One of the winners of the state’s Vax-2-School drawing on Thursday is from Findlay.

The latest Ohio Vax-2-School winners include Matthew Roth, of Findlay, and Jessica Legge, of Kenton.

They each won a $10,000 scholarship.

Winners of the $10,000 scholarships have been announced daily this week.

Earlier in the week, someone from Fostoria won a scholarship.

Five grand prize winners of a $100,000 scholarship will be announced on Friday.

Ohio Vax-2-School is a series of statewide drawings to provide incentives to younger Ohioans to get the COVID vaccine.

Hancock County Educational Service Center and Blanchard Valley Center are holding a Sensory Santa event.

The event is an opportunity for children with autism and/or sensory processing disorder to visit with Santa Claus in a quiet, sensory-friendly environment.

Clair McCumber is Parent Mentor at Hancock County Educational Service Center.

She helps families navigate the special education process and find resources within the community.

As Claire mentioned in the audio above, parents will receive a goodie bag of resources to take with them, and hot chocolate and cookies will be available during the event.

The Sensory Santa night is on Wednesday, December 15th from 6 to 7 p.m. at Blanchard Valley Center at 1700 East Sandusky Street in Findlay.

People with questions can contact Claire McCumber at 419-422-7525 ext. 105.

The Ohio Market Access Program (OMAP) administered by Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague, of Findlay, has helped the Village of Carey enter the market to refinance outstanding debt and save an estimated $27,475 in interest costs over the next year.

“OMAP has become an increasingly popular and valuable tool for local governments looking to save money when financing improvement projects in their communities,” said Treasurer Sprague.

“This is the fourth consecutive year that the Village of Carey has taken advantage of the program, and we’re proud to partner with them as they continue to make important investments.”

He says the OMAP credit enhancement allowed the Village of Carey to achieve meaningful interest cost savings.

The original notes were issued to fund improvements to the village’s electrical system infrastructure, including the construction of new distribution lines to serve a school and industrial park.

This issuance marks the fourth time the Village of Carey has utilized OMAP. The previous three deals have saved the village an estimated $134,865 in interest expenses.

“The Village of Carey is excited to be able to continue to participate in the Ohio Market Access Program and allow the village to continue see the savings for another year,” said Carey Administrator Nathan Curtis.

OMAP is a credit enhancement program that leverages the state’s excess liquidity and high short-term credit rating to help improve market access and lower borrowing rates for local governments.

Since its 2014 launch, OMAP has supported more than 220 deals, ranging from $390,000 to over $100 million.

There have been no defaults, and to date, OMAP has generated more than $4.1 million in estimated savings for local governments.

Any government subdivision in good fiscal standing, including cities, villages, school districts, counties, townships, and special districts, issuing short-term debt is eligible to participate.

For more information, click here.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says it’s been receiving calls from the public about another grand jury scam that has popped up.

The sheriff’s office says several community members have received calls about not showing up to grand jury after signing for the certified letter saying they would appear.

The scammer states that since they did not show up for grand jury they would need to report to the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office to post a bond of $2,760 in cash.

The caller advises that if the bond is not posted an arrest warrant would be issued for their arrest.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office reminds everyone to be aware that this type of call is a scam and to hang up on the scammer.

And, as always, never give out any personal information over the phone.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says the community has been extremely generous after they put out the call for people to help Toys for Tots recover from the theft of $20,000 worth of toys.

On Monday, Sheriff Heldman announced that two Toys for Tots drop-off boxes would be available in the sheriff’s office lobby 24/7 through December 12th for people to drop off donated toys.

When we spoke with the sheriff around noon on Wednesday for an update, he said five boxes had already been filled up with toys and they also received $2,300 in checks for Toys for Tots.

“The support we’re getting is overwhelming, and I’m just thankful that the community is coming out and doing this,” Sheriff Heldman said.

The sheriff said Larry DeVelvis, the Toys for Tots coordinator for Hancock and southern Wood County was amazed and thankful for how quickly the community responded to help out.

He says drop-off boxes will be available in their lobby through December 12th. If you stop by after hours with some toys, just ring the buzzer and you’ll be let in.

As for the theft, Sheriff Heldman said investigators are following up on some leads.

In the video below you can see the Special Deputies Organization handing Larry a check for $750 and the group Yield (Young Individuals Educating Local Drivers) presenting him a check for $500 during the announcement on Monday.

With one month remaining in the year, the United Way of Hancock County’s campaign efforts are around $300,000 short of their $2 million goal.

The United Way says the majority of their 2021 fundraising efforts rely upon fall workplace campaigns, and unfortunately, most additional campaign activities have not returned due to the impacts of COVID.

“With workplace and community changes brought about by the pandemic, we’ve had to get creative with our fundraising. It takes every single donor and every single gift to keep Hancock County stabilized, safe and secure.” said Angela Deboskey, CEO of the United Way of Hancock County.

The United Way of Hancock County supports a variety of essential programs and services that impact the vital and basic needs of children and families, which include food, shelter, recovery, safety, transportation, and youth development.

Campaign reductions could mean reductions and cuts to much needed programs in our community.

The agencies and programs that will be supported in 2022 and the specific monetary allocations have not yet been finalized.

“The money raised here stays here,” Deboskey said. “These agencies rely on United Way support. If campaign falls short, we will have to reduce our grants and further adjust our operations. Our community is counting on us, and we take that very seriously.”

Corporate change and individual philanthropy reductions across the board are the two largest factors for the current fundraising need.

Charitable contributions often follow trends of declining consumer confidence and as companies change leadership, close, or if individuals become unsure of their employment future, donors adjust financially.

Despite fewer contributions, the needs in the Hancock County community remain substantial and will continue to be heightened due to struggles resulting from COVID.

“Throughout the last 2 years, the United Way of Hancock County was able to maintain all of our funding commitments, despite these large challenges,” Deboskey said.

“We’ve been strategic in keeping costs low, applying for payroll protection, and winning outside grants which bring additional dollars into Hancock County. We remain grateful for our faithful donors and the new companies and people who’ve stepped up to help.”

The United Way of Hancock County is wrapping up the workplace campaign this month, with a soft close at the end of January.

Individuals or companies can contribute or pledge online at www.uwhancock.org, by mail, phone 419-423-1432 or in person at 318 West Main Cross Street in Findlay.

A second lawsuit challenging Ohio’s new Congressional map has been filed with the Ohio Supreme Court.

The League of Women Voters of Ohio and several voter rights groups and individuals accuse Republican lawmakers of manipulating lines to favor their party over Democrats.

The lawsuit argues that the map creates 10 safe districts for Republicans, two safe districts for Democrats and three “arguably competitive districts that will favor Republicans.”

The complaint alleges that the map unduly favors Republicans in violation of voter-approved changes in the Ohio Constitution.

The National Democratic Redistricting Committee’s legal arm also recently filed a lawsuit over the map on behalf of a group of Ohio voters.

A Hancock County man has been indicted in connection with his wife’s shooting death.

Brian L. Ziessler, 65, is facing a charge of aggravated murder.

Deputies arrived at 16777 Township Road 205 east of Findlay on November 15th to find Sherri Ziessler, 59, dead of multiple gunshot wounds.

Brian Ziessler was arrested on November 22nd.

He’s being held at the Hancock County Jail.

Court records show Ziessler’s total bond is $1 million.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office has been assisted in the investigation by the Findlay Police Department and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.