The Findlay Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying a theft suspect.
Police say the woman in the surveillance pictures is responsible for stealing a purse and using several of the stolen credit cards at businesses in and around Findlay.
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.
Tipsters may be eligible for a reward.
After receiving their diplomas on Saturday, hundreds of brand new University of Findlay graduates completed the traditional Arch Ceremony by walking through Griffith Memorial Arch towards Main Street.
As freshmen, the same students walked through the Arch towards Old Main to symbolize the start of their journey at UF, and tradition states that students must not walk back through the Arch until commencement, or they wouldn’t graduate.
UF’s graduating class of 2022 includes a total of 790 students, ranging from the age of 19 to 65, and has completed a total of 6 associate degrees, 419 bachelor’s degrees, 212 master’s degrees, and 168 doctorates.
The Blanchard Valley Health System Auxiliary has awarded 11 $1,000 scholarships to students in Hancock and surrounding counties interested in pursuing a health-related career.
The 2022 BVHS Auxiliary scholarship winners include: Andrew Allsop (Findlay High School), pursuing a degree at The Ohio State University, Eathan Bodnarik (Findlay High School), pursuing a degree at the University of Michigan, Nathan Brodman (Findlay High School), pursuing a degree at Ohio University, Catherine Essinger (Leipsic High School), pursuing a degree at Kent State University, Emily Meier (Findlay High School), pursuing a degree from The Ohio State University, Adyson Wilcox Miller (Liberty Benton High School), pursuing a degree from Capital University, Taelor Miller (Pandora Gilboa High School), pursuing a degree at Trine University, Rheanna Patterson (Findlay High School), pursuing a degree at Owens Community College, Kaitlin Prusnek (Findlay High School), pursuing a degree at Ohio Northern University, Sarah Reinhart (Carey High School), pursuing a degree at the University of Findlay, Sam Weihrauch (Findlay High School), pursuing a degree at the University of Findlay.
Money for the scholarship fund comes from the annual membership dues of members of the Auxiliary.
The number of scholarships awarded annually depend on the amount contributed by Auxiliary members.
To learn more about scholarships offered through Blanchard Valley Health System, click here, and to learn more about the Auxiliary click here.
Liberty-Benton Local Schools will be leaving the Blanchard Valley Conference.
Superintendent Mark Kowalski says Liberty-Benton will definitely leave the BVC after the 25-26 school year, and that it could happen sooner at the approval of member schools.
Mark says at one point in time enrollment in the district was 600 to 700 students and now they’re pushing 1,600 students and they’re considerably bigger than a lot of the other districts in the BVC.
He says the decision to leave the BVC is in the best interest of Liberty-Benton and the conference.
Mark says they’ll be reaching out to other conferences and leagues in northwest Ohio to see what the best fit for them will be.
He says a decision could come in the next year or two.
Wherever they end up, he says they’ll still be able to schedule some non-league games with their BVC rivals.
In April of 2021, the Findlay City Schools Board of Education voted to join the Northern Lakes League.
Findlay Athletic Director Nate Weihrauch said Findlay is honored to to join the Northern Lakes League with their long tradition of excellence, first-class facilities, first-class people and traditions.
It’s anticipated that Findlay will join the NLL beginning with the 2023-2024 season.
Findlay High School is currently a member of the Three Rivers Athletic Conference (TRAC).
In April, Liberty-Benton held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open its new Eagle Fieldhouse. Get more on that by clicking here.
Republican members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission have forced through a set of legislative district maps that were previously rejected by the Ohio Supreme Court as unconstitutional.
It happened despite some heated moments at the redistricting commission meeting Thursday night.
The maps approved by four Republicans are the same maps that the state supreme court said unfairly favored Republicans.
House Minority Leader Allison Russo of Upper Arlington says the Republican members of the panel should be ashamed.
“It’s disappointing that they are so egregious in their disrespect for the rule of law and voters, but here we are.”
What happens if the maps are found unconstitutional again by the state supreme court?
