The Ohio Department of Transportation has won an award for its project to widen and reconstruct Interstate 75 in Findlay.

During a virtual presentation held at ODOT District 1 in December, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Toledo Section, awarded the Interstate 75 widening and reconstruction project its Project of the Year Award.

The award was specifically for the design and construction of the interchange between I-75 and U.S. 68 / State Route 15 because the project presented a lot of challenges as it was hemmed in on all sides.

“We want to congratulate you on this wonderful accomplishment; it’s a tremendous project,” said Adam Hoff, P.E., ASCE past president and president of Hoff Consulting Services, LLC.

“There were a lot of players involved, and it took a big team to make the project come together,” said ODOT Design Engineer Eric Scheckelhoff.

“The initial team included ODOT and the design consultant, WSP. The contractor, Beaver Excavating, Findlay, and their consultants joined the project team. ODOT had additional consultants on board for real estate and environmental services. In addition, the project also required coordination with Norfolk and Southern Railroad, Findlay Airport, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and their consultants,” Eric said.

ODOT says there were many challenges they encountered with designing the project.

The predominant consideration throughout the design process was how to create a free-flowing interchange in an area hemmed in on all sides by a railroad to the north, an airport to the south that wraps around the project, and quarries to the east and west.

Other constraints located near the project include a tank farm, wetlands, and an old landfill.

ODOT says cooperation and communication were vital to the success of the design team who were working with so many stakeholders.

For instance, the design team developed a specialized process to speed up approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) who required surveys, exhibits, and detailed drawings to approve over 400 permanent and temporary points of barrier such as light poles, towers, utility poles, signs, and even cranes.

The project reconstructed and widened about five miles of I-75 from just south of the Harrison Street overpass up to the County Road 99 interchange.

Notable features of the project included construction of a third lane in each direction on I-75 and the redesign of the interchange at Lima Avenue with U.S. 68 / State Route 15 into a double roundabout.

Below is video from August of 2020 when the project was almost finished and we spoke with Mayor Muryn and the director of ODOT.

(above pic courtesy of ODOT)

Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague says the State Treasury Asset Reserve (STAR) of Ohio has once again received Standard & Poor’s (S&P) highest rating of AAAm.

He says this marks the 28th consecutive year that the long-standing investment pool has earned the top rating.

“For nearly three decades, STAR Ohio has been a trusted option for local governments to invest and safeguard public dollars,” said Treasurer Sprague, of Findlay.

“Receiving the highest rating from S&P for the 28th consecutive year further underscores the long-running success of STAR Ohio. I’m proud to offer communities access to this high-quality investment vehicle.”

STAR Ohio is an investment pool that allows government subdivisions — from municipalities to school districts — to invest in high-grade, short-term securities while offering safety, penalty-free liquidity, and comparatively higher yields.

More than 1,700 entities currently participate in the program, and there are nearly 2,800 accounts across the state.

The investment pool saw tremendous growth over the last year and a half as local governments sought safe and reliable investment options for COVID-19 relief funds.

In fact, in July 2021, STAR Ohio crossed the $19 billion mark for the first time in its history.

Additionally, STAR Ohio distributed more than $26 million in investment income to participating government subdivisions across the Buckeye State in FY21.

All eligible entities, regardless of their investment size, are invited to take advantage of this exceptional investment option.

Learn more about the STAR Ohio program by clicking here.

A fire in North Baltimore destroyed a building that housed two businesses and an apartment.

The fire started around 6:30 Saturday morning at 235 North Main Street, which is on the north end of the business district.

Destroyed in the fire were a pizza shop, a laundromat and an upstairs apartment.

An art studio at 233 North Main Street also sustained damage but a fire wall kept the fire from spreading to it.

“It was a tragedy for the village,” said North Baltimore Mayor Janet Goldner.

The North Baltimore Fire Department and several other fire crews responded to battle the blaze.

Firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to the historical society building just to the south.

Nobody was injured in the fire. No word yet on the cause of the fire.

The Humane Society and SPCA of Hancock County says they’ve seen an increase in community support due to the Betty White challenge.

