Two people who played integral roles in the success of the Hancock County Fair over the years were honored for their many years of service.

A special tree dedication was held for longtime fair manager Dave Thomas and longtime assistant officer manager Nicole Hoffman.

Fair and Events Manager Haley Reese says the two definitely deserved the standing ovation they received.

“The whole place erupted and it was very well-deserved because they are really great individuals.”

As Haley said in the audio above, Dave and Nicole were the faces of the fair for many years and did a really great job.

“They are responsible for this fair being as great as it is.”

Dave is retiring and Nicole took a different job.

Below is a picture from the fair’s Facebook showing Dave and Nicole with their trees that will be planted on the fairgrounds.

The fair runs through Labor Day at the Hancock County Fairgrounds in Findlay.

The Findlay Rotary Club has announced its nine semifinalists for the 2022 Golden Apple Awards.

Annually, Rotary chooses three teachers from the elementary level, three teachers from the middle school level and three teachers from the high school level to compete for the award.

At the elementary level, the three semifinalists are: Sarah Cleary, Second Grade teacher at Jefferson Primary; Mandy Tiech, Speech Pathologist at Jefferson Primary; and Tonya Thorbahn, Gifted Intervention teacher at Chamberlin Hill Elementary.

At the middle school level, the three semifinalists are: Andrea Lee, English & Literature (Grades 8-9) Cory-Rawson; Heather Nusbaum 7th Grade English/Language Arts at Donnell Middle School; and Kristina Rodman, Middle School Intervention Specialist at Van Buren Middle School

At the high school level, the three semifinalists are: Chelsea Burden, American Government at Van Buren High School; Andrea Barger, English Teacher at Arlington High School; and Becky Bucher, Business, Family & Consumer Sciences at Cory Rawson High School.

The Findlay Rotary accepted nominations for the award from students, parents, administration, colleagues and the community-at-large through the beginning of April.

Nominees are required to be a current teacher in the Findlay area or a Hancock County school and have at least three years of experience.

Nominated teachers submit a resume, a teaching philosophy essay, and two letters of recommendation to the Rotary Community Selection Committee consisting of Alissa Preston, Leah Brant, Leo Bonaparte, Charity Rauschenberg, and members from the Golden Apple Academy who selected this year’s semifinalists. A second group of members from the Rotary Final Selection Committee interviews and conductions classroom visits to determine the finalists.

The finalists will be announced at the annual Golden Apple Awards Dinner on October 19, 2022.

The finalist at each level receives the Golden Apple Award along with a $2,500 cash prize.

Second and third place semi-finalists each receive a $250 cash prize.

Finalists also accept an invitation to join the Golden Apple Academy, a group consisting of all past Golden Apple Award finalists.

Click here to find out who won last year.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is urging drivers to be safe this Labor Day weekend.

Troopers will focus enforcement efforts on removing impaired drivers from Ohio’s roadways.

The Labor Day weekend reporting period began on Friday and continues through Monday, September 5th.

Additionally, the state’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign continues through Labor Day.

During the 2021 Labor Day holiday weekend, 17 people were killed in 16 fatal crashes.

Eight crashes and nine of those fatalities involved alcohol and/or drugs.

Five of those fatalities were unbelted.

Troopers also made 515 impaired driving arrests during last year’s holiday weekend.

“This weekend – plan ahead and designate a sober driver,” said Colonel Charles A. Jones, Patrol superintendent.

“Help us make this Labor Day holiday weekend safer for everyone on our roads.”

Motorists are encouraged to safely dial #677 to report impaired drivers and drug activity to the Highway Patrol.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says a deputy used a taser on a drunk driver who failed to comply with the deputy’s orders after a short vehicle pursuit.

The sheriff’s office says the deputy observed an SUV traveling on South Park Drive near East Main Street with no headlights on at around 12:37 Friday morning.

The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle and it sped off.

The sheriff’s office says the SUV was traveling at speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour in residential areas.

The pursuit lasted less than a minute and came to an end in the parking lot of Hearthside Food Solutions at 312 Rader Road.

The sheriff’s office says the driver, later identified as Juan Hernandez-Lopez, 31, of McComb, exited his vehicle and failed to comply with the deputy’s orders.

