A combine caught on fire on the south end of Findlay on Monday, sending black smoke high into the sky.

The combine was in a grass field on the Findlay Airport’s property a little west of U.S. 68/State Route 15.

It caught on fire at around 12:15 Monday afternoon, and people reported hearing a loud explosion around the same time.

The Findlay Fire Department responded and requested help from Liberty Township’s grass truck to put the fire out.

The fire department said nobody was injured in the fire.

A public auction has been scheduled to sell off the leftover contents of Findlay’s Lincoln Elementary School.

The auction will be held on Saturday, October 23rd beginning at 10 a.m.

The list of items that will be auctioned off includes a Ford 3910 tractor and loader, 250 gal water tank, an original clock and bell from Central High School, oak teacher desks, shelves, cabinets, some old Rawlings baseball gloves and much more.

The full list of items can be found by clicking here.

In January, Findlay City Schools announced that the school district would be undergoing some elementary school building consolidation in the wake of three failed operating levies in 2020.

Lincoln Elementary closed at the end of the previous school year and will be sold.

Also, Jacobs Primary will be repurposed and will no longer be a K-3 school building.

In May, a lot of people spent some time walking down memory lane during an open house at Findlay’s Lincoln Elementary School.

The school district said Lincoln has not been sold yet.

When it is sold, the district is hoping that the Number 9 Bell will be able to stay on the property.

The Findlay Municipal Court says its 4th Annual Safe Surrender Day held last week was a success.

The Court says 72 people got 109 bench warrants addressed on Thursday.

Safe Surrender Day events work by giving people who have a bench warrant for their arrest a chance to resolve their legal issues without the fear of immediately going to jail.

The Court says it’s in the best interest of the defendants and the community for these individuals to complete their original sentencing requirements while avoiding incarceration at the already overcrowded Hancock County Justice Center.

The Court says both Judge Alan D. Hackenberg and Judge Stephanie M. Bishop are appreciative of The Hancock County Public Defender’s Office, the City of Findlay Law Director’s Office and the staff that made the event a success and plan to continue this opportunity for local offenders in the future.

The Court said one example of the success of the event is an individual from South Carolina who rode a bus to Findlay just to attend this event.

He was able to resolve his case and return home without issue, which will open up employment opportunities and release warrant blocks on his driver license.

Learn more about Safe Surrender Day by clicking here.

(The above pic of Judge Bishop addressing an outstanding bench warrant with an individual on Safe Surrender Day was provided by the Court)

The Liberty-Benton football game at Pandora-Gilboa on Friday night was postponed due to lightning in the area.

The game will be played on Saturday night at the same time of 7 o’clock.

The Findlay Trojans were also dealing with weather delays during their game at Clay but were trying to get the game played at the time this story was posted.

Ottawa-Glandorf was hosting Shawnee and also was dealing with some weather but it has moved out of the area and they are getting their game in.

Click here for WFIN’s High School Scoreboard.

University of Findlay alumnus and current Board of Trustees member Billy Watterson and his wife Brenda presented the university with a check for $1 million on Friday.

The generous gift will be used to upgrade the Environmental, Health, Safety & Sustainability program.

Watterson graduated from the University of Findlay in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Safety and Occupational Health Management and went on to become a successful entrepreneur. He’s now the CEO of Watterson Brands.

Watterson says he owes a lot to UF.

“This place built me. I came here undereducated and just looking for a way out of poverty, a way out of my situation, and it afforded me that opportunity and I was well prepared when I left here.”

Watterson said he and his wife are honored to make this investment in the university’s EHSS program.

“Our goal is to provide future students access to modernized infrastructure, tools and resources to build their own foundation, find purpose, and ultimately make a difference in this world.”

Learn more about the gift and about the university’s EHSS program by clicking here.

The Friends of the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library will be holding a sale of collectible books.

The Friends of the Library received a big donation of mainly history books from an estate.

The topics of the books range mostly from Western Americana to the History of World War II. Prices range from $2 to $175.

Emilee Whetstone, manager of the Book Cellar, says this collectible book sale is generating a lot of interest.

She says there’s quite a bit of buzz about a Ulysses S. Grant autobiography in particular.

Emilee talks about that and more in the audio below.

Emilee says the Book Cellar has been around since November of 1991 and since then has donated more than $300,000 to the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library from its book sales.

The collectible book sale will include about 250 books and it will be held in the Book Cellar on the lower level of the library and the Lindamood Room.

It will be held during regular Book Cellar hours on Monday, October 11th from 10 to 6, Wednesday, October 13th from 10 to 5 and Friday, October 15th from 10 to 3.

The Findlay Police Department is investigating after several shots were fired at a vehicle at an apartment complex.

Police were responding to 1909 Kirkwood Court Thursday night for a large fight in the parking lot when they learned that shots had been fired.

Police located the victim’s vehicle at a different location that had been struck by some of the bullets and confirmed that nobody was injured.

Police learned that during the fight one of the participants got into a vehicle and began leaving and were pursued by individuals on foot who began firing rounds at the vehicle.

Officers located the vehicle that the suspects fled the scene in and identified numerous involved individuals, however they say they’re still looking for a main suspect.

That individual was wearing a sweatshirt with a ‘Nickelodeon’ logo on the front and had on a black face mask and black Nike pants.

Anyone who has additional information that could be helpful in identifying the individual or has further leads is asked to contact the Findlay Police Department at 419-424-7150 or Crime Stoppers.

The suspect in the shooting of a Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper in Findlay was taken into custody on Thursday after eluding authorities for hours.

Law enforcement caught Robert Tramaine Hathorn, 42, at around 1 o’clock Thursday afternoon.

After a sighting of the suspect near the Blanchard River, he was apprehended in the area of County Road 223 near Trenton Avenue.

The Highway Patrol says Hathorn struggled with Trooper Josef Brobst over his gun during a traffic stop on I-75 on Wednesday night and the trooper sustained a gunshot wound.

The trooper was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol thanks the citizens of Ohio for tips received during the search.

Many agencies assisted in the search, and the Highway Patrol thanks the Findlay Police Department, Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, Toledo Police Department, Fostoria Police Department, Wood County Sheriff’s Office, United States Marshals Service, United States Secret Service, United States Border Patrol, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their help in the search.

(above pic courtesy of the Highway Patrol)

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says a teenager was thrown from her truck during a rollover crash but didn’t suffer any major injuries.

The crash happened on State Route 235 a little north of Mt. Cory at around 9:40 Thursday morning.

The sheriff’s office says Korryn Karcher, 16, of Mt. Cory, was driving south on State Route 235 in a pickup truck.

Her truck went off the west side of the road, she overcorrected and then went off the other side of the road and rolled several times before coming to rest on its side.

Korryn was ejected from the truck but did not suffer any major injuries.

Hanco EMS took her to Blanchard Valley Hospital to get checked out.

Nadine Weininger with the Blanchard Valley Center in Findlay says National Disability Employment Awareness Month is held each year to commemorate the many talents of people with disabilities and their contributions to the workplace and economy.

She says Blanchard Valley Center will be holding a coffee chat with local business representatives to talk about different opportunities for businesses to employ people with disabilities.

Blanchard Valley Center’s Mission Statement is to provide resources and support that empowers people with developmental disabilities to live lives with meaning and purpose.

Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn and the Hancock County Commissioners both issued proclamations declaring October as Disability Employment Awareness Month in the city and county, calling upon employers, schools and other community organizations throughout Findlay and Hancock County to observe the month with appropriate programs and activities

The Blanchard Valley Center says it’s evident that Findlay and the surrounding communities value the contributions made in the workplace by people with disabilities.