Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn is addressing what she says is misinformation being spread about the city’s growing immigrant population.

Mayor Muryn says the majority of the individuals are here legally and trying to make a better life for themselves.

“And we are trying to wrap our arms around them to help integrate them into our community while recognizing that it can be really intimidating to come to a new country.”

Mayor Muryn says our community is changing “and that’s a positive thing, but we also need to make sure that we’re helping grow in an appropriate fashion.”

Read Mayor Muryn’s full letter to the community below.

Over the past year, we have seen growth in immigrants coming to Findlay and across the State of Ohio. I have answered many emails and phone calls on this topic and addressed it at various community forums but I believe it needs further attention given the continued misinformation being spread online.

I want to first share why I have not written an article on this topic previously. In short, I did not believe calling out a group of legal individuals in our community just because they looked different, sounded different, or were congregated was appropriate. I still do not, however, I also can no longer stand by and allow rumors to inappropriately create a narrative around these individuals.

Today, I want to touch on a couple of topics. These are all complex issues so I will try to keep them brief but please know that there is much more being done than what I touch on. Currently, a group of approximately 40 different local agencies including schools, government, private businesses, faith leaders, and non-profits are working together to establish a formal coalition to support the settlement and integration of this growing population. There are approximately 250 workers, plus some family members.

1. Legality: The immigrants that we see in our community are largely here through an organization called First Diversity Staffing (see The Courier Article “Migrant Workers help Findlay factory flourish” April 22, 2023, by Denise Grant). These immigrants are here legally and have gone through background screening through the Department of Homeland Security. Many of them have located here because they have family ties (perhaps they spent time here working farms previously), work opportunities, or heard that Hancock County is a great community to be a part of. In the event the Findlay Police Department interacts with an individual that is unable to provide appropriate documentation they take the necessary steps based upon the interaction to resolve it. This could be helping them get replacement paperwork by connecting them with the immigration office, getting a copy of their driver’s license from another state, or in a few minor situations notifying the United States Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I would like to note here that our Police Department has had few interactions most of which have been traffic violations.
2. Language: Language is certainly the largest barrier that we are working to resolve. We are in discussions with a few different translators or translation services to help in translating for the employers and agencies and also establish a process to help these new community members learn English. A huge thank you to Mission Possible and the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library who have begun classes to help.
3. Housing: Currently the immigrant workers are living primarily in hotels. This is mainly because there is not sufficient housing available for them to rent AND because they are newly in the country they do not have sufficient background information available to landlords to feel comfortable renting to them. Due to this limited housing availability hotels are their best temporary solution (though not sustainable long term) or some are driving in from surrounding communities.
4. Social Services: We have seen some of the immigrants utilizing our local nonprofit organizations. We are currently wrapping our arms around this to better understand how we can help educate them on when utilizing a social service is necessary and when it is not. Overall, we are primarily seeing them use services for their young children to get wellness checks, as well as learning the appropriate laws and getting the needed resources such as cribs, diapers, formula, car seats, etc.

The last topic I want to touch on is community. If you have ever traveled to a foreign country that did not speak English I am sure you have experienced that extreme unease which comes from not understanding, not being able to communicate, and the uncertainty if you are going to be able to get around. I know when I have traveled even for just short periods of time (2-3 weeks) that it was extremely stressful. I cannot imagine moving to an entirely foreign country, trying to create a safe life for yourself, and trying to learn the language. That is why my last topic is so critically important. They have primarily fled from countries where gang violence and corrupt governments ruled and where hope was scarce. They are now in a place where there is hope and safety but they still do not know the language, the culture, who they can trust, etc. This is where we all come in. We must find the balance of making them feel welcome while also giving them space. That is why we have established the coalition to be able to target resources, work with some of their community leaders, and help them feel welcome. If you are interested in helping out I would encourage you to reach out to a local nonprofit that you are interested in or reach out to me at mayor@findlayohio.gov so that I may connect you. I would also ask that you not feel entitled to approach their community directly to “help” but rather do so through one of the nonprofits or organizations that has been building a relationship with them.

