The Findlay Rotary Club has presented its Service Above Self Award to Mary Beth Hammond.

The award is presented annually to a non-Rotarian in the community who exemplifies the Rotary ideals of professional leadership and service.

“Mary Beth has perhaps the strongest sense of community duty of anyone I know,” said Findlay Rotarian Bill Life in nominating Hammond.

“I have always been in awe in the love she has for Findlay, people in general and her unselfish devotion to helping others with her time, talent and treasure. Mary Beth has touched many lives in Findlay over the past 35 years through extraordinary service for many good causes. She is widely known around town as someone you can rely on to get the job done.”

Professionally, Hammond has served the community in various banking positions, currently as vice president and senior private banker for Fifth Third Bank.

Throughout her career, she has also served on numerous community organizations such as Camp Fire, Open Arms, American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, St. Michaels Church, Findlay Service League, Julie Cole Charity Golf Outing, Handbags That Help, Susan G. Komen, United Way, The Arts Partnership and many other area organizations.

Mary Beth has designated a $500 contribution made in her name by the Findlay Rotary Club to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says a Findlay woman was injured when she crashed into a semi that had overturned on Interstate 75.

The Highway Patrol says the semi crashed and overturned on southbound I-75 near Bluelick Road in Allen County at around 5:40 Thursday morning.

Shortly after the crash, the Highway Patrol says a car being driven by Cienna Pearl Kennedy, 26, of Findlay, struck the overturned semi.

Kennedy was taken to a Lima hospital with serious, bot not life-threatening injuries.

The Highway Patrol says the semi was being driven by Kasey L. Moore, 50, of Michigan City, Indiana.

Two large metal coils were detached from the trailer and the southbound lanes of the interstate were shut down for about two hours.

Both drivers were wearing their seat belt, the Highway Patrol said.

The University of Findlay says its College of Pharmacy was recently ranked as number one in the state and in the country for residency placement.

The ranking is from the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the National Matching Services (NMS).

According to the NMS website, “The ASHP Resident Matching Program (ASHP Match) provides an orderly process to help applicants obtain positions in pharmacy residency programs of their choice, and to help programs obtain applicants of their choice.”

Findlay’s College of Pharmacy supports postgraduate year one (PGY1) and year two (PGY2) students in matching with a residency program.

This support is shown through the results of a 96 percent residency match rate for PGY1s and a 100 percent residency match rate for PGY2s.

“We are extremely pleased with our student residency placement rate. I believe it’s a reflection of the high-quality students who leave our program with strong clinical and communication skills,” said Debra Parker, Pharm.D., dean of the College of Pharmacy.

“UF’s pharmacy students are clearly impressing others in the profession. Current and future students can be confident they are being well-prepared for future success.”

To learn more about Findlay’s College of Pharmacy click here or contact the Office of Admissions at 419-434-4732 or admissions@findlay.edu.

The Hancock County Veterans Service Office is asking people to be more mindful with their fireworks over the 4th of July holiday.

Executive Director Nichole Coleman says a lot of Veterans struggle with the sound of fireworks, as do many people who experienced any type of trauma.

She says her office has signs that Veterans can place in their yard, that let people know that a combat Veteran lives at the residence and to be mindful when setting off fireworks in the neighborhood.

Coleman hopes the signs will not only help people become more mindful about setting off fireworks but also lead to people notifying the Veteran who has one of the signs in their yard so they know when nearby fireworks will be going off.

She says people can stop by their office at 1100 East Main Cross Street to pick up one of the signs or call 419-424-7036.

Coleman says they’re always looking for an opportunity to interact with local Veterans and encourages them to stop by their office to see if they’re getting all the benefits to which they are entitled.

Beginning July 1st, a new law goes into effect allowing Ohioans to have fireworks and to set them off on certain days.

Those days include the 3rd through the 5th of July and the following weekend too.

The law also gives local governments the power to control or ban fireworks.

The City of Findlay says residents will be allowed to set off fireworks this year and they’ll see how it goes.

The Findlay fireworks show will be held on Sunday, July 3rd at the Hancock County Fairgrounds at 10 p.m.

The Flag City 4th of July Parade will step off at 11 a.m. on Monday, July 4th.

The Kiwanis Club of Findlay presented some local kids who are color blind with specialized glasses so they can see colors as they truly are.

