(From the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library)

Gaining Ground: A Story of Farmer’s Markets, Local Food, and Saving the Family Farm by Forrest Pritchard has been chosen as the featured title for the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library’s 2025 CommunityREAD.

The selection is a New York Times bestselling memoir. One fateful day in 1996, after discovering that five freight cars’ worth of glittering corn have reaped a tiny profit of $18.16, young Forrest Pritchard vows to save his family’s farm. What ensues—through hilarious encounters with all manner of livestock and colorful local characters—is a crash course in sustainable agriculture. Pritchard’s biggest ally is his renegade father, who initially questions his son’s career choice and rejects organic foods for sugary mainstream fare. But just when the farm starts to turn heads at local farmers’ markets, his father’s health takes a turn for the worse. With poetry and humor, this inspiring memoir tugs on your heartstrings and feeds your soul long after you’ve finished.

The author will visit Hancock County on Thursday, March 20 during CommunityREAD month for a public presentation at 7:30 PM at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts. Please visit findlaylibrary.org/commrd for more information.

CommunityREAD is a month-long community event that encourages reading and promotes the benefits of literacy. Originally created by the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation in 2003, the administration of CommunityREAD was assumed by the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library in 2012. Each year, a different book is chosen and read by community members during the month of March. Various events and programs are planned throughout the month at the library.

(From the Ohio State Highway Patrol)

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a serious injury motorcycle crash that occurred on August 13, 2024, at approximately 11:06 P.M. at the intersection of Mason Road and State Route 269 in Margaretta Township, Erie County.

Micah L. Plemens, age 29, of Tiffin, Ohio was operating a 2008 Harley-Davidson. Trinity R. Robinson, age 30, of Republic, Ohio, was the passenger of the motorcycle. Mr. Plemens was driving westbound on Mason Rd east of SR 269. Mr. Plemens failed to maintain control while approaching the intersection, overturned, traveled through the intersection of Mason and SR 269 and struck a barbed wire fence before coming to rest.

The driver and passenger were both ejected from the motorcycle and both were not wearing a helmet. Both the driver and passenger sustained serious injuries as a result of the crash and were both taken by Life Flight to St. Vincent Medical Center.

Alcohol and drug use are unknown and no charges have been filed at this time. The crash remains under investigation.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol was assisted on scene by Margaretta Twp Fire & EMS, Erie County Sheriff’s Office, and Sandusky Towing.

A lot of people came out to Findlay’s Riverside Park Tuesday night for Flag City Night Out.

Flag City Night Out allows the public a chance to interact with safety services (Police, Sheriff, Fire, EMS and others) on a one-on-one basis and get a look at the equipment they use.

“Flag City Night Out is a free, family-friendly event that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods a safer, better place to live,” the police department said.

There was also plenty of free food and activities.

Below is video from the event that includes a taser demonstration and K9 demonstration from the police department.

(From Garner Trucking)

We are excited to share that the 3 NASCAR Haulers for Spire Motorsports, will be at Garner Trucking on Thursday, August 15^th.

The public is invited to come out to Garner (9291 County Road 313, Findlay, OH 45840) between the hours of 1pm & 4pm to check out the #7, #71 & #77 Haulers.

We invite you to greet the Hauler Drivers and check out their rigs before they head up to Michigan International Speedway for the FireKeepers Casino 400 this weekend.

Garner Trucking is the official Transportation Partner of Spire Motorsports and will be the premiere car for the #7 Chevrolet driven by Corey Lajoie this weekend.

Be sure to tune in Sunday to the race to see the Garner car racing around the track!

Findlay’s other Rite Aid location will also be closing, according to bankruptcy filings from the company.

The location at 301 North Main Street in Findlay is among the many locations listed in the latest bankruptcy filings, as well as locations in Fostoria, Ottawa, and other locations.

In July, it was learned that the location at 1501 North Main Street would be closing.

Rite Aid filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2023.

(From the Hancock Historical Museum)

The Hancock Historical Museum is excited to announce the Bill & Gail Miller Annual Outdoor Movie Night, featuring the classic film Jurassic Park (PG-13, 1993). This family-friendly event will take place on Saturday, August 17th, and is free and open to the public.

