The American Junior Golf Association will come to Findlay for the first time to host the AJGA Preview at Findlay.

Findlay Country Club will host the 36-hole national junior golf tournament, April 29-May 1.

The field will consist of 78 boys and girls (ages 12-19) from around the world.

AJGA alumni include Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Ariya Jutanugarn, Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lincicome, Anna Nordqvist, Inbee Park and Lexi Thompson.

Chad Bain is Chief Operating Officer at Findlay Country Club.

He says this is Findlay Country Club’s first year hosting an AJGA event and they’re very excited.

As Chad mentioned in the audio above, the tournament comes with a fundraising opportunity to support local youth.

The local planning committee has chosen Millstream Career Center as the recipient of any funds raised during the event.

Millstream Career Center students will assist with on-site catering, construction of event supplies, and media and marketing outreach.

Volunteer opportunities are available. People interested may contact the Findlay Country Club to learn more by calling 419-422-9263.

The non-profit Welcome to a New Life has hired Kim Kogan as Mentee Advocacy Coordinator, beginning on March 8th.

Welcome to a New Life began the search for a Mentee Advocacy Coordinator in early 2022, having received a grant through the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation.

Kim has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Sociology and Criminology from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh.

Kim has worked for several service organizations, including the United Way of Connecticut as a Case Manager; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island as a Match Support Specialist; and the New York City Administration for Children’s Services as a Child Protective Specialist.

In addition to her professional work, Kim has a passion for community involvement, and has been involved locally with the Findlay Service League and Handbags that Help.

The role of the Mentee Advocacy Coordinator is to oversee the administrative duties as they relate to the mentees and mentors of Welcome to a New Life.

This includes interviewing interested individuals, scheduling drug screens and background checks, documenting information from jail visits, court appearances and all mentors’ weekly meetings, coordinating mentor trainings, and other administrative tasks.

The mission of Welcome to a New Life is to provide mentorship and resources for adults who are involved in the Hancock County criminal justice system, helping them to live crime-free, drug-free, productive lives.

The Findlay Municipal Court has scheduled its 5th Annual Safe Surrender Day for April 14th.

People who have a bench warrant for their arrest – regardless of the reason – can get the warrant released on that day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Officials say all you need to do is show up at Findlay Municipal Court and meet with court staff.

The Public Defender’s Office, City of Findlay Prosecutor’s Office and other agencies will be on hand on that day to help get any bench warrants addressed and released.

During the court’s 4th Annual Safe Surrender Day last October, they helped 72 people get 109 bench warrants cleared.

Appointments are preferred but walk-ins are welcome.

Findlay Municipal Court is at 318 Dorney Plaza, Room 206.

Get more information here, or by calling the Findlay Municipal Court Clerk’s office at 419-424-7141.

(WTOL) – Trucking companies are enduring much higher costs as diesel prices escalate along with the price of gasoline.

For Garner Trucking in Findlay, that means paying nearly double what they did for diesel fuel this time last year for their fleet of 86 trucks.

“A couple years ago we were paying $2.35 a gallon, last year it was $2.89 and here we are we’re almost double that, so it’s getting a little difficult to deal with,” said Tim Chrulski, Garner’s Chief Operations Officer.

Chrulski says they do adjust their fuel surcharge based on the current price, but with prices this high, the surcharges aren’t covering all of the extra spending.

Ohio Chamber of Commerce President Steve Stivers says even people who don’t drive a diesel vehicle will be affected by the higher diesel prices by other costs going up.

“The food you buy at the grocery store because the farmer uses fuel, the trucker uses fuel to get the food to the market – everything has fuel embedded in it.”

Diesel fuel is approaching a national average cost of five dollars per gallon.

The Hancock County Board of Commissioners has approved the purchase of a new armored vehicle for the sheriff’s office.

The type of BearCat (Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck) armored tactical vehicle the county has decided to purchase, a BearCat G3, will cost around $250,000.