The Kiwanis Club of Findlay is the first Kiwanis club in the country to work with EnChroma to help students overcome the learning and everyday challenges posed by color blindness.

13-year-old Cale was one of the kids who got the new eyewear and his parents are very appreciative.

Five youngsters received the glasses at the club’s Wednesday meeting and Kiwanis has plans to get the glasses for even more kids.

Learn more about Kiwanis by clicking here, and see video of the kids receiving the glasses below.

As the 4th of July approaches people are being reminded that Ohio’s fireworks laws are about the change.

Beginning July 1st, a new law goes into effect allowing Ohioans to have fireworks and to set them off on certain days.

Those days include the 3rd through the 5th of July and the following weekend too.

The law also removes a long-ignored legal loophole that allows people to buy fireworks but not set them off in the state.

The law also gives local governments the power to control or ban fireworks.

Communities such as Fostoria and Tiffin still are not allowing people to set off fireworks,

“The new revision of the Ohio State law regarding discharging fireworks DOES NOT supersede our local municipality ordinance,” Fostoria police said on Facebook.

The City of Findlay says residents will be allowed to set off fireworks this year and they’ll see how it goes.

If issues arise however, city council may take action.

The Findlay fireworks show will be held on Sunday, July 3rd at the Hancock County Fairgrounds at 10 p.m.

The Flag City 4th of July Parade will step off at 11 a.m. on Monday, July 4th.

Authorities say they arrested a Tiffin man at the conclusion of a month-long online chat investigation.

Officers from the Tiffin Police Department and Fostoria Police Department conducted a search warrant on Wednesday at an apartment at 575 East State Route 18.

Police say Marcus A. Blust, 24, of Tiffin, had been messaging girls during the joint operation by the two agencies.

During the search of the apartment, police confiscated electronic devices and storage devices that will be analyzed for any additional evidence for the investigation.

Following the search, Blust was arrested on multiple felony charges including importuning, disseminating matter harmful to juveniles and pandering obscenity involving a minor.

He was taken to the Seneca County Jail and the case will be sent to the Seneca County Prosecutor’s Officer for presentation to a grand jury.

Assisting with the search warrant were additional officers from Tiffin Police Department, Fostoria Police Department, Seneca County Sheriff’s Office and the Seneca County Drug Task Force.

“Great work and collaboration with our law enforcement brothers/sisters,” said Tiffin Police Chief David Pauly.

American Electric Power says there will be some temporary lane closures in downtown Findlay this week as the company builds about a mile of underground transmission line.

The underground work is beginning near the Findlay Substation, located at the intersection of Putnam and Liberty streets, and will end near Beech Avenue where the line connects with the existing overhead power line.

Lane closures in the project area will occur Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Drivers can expect signage, cones and flaggers during construction.

The underground utility work is part of AEP Ohio’s Central Findlay Improvements Project, which strengthens the local electric system by replacing aging equipment and supports the area’s electrical needs.

The Hancock Historical Museum will host its annual Ice Cream Social on the front porch of the historic Hull-Flater House on Monday, July 4th from 12:30 to 2:30 following Findlay’s 4th of July Parade.

Dietsch’s ice cream and ice cream bars will be available for $2 each while you can enjoy a root beer float for $3.

The museum will be open, free of charge, during the social to view the exhibits and enjoy crafts and games.

The museum’s new exhibit, Findlay in the Fabulous 50’s recently opened and you can also check out the Findlay Rocks the 60’s exhibit and others.

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

For more information on the ice cream social and other programming at the Hancock Historical Museum, call 419-423-4433 or visit www.hancockhistoricalmuseum.org.

The Seneca County Board of Commissioners has passed a resolution opposing a proposed expansion of the Sunny Farms landfill.

Also opposing the expansion are the Seneca County General Health District and City of Fostoria.

WTOL-11 reports that WIN Waste, the operator of the landfill, wants to bring in more garbage from outside the state, going from the current 7,500 tons a day up to 12,000 tons.

Commissioner Mike Kerschner says the board is worried that the landfill hasn’t achieved full EPA compliance and won’t meet federal clean air act requirements until the middle of 2023.

Kerschner told WTOL-11 that he feels the landfilll should show that they can follow the rules before they’re allowed to expand.

WIN Waste says Sunny Farms is in compliance with the 2019 consent order.

The landfill is located at 12500 West County Road 18 a little south of Fostoria.