(ONN) – Hall of Fame quarterback and northeast Ohio native Len Dawson, who led the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl title, has died.

Dawson was born and raised in Alliance, just northeast of Canton – home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, to which he was inducted in 1987.

Dawson played college football at Purdue and was drafted by Pittsburgh in 1957, traded to Cleveland the following year, and was released by the Browns.

In Super Bowl IV in 1970, Dawson led the Chiefs to a win over Minnesota.

Dawson also was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton in 2012 as an NFL broadcaster.

Len Dawson was 87 years old.

Dr. Dione D. Somerville began her second academic year as president on Monday, August 22 by highlighting Owens Community College’s achievements to faculty, staff and community guests, including Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor Randy Gardner.

She also recognized this year’s Presidential Teaching Award recipient, nursing professor Julie Lohse, who also received the 2021 top teaching award in the college’s School of Nursing and Health Professions.

Lohse is entering her 24th academic year teaching as Owens, having begun her career in Fall 1998.

Other award finalists were Julie Chesser, professor, math; Cory Hoover, professor, English; and Kristin Price, professor, social and behavioral sciences.

Dr. Somerville highlighted enrollment, budget matters and partnerships, among other initiatives, as she spoke on the Findlay-area Campus in the morning and again on the Toledo-area Campus in the afternoon.

“My vision for Owens is our vision for Owens,” she said, referring to the college’s vision statement of being the area’s premier two-year college, a first choice for students seeking higher education and an indispensable partner for businesses, educational institutions and community organizations.

She shared about the implementation of the new Strategic Enrollment Management Plan and its importance considering the projected decline of high school graduates over the next decade. She said the balanced budget, adopted by the Board of Trustees, was built on areas of need with consideration for strategic initiatives, including the new Workday ERP software that will service the entire college.

Since taking over the Owens presidency in June 2021, Dr. Somerville has made it a priority to engage community leaders. More than two dozen community leaders attended Monday’s State of the College presentations.

Looking forward, she spoke about capital renovations and centralizing the college’s nursing and health profession programs on the east side of Oregon Road on the Toledo-area Campus. Construction on the former library building and Audio-Visual Classroom Center is anticipated to begin in 2023 with completion for Fall Semester 2024.

Also in 2023, the Findlay-area Campus will celebrate its 40th anniversary serving Findlay and the greater Hancock County area. Plans are underway to create a planning group for this milestone.

With the college’s current strategic plan expiring this year, Dr. Somerville said Owens plans to continue working with internal and external stakeholders on developing the new plan to ensure Owens maintains its position serving students and the region.

She held several listening sessions on the subject, both on campus and in the community, during the past academic year.

An Overdose Awareness event will be held in Findlay.

The educational event will be held on Friday, August 26th from 2 to 5 in the atrium of the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts at 200 West Main Cross Street in Findlay.

A panel of experts will speak that includes survivors of overdose, family members and harm reduction providers.

Narcan will be available at the event.

In May, Hancock Public Health reported a spike in suspected overdoses.

Hancock Public Health also reminds people that they have the overdose-reversing medication Narcan available through Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided with Naloxone) as a way to combat the opioid overdose epidemic.

“It looks pretty clear to us that the more Narcan kits we get out there, in the hands of folks who may potentially overdose, the less fatal overdoses we’re going to have,” said the health department’s Gary Bright.

He says while Narcan can rapidly reverse an overdose it’s still important to call 911 because the opioid is still in the person’s system.

Click here for more information about Narcan and how to receive a kit.

People can also call 419-424-7420 (or email gbright@hancockph.com / jdecker@hancockph.com ) to answer a few simple questions and arrange safe pick up or delivery of a kit.

A house in a neighborhood on the northwest side of Findlay was severely damaged in a fire.

The fire happened Monday night at 2939 St. Andrews Drive, north of West Bigelow Avenue.

Fire crews from Liberty Township responded to the house on the report of the garage being fully engulfed in flames.

Allen Township and Blanchard Township fire crews were also called out to assist.

Firefighters got the fire contained but it did extensive damage to the garage area and other portions of the house were also damaged.

The residents all made it out safely and there was only one minor injury reported, according to the Liberty Township Volunteer Fire Department.

