The Findlay Fire Department is suggesting you put fresh batteries in your smoke detectors over the weekend when you move your clocks ahead for the Daylight Saving Time time change.
We spoke with Inspector Eric Wilkins, who told us there’s nothing in our houses more important to our safety than a smoke detector.
He says batteries should be replaced every six months and smoke detectors last about ten years before they should be replaced.
Instead of “smoke detectors save lives”, Inspector Wilkins says he says “working smoke detectors save lives” because if it’s not functional it isn’t going to help.
He says when they have a fire in which a smoke detector didn’t go off to alert the occupants it’s usually because of human error, such as dead batteries or the detector was taken down because it was going off during cooking and wasn’t put back up.
People are also urged to have carbon monoxide detectors in their home as well.
The Hancock Historical Museum invites visitors to experience the 1990s through the eyes of 90s kids who grew up in Hancock County.
Now open to the public, the new exhibit “Growing Up ‘90s: Hancock County Edition” explores highlights of emerging technology, music, movies, local hangouts and fashion.
“We [staff] have enjoyed watching generations before us reminisce with our previous exhibits featuring the 1950s and 1960s rock and roll bands,” said Joy Bennett, Museum curator and archivist.
“Several of us on the Museum team are 90s kids and couldn’t wait to feature growing up in our generation.”
Growing Up ‘90s: Hancock County Edition is a polaroid of a time when children rode bikes and stayed out until the streetlights came on, spent time with friends at the mall, and ate at Pizza Hut with BookIt® coupons for dinner.
The exhibition includes artifacts including clothing, toys, technology, posters, books and school memorabilia.
The exhibit includes a growing digital component on the Museum website featuring photos, videos, memories from the 90s in Hancock County and a song playlist with over 17 hours of 90s greatest hits.
Community members can contribute by submitting personal photos, videos and stories about the 90s in Hancock County.
This can be done by visiting the Museum website and completing an online form.
“The 1990s are such an important period in the lives of Gen Xers and Millennials,” said Bennett.
“We’re seeing a lot of 90s nostalgia on social media, making now a great time to present an exhibit of all things 90s.”
The Hancock Historical Museum located at 422 W. Sandusky St. in Findlay, Ohio is open weekly 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Wednesday thru Friday and 1 – 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, $2 for students and free to members.
For more information, visit Hancockhistoricalmuseum.org, call 419-423- 4433 or follow the Hancock Historical Museum on Facebook and Instagram.
Miller Brothers Construction of Archbold is the apparent, successful low bidder for the contract to construct a diverging diamond interchange (DDI) at County Road 99 and Interstate 75, Findlay.
The successful bid was $30.8 million.
The contract is expected to be officially awarded in approximately two weeks once a review of the bidding documents is complete.
Construction will begin early this spring and conclude in 2026. The specific schedule will be finalized once the contract has officially been awarded.
“This project ensures the expected economic growth in this area of the county will be supported by the infrastructure,” said Chris Hughes, ODOT District 1 deputy director. He cited the support of officials with the city of Findlay and Hancock County as critically important in moving the project forward. “We’re grateful to the city and county for seeing the need for a modern interchange design at this location,” he said.
A public meeting to share the construction schedule and traffic impacts will be held next month. Details will be announced when finalized.
The project will construct an additional bridge to the south of the existing County Road 99 bridge over I-75. The new structure will provide three westbound lanes. Additional improvements will be made along the County Road 99 corridor at the intersections with Technology Drive, Speedway Drive, and Ventura Drive. A shared-use path for bike and pedestrian traffic will be constructed along the south side of County Road 99 and will utilize the original bridge structure for crossing over I-75.
A DDI shifts the eastbound and westbound traffic to the other side of the bridge at signalized crossovers which eliminates left turns across traffic and the left-turn traffic signal phase. The benefit is that all traffic can enter the interstate in a free-flow movement to the ramps.
Registration is underway and volunteers are needed for Camp 911 in Hancock County.
Camp 911 is an interactive safety camp for kids who will be entering kindergarten in the fall of 2024 and helps them learn basic safety.
At Camp 911 children will learn different safety lessons, such as bike safety, stranger danger and so much more while interacting with local first responders.
Surprise visitors will make an appearance throughout the week to keep the kids engaged with the program.
They will grow in their independence as they experience camp through hands-on activities.
Camp 911 is a joint effort led by local emergency response agencies, including Hanco, Findlay Fire and Police Departments, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and Hancock Public Health.
