The Allen County Sheriff’s Office says two inmates escaped from Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima on Tuesday, one of which was serving time for murder.

Authorities say the inmates should be considered dangerous.

Anyone who sees them should not approach, but call 911 immediately.

They are identified as:

James Lee – 47 years old. Male, brown hair, blue eyes, 300 pounds

Bradley Gillespie – 50 years old, male, bald, blue eyes, 200 pounds.

Jail records show that Gillespie is in for murder and Lee for burglary.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol said the two were last observed in the facility at 8:41 Monday morning.

A reward of up to $21,000 is available for information leading to their capture.

People should call the Highway Patrol at 419-423-1414 or the US Marshals at 1-866-4-WANTED.

The Allen-Oakwood Prison is located at 2338 North West Street in Lima.

Bluffton Police Officer Dominic Francis’ name was added to the Hancock County Fallen Officers Memorial at the Fort Findlay FOP Lodge during a ceremony on Monday night.

Dominic’s name was hidden until his father and son pulled away the tape to reveal it, and family members, colleagues and friends of Dominic spent some time with the memorial.

“Dominic’s death hit our community very hard,” said Teresa White, Development Director for the Fort Findlay FOP Lodge Foundation.

“We haven’t had a fallen officer in Hancock County since the 1970s when we lost two state highway patrol troopers. So, adding Dominic’s name to the wall this year was extremely important and meaningful for his family and his colleagues and extended family who came out today to unveil his name.”

Officer Francis was struck and killed on I-75 on March 31^st 2022 as he was placing stop sticks on the highway to stop a car that was fleeing from police.

The Hancock County Fallen Officer’s Memorial is located in front of the Fort Findlay FOP Lodge 20 at 1769 Romick Parkway in Findlay.

Teresa invites the public to stop by the memorial and pay their respects.

“It’s very important that people know that the ten names that are etched in stone on this memorial are ten names that died keeping us safe, died protecting the community that we live in, and we all owe them a debt of gratitude that will never be repaid, so, to stop out and say ‘thank you’ is the least anybody can do.”

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says a motorcyclist was killed when he collided with a tractor.

The crash happened at around 5:47 p.m. Monday on County Road 226 near Township Road 261, a little west of Fostoria.

The sheriff’s office says Dustin Shively, 39, of Fostoria, was westbound on County Road 226 on a Yamaha motorcycle when he crashed into a tractor that was also westbound.

The sheriff’s office said Shively was pronounced deceased at the scene.

He was not wearing a helmet, according to crash investigators.

The crash remains under investigation.

The Ohio Department of Transportation District 1’s annual Paint-the-Plow contest winners are Wyandot County’s Mohawk High School and Hancock County’s Cory-Rawson High School.

Mohawk High School’s FFA Chapter, located in Sycamore, collected the most votes on social media to win the people’s choice award.

Mohawk votes tallied 1,616 on ODOT District 1’s Facebook page contest.

The artists’ work honors Wyandot County Sheriff Deputy Daniel Kin who died following a crash while on duty in December.

Cory Rawson High School took second place with 603 votes, and in third place, Bluffton High School with 514 votes.

Cory Rawson High School’s safety message, “One Text or Call Could Wreck It All,” was voted the overall ODOT choice award winner.

“We appreciate each of the 21 schools who chose to paint a plow. We enjoy sharing their creative displays. They will be featured in fairs and parades as well as in service throughout the school’s community during snow and ice operations,” said Chris Hughes, the deputy director of ODOT District 1.

ODOT District 1 has held a Paint-the-Plow contest annually since 2014, except in 2020 and 2021. On average about 19 schools across all eight counties in District 1 participate by painting an ODOT snowplow blade with a message of school spirit, Ohio pride, patriotism, or safety.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office says a bicyclist was injured in a hit-skip crash.

The crash happened around 7 p.m. Monday on State Route 66 a little south of Ottoville, in southwest Putnam County.

The sheriff’s office says Wayne Getz, 57, of Delphos, was riding his bike north on State Route 66 when a vehicle struck him from behind and did not stop.

Getz was taken to a hospital in Lima for treatment of his injuries.

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office at 419-523-3208.

Raise the Bar Hancock County (RTB) is partnering with Owens Community College (OCC), the Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CAM), and Habitat for Humanity of Findlay/Hancock County’s Financial Opportunity Center (FOC) to launch a short-term training program, WorkAdvance.

WorkAdvance has benefitted job seekers and manufacturers in other Ohio regions. The model relies on local partnerships to conduct grassroots referrals, screen participants for program eligibility, offer a short-term training to equip individuals with job readiness and technical skills necessary for manufacturing roles, and pair program alum with a career coach to reduce barriers to employment.

Hancock County’s WorkAdvance program requires eligible individuals to participate in a two-week training. The training covers job readiness skills; math refreshers; and technical training such as safety, robotics, machining, quality, troubleshooting, and assembly. Participants will interact with OCC and FOC instructors to gain familiarity and comfort with the expectations of local manufacturing workplaces.

At the end of the training, partnering manufacturers will interview participants and potentially offer positions on their teams. For up to 365 days, too, participants will have the support of the FOC’s career coach to address issues with financial stability, housing, transportation, daycare, food security, mental health, or continuing education.

“This funding is allowing our community’s greatest assets to come together and better support our local workforce,” said Raise the Bar Executive Director Tricia Valasek.