In the Facebook post below, the Liberty Township Volunteer Fire Department thanked other agencies for helping out and the ladies auxiliary for bringing food and water for the firefighters.

No word on the cause of the fire.

(ONN) – Nearly 100 Ohio law enforcement agencies were involved and dozens of suspects were arrested in a statewide human trafficking sting operation.

Dubbed ‘Operation Time’s Up’ the investigation targeted human trafficking with a series of stings and involved police agencies in the Columbus, Lancaster, Dayton, Akron, Cleveland, Marietta and Portsmouth areas.

The operation resulted in the arrests of 35 “Johns” who were allegedly seeking to buy sex, and 21 people seeking to buy sex from minors, according to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

The Findlay Police Department is reminding drivers to pay attention in school zones and to obey school bus laws as the new school year gets underway.

Findlay Police Officer Brian White says the department has received questions regarding the speed limit in school zones.

Brian says the Ohio Revised Code states, the speed limit is “twenty miles per hour in school zones during school recess and while children are going to or leaving school during the opening or closing hours.”

However, many school zone signs include the wording “During Restricted Hours”.

So, the question that usually follows is, “what are those restricted hours?” The short answer is, it depends on the school.

As Brian mentioned in the audio above, schools have different start or end times and some have recess while others do not.

While Findlay High School starts at 7:30 am and ends at 2:40 pm, Jefferson Primary School starts at 9:15 am and ends at 3:40 pm.

School delays and cancelations can also impact these times.

Traditionally, Findlay High School has had open lunches during various times, allowing students to walk to various area restaurants.

The spirit of the law is intended to keep children safe, but not unduly restrict traffic when that particular school is not in session.

For this reason, restricted hours are not set in stone.

To address this, many area schools have installed flashing warning lights to alert drivers to when that particular school is in session and when those “restricted hours” apply.

Ohio law does not require these lights, which is why you will see them at one school and maybe not another.

Regardless if the lights are installed or not, it’s up to the individual driver to slow down when children are at recess or going to or from school.

The police department is offering some general tips to help guide drivers as the new school year begins.

1. Pay attention. Many of those stopped for speeding in a school zone don’t realize they were in a school zone in the first place.

2. If the flashing lights are active, slow down.

3. If it’s the morning or afternoon and you see a child in a school zone, slow down.

“Remember, school speed zones are intended to keep children safe,” Brian said.

“Following the tips above can potentially save a life, as well as save you from a hefty fine.”

Click here for a refresher on school bus laws in Ohio.

The first day for students in Findlay City Schools is Tuesday.

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program has named Owens Community College President Dr. Dione D. Somerville among 26 leaders for its national New Presidents Fellowship Class of 2022-23.

The program supports community college presidents in the early years of their tenure as they work to achieve higher and more equitable levels of student success.

“I am honored to be selected for the Aspen Fellowship,” said Dr. Somerville, who began as the eighth Owens president in June 2021.

“The Aspen Institute is known for its exceptional work with community colleges at the national level. I look forward to working with the distinguished fellows in my class and identifying best practices that will help make a difference for Owens Community College and our students.”

This class of fellows represents the diversity of our nation’s community colleges, collectively serving more than 250,000 students at colleges across the nation, in urban, suburban and rural areas.

The incoming class of New Presidents Fellows is 46 percent female and 65 percent are people of color.

Located in 19 states, their institutions too are diverse, from a tribal college with fewer than 300 students to an urban college that educates more than 35,000 each year.

The fellows, selected through a competitive process, will work closely with other transformational community college presidents and Aspen leaders over nine months to learn from field-leading research, analyze their colleges’ student outcomes, and clarify their visions for excellent and equitable outcomes for students while in college and after they graduate.

“The quality of our nation’s community colleges depends on the quality of our college presidents,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the College Excellence Program. “I am continually inspired and motivated by the dedication and expertise that our fellows bring to the work of advancing excellence and equity on their campuses, and I look forward to seeing the changes they make in real time to improve outcomes for their students.”