The camp will be held June 10-14 at First Presbyterian Church at 2330 South Main Street in Findlay.
March is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and Blanchard Valley Center/Hancock County Board of Developmental Disabilities is hosting numerous activities so that everyone in Hancock County can help celebrate.
“March is our gateway month,” said Blanchard Valley Center Superintendent Kelli Grisham. “It’s the gateway to spring, and the gateway to providing people with developmental disabilities the recognition they deserve. We are fortunate that we have an inclusive society in Hancock County. I’m grateful for the acceptance and the opportunities that are provided to the people we support. March is the month when we recognize the greater DD community, which includes my staff, our dedicated providers and the businesses that employ people with developmental disabilities.”
BVC’s Nadine Weininger has some details on the monthly events and they are listed below as well.
The Hancock County activities in March include:
March 5 – Findlay City Council will issue a proclamation at 6 p.m. at city hall.
March 7 – The Hancock County Commissioners will issue a proclamation at 9:30 a.m. at the county building.
March 7 – Aktion Club is hosting a hot dog drive-thru fundraiser.
March 11-15 – Spirit Week. Blanchard Valley Centers hopes businesses and schools join them in showing their support for inclusion. Spirit Week events are: Neon Monday, Y2K Tuesday, Celebrity Wednesday, Rock & Roll Thursday, and Disney Friday.
March 12 – Advocacy Day at the Ohio State House. Hancock County advocates will visit with legislators to discuss important issues impacting the DD community.
March 26 – Celebrity Basketball Game. Our Special Olympic basketball players and local celebrities clash at 7 p.m. at Findlay High School. The halftime show will feature an escape artist act. The people Blanchard Valley Center supports will be reading in elementary schools throughout the county. The guest readers will visit more than 20 classes in Hancock County to read Who’s New at Lou’s Zoo by JoAnn Dickinson.
Pop-up popcorn stands are scheduled with local businesses around Findlay for their staff and guests to enjoy. A display board will be up at the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library from March 1-15.
A high-flying adventure is promised Friday, March 8, at the next presentation in University of Findlay’s “Fridays at Findlay” lecture series, “The Biggest Week in American Birding: Birding Means Business.” The event, open to the campus and community, will take place in Winebrenner, TLB Auditorium on the UF campus. Doors open at 7:30 a.m. for a breakfast buffet with the presentation from 8 to 9 a.m.
The informative and lively discussion will feature experts with the Black Swamp Bird Observatory: Kimberly Kaufman, executive director, and Mark Shieldcastle, research director.
Ohio is home base for the nation’s largest birding festival – the Biggest Week in American Birding, May 3-12, 2024, which is expected to draw more than 100,000 human visitors to watch as millions of beautiful birds migrate through Northwest Ohio.
Kaufman and Shieldcastle will discuss the importance of bird conservation in the ecosystem – and how bird tourists pump $40 million into the regional economy.
From tiny songbirds to majestic bald eagles, Ohio plays a vital role in the survival of hundreds of bird species and millions of migratory birds each year.
“And the birds give back to us in myriad ways, performing valuable ecosystem services such as seed dispersal, plant pollination, and keeping insect populations in balance,” Shieldcastle explained. “They also bring health and wealth to Ohio through the joys of birding and the economic impact of birding tourism.”
Sponsored by Premier Bank, the Fridays at Findlay lecture series encourages continued educational opportunities for members of the community, the campus, and alumni.
Register online by March 7 at www.findlay.edu/FridaysAtFindlay or call University Advancement at 419-434-5334 for more information. The fee is $12 for adults and $6 for students.
UPDATE – The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office says the National Weather Service confirmed that there was a tornado in the county on Tuesday afternoon.
The tornado was in the area of 6142 Road H-5, a little south of Leipsic, at around 2:40 Tuesday afternoon.
When deputies arrived on the scene they found a structure heavily damaged.
A homeowner advised that there were no injuries.
The National Weather Service says it was an EF-0 tornado with winds up to 65 miles per hour and that nothing was seen on radar.
WTOL-11 Meteorologist Chris Vickers says it was a landspout tornado, which is different from a traditional tornado as it originates near the surface and extends upward.
And landspout tornadoes are typically shorter in duration and much weaker than traditional tornadoes.
ORIGINAL STORY –
WTOL-11 Meteorologist Chris Vickers is reporting that a tornado likely touched down briefly in Putnam County on Tuesday afternoon, causing dome damage.
He says this pic that was submitted is in the area of State Route 65, Road 5F, and State Route 613.