I am excited to see how these new residents add to our community and hopeful that as we all learn and grow together our lives will be enriched with diversity, culture, and appreciation that in Findlay, Ohio there is an opportunity to live the American dream.

As always, if you have questions, comments, or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me directly at 419-424-7137 or via email at mayor@findlayohio.gov.

A school resource officer in McComb was recognized for saving the life of a child who was choking.

Randy Dunn, a private security school resource officer, was monitoring lunchtime in late October when an elementary student started choking.

Officer Dunn performed the Heimlich maneuver on the student, dislodged the food, and got them breathing normally again.

Dunn was presented with a life-saving certificate and plaque by Chief Blanton, of Bee-Safe Security and Investigations, and McComb Principal Jeremy Herr.

“It was an excellent response time,” Herr said.

“Officer Dunn does a great job for us here at the school. He’s respected by pretty much everybody he comes into contact with, treats people fairly and honestly.”

Officer Dunn is pictured below in a post on the Bee-Safe Facebook page.

The Findlay Police Department took to its social media to honor Veterans ahead of Veterans Day, especially the several Veterans it has on the police force.

“Veterans Day is Saturday, November 11 and we will be honoring the military veterans of the United States Armed Forces, especially those who are serving on the Findlay Police Department (Sworn and Auxiliary Officers).”

“On this day, we stand united in respect for you, our veterans. Thank you for your service to our country.”

The Veterans Day Parade is Sunday at 2. Get more details here.

Hancock County Prosecuting Attorney Phil Riegle has announced that he’ll be running for a Common Pleas Court Judge seat.

Riegle issued the following statement.

Serving as Prosecuting Attorney in Hancock County for the last seven plus years has been one of the great honors of my career. Working with law enforcement to solve and close cases, bringing justice for victims, and protecting our community are responsibilities I have taken very seriously. I thank each and every law enforcement officer who has worked with myself and my office since October of 2016. Your professionalism has enabled us to do our job everyday-always seeking justice. I also want to thank my staff for taking on the challenges that we have faced along the way. We’ve had a huge increase in drug cases, dealt with horrific violent crimes, and several homicides, yet our staff keeps pursuing justice despite record high caseloads.

I want to continue to serve our community in a meaningful way and I have pondered what that means for me going forward. After a lot of contemplation, prayer, and consideration, I have come to the conclusion that the best way for me to serve our community is to run for the open Common Pleas Court Judge seat. Today, I took out petitions from the Board of Elections for that seat. I look forward to talking with the residents of Findlay and Hancock County as we move forward with the campaign into the spring. I want to thank the citizens of Hancock County for your trust in me these last 16+ years and I will work to keep that trust in this campaign and beyond.

Phil Riegle

A rollover crash on Wednesday morning just west of Findlay sent a man to the hospital.

The crash happened across from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles offices on County Road 140.

The car went off the road, struck some mailboxes and then overturned, coming to rest near a pole.

The man was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital. There was no word on the extent of his injuries.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.

The Findlay-Hancock County Public Library will be undergoing some changes to freshen things up.

Library Director Sarah Clevidence says one of the big changes is that they’ll be moving the circulation desk back further to cut down on congestion when people enter and exit the main level.

“I think it’ll be very exciting, you’ll walk in, it won’t be so crowded and congested right when you enter the main level, the staff will be able to see you and greet you, you’ll see this welcome window and some nice color on the walls and hopefully you’ll feel like the library is an inviting and exciting place to visit.”
 

Sarah said they’ve received feedback from people about how beige the library is and that adding some color to the walls would go a long way to freshening things up.

She says they’ll also be adding a ‘welcome window’ that will welcome people to the library in all the languages spoken in the community.

Sarah says some of the upgrades are being funded by a grant through the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation.

She says the library will remain open for much of the work and she appreciates everyone’s patience.

The pictures above and below are before the refresh got underway as Sarah showed us around.

Students at Findlay’s Chamberlin Hill Elementary will honor local Veterans during their 26th Annual Veterans Day Program on Friday.

