Blanchard Valley Medical Practices is now offering COVID-19 vaccinations for current patients who are ages six months to four years of age.

Appointments will take place at the Caughman Health Center, located at 1800 North Blanchard Street, Suite 121 in Findlay.

Vaccination appointments are only open to those who see a provider at a BVMP location.

To schedule a nurse visit or request the vaccine to be administered during a currently scheduled appointment, call 419-427-0809.

Nurse visits are offered Tuesday through Friday from 8:30 to 3:30.

To become a BVMP patient, call 419-422-APPT.

Vaccines will not be administered to any patients who do not meet the specific age guidelines.

Findlay High School’s award-winning show choir, Findlay First Edition, will be holding its annual garage sale the week of July 11th.

FFE member Kennedy Garmong says the garage sale is the group’s biggest fundraiser of the year and proceeds go towards the purchase of costumes, competition fees and other items needed throughout the season

The garage sale begins Thursday, July 14th at the Findlay High School cafeteria with an early bird sale in which people can pay $5 to be among the first to check out the items for sale.

The early bird hours on that Thursday are 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The garage sale will be open to the public, free of charge, on Friday, July 15 from 8 to 6 and Saturday, July 16, from 8 to noon.

The sale takes place at Findlay High School at 1200 Broad Avenue.

People can donate gently used items to the sale on July 11, 12 and 13.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says, overall, this year’s 4th of July was safer on the roads than last year’s.

The Highway Patrol says fatal traffic crashes and impaired driving incidents during the recent holiday weekend decreased from 2021.

This year 16 people were killed in crashes over the holiday reporting period, which is seven fewer than the 23 fatalities reported in 2021 and the lowest number since 2018.

Troopers made 444 arrests for impaired driving.

Impaired driving and distracted driving incidents decreased by about 18 percent from last year’s holiday weekend.

Click here for the full holiday recap.

(ONN) – The Sylvania Police Division has identified a primary suspect in the 37-year-old cold case murder of a suburban Toledo woman who was stabbed to death in her home.

30-year-old Patricia Stichler was killed in 1985.

Michael mellus, who was a 17-year-old high school student at the time, was identified by Sylvania police from DNA at the crime scene.

Mellus died in a car crash four years later while stationed in North Carolina with the US Army.

Police say Mellus lived six houses away from Stichler on the same street in Sylvania.

She was stabbed to death in her home two days after hosting a New Year’s Eve party there.

Stichler’s three young daughters were sleeping at the time of the murder, and her body was discovered by her 11-year-old.

One of three men arrested in connection with a deadly pursuit that took the life of Bluffton police officer Dominic Francis pleaded guilty to the charges he was facing.

Dante Tate pleaded guilty to the charges of failure to comply and receiving stolen property in Medina County Common Pleas Court.

He previously pleaded not guilty following his March 31st arrest.

Tate will be sentenced next month.

Two other suspects are being held at the Hancock County Jail, including Emin Johnson, the man authorities say was driving the stolen car that hit and killed Officer Francis on March 31st and who’s facing a variety of charges including aggravated vehicular homicide and involuntary manslaughter.

Court records show that he has a pretrial hearing set for August 3rd. See video from his arraignment in April below.

A backseat passenger, 21-year-old Zachary Love, pleaded not guilty to charges including the improper handling of a firearm in a vehicle and receiving stolen property.

Love has a pretrial hearing set for this week.

Authorities say the three were in a stolen car that was fleeing from police on Interstate 75 southbound around 2:30 a.m. on March 31st that struck and killed Bluffton police officer Dominic Francis.

Officer Francis was placing stop sticks on the highway in an effort to end the pursuit.

The three fled on foot and one stole a car and was later arrested in northeast Ohio in Elyria, in Medina County.

Findlay and Hancock County are included in a Flood Watch issued by the National Weather Service.

The Flood Watch goes until 8 o’clock Wednesday night.

Forecasters say rainfall of 1 to 3 inches with locally higher amounts has already fallen.

Additional rainfall of at least 2 inches is possible with isolated higher amounts.

Flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be possible.

Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.

Click here for the latest river levels.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says it will be highly visible and cracking down on impaired drivers during the Fourth of July holiday reporting period, which goes from Friday, July 1st through Monday, July 4th.

The Highway Patrol’s zero-tolerance policy is part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and Operation CARE enforcement campaigns aimed at removing impaired drivers from the roadways.

Many Fourth of July celebrations involve alcohol, which increases the possibility of impaired driving.

Therefore, the Patrol urges motorists to drive carefully and follow all traffic laws.

During last year’s Fourth of July reporting period from July 2 through 5, a total of 23 people were killed in 21 fatal crashes.

Of those, 12 crashes and 12 fatalities involved alcohol and/or drugs.

The Highway Patrol recorded 538 OVI arrests during the reporting period.

“Large gatherings with alcohol consumption increases the possibility of impaired driving,” said Colonel Richard S. Fambro, Patrol superintendent.

“Planning ahead and designating a sober driver saves lives.”

Of the 11 fatalities where safety belts were available, six were unbelted.

Ten motorcyclists, one bicyclist and a pedestrian were killed during last year’s reporting period.

Motorists are encouraged to call #677 to report impaired drivers, drug activity or stranded motorists.

The Humane Society and SPCA of Hancock County is reminding pet owners that, while fireworks are fun for you, they aren’t very much fun for your pets who are more sensitive to loud noises.

The Humane Society wants to give everyone some 4th of July tips to keep their furry family members safe.

The tips are listed below and you can also listen to the information that the Humane Society’s Natalie Reffitt left for the newsroom in the audio below.

1. Take a current, clear picture. If your pet does get loose you will have a picture ready to go.

2. Make sure you put a collar with ID tags on your pet. For your feline friends please use a break-a-way collar.

3. Leave the television or radio on to drown out the noise of the fireworks.

4. If you are having people over, consider putting your pets inside a room they cannot escape from (so they won’t be able to escape with people coming in and out of your house).
We recommend even bringing in your outside pets.

5. Take your walk(s) well before fireworks start.

6. Going somewhere to watch the fireworks? Leave your pets at home – they will thank you! As much as your pets love you or love going on rides, trust us when we say your pets are much safer in the security of their own home.

Pictured with this story is Bentley, who is available for adoption.

Get more on her, and all the animals up for adoption at the The Humane Society and SPCA of Hancock County by clicking here.