Blanchard Valley Health System held a Facebook Live to update the community on the impact that rising COVID cases are having on Findlay, Hancock County and the region.

Serving as hosts of the event were BVHS President and CEO Myron Lewis, William Kose, MD, vice president of special projects and Renee Smith, MD, chief medical officer.

Dr. Smith said in 2020, from March through December, the hospital had 167 COVID patients admitted and 88 died.

Through November of this year she says 152 COVID patients have been admitted and 111 have died.

She said the average age of their COVID patients went down from 70 last year to around 61 this year.

Dr. Smith said 75 to 80 percent of the COVID patients they are seeing hospitalized are unvaccinated.

“So we are seeing that the vaccine is helping to keep people out of the hospital, and we are strongly encouraging our patients and our community members to get the vaccine,” Dr. Smith said.

Dr. Smith said around 50 COVID patients were being treated at Blanchard Valley Hospital as of Wednesday.

You can watch the entire Facebook Live below.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says troopers found cocaine and heroin in the spare tire compartment in the trunk of a car during a traffic stop on Interstate 75 in Findlay.

On December 9th, at 6:20 p.m., troopers stopped a Mazda CX5 with Florida registration for a speed violation on Interstate 75.

The highway patrol says criminal indicators were observed and a Findlay Police Department drug-sniffing K9 alerted to the vehicle.

A probable cause search of the vehicle revealed the contraband concealed in the spare tire compartment in the trunk.

Troopers seized 810 grams of crack cocaine, 50 grams of cocaine and a small amount of heroin worth approximately $78,260.

The driver, Jonathan Stalling, 28, and passenger, Jimmie Fields, 43, both of Detroit, were booked at the Hancock County Justice Center and charged with possession of cocaine, a first-degree felony.

If convicted, each could face up to 11 years in prison and up to a $20,000 fine.

Findlay and Hancock County are included in a Wind Advisory issued by the National Weather Service.

The Wind Advisory will be in effect from 10 p.m. Wednesday through 6 p.m. Thursday.

Forecasters say southwest winds 20 to 30 miles per hour will gust up to 50 miles per hour at times.

The gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects.

Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

People should use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office is dealing with a significant shortage of corrections officers to work in the jail, and the shortage is causing some changes to jail operations.

Sheriff Michael Heldman says an ideal number of corrections officers is 36 and that they’re down about ten officers from that number.

“The officer to inmate ratio is such that we feel that it’s a safety and security issue by not having adequate staff and working the number of hours that people would have to work to accommodate the inmate level, many would be working 16 hours,” the sheriff said.

He says the Hancock County Board of Commissioners approved funds to have an adjacent county jail house some of the local inmates because of safety and security issues caused by the inmate to officer ratio.

Last week there were 98 inmates in the Hancock County Jail, and on Tuesday when we spoke with the sheriff that number was down to 66 as some of the inmates had been moved to another county jail.

Sheriff Heldman says they hired three corrections officers in the past week but they still need more applicants.

The sheriff said people interested in applying for a corrections officer position at the Hancock County Jail should send their resume his way.

The sheriff’s office address is 200 West Crawford Street, Findlay, Ohio 45840.

The phone number is 419-424-7097 and the email is hancocksheriff@co.hancock.oh.us.

The Findlay Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying two individuals who stole several items from a Findlay store.

The police department says the two females in the surveillance picture entered the Lowe’s at 1077 Bright Road on November 30th around 5:30 p.m. and stole a variety of electronics.

The suspects left out an emergency exit and got into a silver car that was waiting for them.

Anyone with information about the suspects is urged to contact the Findlay Police Department at 419-424-7150 or Crime Stoppers at 419-425-TIPS.

People with tips can also message police on their social media pages.

Tipsters may be eligible for a reward.

The Marion Township Trustees will be holding a COVID-19 testing kit giveaway at the township house located at 16003 State Route 568, a little east of Findlay.

The free kits will be available on Thursday, December 16th from 4 to 6 p.m. and on Saturday, December 18th from 8 to 10 a.m or until supplies run out.

Hancock Public Health is providing the kits in an effort to encourage people to get tested for COVID before attending Christmas gatherings.

The Marion Township House is located at 16003 State Route 568.

The City of Findlay administration will be presenting their 2022 budget to city council on Wednesday.

The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. in city council chambers and will also be streamed online.

You can view the entire budget on the city of Findlay website.

Mayor Christina Muryn says as the world was turned upside down over the past two years she’s proud of the efforts of the City of Findlay team to ensure that the city stayed healthy and focused on the work to which they are dedicated.

She says, through careful management of taxpayer dollars, department operations are projected to come in about $1.76 million under the original budget.

She also said that the city’s tax revenue came in stronger than anticipated at $29.3 million, which is $7.7 million above the 2021 revenue estimated and $3.1 million higher than revenues received pre-pandemic in 2019.

The mayor says, with careful expense management and revenues coming in stronger than anticipated, she expects that in 2021 about $3 million will be added to the city’s general fund unappropriated balance.

She said that positions the city well to mitigate future changes to revenues while continuing to provide the level of service the city’s residents expect.

The city’s primary source of revenue comes from the community’s 1 percent income tax, one of the lowest in the state.

Findlay City Schools will be conducting a district-wide emergency drill.

The drill is planned for Wednesday, December 15th.

Superintendent Troy Roth says staff and students will be instructed on how to respond to a lockdown.

“Our hope is that we will never have to use the skills learned in a practice drill; however, it is important to conduct periodic safety drills so that we are all prepared for any emergency circumstance,” Roth said.

Troy says the emergency drill is being planned in consultation with the Findlay Police Department and all local emergency personnel services.

In the event of a true emergency, the district would use all of the communication resources available, including the Remind app, district website, social media, final forms, and local media to alert the public on the steps that the district would be following.

People can report any safety issues within Findlay City Schools by clicking here.

(ONN) – An animal shelter in northwest Ohio has received what some are calling a Christmas miracle.

The Fulton County Humane Society in Wauseon had to move out of its building by the end of December after it was sold.

A GoFundMe page has raised $27,000 of its $200,000 goal.

But with time running out, shelter manager Stephanie Moore tells WTOL-TV in Toledo that an anonymous donor came forward and donated an entire building in Archbold that is twice the size.

Moore says words cannot express the appreciation they feel.

Volunteers are needed to help with the big move.

The Hancock Regional Planning Commission says the Ohio Department of Development has set aside $500,000 for Hancock County to direct towards the demolition of commercial and residential buildings as part of the new Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program.

Commercial and residential buildings on sites that do not contain or present environmentally hazardous substances or conditions and are located within Hancock County are eligible properties.

Post-demolition site restoration costs such as grading, seeding, greening and improvements may also be covered.

All costs are expected to be covered by the grant program.

The property owner must grant Hancock County and its demolition contractors temporary access to the property in order to demolish structures.

People who have a structure they would like to be demolished and meets the above guidelines should contact Lizzy Essinger at 419-424 -7095 or lessinger@findlayohio.com.