The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Warning for Eagle Creek in Findlay.

Minor flooding is forecast.

Forecasters say the creek will rise above flood stage of 9 feet to around 9.1 feet late Monday afternoon.

The Flood Warning will be in effect until late Monday.

At 9 feet, Eagle Creek will overrun its banks and begin to inundate portions of Fremont and Graceland Avenue.

Water will inundate a field near Rosemont Drive.

For local river levels click here.

A medical helicopter landed at the scene of a crash in Arlington on Sunday night.

The crash happened at North Main Street and Vail Street, near the entrance to the Dollar General, at around 5:45 p.m.

It appeared that a car involved in the crash had struck the bridge.

Firefighters had to extricate people from the wreckage.

Two of the injured, the 16-year-old driver, from Pickerington, and a 10-year-old passenger, from Rockwood, were taken to the hospital by ambulance, and another 16-year-old, from Pickerington, was life-flighted from the scene by a helicopter that landed beside the Dollar General.

The sheriff’s office said the driver was going north when he attempted to pass several vehicles and sideswiped a vehicle and then crashed into the corner of the bridge.

ODOT was called to the scene to inspect the bridge.

With names like The Nite Watchmen, The Vagabonds and Roni & The Shadows – they and many others made up the Findlay rock scene in the 1960s.

The new exhibit at the Hancock Historical Museum called Findlay Rocks the ’60s takes a look back at the most popular Findlay bands from 1960 through 1969 and the venues where they played to dancing crowds.

The exhibit is a walk down memory lane, giving people a chance to hear the music of the time as well as band member’s stories of what it was like playing rock music in Findlay in the ’60s.

In the video below, museum curator/archivist Joy Bennett gives a preview of what you’ll see when you stop by the museum to check out the exhibit.

The Hancock Historical Museum is located at 422 West Sandusky Street in Findlay.

Hours are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10 to 4, and Sunday 1 to 4.

Learn more about the museum by clicking here for their website.

The University of Findlay is inviting the campus and local community to participate in the Absolutely Incredible Kid Day Letter Writing Campaign.

Tables will be set up at the Alumni Memorial Union on Thursday, March 10th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

People are invited to write letters to children from their own family or circle of friends as well as children in Hancock County who could really benefit from a letter of encouragement.

Stationery, stickers, markers, envelopes, sample letters, and other supplies will be available.

“I have seen the impact a handwritten letter can have on a child,” said Morgan Kuhlman, a junior in Early Childhood Education at the University of Findlay and chair of the Absolutely Incredible Kid Day event.

“Last year when I was tutoring some students in reading, I would send them letters to tell them how proud I was of them and how amazing they are. I got emails back from parents thanking me for doing this for their child because it showed them how much I truly cared.”

She says the event is special because it provides much needed support and encouragement to each and every child who receives a letter.

“That is why I love chairing this event because it makes each child feel special!”

For more information, people can contact the Office of Student Activities at 419-434-4606 or email studentactivities@findlay.edu.

https://twitter.com/ufindlay/status/1499444692966158342

A law passed last year gives county commissioners in Ohio more oversight when it comes to approving wind and solar projects.

Most townships in Hancock County have asked the Hancock County Board of Commissioners to approve exclusion zones in their townships to prohibit such projects.

Tim Mayle, Director of Findlay – Hancock County Economic Development says banning wind and solar projects outright would hurt the county’s economic growth.

“We want to make sure we’re thinking about future economic development projects that may require renewable energy,” Mayle told WFIN News after the commissioners meeting in which he addressed the board.

“An exclusion zone would kill those projects upfront. With the local controls that are in place, let’s allow the commissioners to use the local controls rather than excluding projects right off the bat.”

Mayle points out that two solar projects planned for the Arcadia area would not be subject to action by the commissioners because the projects were proposed before the new law giving commissioners more oversight took effect, but he’s concerned about the effect on future projects.

“Let’s not limit the possibility of large capital investments that would be coming in for data centers and advanced manufacturing that may want a renewable energy source tied to it.”

Mayle says more companies are using renewable energy because it’s becoming more cost effective and if that option is eliminated in Hancock County those companies won’t invest here.

