Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn delivered her 2024 State of the City address on Thursday night.

It was held at the Fischer Art Gallery at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.

In the speech, Mayor Muryn highlighted the accomplishments of 2023 and looked ahead to the projects and challenges the city faces in 2024 as well as other opportunities on the horizon.

Mayor Muryn says Findlay is a well-run and safe community.

“The most challenging part of being Mayor is not running a City, it is leading a community of people with diverse beliefs, backgrounds, and visions for what they want Findlay to be today and into the future.”

Mayor Muryn highlighted continued priorities for the city such as flood mitigation, housing, homeless, workforce, mental health, addiction, and infrastructure.

Get more on the mayor’s State of the City address below by looking over the slides the mayor shared during her speech.

The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation’s ‘Fun for All’ series of free community events will continue in March.

According to the Community Foundation’s website the March events are as follows:

4 – Symphony Storytime with the Lima Symphony Orchestra
10 a.m.
Findlay-Hancock County Public Library

23 – Spring Art Class for Families – Watercolor Painting
9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Awakening Minds Art
Space is limited, and registration is required: Community Programs — Awakening Minds Art

23 – Spring Art Class for Adults – Acrylic Painting on Wooden Pallets
11:30 a.m.
Awakening Minds Art
Space is limited, and registration is required: Community Programs — Awakening Minds Art

“We’ve heard time and time again that finding affordable, family-friendly activities is a challenge in Hancock County. The Community Foundation is proud to provide Fun for All to help bridge the gap,” said Community Foundation President and CEO Brian Treece.

Brian says the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation is thankful to its community partners for making the events possible.

The Fun for All series started in January 2023 and that year more than 10,000 people attended events such as Family Movie Nights at MCPA and Free Play Days at the Children’s Museum.

(From the Hancock County METRICH Enforcement Unit)

On 2/28/2024 the Hancock County Metrich Drug Task Force along with the Findlay Police Department, Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Family Resource Center conducted a drug and criminal interdiction blitz in Findlay and Hancock County, Ohio.

The detail resulted in the following:

Traffic Stops: 59

Citations: 15

Felony Arrests: 3

Misdemeanor Arrests: 3

Arrest Warrants: 2

Vehicle Searches: 5

Marijuana Seized: 10 lbs.

Fentanyl: 1.0 gm

Cash: $100,000

This is one of several multi-agency events that are planned for the area and part of the numerous scheduled around the state of Ohio.

Wednesday’s blitz was the first locally to include coordinators from the Family Resource Center. The purpose is to include the prevention/ treatment aspect with those in the community struggling with addiction and substance abuse. Our hope is to connect them to treatment and resources as soon as possible.

The Hancock METRICH Drug Enforcement Unit is supported by METRICH in Mansfield, OH and funded in part by the Office of Criminal Justice Services.

(ONN) – A funny man with an Ohio connection has passed away.

Comedian Richard Lewis has died.

He was best known for his role on the TV show ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’.

He revealed he had Parkinson’s disease in 2023.

His publicist says he died at his home in Los Angeles after suffering a heart attack.

Lewis is a graduate of the Ohio State University.

Lewis was an avid, lifelong Buckeye fan, which carried over into his character (a version of himself) on ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’.

He was 76 years old.

The Pandora Police Department says someone is claiming to be with Pandora Family Physicians in an attempt to scam people.

Police say the scammer is calling people and impersonating the staff and telling them they need to change or confirm an appointment and that they have lost all of their personal information and need to confirm their insurance card number and social security number. 

The caller ID will come up as Pandora Family Physicians.

Pandora Family Physicians says it will never ask you to provide your full social security number over the phone. In rare instances, they may need to verify the last four numbers only. 

Anyone receiving such a call should hang up and contact Pandora Family Physicians and ask the staff if they had called them.

(From the United Way of Hancock County)

Registration is open for United Way of Hancock County’s Days of Caring, now celebrating its 40th year of service to the community.

During Days of Caring, employees of area corporations, civic groups, and small businesses lend a hand to local organizations. Nonprofits in need of help submit projects, volunteer teams register to help, and the United Way matches up the two groups.

Days of Caring will take place May 6-10. In four-hour shifts, the volunteers take on projects such as landscaping, organizing, painting, planning an event, cleaning, construction and more. Shifts run from 8am-12pm or 12-4pm. Both nonprofits looking to submit projects and the volunteers who will complete them can register now.

“Since 2020 alone, Days of Caring has been a value to the community of nearly $400,000,” said Angela DeBoskey, CEO of United Way of Hancock County. “Going back 40 years is worth millions of dollars to the community, since the value of volunteer hours to nonprofits saves dollars that can be spent on their most important direct services. It’s as if we raised money for multiple extra campaigns – and that is something to celebrate.”