Prior to taking the presidency at Owens, Dr. Somerville held leadership positions at Hawkeye Community College, Bloomsburg University, Iowa State University and Lorain County Community College. She earned her doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, her master’s degree from Bowling Green State University and her bachelor’s degree from Ohio Northern University. The Detroit native worked a graduate assistantship at the University of Findlay. Dr. Somerville participated in the Harvard University Institute for Education Management and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ Millennium Leadership Institute.

The Ohio State and Michigan hockey teams will play each other in an outdoor game next year.

The Cleveland Browns announced that the rivals will play each other in the Faceoff on the Lake at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland on February 18th, 2023.

It will be OSU’s fourth outdoor game and second against Michigan, previously playing the Wolverines at Progressive Field in January of 2012.

The Buckeyes have also played Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin and Minnesota at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis in 2014.

The Big Ten released the full men’s hockey schedule on Monday, with each school taking on each of the other six programs in four games over the season.

The new superintendent of the Ohio State Highway Patrol took charge a few weeks ago, and he’s facing a big challenge right out of the gate.

Lieutenant Colonel Charles Jones says the Highway Patrol is experiencing manpower issues, like many industries.

“We’re down about 200 troopers, and we need troopers all over the state.”

He says the state is broken up into nine Highway Patrol districts and they need more troopers for each district.

Jones says the Highway Patrol is working on hiring strategies to get more qualified candidates.

People who apply for the academy class will need to submit an application, pass written and physical fitness examinations as well as a background investigation that includes a polygraph and drug screening.

When a candidate accepts a position in an academy class, they will undergo a final psychological assessment in order to begin training.

Get more details about how to become a trooper with the Ohio State Highway Patrol by clicking here.

Several teachers will be returning to local classrooms and offices this fall with new knowledge and first-hand experience in manufacturing after spending time this summer in Raise the Bar Hancock County’s Summer Educator Experience.

The Summer Educator Experience is one of Raise the Bar’s newest programs designed to bolster the local workforce by changing perceptions and attitudes of manufacturing.

Educators in the Summer Experience interacted with a variety of manufacturers to understand the industry’s scale within Hancock County.

Over two two-day sessions, one in June and the other in August, educators heard from more than 60 manufacturing employees about career paths, required skillsets, and company culture.

Educators also went on facility tours to see production in action, learning about processes from start to finish.

Host companies (and industry sector) included ROKI America (automotive), GSW Manufacturing (automotive), Freudenberg-NOK (automotive), Hearthside Solutions (food), Hamlet Protein (animal feed), Whirlpool (home appliances), Partitions Plus (paper), Werk-Brau (construction/mining), Simona PMC (plastics), and Findlay All Hazards Training Center (workplace safety).

“The companies that hosted our educators truly represented the variation of manufacturing in Hancock County. From small to large, family-owned to globally connected, and everything in between, the companies offered our participants a chance to see manufacturing as a means toward strong wages and career growth,” said Raise the Bar’s executive director Tricia Valasek.

“Educators were immersed in facilities to see that manufacturing is diverse, relies on people with strong soft skills (like accountability and work ethic), and offers roles for everyone – college degree or not. Our companies gave an above-and-beyond experience!”

Educators also spent time reflecting on how to apply what they learned in their school/office settings.

Many teachers spoke about the overwhelming need to refocus on honing soft skills, reminding themselves that accountability, deadlines, pride in work, etc. matter.

Other educators noted finding new ways to connect their standard curriculum to workplace scenarios.

A substantial number of participants intend to bring the companies into their classroom throughout the year for hands-on demonstrations and real-world learning scenarios for students, as well as to place their students with the companies for tours and work-based learning experience.

Participating school districts (and educators) included Arlington (Andrea Barger and Shane Cavinee), Cory-Rawson (Becky Bucher and Jonna Shumway), Findlay (Daniel Gosser, Brian Kirian, Mark Laux, Aaron Moyer, Jordan Nugeness, Kristina Pritchard Rowe), Findlay Digital Academy (Maria Little and Mary Rood), Fostoria (Justin Depinet), McComb (Sarah Becker), Millstream Career Center (Mark Gleason and Kate Murray), Van Buren (Bethany Archer, Brian Bratt, and Eric Heitkamp), and Vanlue (Heather Hunt and Grant Johnson). Also participating were Habitat for Humanity’s Financial Opportunity Center Career Coaches, Dustin Fuller and Phil Brock.