“We have currently raised over $2,000 and we’ve been given donations of paper towels, dog and cat toys, peanut butter for snacks,” said Natalie Reffit.

Betty White, who would have turned 100-years-old on Monday, was a tireless advocate for animals and the Betty White challenge encourages people to donate to animal shelters and charities or to even adopt a pet.

“Betty White’s legacy has definitely helped out the shelter a lot,” Natalie added.

The Humane Society and SPCA of Hancock County has more ways you can help out animals during the challenge, and anytime, below.

Click here to see what animals the shelter currently has up for adoption.

The Ottawa Police Department is asking people to keep their eyes open for a classic car that was stolen from the Ottawa area.

The theft happened sometime in the evening hours of Sunday.

The car that was stolen was a black 1987 Buick Regal Grand National.

The Ottawa Police Department says the picture above and pictures below are of the exact vehicle that was stolen.

A license plate of HOD8265 may be attached to the vehicle.

The car may have damage to the hood area.

Anyone with information about the theft is asked to contact the Ottawa Police Department at 419-523-3449 or dispatch at 419-523-3208.

If you see the vehicle, police say not to approach the vehicle or its occupants, and to give them a call immediately.

The Findlay Police Department says a man stole a car that was being traded in at a dealership while a person was still inside and then led authorities on a high-speed chase.

It happened at Taylor Hyundai on County Road 99 at around 1 o’clock Saturday afternoon.

Police say Justin M. Vaughn, 32, of Tiffin, entered the driver’s seat of a car that was being traded in and drove away from the dealership.

A 19-year-old man was in the car when it was taken.

Police say the person who was attempting to trade in the car was able to track the vehicle’s location and it was tracked into Tiffin on U.S. 224 moving at a high rate of speed.

The Tiffin Police Department located the vehicle and engaged in a pursuit in Seneca County.

Police say the pursuit ended when the car crashed northwest of Sycamore.

Vaughn and the 19-year-old who was in the car when it was stolen suffered minor injuries in the crash and were treated at the scene.

Vaughn was arrested and transferred to the Findlay Police Department.

A Seneca County deputy suffered a hand injury during the pursuit.

Justin was booked at the Hancock County Jail on charges of kidnapping, aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and theft of a motor vehicle.

The Findlay City Planning Commission has given the go-ahead for an historic house to become a bed and breakfast.

A man from Minnesota is moving to Findlay and plans to convert the Charles Bigelow house at 2816 North Main Street into a B&B.

The planning commission approved the proposal at its most recent meeting.

Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn is a fan of the B&B idea.

“Individuals would be able to stay for a couple days at a time and be able to enjoy staying in the community and also in a beautiful historical home.”

The mayor says she supports the project because a B&B would make good use of the property and there wouldn’t be any disruptions to neighbors with it being a large lot.

She says there’s been other people in the community interested in opening a B&B but those properties just haven’t quite been the right fit, but she thinks this location will work out nicely.

The Charles Bigelow house at 2816 North Main Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places so the mayor says it’s existing architecture won’t be allowed to be changed too much as it becomes a bed and breakfast.

Realtor.com says, built during the gas boom, the house still has many of its original fixtures.

There are 7 fireplaces, most are non-operational, but the exterior beauty and craftsmanship remain.

Six more residents of the City Mission of Findlay have graduated from a manufacturing course at Fostoria Learning Center.

Jim Drewes, VP of Workforce Development at Northwest State Community College says the partnership between OhioMeansJobs-Hancock County, The City Mission and Fostoria Learning Center is showing the students they can succeed in manufacturing and is producing skilled entry-level employees.

He says five of the six individuals have already received a job offer.

Get more details in the following news release from Northwest State Community College.

Northwest State Community College is excited to announce the graduation of six learners from the Certified Manufacturing Associate and OSHA 10-hour course. The six individuals, residents of the City Mission in Findlay, completed the 50-hour course in less than a month. The six graduates also went through a job fair held at the Fostoria Learning Center that featured Ohio Logistics, Seneca Millwork, NSI Crankshaft, Mennel Milling, and Morgan Advanced Materials. To date, five of the six learners received job offers as a result of the fair.

