The City of Findlay says it is aware of the condition of some railroad crossings within the city limits and that repairs are on the way.
The city says it has been in contact with CSX specifically to repair the 6th Street (pictured above), 2nd Street, and Bigelow Avenue crossings.
“At this time it appears CSX will complete the work in early June,” the city said.
The city said additional information about specific dates and detours will be provided closer to the repair dates.
The Findlay Police Department is seeking help from the public in identifying the suspect in a store theft and their vehicle.
The theft happened at Dick’s Sporting Goods, 1960 Tiffin Ave, on Thursday afternoon.
Police say the suspect was a black female between 35-40 years old, 5′-4″ to 5′-5″, around 140 pounds, had a gold lip ring in the middle of her bottom lip, longer black hair in braids tied in a bun, wearing a dark green coat with fur trim around the hood.
The suspect got into a dark gray/black Hyundai Elantra SEL 2019-2020, Ohio (Sunburst) License plate which begins with the letter “J”, and fled the scene.
Another black female was in the vehicle, believed to be a lookout.
The Elantra was seen on County Road 99 going westbound by Findlay police.
Police say the Elantra started a pursuit shortly after this point, running a red traffic light, passing vehicles by going into oncoming traffic, and speeding.
The pursuit continued northbound on I-75 at speeds of around 110 mph.
The Elantra drove on the left shoulder of the highway, to pass vehicles when all three lanes had vehicles, to avoid police.
Findlay PD ended the pursuit near State Route 6, exit 179, due to losing visual of suspect.
Wood County deputies and the highway patrol continued the pursuit at different times in attempts to apprehend the suspect but discontinued their pursuits due to safety reasons and construction.
The suspect vehicle was last seen going northbound on I-475 from the I-75 split.
The merchandise was recovered after the suspects threw it from the vehicle.
The Findlay Police Department is seeking help from the public in identifying the suspect and vehicle.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Officer Brickner at 419-424-7150 or cbrickner@findlayohio.gov.
Ohio U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown announced that the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded five grants totaling $735,787 to five airports in Northwest Ohio including in Bluffton and Putnam County.
“Ohio airports are vital infrastructure supporting travel and commerce in our state,” Brown said.
“These investments will enhance safety and operations at Northwest Ohio airports and improve travel for area residents and businesses.”
Funding from FAA includes:
(From Hancock County ADAMHS)
A conference on building resilience to trauma will be held on May 8th at Winebrenner Theological Seminary in Findlay.
The “Resilience in a Complex Environment: Practical Approaches for Intervention” conference will include presentations by Michael Ungar, a family therapist and professor of social work at Dalhousie University, in Canada, and Bobbi Beale, a clinical psychologist and a Co-Director of the Center for Innovative Practices & the Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Center of Excellence at Case Western Reserve University.
Two other speakers will share their lived experiences during the day-long conference, which is open to the public.
The conference is aimed at students, professionals, and individuals looking to increase their knowledge of trauma and resilience.
Ungar holds the Canada Research Chair in Child, Family and Community Resilience. His research on resilience around the world and across cultures has made him a top social work scholar in the world, with numerous government agencies, not-for-profits and businesses relying on his research and clinical work to guide their approaches to nurturing individual, organizational and community well-being under stress. He will share research and stories from his clinical practice that illustrate effective, ecologically complex services. Conference participants will learn how to identify and encourage factors associated with resilience: supportive relationships; a powerful identity; a sense of personal control, agency, and power; social justice and fair treatment; belonging, purpose, and spirituality; and cultural rootedness.
Beale has over 30 years of practice and expertise in trauma, resilience, system of care and behavioral health treatments for children, youth and families, specializing in Intensive Home-Based Treatment and Adventure Therapy training, consulting and providing technical assistance across Ohio to support behavioral health providers serving youth and their families that are involved in multiple service systems. Beale has focused on designing non-traditional therapy programs for youth populations that are at risk or have trauma histories.
Register for the event at Eventbrite.com. For more information contact Amy at the Hancock County Board of Alcohol and Mental Health Services, 419-424-1985.
A dedication ceremony was held on Friday for the Memorial Highway signs along Interstate 75 in Bluffton in honor of Bluffton Police Officer Dominic Francis. (video below)
Last December, the Ohio Legislature passed a bill to rename Interstate 75 between mile markers 139 and 143 the ‘Officer Dominic Francis Memorial Highway’.
“He’s never gonna be forgotten,” Bluffton Police Chief Ryan Burkholder told WFIN.
