Hancock Public Health will be holding an Overdose Awareness Day event at Dorney Plaza in Findlay.

The event will be held on Thursday, August 17^th from 2 to 4.

We spoke with the health department’s Sharona Bishop about the event.

As Sharona mentioned, the event will include overdose survivors sharing their stories in one-on-one conversations.

The health department’s Mobile Health Clinic will also be there offering wellness checks and testing.

In April we spoke with Sharona at a Second Chance Awareness event, and you can get more on that by clicking here.

Kalida Fish and Game is welcoming people out to their annual Family Fishing Day on Saturday, August 26^th.

It will be held at the pond on the north side of State Route 694 from 9 to noon.

The free event is offered in conjunction with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and Black Swamp Chapter of Pheasants Forever to promote the outdoors and time spent together fishing.

Food, drinks, bait, and some door prizes will be offered as well.

No fishing license is required.

(From the United Way of Hancock County)

Input is needed to help community leaders in their efforts to implement childcare solutions across Hancock County.

Two separate surveys have been created to gather a complete scope of the community’s needs. One survey seeks input from parents, prospective parents and grandparents, while the other is targeted toward HR professionals and business leadership. Both can be accessed at www.liveunitedhancockcounty.org/childcare-resources, where results will be posted by late summer.

The collaborative effort is being coordinated by Blanchard Valley Health System, Hancock County Job & Family Services, Findlay Family YMCA, The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation and United Way of Hancock County, along with concerned residents. The goal is to understand and quantify gaps in current childcare opportunities from an individual and workforce perspective and to ultimately create a community plan to address these gaps.

“We heard from our community during Community Conversations how important high-quality, affordable childcare is to residents of Hancock County. Completing this survey will strengthen the information we have to all work together to address this need,” said Brian Treece, president and CEO of The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation.

“During the pandemic, a key attribution came into play. That is, by ‘working together we can accomplish more.’ Participation in these surveys will help us understand our community’s needs around daycare and empower us towards solutions that strengthen the community,” said Myron D. Lewis, president and CEO of Blanchard Valley Health System.

The Village of McComb recently secured a $1 million grant to build a new childcare facility on State Route 235. That outcome resulted from a similar process in McComb and serves as a springboard for this countywide effort.

“The collaborative effort to swiftly secure funding for a new childcare resource in McComb shows the value of listening to the community’s needs and working together to implement a solution,” said Angela DeBoskey, CEO of United Way of Hancock County. “We are thrilled at this opportunity to gather information that will ultimately make a difference for parents and prospective parents while further strengthening Hancock County’s workforce.”

Visitors to the above webpage will also find a list of Hancock County childcare providers, along with a printable poster to hang in their workplace.

(ONN) – Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith has announced that he will be retiring next summer.

Smith has spent the last 18 years at Ohio State, and he said he is looking forward to the next chapter in his life, which will include spending more quality time with his wife, children, grandchildren and extended family.

Smith also served previously as A.D. at Arizona State, Iowa State, and Eastern Michigan.

He was a defensive end on Notre Dame’s national championship team in 1973.

Smith plans to retire at the end of June 2024.

Voter turnout was very strong on Tuesday as many Ohioans headed to the polls in a special election to make their voices heard on Issue 1 and whether it should be more difficult to amend the Ohio Constitution.

It appears that many voters were not comfortable with Issue 1, and with the results skewing very much in favor of the opposition, some outlets, such as the Columbus Dispatch, called the election for the “no” side as the votes were still being tallied.

Unofficial results from the Ohio Secretary of State’s office on Issue 1 can be seen by clicking here.

Issue 1, had it passed, would have increased the voter approval threshold for constitutional amendments from a simple majority up to 60 percent.

Supporters said Issue 1 would have strengthened the Ohio Constitution by protecting it from out-of-state interests.

Critics of Issue 1 said, had it been approved, it would have destroyed citizen-driven ballot initiatives and taken power away from the people.

See the unofficial results of Issue 1 by clicking here.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in locating a suspect in an assault.

The sheriff’s office says Timothy Fenter is possibly living near Oakwood or Delta.

He’s wanted for aggravated assault and felonious assault in connection with an incident in Continental on Friday night, the sheriff’s office said.

Anyone with information on his location is urged to contact the sheriff’s office at 419-523-3208 or message their Facebook page.

The University of Findlay this fall will welcome its first class of students in the new Distance Doctor of Pharmacy Program.

Ranking first in Ohio and tied for sixth in the nation, 93 percent of UF pharmacy graduates passed the NAPLEX exam on their first attempt.

This year marks the first cohort of students in Findlay’s Distance Doctor of Pharmacy Program.

Students will have the opportunity to earn the same Pharm.D. title, but will do so following a flexible pathway (online classwork and on-campus immersion).

For more information on the Distance Program, visit the program website.  

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says a child was killed when they were struck by a pickup truck that was backing up into a yard.

The accident happened on the afternoon of Friday, August 4^th at 5372 County Road 26, in southwest Hancock County.

The sheriff’s office said a 16-year-old was backing his Ford F-350 in a residential yard when he hit the five-year-old boy.

The five-year-old was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The accident remains under investigation.

Assisting the sheriff’s office at the scene were Hanco EMS, Southwest Hancock Joint Fire District, and Mercy Health Life Flight.

The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation’s ‘Fun for All’ series of free events continues in August.

“We’ve heard time and time again that finding affordable, family-friendly activities is a challenge in Hancock County,” said Community Foundation President and CEO Brian Treece.

“The Community Foundation is proud to provide Fun for All to help bridge the gap.”

The August events include free boat and kayak rentals at Zonta Landing at Riverside Park in Findlay, a free swim day at the Mt. Blanchard Pool, free admission to Puppy Pals at MCPA, and more.

See the full list of August activities below and get more details by clicking here.

Flag City BalloonFest is coming up this weekend in Findlay.

It will be held on August 11th, 12th and 13th at Emory Adams Park.

BalloonFest is a family-friendly event that features food vendors, live music, Glow Encounter, a kids zone with inflatables and games, a petting zoo and much more.

There will also be balloon rides, weather permitting.

Admission to BalloonFest is free thanks to the generosity of sponsors.

Friday night is Veterans Night at BalloonFest.

Below is video from last year when WFIN’s Matt Demczyk went up on Friday morning.