The deputy deployed a taser on the man and he was taken into custody.

The sheriff’s office says Hernandez-Lopez was booked at the Hancock County Jail for drunk driving and other charges.

The University of Findlay is warning the Findlay community to be aware of scammers claiming to be collecting donations on behalf of UF.

The University says it has been made aware of multiple attempts by individuals going door-to-door within the community falsely stating they are University students and requesting donations on the University’s behalf.

“Please be aware that these individuals are not associated with the University of Findlay, are not collecting donations on behalf of the University, and should not be trusted,” the UF Office of Campus Safety and Emergency Management said on its social media.

“If you encounter these individuals, please report the incident to the Findlay Police Department at 419-424-7150.”

The University says people who are authorized to solicit on behalf of the University will always have official University documentation with them.

The Findlay-Hancock County Public Library is encouraging people who don’t have one yet to get a library card during National Library Card Sign-Up Month in September.

Library Director Sarah Clevidence says at the library they believe there’s nothing more empowering than getting your own library card.

“It gives you access to technology, resources and services to help you pursue your passions and your dreams.”

Sarah says 29,638 members of the community are currently library card holders and they’d like to sign up a lot more during National Library Card Sign-Up Month.

She says at the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library, patrons of all ages can always find their favorite books, as well as a variety of educational resources and activities, including early literacy programs, homework help online, Northstar Digital Literacy, entertaining children’s, teens and adult programs, and streaming services Hoopla and Libby.

The Findlay-Hancock County Public Library, along with libraries everywhere continue to adapt and expand services to meet the evolving needs of our community.

To sign up for a library card or to learn more about the library’s resources and programs, click here. 

The Findlay Police Department is reminding drivers how to handle intersections when the traffic lights aren’t working.

The police department says some emergency work by AEP at approximately 7 a.m. Friday, September 2nd will most likely result in non-functional traffic lights for a short time in the downtown area.

The police department is reminding everyone that Ohio law requires that all non-functioning traffic lights be treated as a four way/all way stop.

This is to ensure that everyone navigates the intersection safely.

The police department says, while it’s common to see vehicles on primary routes (such as Main Street) to continue through the intersection without stopping, ALL vehicles are required to stop.

“Please do your part to keep you and your community safe.”

Several Ohio counties are reporting cases of what some are referring to as “zombie deer”.

It’s an illness not uncommon in white-tailed deer known as Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD).

People have been spotting deer that remain unfazed by loud noise, instead just staring off into the distance.

Midwestern deer populations have developed little resistance to EHD and are likely to die within three days of developing symptoms.

There is currently no treatment for the disease in wild populations.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources says the EHD virus is not infectious to people or pets and is not spread from animal to animal.

It is transmitted by the bite of small insects called midges, so EHD-associated deaths in deer can occur until the first frost of the year causes a decline in midge activity.

The 13 counties where EHD-infected deer have been located are Athens, Butler, Champaign, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Highland, Madison, Perry, Preble, Ross, Union, and Warren counties.

Hancock Public Health says, effective immediately, it will be offering walk-in COVID-19 clinics on Mondays and Fridays.

The clinics are for people over the age of 12 and will be held from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 3:30 p.m.

Health officials say the Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax monovalent vaccines are currently available for primary series only.

A primary series is identified as the initial dose of a COVID vaccine.

The health department says the original monovalent mRNA COVID vaccines, Moderna and Pfizer, are no longer authorized for use as a booster in people ages 12 years and older.

A new bivalent vaccine, Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 bivalent booster, has been created to fight Omicron and other subvariant viruses.

Once the CDC has endorsed the recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the bivalent booster vaccine, the Ohio Department of Health will authorize use of the vaccine and Hancock Public Health will be able to receive shipments of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 bivalent booster.

The health department anticipates their first shipment for the week of September 19th and will notify the public once the new vaccine becomes available.

People with questions or concerns about the new vaccine or how it impacts their health should speak with their healthcare provider.

Pediatric vaccines for children ages 6 months to 11 years of age are available by appointment only. Booster doses are still available for eligible children.

People may call 419-424-7441 to schedule an appointment or to inquire about COVID-19 vaccination options.

Hancock Public Health is located at 2225 Keith Parkway in Findlay.