“The Financial Opportunity Center added Jen Galbraith as a career coach to focus entirely on this program. She brings a wealth of experience in human resources and vulnerable populations to this project. Pairing Jen with the incredible manufacturing and safety expertise at Owens Community College and the University of Findlay’s All Hazards Training Center, which will be facilitated by the new Center for Advanced Manufacturing, makes our WorkAdvance program prime for our region.”

The initiative is part of The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association’s statewide strategy to build a talent pool of entry- and higher-skilled manufacturing employees. Funding for this effort, up to $950,000 for Hancock County, comes from the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Good Jobs Challenge grant program. Raise the Bar expects to train more than 70 new manufacturing employees and upskill an additional 40 current manufacturing employees through the WorkAdvance program.

Statewide, WorkAdvance programs are targeting untapped workforce pools, including the unemployed, underemployed, underrepresented, people of color, women, veterans, and returning citizens. Interested referral organizations and individuals can reach out to jen.galbraith@habitatfindlay.org to learn more.

 Raise the Bar intends to host a Community Connectors event in June 2023 for area referral agencies to tour manufacturing facilities and learn about employment opportunities and expectations.

(From Dr. Bill Kose with Blanchard Valley Health System)

With breast cancer, as with any illness, early diagnosis can often make treatment less complicated. We strongly encourage community members to keep up with regular mammograms, as well as other needed tests. After all, it’s essential to take care of yourself.

Learning you have breast cancer can feel profoundly scary. But today, in Northwest Ohio, there are better options available for your care than ever before. The science of how cancer is treated continues to grow. Today, our radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, and surgeons have research at their fingertips. Scientists have amassed a great deal of information about treating each type of cancer, so patients in 2023 are in the hands of doctors with access to more knowledge than at any other time in history.

Having more knowledge at their fingertips also means doctors today can better weigh the risks and benefits of a specific treatment plan for each individual. For example, if a commonly used medication can be hard on the kidneys, a patient with kidney disease might do better on an alternative medication.

Advances have also been made in follow-up care. For example, BVHS now offers breast reconstructive surgery using the latest techniques. This option used to only be available at larger facilities but can now be scheduled without having to travel.

Patients going through cancer treatment also benefit from collective knowledge. Physicians from a wide variety of specialties routinely evaluate each patient’s specific case to establish an individual plan.

As BVHS is part of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, our physicians can submit local cases for evaluation to the Mayo Clinic, which includes experts across the globe. BVHS doctors can also consult with Mayo Clinic doctors on their patients’ care.

And locally, patients at The Armes Family Cancer Care Center at Blanchard Valley Health System often agree to be part of clinical research protocols. They may not know exactly what to expect, but they are willing to participate not only because it could improve their own health, but because they know future generations will benefit. Their willingness to help others is making a difference.

We know, too, that cancer treatment can be bewildering and patients do best with continuous support along the way beginning as soon as a diagnosis is made. Our navigators are skilled, knowledgeable, and empathetic. They are right here in the area, and they encourage patients to contact them at any time.

So today, right here at BVHS in Northwest Ohio, we have at our fingertips a wealth of medical knowledge, state-of-the-art equipment, and a dedication to offering psychological support.

We’re here for you.

Please reach out to us with any questions. The Armes Family Cancer Care Center can be reached at 419.423.5522.

William Kose, MD, JD Vice President of Special Projects, Blanchard Valley Health System

Congressman Bob Latta’s office has announced that Gillian Thomas, a senior at Elyria High School, is the winner of Ohio’s Fifth District 2023 Congressional Art Competition.

Thomas’ winning artwork, ‘Brain Worms’, will be displayed at the U.S. Capitol Building for one year.

Three honorable mention winners will have their artwork displayed in one of Latta’s congressional offices for the year, including a piece from a student from Arlington High School. (below)

This year, 98 high school students from 27 high schools participated in the competition.

Latta hosted a reception at Owens Community College – Findlay Campus to honor all participants and to showcase each individual work of art.

“This year’s competition brought a tremendous number of submissions, with 98 students participating from across Ohio’s Fifth District,” Latta said. 

“A big congratulations goes out to Gillian Thomas for taking the top prize this year. It was wonderful to see the creativity our students displayed through each individual piece, and I want to thank everyone who attended the Congressional Art Competition reception this past weekend to celebrate these talented students and their artwork. I’d also like to thank our tremendous judges for helping select our winners and to Owens Community College for providing a wonderful location for the students’ artwork to be displayed.”

Among the Honorable Mention winners was Sarah Lisanti of Arlington High School for her ‘Zero Sugar Cherry 7UP’.

The Findlay Police Department says five people were injured in a two-vehicle crash in Findlay.

The crash happened at around 4:30 Sunday afternoon at the intersection of Crystal Avenue and North Blanchard Street.

Police say Vicki Sample, 69, of Findlay, was driving a Cadillac SUV west on North Blanchard Street and failed to stop at the red light at Crystal Avenue and crashed into a Chevrolet SUV that was southbound on Crystal Avenue.

Police say two adults and three kids in the Chevy SUV were injured and taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital.

Police say Sample was issued a citation for running the red light.

A Hancock County farmer made an interesting find in one of his fields.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says the farmer was inspecting a field near the intersection of State Route 235 and Township Road 93 on Sunday morning when he came across what appeared to be a hand grenade.

The farmer contacted the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and deputies responded and located an item resembling an MKII grenade in the field.

The Northwest Ohio Bomb Team, out of Toledo, was contacted and responded to the scene.

The bomb team recovered the suspected grenade, rendered it safe, and transported it to a safe location.