The Ohio State Highway Patrol issued hundreds of citations during a move over enforcement initiative.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol joined forces with members of the 6-State Trooper Project, enforcing and raising awareness about the Move Over law from July 17 through July 23.

The high-visibility campaign included the Indiana State Police, Kentucky State Police, Michigan State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, West Virginia State Police, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

During the initiative, Ohio troopers issued 440 move over citations and educated motorists about the state’s Move Over law.

The entire initiative issued nearly 1,000 move over tickets across the six partnering states.

Ohio law requires all drivers to move over to an adjacent lane when approaching any vehicle with flashing or rotating lights parked on the roadside.

If moving over is not possible due to traffic or weather conditions, or because a second lane does not exist, motorists should slow down and proceed with caution.

The Move Over law now exists in all 50 states.

The 6-State Trooper Project is a multi-state law enforcement partnership aimed at providing combined and coordinated law enforcement and security services in the areas of highway safety, criminal patrol, and information sharing.

Get more on the state’s Move Over law by clicking here. 

The Ohio High School Athletic Association is asking for help with the upcoming fall sports.

OHSAA officials say with the start of the high school football season less than a month away, it needs more game officials.

They say some of the factors leading to the lack of officials include verbal abuse by coaches and parents and the little money paid to officials.

Some longtime game officials say it’s a job you have to do out of love for the game.

Back in the spring, the OHSAA was experiencing a lack of officials, especially on the baseball field.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association said Ohio has lost 1,000 umpires over the last three years.

Get more details on becoming an official by clicking here. 

The Findlay High School football team will hold its first scrimmage of the season on Friday, August 5th. Get more on that by clicking here. 

AEP Ohio says their pickup truck that was stolen Monday from the Zanesville area has been located.

The truck was found abandoned at a park in southeast Columbus.

The person who stole the truck has not been apprehended.

AEP says it appreciates the public’s help in keeping an eye out for the vehicle.

After the truck was stolen, AEP said the suspect could be wearing an AEP shirt he found in the truck.

People were reminded, if they’re approached by an individual identifying themselves as an AEP employee, their employment status can be verified by calling 1-800-672-2231.

Flag City Honor Flight has announced that the November flight this year will be all Vietnam War Veterans.

Bob Weinberg, president of Flag City Honor Flight, says the waiting list for Vietnam Veterans is more than 400 Veterans long and that’s why they decided to do this for the November trip.

As you heard Bob mention in the audio above, Ohio Logistics has sponsored the entire flight.

Bob points out that the organization has not forgotten about their core mission of taking as many WWII, Korea and Vietnam era Veterans as they can to Washington, DC to visit the memorials built in their honor.

Flag City Honor Flight has three flights set for this year, in an effort to catch up after being grounded for two years due to the pandemic.

The first flight was on June 7, the next one will be on September 13 and then the Vietnam Veteran trip will be on November 1.

Learn more about Flag City Honor Flight by clicking here and see video of the announcement below.

The City of Findlay says they’ll be working with Columbia Gas to fix up East Lima Street from the damage caused when the utility put in new gas lines.

Findlay City Engineer Jeremy Kalb says East Lima Street, from Main Street to about Park Street, will be getting resurfaced and about 80 percent of the curbs will be replaced.

As Jeremy mentioned in the audio above, Columbia Gas will be redoing the north side of the roadway that was damaged by their gas line work, while the city will be redoing the south side of the road.

He says the work could begin as soon as next week and last for about a month.

East Lima will likely be closed to thru traffic during the work but residents will be able to use it.

The city was planning on resurfacing that stretch of East Lima Street a few years ago when Columbia Gas informed them that they would be putting in new gas lines, so the work was put off until after the work by Columbia Gas would be finished.

Over the last few days, crews have been patching portions of West Lima Street where new gas lines were put in.

Since its inception in 2009, Putnam County Habitat for Humanity (PCHFH) has built 12 new homes and rebuilt an entire house.

Homeowners purchase their homes through low-interest mortgages provided by PCHFH or through USDA direct loans.

In addition to the new homeowner program for which the Habitat for Humanity organization is most known for around the world, PCHFH operates a Critical Home Repair (CHR) program.

CHR works in partnership with income-qualifying homeowners who complete the CHR application because they are in need of essential repairs and improvements to ensure a safe and healthy home.

Only repairs addressing health, safety, accessibility issues, or preservation of structural integrity are considered.