The tornado touched down sometime between 2:45 and 3 p.m.
In the picture, it appears a roof has been torn off a building.
The National Weather Service said conditions on Tuesday were favorable for funnel clouds to form and some could briefly touch down.
Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that he will host Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn as his guest at the State of the Union on Thursday, March 7. Brown joined Sheriff Wasylyshyn on a trip to the southern U.S. borderin November, and they are working together to ensure that law enforcement have the tools and support they need to keep communities safe and address the fentanyl crisis devastating Ohio communities.
“Sheriff Wasylyshyn is on the frontlines of fighting the fentanyl crisis and has seen up close what needs to be done to keep Ohio communities safe,” said Brown. “The best ideas come from Ohio, not Washington, and the Sheriff has been an invaluable advocate as we work together to ensure Ohio law enforcement get what they need to protect their communities.”
“I am very humbled and honored to be U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown’s guest for the State of the Union Address. As an Executive Committee and Board member of the National Sheriffs Association, former President of the Buckeye State Sheriffs Association, Sheriff of Wood County, Ohio since 2005, and son of immigrants from Ukraine, I have had numerous interactions with Senator Brown. Sherrod Brown has been instrumental in advancing legislation that helps sheriffs fight fentanyl and keep terrorists out of our country, and on a personal note, he has strongly backed support for Ukraine in its fight against Putin’s aggression. When Senator Brown and I went to the southern border together in November, Senator Brown was very engaged with all the groups we met with including several county sheriffs, Texas Department of Public Safety, border patrol agents, and others affected by those crossing the border into our country,” said Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn.
“I lookforward to continuing to work with Senator Brown. As Senator Brown once stated to me, ‘we may be of different political parties but that doesn’t mean we cannot work together on items we have a common interest in,’” continued Wasylyshyn.
Brown and Sheriff Wasylyshyn visited the border in South Texas in November and heard firsthand from Texas Department of Public Safety and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Agents about the tools they need to stop the deadly flow of fentanyl, stop the cartels’ human and drug trafficking, and secure the border. Last month, Brown supported the bipartisan border security bill which would have provided much-needed resources, personnel and technology to law enforcement at the southern border, and had the endorsement of the National Border Patrol Council.
I'm bringing Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn to the State of the Union this Thursday.
Sheriff Wasylyshyn is on the frontlines of the fentanyl crisis in Ohio. He's seen up close how urgent it is for us to come together, fight fentanyl, & keep Ohio communities safe. pic.twitter.com/81NusXz1nU
Your Liberty Township Fire Department was dispatched to a 3-vehicle accident at US 224 and CR 139 this morning.
This accident involved a box truck, a garbage truck, and a school bus without any students onboard.
One individual was transported to BVH as a precaution.
We would like to thank Hanco, Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, Ed’s Towing, Liberty Benton Local Schools, and ODOT for their assistance.
The intersection was shut down for approximately 2 hours while this scene was cleaned up.
The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office said the driver of the garbage truck, Tayt Mayberry, 39, of Columbus Grove, crashed into the back of the box truck that was slowing down to turn while traveling east on US 224, and both overturned.
The box truck then struck a school bus that was stopped at the stop sign on County Road 139.
Mayberry was treated on the scene while a juvenile passenger in the box truck was taken to the hospital for minor injuries.
Mayberry was issued a citation for assured clear distance ahead.
The Hancock County Veterans Service Office is excited to introduce: Our Veterans, Our Stories. A campaign to focus on our veterans and how we can positively impact their lives. We are taking time to highlight the veterans that live and work right here in Hancock County and how we can show them that we appreciate their service. We began this campaign in 2023 with the release of Our Veterans, Our Stories Podcast available on or YouTube channel.
This 2024 campaign focuses on four pillars. The first pillar, to begin in March is to identify and highlight Veteran owned, veteran ran and veteran managed businesses. The next pillar will be to collaborate with local businesses that offer discounts to veterans.
We would like to identify those businesses and their discounts and then recognize and highlight them on our website and social media. The third pillar will be educating and empowering local employers in issues that military veterans face and the talents and skills they bring to our community.
And the final pillar is to provide Veteran welcome home signs at local retail establishments and eateries who would like to offer a reserved parking spot for veterans.
We know our community is veteran friendly and many people want to honor veterans and thank them for their service. Our Veterans, Our Stories provides that opportunity and gives the veteran a chance to share their story. There are many advantages to hiring veterans and we want to highlight the success stories in hopes that more organizations will see the benefits.
