The Findlay Police Department held active shooter training drills at the high school ahead of the new school year beginning.

Lt. Andrew Welch says they put every officer in the department through five different scenarios, including some scenarios that mirrored the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas in May.

“I’m happy to say, in the event that, heaven forbid, something like that ever happens, I’m very confident that the response from us would be very swift and much more efficient than what occurred there.”

As Lt. Welch mentioned in the audio above, if a call comes in of a school shooting all officers would immediately respond to the school.

Once on scene, the officer would grab whatever weapon is available to them and enter the school.

“We train our guys to run towards the stimulus, whether it’s yelling or shooting, and try to interject and be that space between the assailant and students, to hopefully get in there and make a difference as quickly as possible.”

At the board of education meeting Monday night, the board voted to install an immediate active shooter notification system called SafeDefend in their schools.

SafeDefend utilizes multiple ways of communication in the event of an active shooter crisis as well as provides staff with crisis management options and training, including but not limited to defensive force and first aid.

You can watch that board meeting below.

The first day of school for Findlay City Schools will be Tuesday, August 23rd.

University of Findlay students returning to campus for the new academic year will notice upgrades to dining facilities and new food delivery robots.

Henderson Dining Hall, which serves as the primary dining location on campus, underwent a much-needed renovation that includes a new brick pizza oven, a 24/7 Simply To Go area with new meal customization options, updated build-your-own burger station, international cuisine station and more.

New meal stations and a new layout will provide students with more food options and opportunities to customize meals along with setting up the space for additional updates in the future.

For those who have a busy schedule, Henderson’s 24/7 Simply To Go station, once completed, will be open for additional hours and even offer pick-up options.

The reimagined space will now feature a UF mural, Oiler Nation colors, and new furniture to give the full Oiler Experience to every diner.

Along with Henderson’s new look, UF says another exciting addition coming to the university is Kiwibot food delivery robots.

Anyone on campus will soon be able to use the Everyday app on their phone or other compatible smart devices to order food from on-campus dining as well as some new virtual dining concept options such as Mr. Beast Burger, Pardon My Cheesesteak, Buddy V’s Cake Slices, and Mariah Carey’s Cookies.

Kiwibot orders can be paid for directly through the app with a debit/credit card or UF meal plan points.

Students will have the option to add money for Kiwibot deliveries to their meal plan and can even purchase a subscription plan to save on delivery fees.

For more information on the University’s dining options, meal plans, Kiwibot usage, and more, visit the Dining Services webpage or contact Dining Services by email at ufdining@findlay.edu.

Hancock Public Health along with its partners, Blanchard Valley Health System and the University of Findlay, College of Pharmacy, have come together to collect data on the effectiveness of real-time blood sugar monitoring and continuous feedback to Type 2 diabetic patients on managing the disease.

This study promotes the use of the Dexcom® G6® Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM), thus eliminating the need to use finger stick blood sugar testing.

The new technology boasts the ability to improve A1c levels in adults who regularly use the Dexcom® monitor.

The study is designed to last one year and enroll approximately 200 participants.

Participants must be recommended to the project by their primary care physician and consent to participate in the project and its terms.

There will be no cost to eligible individuals referred and chosen to be part of the project.

The CGM technology used in this research has been provided by Dexcom® with additional funding for clinical support provided by the Findlay-Hancock Community Foundation.

Blanchard Valley Health System, Hancock Public Health, and the University of Findlay, College of Pharmacy have each provided specially trained clinicians to support the participants of this project.

Under the auspice of Hancock Public Health, this specialized team will monitor, and review participant’s progress and provide support with the goal of the participants to better understand their diabetes, empowering them to manage their diabetes, and discover glucose patterns not otherwise observed.

The team will also collect data for the identification of health trends and effective medical interventions for the diabetic population in Hancock County.

According to the 2021 Community Health Assessment, 13 percent of Hancock County adults had been diagnosed with diabetes, increasing to 26 percent of those over the age
of 65.

Nationally, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), estimated 37.3 million US adults have diabetes, and 1 in 5 of them know they have it. (2022).

Local health officials are hoping to empower individuals to understand the relationship between healthy eating, exercise and blood glucose levels.

Additionally, the goal is to equip them with the tools to improve their overall health.

To learn more about the project, people should consult their Primary Care Physician or contact Hancock Public Health at 567-250-5153.

You can also review the agency’s other programs on their website, www.Hancockph.com.

Some of the best hot air balloon pilots around are showing off their skills at Flag City BalloonFest this weekend in Findlay.

In the picture above and video below we saw a balloon skimming the surface of Lake Cascades behind the WFIN Studios Friday night.

It was great flying weather at Flag City BalloonFest on Friday morning and that’s WFIN’s Matt Demczyk was fortunate enough to go on a flight.

Matt went up with pilot Steve Wilkinson, from Palm Springs, California in Steve’s Cosmic Crisp apple-shaped balloon.

Steve has been flying hot air balloons for 42 years all across the world and also takes part in competitions.

