where a kiosk is located.

“InnovateOhio’s goal is to change the culture of state government so that every service is designed with the customer in mind,” said Lt. Governor Husted.

“The service announced today offers a convenient way for Ohioans to quickly and easily renew their vehicle registration so they can continue on with the rest of their day.”

The new kiosks are currently active at the following locations:

Meijer, 2200 Tiffin Ave., Findlay, OH
Deputy Registrar, 3481 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH
Deputy Registrar (outside of the BMV), 990 Morse Rd., Suite A, Columbus, OH
Deputy Registrar, 972 N. Court St., Medina, OH
Meijer, 6325 S. Gilmore Road, Fairfield, OH
Meijer, 7150 Executive Blvd., Huber Heights, OH
Meijer, 1391 Conant St., Maumee, OH
Riesbeck’s Food Market, 800 Howard St., Zanesville, OH
Rhodes Tower Lobby, 30 East Broad St., Columbus, OH

Authorities say a Crime Stoppers tip led to the arrest of the man accused of shooting an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper in Findlay last week.

Crime Stoppers of Findlay/Hancock County says someone called at around 12:30 Thursday afternoon reporting that a person matching the suspect’s description was seen on their property in the vicinity of Township Road 89 east of County Road 140.

The multiple agencies searching for the suspect converged on the area and minutes later Robert Tramaine Hathorn was found in the Blanchard River.

He was placed under arrest near County Road 223 a little north of the river.

The tipster will be getting a $1,000 reward from Crime Stoppers.

Authorities say the tip was very important because Hathorn was outside the perimeter where they were searching at that time.

Hathorn was due in court on Tuesday but his preliminary hearing was moved to October 20th.

The Highway Patrol says Hathorn struggled with a trooper over the trooper’s gun during a traffic stop October 6th along I-75 in Findlay and the trooper was shot in the lower portion of his body.

The trooper has since been released from the hospital and is continuing his recovery at home.

Tips can always be called in to Crime Stoppers at 419-425-TIPS, and callers may remain anonymous.

Awakening Minds Art has planned a self-guided community mural tour with a celebration to follow on Saturday, October 16th.

Tickets for the event are $25 each and include a map of murals of Findlay including the most recently completed interactive murals organized by Awakening Minds Art.

Tickets also include complimentary appetizers and a glass of wine or beer for participants over 21.

The mural tour will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with the after-celebration from 2 to 4 p.m. at Gillig Winery.

Mural artists include Laura Flickinger, Marissa Green, Megan Hall, Kan Du Studio artists, Ambz Kear, Tamera Rooney, and Emily Sullivan.

Many of the murals had guest artists as well. Click here for the story we did about the Kan Du Group mural.

The tour also includes previously painted, privately funded murals.

To further bring the community together through the visual arts, Awakening Minds Art came up with the concept of a community mural project to celebrate inclusivity and connection.

In cooperation with local government, local building owners and local artists, eight murals have been painted on buildings throughout the Findlay area.

The murals coordinated by AMA are interactive and visitors are encouraged to pose with the murals and post on social media tagging @AwakeningMindsArt using #artmakesmeconnected.

Murals previously painted have also been included on the tour to further celebrate public art.

Each of the AMA murals will include a sign with a QR code that will automatically take visitors to a website page dedicated to the inspiration of each mural, the processes of the mural making, photos, and the people involved in making each mural happen.

All of these pages will be stored permanently on the AMA website and shared on social media and through emailed newsletters.

The project is being funded by the Marianna Hofer Endowment Fund.

Additional murals may be available if more sponsors come on board.

The map is underwritten by the Findlay-Hancock County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

(above picture courtesy of Golden Lotus) (below is a picture of the Kan Du Group mural)

(ONN) – A House lawmaker has announced plans to introduce a bill legalizing recreational marijuana in Ohio.

Jamie Callender is a GOP lawmaker from Lake County in northeastern Ohio.

He says the bill will legalize marijuana in Ohio for people 21 and older and will encompass the growth, processing, distribution and sale of marijuana and marijuana products.