Public hearings on the two solar projects will be held in March and April and then the Ohio Power Siting Board will decide whether those projects move forward.

State agencies in Ohio are now banned from holding investments in Russia or having contracts with the country following an executive order issued by Governor Mike DeWine.

According to the order, all state agencies, boards, commissions, and public educational facilities are prohibited from holding investments or making contact with Russian companies.

DeWine said the measure is a sign of support for Ukraine as they defend their territory from an invasion by Russian military forces.

Officials say there is no way to tell exactly how much money Ohio has in Russian interests, but it could be in the hundreds of millions.

The Ukrainian Flag has been flying outside the Ohio Statehouse and at the governor’s residence as a show of support for the Ukrainian people.

https://twitter.com/GovMikeDeWine/status/1499147367374753794

COVID cases remained lower in Hancock County in the latest data released by Hancock Public Health on Friday.

The health department is reporting 42 new cases, two new hospitalizations and six new deaths for the week of February 25th to March 4th.

Hancock County is averaging around 6 new cases per day and cases per 100,000 is 52.7.

The level of community transmission in Hancock County was lowered again.

Hancock County is now down to a “low” level of community transmission as defined by the CDC.

The previous week the county was lowered to “moderate” from “high”.

Click here for the updated CDC COVID-19 Community Guidelines.

The Findlay – Hancock County Chamber of Commerce is accepting applications for the 2022-2023 Hancock Youth Leadership (HYL) program.

Affiliated with the Findlay – Hancock County Chamber of Commerce, HYL is an investment in the future of Findlay and Hancock County.

Its purpose is to enhance knowledge and develop leadership skills in a select group of high school students, motivating them to become positive role models, active and committed to their civic responsibilities.

Erin Schwiebert, who is on the advisory board of the Hancock Youth Leadership program, says students attend monthly sessions, beginning with a team-building retreat in August.

As Erin mentioned in the audio above, session topics include agriculture, health and human services, arts and media, diversity, business and economic development, justice and law, and volunteerism.

Hancock Youth Leadership is open to Hancock County and Findlay City Schools students, including those who are homeschooled, beginning their junior year in fall 2022.

Applications are available online at www.FindlayHancockChamber.com/HYL.

Completed applications must be submitted by Friday, March 11, 2022.

For more information contact the Chamber of Commerce at 419-422-3313, email djenkins@FindlayHancockChamber.com, or visit www.FindlayHancockChamber.com/HYL.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office is asking people to make sure their vehicles are locked and the keys and fobs are secured at all times.

The sheriff’s office says there has been an increase in motor vehicle thefts in Hancock County in recent months.

In many of the cases, the keys of the vehicles that were stolen were easily accessible because they were either in the ignition or visible on the console of the unlocked vehicle.

Additionally, the sheriff’s office reminds people to never a leave a running vehicle unattended.

Marathon Petroleum has announced a joint venture with the Finnish refiner Neste for Marathon’s Martinez renewable fuels project.

The strategic partnership is expected to advance the current project objectives of delivering low carbon intensity fuels to support California’s climate goals.

The partnership will be structured as a 50/50 joint venture with Neste expected to contribute a total of $1 billion, inclusive of half of the total project development costs projected through the completion of the project.

Marathon will continue to manage project execution and operate the facility once construction is complete.

“We’re excited to partner with Neste as this strategic partnership enhances our strong Martinez project by leveraging our complementary strengths and expertise and is consistent with our previously announced strategy to source low carbon intensity feedstocks through long-term arrangements, joint ventures and alliances,” said President and CEO Michael Hennigan.

“The project will utilize existing processing infrastructure, diverse inbound and outbound logistics, and is optimally located to support California’s LCFS goals while strengthening MPC’s footprint in renewable fuels.”

“Our partnership with Neste signals another step in our commitment to the energy evolution and our focus on lowering the carbon intensity of our operations and the products we manufacture,” Hennigan added.

The Martinez facility is currently targeted to have a production capacity of 260 million gallons per year of renewable diesel in the second half of 2022, with pretreatment capabilities to come online in 2023.

The facility is expected to be capable of producing 730 million gallons per year by the end of 2023.