It was a very smooth flight, and landing, as they landed in the backyard of a home a little south of Findlay.

In one of the videos below you can see the family come out and check out the balloon.

Flag City BalloonFest is being held on August 12th, 13th and 14th at Findlay’s Emory Adams Park.

Hundreds of new University of Findlay students completed the traditional Arch Ceremony as they embark on their journey at UF.

Legend has it that if they walk back through the Arch before commencement they won’t graduate.

Move-in day at the University of Findlay was held on Thursday.

New students, along with the help of family, faculty, staff, returning students and other volunteers, made the move into their campus housing.

UF says it will have 1,386 students living on campus during this academic year, which is a record.

There will be 712 first-time freshman.

On Friday, University of Findlay President Dr. Katherine Fell formally welcomed students to campus.

Following Dr. Fell’s welcome, new students participated in one of UF’s oldest traditions of marching through the Arch toward Old Main.

According to tradition, they can’t walk back through it until commencement or they won’t graduate.

It was great flying weather at Flag City BalloonFest on Friday morning and that’s when WFIN’s Matt Demczyk was fortunate enough to go on a flight.

Matt went up with pilot Steve Wilkinson, from Palm Springs, California in Steve’s Cosmic Crisp apple-shaped balloon.

Steve has been flying hot air balloons for 42 years all across the world and also takes part in competitions.

It was a very smooth flight, and landing, as they landed in the backyard of a home a little south of Findlay.

At the end of the third video below you can see the family come out and check out the balloon and get more of our talk with Steve.

Flag City BalloonFest is being held on August 12th, 13th and 14th at Findlay’s Emory Adams Park.

The University of Findlay athletic department has named Kory Allen as the next head coach of the university’s football program,

Coach Allen has been acting as the interim head coach since April 20th when it was announced that former head coach Rob Keys was leaving the program.

“Having helped build this program in the NCAA era over the last 16 years has been extremely satisfying. A lot of players and coaches have put in a lot of work into making Findlay football what it is today,” Allen said.

“I am humbled and honored to be selected as the next head football coach. We will work every day to represent this school in a first-class manner.”

The news was delivered in front of the Oilers’ team prior to practice at the Armstrong Sports Complex by Vice President for Student Affairs / Director of Athletics Brandi Laurita.

“Over the past few months since taking on his role as the interim head coach, Kory has shown incredible effort and dedication to not only his program, but to the department as a whole,” Laurita said.

“He has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is capable of guiding our football program into the future and we look forward to continued success as he works to develop those young men on and off the field.”

Entering his 17th season with the Oilers, Allen has helped build one of the most potent offenses in Division II and, as the offensive line coach, has had a myriad of players earn all-conference and all-American honors.

In his time at Findlay, Allen has been a part of 90 wins, 11 winning seasons, two NCAA Playoff Appearances, and one conference championship.

Allen becomes the 30th head coach in the 130-year history of UF football, and he’s just the fourth head coach at UF since the year 2000.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol has released the name of the armed man they say was shot and killed by troopers after trying to enter the FBI field office in Cincinnati and leading authorities on a pursuit.

The Highway Patrol says the suspect’s identity has been confirmed as Ricky W. Shiffer, 42, of Columbus.

Authorities say Shiffer tried to enter the FBI building in Cincinnati on Thursday morning and then fled northbound on Interstate 71.

Troopers say a suspected gunshot was fired from inside Shiffer’s vehicle at the troopers who were in pursuit.

The suspect exited Interstate 71 around Wilmington and came to a stop.

The Highway Patrol says Shiffer exited the vehicle and exchanged gunfire with officers.

Shiffer then used his vehicle fror cover and a standoff situation began.

Throughout the afternoon troopers and other law enforcement attempted to negotiate with the suspect to bring the standoff to an end.

Once negotiations failed, troopers attempted to take the suspect into custody by utilizing less lethal tactics.

At approximately 3:42 p.m., the Highway Patrol says Shiffer raised a gun and shots were fired by law enforcement officers, striking Shiffer.

He succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

The incident remains under investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Findlay City Schools is updating the signage at schools across the district.

Interim Superintendent Krista Crates-Miller says the signage is being updated to reflect some changes in their buildings and some are being updated because they’re weathered.

She says the new signs align with their logos and current branding.

“We’re very excited to welcome back our students on August, 23rd. Go Trojans!”

Thursday was Move-in day at the University of Findlay.

New students, along with the help of family, faculty, staff, returning students and other volunteers, made the move into their campus housing.

UF says it will have 1,386 students living on campus during this academic year, which is a record.

There will be 712 first-time freshmen. Some video of move-in day can be seen below.

On Friday, University of Findlay President Dr. Katherine Fell will formally welcome students to campus.

Following Dr. Fell’s welcome, new students will participate in one of UF’s oldest traditions of marching through the Arch toward Old Main.

According to tradition, they can’t walk back through it until commencement or they won’t graduate.