Federal judges decided last month that if a plan is not in place by May 28 then the third set of maps, which were found unconstitutional, will be used.
Ohio voters previously, overwhelmingly, approved changes to the state constitution to limit partisan line-drawing in the redistricting process.
The United Way of Hancock County’s 28th annual Days of Caring has been taking place this week.
The week-long volunteer event places volunteer groups county-wide to complete service projects.
We stopped by Findlay’s Whittier Primary School, where Kelli Bauman is principal, to check out the projects volunteers were tackling as part of Days of Caring.
As Kelli mentioned in the audio above, around 35 volunteers from Cooper Tire and Marathon Petroleum were helping out.
The United Way of Hancock County will be holding a second Days of Caring in September.
Hancock County manufacturers will host around 1,000 8th graders during Raise The Bar’s week-long Manufacturing Week.
The students will come from 11 Findlay and Hancock County middle schools.
Each school participates in one of the four scheduled days, allowing students and teachers to tour two manufacturing facilities as well as interact with four additional companies and two educational pathways at Owens Community College Findlay Campus.
Raise The Bar says Manufacturing Week, which is one of their most recognized initiatives, highlights the multitude of career opportunities available in the manufacturing industry and is changing youth perception of the industry.
“Manufacturing is an exciting industry eager to hire creators, visionaries, problem solvers, and doers,” said Tricia Valasek, Executive Director of Raise the Bar.
“Job openings in manufacturing have exceeded 800,000 annually, and Hancock County plays a part in these numbers. Our goal for Manufacturing Week is to give students the chance to explore the industry at a young age. We hope this introductory experience will plant the seed that they should someday choose employment with one of Hancock County’s manufacturers.”
Manufacturing Week will be held May 9-10 and May 12-13.
Learn more about Raise The Bar – Hancock County by clicking here.
Raise The Bar’s Tricia Valasek was on with WFIN’s Chris Oaks Monday morning to discuss Manufacturing Week.
A marijuana advocacy group is filing a lawsuit against the state’s GOP leaders, accusing them of trying to block a ballot issue this fall.
The Ohio Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol is suing House speaker Bob Cupp and Senate President Matt Huffman for trying to delay a measure legalizing marijuana until 2023.
The Coalition wants voters to decide this fall on a legalization initiative that would allow Ohioans 21 and older to sell, purchase, and possess marijuana.
If voters were to approve the initiative, cannabis would be taxed at ten percent, generating an estimated $400 million annually for the state.
Governor DeWine has announced that the Ohio Department of Transportation will invest $51 million for new safety projects across the state.
The governor and ODOT Director Dr. Jack Marchbanks say the projects are aimed to specifically address an increase in pedestrian-involved traffic crashes and fatal roadway departures on state and local roads.
ODOT statistics show both of those types of accidents hit their highest levels in 2021 in comparison to the previous decade.
One of those projects is the targeted widening and fixed object relocation along State Route 37 near Findlay to prevent roadway departure crashes.
See the full list of projects below and by clicking here.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association is putting to a vote whether high school athletes should be able to make money off their name, image and likeness.
Findlay High School Athletic Director Nate Weihrauch says NIL has changed the landscape of collegiate athletics and now we’re seeing the trickle-down into high school sports.
Nate says Findlay City Schools administrators will discuss the NIL issue soon.
He says he could see an impact that could gradually create bigger issues and concerns if not done correctly, and that safeguards need to be in place to support and protect students, parents and school districts.
“Could this be the start to the end of education-based athletics as we know it, or simply do you vote yes to get out in front of what is likely inevitable.”
There are more than 800 high schools in Ohio and each school gets one vote.
The online voting started this week and will run through May 16th.
The new bylaw reads as follows on the OHSAA website.
This proposed addition would now allow student-athletes to sign endorsement agreements so long as their teams, schools and/or the OHSAA are not being represented within those endorsements and provided there are no endorsements with companies that do not support the mission of education-based athletics (casinos, gambling, alcohol, drugs, tobacco). If passed, effective May 16, 2022.