Registration closes April 10, and the United Way will connect volunteer teams and agencies for final project on or before April 23. To learn more, register a volunteer team, or register a project, visit www.liveunitedhancockcounty.org/days-caring.

In September, United Way of Hancock County will host a second opportunity to participate in Days of Caring. Fall Days of Caring will run Sept. 16-18, and a separate registration will open for those dates later this year.

Last year’s volunteer teams represented were: Marathon Petroleum Corp., Blanchard Valley Health System, Whirlpool Corp., First National Bank of Pandora, Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies, City Apparel, Goodyear/Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., the McComb Future Farmers of America Club, Fifth Third Bank, Aktion Club of Hancock County, Hearthside Food Solutions, the United Way of Hancock County Community Connections Group, UIS Insurance & Investments, the Hancock County Democrats, and Gilmore Jasion Mahler, LTD.

Visit www.liveunitedhancockcounty.org/volunteersunited to learn more about Volunteers United, United Way’s volunteer center.

(From Blanchard Valley Health System)

Over the past decade, advances in medications, cardiovascular stenting, and minimally invasive procedures have reduced the need for performing traditional open-heart surgical procedures. With these advances, open-heart procedures have transitioned from emergent to predominantly elective procedures. As we prioritize delivering quality care for our patients, we will partner with other health systems to transition open-heart surgery cases diagnosed at Blanchard Valley Health System (BVHS). We are committed to continuing to support seamless transitions of care through access to local cardiovascular physicians and post-operative rehabilitation services.

Additionally, we are pleased to announce that the Jane & Gary Heminger HeartCare Center, part of BVHS, is building upon the strong cardiovascular care we provide to our community by expanding our non-open heart cardiology programs and services. Not only will we continue providing general cardiology and interventional cardiology services, but we are also expanding cardio-oncology, cardiac electrophysiology, cardiac imaging, and vascular care for the detection, diagnosis, and intervention of cardiac disease.

As we transition programs and expand our cardiovascular services, we will build upon a series of successful clinical collaborations. Our partnerships enable BVHS to receive the latest research and treatment recommendations, while our patients benefit from the convenience of local experts and a broad healthcare network.

“We look forward to offering more preventative and interventional cardiovascular options than ever before and strengthening our partnerships in service to our community,” said president and chief executive officer Myron Lewis. “As we do so, we will deliver upon our mission of ‘Caring for a lifetime.’”

The Findlay-Hancock County Public Library has been undergoing some changes to freshen things up.

They added some color to the walls, removed the security gates, and also added a welcome window that welcomes people to the library in all the languages spoken in Findlay.

One of the big changes still to come is the moving of the circulation desk back further to give visitors more room in the entryway.

That will happen on Thursday, March 7th and the library will have to close for the day.

We spoke with Library Director Sarah Clevidence about the changes.

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

The Ohio Department of Transportation says two Interstate 75 entrance ramps in Findlay will close for overnight surface milling to increase friction.

ODOT says the ramp from Lima Avenue to Interstate 75 will close Sunday night, March 3, at 9 p.m.

Detour: Lima Ave. roundabout to U.S. 68 to U.S. 68/SR15 interchange to U.S. 68 north to U.S. 68 northbound ramp, back to I-75.

Then, the ramp from State Route 12 to I-75 southbound will close Monday night, March 4, at 9 p.m.

Detour: I-75 northbound to U.S. 224, back to I-75 southbound.

Both ramps are expected to open by 5 a.m. on the following day. 

(From the Hancock Park District)

Join Hancock Park District for ‘Overnight Camp’ Tuesday, July 9 & Wednesday, July 10.

Campers will pitch a tent, build a campfire, and prepare a meal. They will take a hike, play games, and watch a movie on the porch. Campfire spaghetti, hot dogs, salad, and s’mores will be served for dinner. Cereal, eggs, sausage links, and doughnuts will be served for breakfast.

Campers will have an opportunity to learn about overnight camping and then put their new skills and knowledge to use. All food and snacks will be provided, but please bring a reusable water bottle. Insect repellent and sunscreen are optional. Campers will receive a complete list of items to bring.

Oakwoods Nature Preserve, Discovery Center Porch. 1 PM on Tuesday, July 9 to 11 AM on Wednesday, July 10. Ages 10-13. Register online at www.hancockparks.com with $50 per person by 1 PM on Monday, July 8. To receive a free t-shirt campers must be registered by 9 AM on Tuesday, July 2. Minimum:4/ Maximum: 15.

Oakwoods Nature Preserve is located at 1400 Oakwoods Lane, off CR 144, west of Findlay. For more information about other upcoming park programs and events, view the “Programs & Activities Calendar” at www.HancockParks.com” or call the park office at 419-425-7275.