PCHFH’s volunteer CHR team is currently at work on five projects in Ottawa, Columbus Grove and Continental, including the 50th project undertaken since the CHR program launched in 2017.

Projects 51 and 52 will be underway yet this summer.

Putnam County Habitat for Humanity is located at 150 North Oak Street, Ottawa.

More information about the new homeowner program and critical home repair may call 419-523-9621 or visit www.putnamohhabitat.org.

In the picture above, Putnam County Habitat for Humanity’s (PCHFH) Critical Home Repair volunteers Jerry Hanneman, Glandorf, and Mike Erchenbrecher, Ottawa, prepare the foundation for new siding at a veteran’s home in Columbus Grove.

Findlay City Schools will be holding a Community Day – Back-to-School Bash.

The community event will be held on Friday, August 5th from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Donnell Stadium. Admission is free.

The event will include kids activities, food vendors and more.

All events and vendors will open at 11 a.m.

As you heard football coach Stefan Adams mention in the audio above, the football team will have its first scrimmage of the year at 6 p.m. against St. Mary’s.

All fall sports teams, the band and the cheerleaders will be introduced at 4:45 ahead of the football team’s first scrimmage of the year, against St. Mary’s.

Registration is underway for the United Way of Hancock County’s Fall Days of Caring, for both nonprofits looking to submit projects and for volunteers who would like to help out.

Fall Days of Caring will take place September 19-21.

New this fall, volunteers will have the opportunity to serve with ticket sales and scanning at the entrance gates of the Hancock County Fair – an early option with a direct signup.

The fair takes place Aug. 31-Sept. 5, and volunteers can sign up for a 3.5-hour shift from 7 am to 9 pm on most days.

Gate volunteers will even receive two free admission tickets for the day of their choice to visit the fair.

During Days of Caring, employees of area corporations and small businesses lend a hand to local organizations.

Nonprofits in need of help submit projects, volunteer teams register to help, and the United Way matches up the two groups.

In four-hour shifts, the volunteers take on projects such as landscaping, organizing, painting, planning an event, cleaning, or construction.

Shifts run from 8 am-12 pm or 12-4 pm.

“Months later, I continue to be in awe of the thousand volunteers who came out to help for this year’s Spring Days of Caring,” said Angela DeBoskey, CEO of UWHC.

“They provided a tremendous boost in 4,000 hours of service – a value of about $120,000 to our community. We are looking forward to continuing that momentum both during Days of Caring and our upcoming campaign.” According to Independent Sector, the national value of a volunteer hour is $29.95.

The Spring Days of Caring volunteer teams represented: Marathon Petroleum Corp., Blanchard Valley Health System, Whirlpool Corp., First National Bank of Pandora, Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies, City Apparel, Goodyear/Cooper Tire and Rubber, the McComb Future Farmers of America Club, Fifth Third Bank, Aktion Club of Hancock County, Hearthside Food Solutions, and UWHC’s Community Connections group.

Registration for Fall Days of Caring opens Tuesday and closes Aug. 12.

UWHC will connect volunteer teams and agencies for final project planning on or before Sept. 8. Fall Days of Caring will run Sept. 19-21.

To learn more, register a volunteer team, or register a project, visit the UWHC website.

The video below and picture above are from the Days of Caring in May when we stopped by Whittier Primary School.

AEP Ohio is letting people know that somebody stole one of their vehicles and that the man could be wearing an AEP shirt he found in the truck.

The theft happened on Monday in the Zanesville area.

AEP Ohio is advising people that the individual in the picture below is not an AEP employee, and if you see him or the vehicle call 911 immediately and do not approach.

People are reminded, if they’re approached by an individual identifying themselves as an AEP employee, their employment status can be verified by calling 1-800-672-2231.

The truck that was stolen is a RAM 2500 crew cab with license plate number PMR-9197.

(ONN) – A sheriff’s deputy in Clark County was killed and another was injured during a standoff at a mobile home park near Springfield on Sunday.

The sheriff’s office received a 911 call that someone broke into a home in the Harmony Estates.

Several shots were fired and when deputies got there they were met with gunfire.

Deputy Matthew Yates was struck by the gunfire and went down in the residence.

He was flown to a hospital where he later died.

Governor DeWine has ordered flags lowered in Clark County, and at the Ohio Statehouse, Vern Riffe Center, and Rhodes State Office Tower in Columbus, in honor of the life and service of Deputy Matthew Yates until sunset on the day of his internment

All other public buildings and grounds throughout the state may fly the flags of the United States and the State of Ohio at half-staff at their discretion for the same time period.