The course, held at the Fostoria Learning Center, provided entry-level manufacturing skills to the learners through online learning and hands-on training. The Certified Manufacturing Associate and the OSHA 10-hour course are both short-term industry-recognized credentialing programs. Jim Drewes, VP of Workforce Development at Northwest State Community College believes these short-term programs are a great pathway to employment. “Our main goal is providing skills that will lead to employment. We do this by listening to the needs of employers and the learners we serve. This program particularly meets those needs, and allows for the learner to potentially go from training to employment in less than a month. This partnership with OhioMeansJobs-Hancock County, The City Mission, and Fostoria Learning Center is not only producing skilled entry-level employees, but is showing these learners they can succeed in these courses.”

OhioMeansJobs-Hancock County not only provides funding for this program, but walks hand in hand with the learners on their journey to employment. “The staff of OhioMeansJobs-Hancock County are very proud of these graduates. They have taken a big step forward on the road to making a better life for themselves. Our job at OMJ is to offer support, both financial and educational, as well as encouragement to people looking to improve themselves,” stated Randall Galbraith, Hancock County Jobs & Family Services Director. That encouragement is being noticed by Kathryn Bausman, City Mission Executive Director. “The difference in the guests that are involved in our workforce classes is evident. There is a sense of accomplishment and purpose that begins to show. You can see it in the way they show up for classes, even their advocacy meetings are different, there is anticipation about the future, I guess you can call it hope.”

These classes continue to be housed at the Fostoria Learning Center. The state-of-the-art facility provided these learners access to their mechatronic lab and computer lab three days per week. Renee Smith, Executive Director of the Fostoria Economic Development Corporation, is excited to see these programs provide an opportunity for both the learners and local employers. “These innovative workforce programs and partnerships are providing our local employers the opportunity to engage with a new and underutilized faction of employees. This is a unique opportunity for everyone involved and we, at the Fostoria Learning Center, are excited to be an active participant. These workforce programs are designed to have long term benefits for the participants who are being trained and the employers who are gaining new trained employees.”

Blanchard Valley Health System is adjusting its visitation guidelines due to the rise in COVID cases in the community.

BVHS says, effective Monday, January 17th it will be further limiting the number of visitors coming into its facilities due to the increased transmission in the community and rise in COVID-19 cases.

BVHS says this is to ensure that they can continue to provide the safest environment for patients, visitors and associates.

The updated guidelines can be seen by clicking here.

In accordance with the updated guidelines, all BVHS visitors are required to wear a mask at all times, including time spent in the room of a loved one.

The health system will provide an appropriate mask that covers the nose, mouth and chin.

BVHS recently prohibited cloth masks, and said visitors must wear a surgical mask or an N-95 mask, which will be provided upon entry.

Additionally, visitors are required to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer every time they enter or exit a patient room.

When visiting BVHS, it is important to note the safest practice for patients and visitors is to wear a mask and physically distance, regardless of vaccination status, when entering or exiting a patient room.

When wearing a mask, it is important that it covers a person’s mouth and nose to prevent the spread of secretions when breathing, talking, sneezing or coughing.

BVHS continues to take temperatures and screen at the door.

Visitors with symptoms or a high temperature will not be allowed into the facility in order to better protect patients and visitors.

Medical professionals have the right to refuse appointments to those who do not comply.

(ONN) – The Supreme Court of Ohio has struck down the state’s newly-drawn Congressional district map, saying Republicans violated the Ohio Constitution by drawing districts that overwhelmingly favored GOP candidates.

The decision comes just days after the high court made a similar ruling concerning the map of the state’s House and Senate districts.

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O’Connor was again a key vote in the 4-to-3 decision to reject the map, which would have given Republicans a 12-to-3 district advantage in a state that only leans Republican.

Ohio lawmakers will be sent back to the drawing board to craft a new map within 30 days.

If they can’t find a solution, the Ohio Redistricting Commission will have 30 days to do so.