“He impacted so many people, youth especially.”
Officer Francis was struck and killed on I-75 on March 31st of 2022 as he was placing stop sticks on the highway to stop a car that was fleeing from police.
The three suspects involved in his death have since been sentenced to prison.
The ‘Officer Dominic Francis Memorial Highway’ signs were unveiled during a ceremony at Bluffton Town Hall on Friday morning and then put in place along the interstate by ODOT.
Dominic’s widow, Ricki, unveiled the sign in the video you can see below.
The signs were placed near mile marker 143 southbound and mile marker 139 northbound.
Family Resource Center has an open house scheduled to show off its newly renovated headquarters in Findlay.
The open house for the facility, located at 1941 Carlin Street in Findlay, will be held on Monday, May 8th from 3 to 7.
People attending the open house will get a tour of the renovated facility and mental health and substance abuse disorder information will be available. Refreshments will be provided.
FRC Director of Administration Allison Yeager said one of the great things about this renovation is that they will be able to offer adult and youth services under the same roof.
“This will help make things more convenient for families to access care together.”
Family Resource Center provides mental health and substance use disorder services for adults from their location at 1918 North Main, and for youth from their location at 2515 North Main in Findlay.
They plan to bring all those services together under one roof at the renovated Carlin facility.
Funded in part by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and a Community Development Block Grant, the renovation project also includes the addition of an on-site pharmacy and meeting space for groups such as adventure therapy and other community support groups to gather.
An open house is planned for Monday, May 8th from 3 to 7.
The Hancock County Jail will be receiving $248,480 in grant money from the state for security upgrades at the jail.
Sheriff Michael Heldman was on with WFIN’s Chris Oaks to discuss the security upgrades the grant money will help cover.
The sheriff says they will use the grant funding to update the jail’s door locking system, which the sheriff says is old technology and not working as well as it should and they fear it could fail totally.
As for discussions about expanding the jail or building a new one, Sheriff Heldman says a committee continues to meet once a month on that topic and he says a decision could be reached in a few months.
Get more from Chris’ interview with the sheriff below.
The Findlay Police Department is seeking information about a hit-skip crash between a smaller blue truck and a bicycle.
The crash happened at around 8:45 Thursday morning on West Bigelow Avenue at Northgate Boulevard.
The driver of the truck was described as a white male in his late teens or early 20s.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or who has information about it is asked to contact Officer Hackworth at 419-424-7150.
(ONN) – Legendary talk show host and former mayor of Cincinnati Jerry Springer has died.
A family spokesperson said this morning that Springer had been diagnosed with cancer a few months ago and his condition worsened this week.
He died at his home in the Chicago area.
He was best known for ‘The Jerry Springer Show’ in which guests loudly, and sometimes violently clashed during its 27-year run.
Springer started his career as a lawyer in Cincinnati and served as the city’s mayor in 1977 and 1978.
He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for Ohio governor in 1982 and considered running for governor or senate in Ohio in later years.
Springer was 79 years old.
Two Hancock County students have again been chosen for the Ohio State Fair Junior Fair Board.
Erica Patterson and Zach Romero will be on the Junior Fair Board for a second year.
Erica, from Findlay, is an at-large member and Zach, from McComb, is representing 4-H.
Both were selected for the Junior Fair Board in 2022 as well.
The 2023 Ohio State Junior Fair Board (JFB) is comprised of 20 young Ohioans from 12 Ohio counties.
The students chosen for the board represent thousands of youth from across Ohio who participate in 4-H, Boy Scouts, Farm Bureau, FFA, Girl Scouts, and Tech Ed.
Rising to the level of becoming a JFB member means each selected student has gone above and beyond to serve their organization and community.
The countless hours of involvement in each selected member’s organization has equipped them to best represent their organization and the overall Ohio State Fair Junior Fair.
“Each year, we search the state for young Ohioans who demonstrate leadership and eagerness to grow through the dedication they have shown to their organization over the years,” said Virgil Strickler, General Manager of the Ohio Expo Center & State Fair.
“While relying on the assistance of these young leaders to help with many aspects of the Ohio State Fair, the ultimate goal of this program is to have youth involved in these organizations be present to speak on behalf of the Junior Fair and show the importance of helping young people who are involved in the Fair grow their futures.”
Throughout the 12 days of the Ohio State Fair, July 26 – Aug. 6, 2023, JFB members can be spotted throughout the grounds in their blue polos assisting with various activities.