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 2 p.m. Thursday.

Forecasters say winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour could gust up to 50 miles per hour.

Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects.

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

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

Outdoor objects should be secured.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is laying out a case for a proposed overhaul of the state’s current bail system.

Yost says he supports an Ohio House Republican proposal to amend the state’s constitution on how a bond is determined.

Yost said the current system sets bail by the severity of the crime, and the amendment would allow judges to raise the amount based on a risk to the public if the accused posted bond.

Yost said the proposal would have judges consider the suspect’s criminal record, risk of flight, and the seriousness of the offense.

Read more about the proposal by clicking here. 

A Hancock County man learned how much time he’ll be spending behind bars after previously being convicted of a felony charge in connection with an incident involving a sheriff’s deputy.

Ronald Dean Lauck, 52, of Arlington, was facing a charge of felonious assault, a first-degree felony, and a charge of intimidation, a third-degree felony, in connection with an August, 26th 2020 incident in Jackson Township.

Deputies responded to 16091 County Road 8 that night to investigate a domestic dispute that involved Lauck’s son.

During their investigation, the sheriff’s office said Lauck fired a shotgun at a deputy and the deputy returned fire.

No one was struck by the gunfire.

In early March, Lauck was found not guilty of the felonious assault charge and guilty of the intimidation charge.

Both charges came with a firearm specification.

Lauck’s sentencing was on Tuesday and he received two years for the intimidation charge and the mandatory three years for the firearm specification for a total of five years.

He was given credit for 28 days served.

A fourth attempt to redraw state legislative districts in Ohio by a Republican-dominated commission has been submitted to the Ohio Supreme Court just as a deadline to get it done was approaching.

Even though they had brought in independent mapmakers to create fair maps, the Ohio Redistricting Commission passed House and Senate maps Monday night that were tweaked from maps previously declared unconstitutional by the supreme court.

The commission voted 4-3 in favor of the maps.

The commission was working with two independent mapmakers to try and create fair voting districts.

The Republican members of the commission say the tweaked maps were drafted after it was determined that the independent mapmakers would not have enough time to finish their maps by the Ohio Supreme Court’s midnight deadline.

The maps are similar to the February 24 maps that were struck down by the court as being unconstitutional, but slight changes were made.

The Ohio Supreme Court rejected three previous attempts and there didn’t seem to be a lot of confidence that this version will make it through.

The Findlay Police Department is asking the public for assistance in identifying a suspect in a case they’re investigating.

Police say on Saturday, March 26th at about 5:21 p.m., the man in the surveillance picture purposefully damaged a vehicle that was parked next to his at the Speedway at 752 West Trenton Avenue.

The man then got into his blue Honda CR-V and left the area.

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

People can also message police on their Facebook page.

Tipsters may be eligible for a reward.

A stretch of a county road just west of Findlay is getting a lower speed limit.

Hancock County Engineer Doug Cade says the Ohio Department of Transportation has approved the reduction of the speed limit to 45 miles per hour on County Road 9 from State Route 12 to 0.8 miles south at the bridge over Aurand Run in Liberty Township near Liberty Benton Schools.

He says all county and township roads are 55 miles per hour by default.

Cade says the new, lower speed limit is a result of a Traffic Speed Study conducted by the Hancock County Engineer’s Office and approved by the Hancock County Commissioners and ODOT due to the increased traffic volume, future traffic patterns, speeds and accident data for the area.

The new speed limit will not affect the School Zone Speed of 20 miles per hour during restricted school hours.

The new speed limit will go into effect on Tuesday.

Cade says this is the 14th reduced speed zone in the county.

A Disability Awareness Day event was held at Findlay’s Glenwood Middle School for all sixth graders and involved having the students rotate through six stations to simulate what it could be like to have a disability (such as autism, an intellectual disability, or a physical, visual, hearing or communication impairment).

The event began with a powerful speech from the mom of a special needs child about what it’s like to have a child with special needs and the importance to be kind and inclusive.

The Glenwood counselors talked to the group about the importance of having positive mental health, qualities to look for in a friend and to reach out if help is needed.

Trisha Klausing is an occupational therapist for Findlay City Schools.

Special needs classes at Glenwood also assembled snack bags to hand out to everyone at the end.

The school says it was a great day of education and building awareness.

The month of March is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

(in the pic above, University of Findlay Physical Therapy student Kayla Zelle assisted a Glenwood 6th grader on the difficulty of using a wheelchair at the Physical Disability station)

(in the pic below, Hearing Impaired Intervention Specialist Andrea Suter explains how it would feel to have a hearing impairment, and described the challenges these students feel in the classroom)

The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation has announced that the Community Mental Health Fund has surpassed the $1 million milestone in its efforts to support local mental health providers.

The Community Mental Health Fund is designed to bridge the gap between the resources available and the resources needed to adequately address mental health and substance use disorder needs.

The purpose of the Fund is to support programs and operations of nonprofit agencies providing services to improve emotional and mental health, including substance use prevention and services, to residents of Findlay and Hancock County, Ohio.

On behalf of her late husband Tom, founder of the fund whose goal was $1 million, Ann Buis said “There was lots of good conversation but Tom had to take action. He ultimately made the first pledge of support to fund seed money to inspire others. It has been truly inspiring to watch the fund grow.”

Since its creation, several awards have already been made, including the first $5,000 grant to Focus Recovery and Wellness Community for HancockHelps.org, which directs community members to resources for mental health, housing, food and more.

Foundation board chair Ginger Jones and her husband Jeff donated to the fund and issued a challenge match to help surpass the $1 million mark. “I believe the more we talk about and normalize mental illness the better we can help those who struggle,” said Jones.

“I want to bring all the medical expertise, compassion, and support that we bring to physical illnesses like heart disease or cancer to mental illness. Reaching this $1 million dollar goal with the Community Mental Health Fund is a great start on that vision.”

The Hancock County Fair is asking people to fill out a survey about their fair experiences and the fairgrounds in general.

Fair officials say the information from the survey will be used to update their strategic plan and help them make the best programming and investment decisions for the fair and its facilities.

The survey includes questions like ‘what is the Hancock County Fair best known for’, ‘how satisfied are you that the fair board is staying true to its mission to provide agricultural education for the community and support youth programming’, and asks people to rate fair events and facilities.

Click here to take the survey.

The Hancock County Fair in Findlay will be held Labor Day Weekend from August 31 – September 5.

Registration is now open for the Hancock Park District Quilt Contest.

Quilters are invited to participate in the Hancock Park District’s “Quilt Show”.

All quilt entries must be constructed of fabric and be submitted in three categories:

1) Bed Quilt with a perimeter of 200 inches or larger
2) Bed Quilt with a perimeter less than 200 inches.
3) Small Craft Quilt including table runners, pillows, and baby quilts.

The registration deadline is Monday, May 9 at 4:30 p.m.

Submitted quilts will be displayed in the Litzenberg Memorial Woods Activity Barn from 1-4 p.m. on May 14 and 15.

Quilts will be judged by a panel of three judges, which will be led by HPD Program Specialist Chris Allen, an award-winning quilter.

All quilts will be judged on: Visual Impact (design, color, pattern, appliqué if any); Workmanship (piecing accuracy and construction); Quilting that gives the appearance of a unified design on the back of the quilt; Borders/edge treatment and Binding.

Registration can be done online at HancockParks.com, where you can also find complete detail on the contest.

The featured image is 2021’s winning quilt called “Flight Formation” by Kelsi Metzger.