The purchase will be made with federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Lt. Mark Price, with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, says their current armored carrier dates back to the early 1980s and is an armored car that was once owned by a company that did money runs for local banks.

He says their current vehicle has been experiencing some mechanical issues and can’t go off-road and the new vehicle would be better equipped to do that.

He says the new armored vehicle will be very valuable in any scenario involving officer safety, like a barricaded subject with a gun and having to make an approach.

As Lt. Price mentioned in the audio above the armored vehicle would also give officers some cover while making an approach and also help them reach an officer who may have been injured at a scene that is still active.

The City of Findlay may reimburse the county for half of the purchase so their police officers could also utilize the vehicle when needed.

(above pic courtesy of Lenco Armored Vehicles)

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has convened a summit of service organizations to ensure Ohio’s preparedness to welcome Ukrainian refugees, if asked.

The governor says the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services will bring together various organizations that could play a role in the relocation of Ukrainian families at a summit in northeast Ohio on March 17th.

The organizations will include resettlement agencies, faith-based organizations, charities and others interested in supporting Ukrainians.

“Like many Ohioans, I am disgusted by the senseless aggression of the Russian military and want to support Ukrainian families being driven out of their country,” DeWine said.

“While we do not yet know what role Ohio will play in helping these families, I want us to be prepared when the time does come.”

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is preparing to stock 71 of the state’s lakes and ponds with around 80,000 catchable rainbow trout.

The ODNR says it will begin releasing the fish on March 15th and continue stocking across the state through May.

The fish are raised at state hatcheries and are released when they reach between ten and 13 inches long.

The daily catch limit for inland lakes is five trout per licensed angler with no minimum size restrictions.

Some locations feature a special event on the day of the scheduled release, including youth-only fishing.

Information about the trout releases, including a complete list of dates, any updates to the schedule because of weather, stocking locations, and event information is available at wildohio.gov or by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE (945-3543).

Ohio is in the top ten of U.S. states with the most sightings of unidentified flying objects, according to a study.

The report by outdoor activity and nature advocacy group Outforia says Ohio reported over 4,100 UFO sightings to the National UFO Reporting Center between the 1950s and February.

That number puts Ohio at number eight in the country for UFO reports, with California leading the U.S. with more than 15,000 sightings and North Dakota last in the nation with fewer than 265 reports.

Neighboring states to Ohio also making the top ten are New York at number five, Pennsylvania at number seven, and Michigan at number ten.

Governor Mike DeWine says he’s not in favor of a proposed bill in the Ohio Senate that would pause the state’s gas tax increase for five years.

DeWine said that the revenue generated from the tax is needed to fund highway safety projects, including recently announced improvements to the Brent Spence Bridge between Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

Sponsored by Republican Steve Huffman, Senate Bill 277 would pause the gasoline tax increase and special 100 dollar and 200 dollar registration fees paid by hybrid or electric vehicles owners.

Huffman says the highway money should come from the more than $11 billion Ohio will receive out of the infrastructure bill passed by Congress.

The governor and lawmakers battled over the gas tax in 2019, with DeWine wanting an 18 cent a gallon increase.

Eventually, a compromise was reached on a 10.5 cent increase per gallon in the gas tax, and a 19 cent increase in the price per gallon for diesel.

People in Ohio now pay a state tax rate of 38.5 cents per gallon on gas and 47 cents a gallon on diesel.

The American Civil War Museum of Ohio, located in downtown Tiffin, will be hosting an “Afternoon with a Soldier” on Saturday, March 12, from noon to 4.

A Civil War soldier reenactor will be at the museum and will be available to guests to talk about his persona, experiences and answer questions about being a soldier in the Civil War.

Guests will also enjoy discounted admission for the event with adults being $4 and students and children over the age of 6 being $2.

Children under the age of 6 get in free to the museum.

Some light refreshments will be provided to those who join in the event and experience going back in time for the afternoon.

The American Civil War Museum of Ohio is located at 217 South Washington Street in Tiffin.

Get more details by clicking here.