The Veterans will be treated to performances from the students and lunch from Harlan’s BBQ.

The program begins at 10:30 and lunch is at 11:30.

There will also be artwork in the hallways the students made honoring Veterans.

And at 1:45, there will be a parade outside the school in which Veterans can drive through.

When Deb Wickerham started the program 26 years ago she said 25 Veterans were in attendance, and she’s happy to see how much it has grown over the years.

See video from last year’s program below.

Findlay’s Veterans Day Parade is on Sunday.

(From Findlay City Schools)

The Findlay High School Orchestra program is paying tribute to several early American trailblazers with a concert entitled “Celebrate America” on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. in the R.L. Heminger Auditorium at Findlay High School. General admission tickets are $10 and will be available at the door the night of the concert. Seniors with a Golden Buckeye card and children 5 years and under receive free admission.

“The concert will feature Americana-style music,” said Ken Pressel, orchestra director, “and each piece is connected to an early American who shaped the character of our country, from Harriet Tubman to Clara Barton, Mark Twain to Wild Bill Hickok.”

The Concert Strings ensemble will kick-off the concert with three pieces followed by the Symphony Strings ensemble with four selections. The two groups will then combine for the final four selections of the show. Selections include an African American spiritual, a fiddle hoedown, an early American hymn, and a medley of cowboy folk tunes, to name a few.

A commentary and slide show will introduce each piece. Sharinda Welton, the director of student activities at the University of Findlay and UFTV’s art and culture show host, will serve as the commentator; Mikaela Umbs and junior Amber Bihn will provide interlude harp music. “The students have been working hard preparing this music since the start of the school year and they are eager to showcase their musicianship and talent,” said Pressel.

The orchestras will be directed by Mr. Ken Pressel and Mr. Jeremy Sheets. This is Mr. Pressel’s 31 st year teaching orchestra at Findlay City Schools and Mr. Jeremy Sheets’ third year of teaching orchestra at Findlay.

(ONN) – A coroner in northwest Ohio says an object found by a family pet was not human remains.

Authorities say that a cat in Seneca County did not bring its owner a human finger.

Somebody from the Tiffin area called the sheriff’s office after their cat brought them that object in question and they thought it was a finger.

They contacted the Seneca County coroner and then had the object transported to Lucas County.

The Lucas County Coroner’s Office determined that the item was not human remains.

No word on what it actually was.

(From Habitat for Humanity)

Habitat for Humanity of Findlay/Hancock County held its Annual Celebration Dinner on Monday, November 6, to celebrate and thank the volunteers, donors, and partner organizations who have assisted Habitat to stabilize and shelter families throughout 2023.

During the celebration, three annual awards were presented to volunteers in recognition of their contribution to Habitat:

Paul Geyer Leadership Volunteer of the Year was presented to Bob Edds. Named for the founder of the Findlay/Hancock County Habitat affiliate, this honor is reserved for someone who achieves sustained outstanding volunteer leadership. Bob has given so much in many ways to Habitat, which he believes in and supports wholeheartedly. He was instrumental in resuming the immensely successful Habitat Apostle Build in 2023. He served as a member of the Habitat Board and previously provided a matching campaign to build an entire home for a Habitat Build in 2022. He shows his dedication to making a difference with his gifts, talents, and treasure. Bob is an inspiration through his service, strength, and perseverance.

The Golden Hammer Award was presented to Aaron Cheney, who has coordinated the annual Humanity for Humanity Golf Outing, a partnership between Whirlpool and Habitat, for the past five years raising in total more than $150,000. Aaron’s leadership shows others within the community, and more specifically within Whirlpool, the importance of organizations like Habitat to the community.

The Youth Leadership Volunteer of the Year, given each year to an outstanding young leader or group of leaders between 15 and 25 years old, was awarded to Boy Scout Troop 302, which assisted in both home dedication ceremonies in 2023. These Scouts are an inspiration to others through their actions as they live up to their Oath which calls on them “to help other people at all times.”

This year’s festivities were held at Winebrenner Seminary Auditorium and catered by Olive Garden who donated the entire dinner for all guests.