The Republican-controlled legislature previously legalized medical marijuana.

A separate ballot initiative is also underway to legalize pot.

That issue would make it legal for adults 21 and older to buy and possess 2 1/2 ounces of marijuana and grow as many as six plants.

The preliminary hearing for the man accused of shooting an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper along Interstate 75 in Findlay was continued until next week.

Robert Tramaine Hathorn’s attorney requested the continuance on Tuesday and the request was granted.

Hathorn’s preliminary hearing in Findlay Municipal Court is now set for Wednesday, October 20th.

Hancock County Grand Jury meets the day before that and it’s unclear if the case will be presented to them at that time.

If it is, and the grand jury indicts Hathorn, the case would then proceed through Common Pleas Court.

Hathorn is being held at the Hancock County Justice Center on $250,000 bond.

There’s a stipulation of no 10 percent, meaning he would have to post the amount in full to be released.

And he would not be released on bond without a hearing to determine the conditions of his release.

Hathorn made his initial appearance in court on Friday and was initially charged with aggravated robbery for when authorities say he tried to take the trooper’s gun last Wednesday night along Interstate 75 and it went off, striking the trooper in the lower body.

The Highway Patrol said Trooper Josef Brobst was released on Saturday afternoon and is now resting at home.

The Fostoria Police Division says a man stabbed an object through the driver’s side window of a police cruiser, nearly striking the officer inside.

It happened Monday night outside an apartment on Peeler Drive.

Police responded to the area on the report of a drunk man being violent.

Police say, as officer Jennifer Muro approached the scene in her cruiser, a man identified as Sophine Lesean Williams, came at her cruiser with what appeared to be a knife and stabbed through the driver’s side window piercing the glass and narrowly missing the officer’s head.

Williams, 26, then tried to run away and was apprehended without further incident.

Police say the object Williams assaulted the officer with was identified as a knife steel. A handheld steel rod approximately 12 inches long.

Officer Muro was treated at Fostoria Community Hospital for glass shards on her face and eyes and minor cuts to her face.

Williams was arrested and is in custody for burglary, felonious assault and vandalism.

Deputies from the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office also assisted with the situation.

Findlay City Schools says students who participate in any offensive TikTok challenges could face disciplinary action and possible law enforcement involvement.

The school district sent a letter to parents and guardians asking them to talk with their kids about the severe consequences of participating in the challenges, which have become a nationwide trend on TikTok.

The school district says the “disturbing” challenges are planned throughout the year and include stealing and damaging school property and assaulting school personnel.

The October challenge is “Slap a Staff Member.”

Superintendent Troy Roth in the letter to parents said, “Findlay City Schools will continue to ensure that our students understand our expectations and standards for acceptable behavior and conduct.”

The Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper who was shot during a traffic stop along Interstate 75 in Findlay last week is out of the hospital.

The Highway Patrol said Trooper Josef Brobst was released on Saturday afternoon and is now resting at his home.

The Highway Patrol said Trooper Brobst was shot in the lower portion of his body on Wednesday night when a driver he pulled over struggled with him over his gun.

The suspect, identified by the Highway Patrol as 42-year-old Robert Tramaine Hathorn, fled the scene and was arrested the following day after a search involving many agencies.

Hathorn is being held at the Hancock County Jail, and court records show he’s due in Findlay Municipal Court for a preliminary hearing on Tuesday.

In northwest Ohio, members of a drug awareness group are spreading their message.

Diane Urban, who lost her son to fentanyl, founded the organization ‘APALD’ – or ‘Association of People Against Lethal Drugs‘ to raise awareness of the growing crisis.

Tena Pruitt, of Defiance, says her son also died from fentanyl after taking a pill from a friend that be believed would help him sleep.

The CDC reported a record high of more than 90,000 overdose deaths in 2020, and more than 60 percent of them came from synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

APALD was in Defiance last weekend.

The group was also in Findlay, in front of the Hancock County Courthouse, a few weeks ago.