The evening’s festivities will begin at 7:30 PM with a range of pre-movie activities designed to entertain guests of all ages. Visitors will have the opportunity to take photos with Jurassic Park Vehicles, which will be on display for the event. Additionally, there will be dinosaur-themed crafts and games for children, providing a fun and educational experience.

John King from the Bowling Green State University Popular Culture Department will deliver an engaging talk before the film starts. King will also bring unique items from the Pop Culture Library’s Collection, offering a rare glimpse into the world of popular culture and its history.

The screening of Jurassic Park will begin at 8:30 PM, or as soon as it is dark enough. The movie will be shown in the museum’s parking lot at 422 W. Sandusky Street in Findlay. To accommodate the event, the parking lot will be closed to vehicles, and visitors are encouraged to park on Sandusky Street or in nearby public lots. Guests should bring their own lawn chairs and are welcome to bring their favorite beverages.

For refreshments, the museum will provide free popcorn to all attendees, with donations accepted to support the museum’s programs and events. Ian’s Doughnuts will also be on site, selling a variety of delicious doughnuts to satisfy your sweet tooth. The event promises to be a memorable evening, with potential surprise guests making an appearance to add to the fun.

Jurassic Park, directed by Steven Spielberg, is a thrilling adventure that follows paleontologists Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), along with mathematician Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), as they tour an island theme park populated by dinosaurs created from prehistoric DNA. The park’s mastermind, billionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), assures everyone that the facility is safe, but the visitors soon discover otherwise when various ferocious predators break free and go on the hunt.

In case of inclement weather, the movie will be moved indoors. The Hancock Historical Museum invites everyone to bring their lawn chairs, enjoy the activities, and have a roaring good time at this special outdoor movie night.

Contact Phone Email Website Joy Bennett 419-423-4433 jbennett@hancockhistoricalmuseum.org Hancockhistoricalmuseum.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 12, 2024

The rest of the 2024 Classic Movie Line Up includes:

October 25 – Strangers on a Train (PG) 1951

Starring Robert Walker and Farley Granger, Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

December 20 – White Christmas (G) 1954

Starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen

For more information, please call the museum at (419) 423-4433 or visit www.hancockhistoricalmuseum.org.

(From (ADAMHS) the Hancock County Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services)

Hancock County has received a $2.5 million federal grant over five years to provide support for individuals and families with youth who are facing substance use disorders while experiencing homelessness.

The grant was awarded recently by SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) to the Hancock County Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services (ADAMHS), which will implement Project HOME (Housing, Outreach, and Meaningful Engagement) to provide various services in the community. Grant funds become available on September 30, 2024.

“The need for these services was identified through the local Unhoused Coalition. The ADAMHS Board is pleased to have secured resources for our community and looks forward to the project’s success,” said Precia Stuby, Executive Director. “We are thankful for all the hard work of the Unhoused Coalition to address the needs of some of our community’s most vulnerable citizens.”

Through increased collaboration and services between The City Mission and Family Resource Center, the grant will expand and enhance behavioral health treatment, peer support, recovery support services, and linkages to sustainable permanent housing for individuals experiencing homelessness.

The project will be operated through the City Mission for individuals experiencing homelessness with a special emphasis on helping young adults (18-24 years old), LGBTQ+, veterans and others in need in the community. The grant will assist with funding the establishment and ongoing operations of a 7-day-a-week low-barrier shelter to address the gap in much-needed services.

Low-barrier shelters provide services to individuals with minimal barriers to entrance.

“It is important that we have services available for every homeless person, regardless of where they are on their journey,” said City Mission Director Kathryn Bausman. “Building relationships and trust is often the first step to offering service. That is one of the things we hope to accomplish through a low-barrier shelter.”

Project HOME’s collaboration with the Family Resource Center will increase access to evidence-based practices such as medication for opioid use disorder, motivational interviewing, intensive

case management, community reinforcement approach, peer support, trauma-informed care, and harm reduction strategies.

“Our team of providers is eager to remove barriers to treatment and begin this collaboration with the City Mission,” said Ginny Williams, Chief Culture & Transformation Officer at the Family Resource Center.

Project HOME aims to serve 500 individuals through direct and indirect services over the 5-year project period.

(From Owens Community College)

Dr. Dione D. Somerville began her fourth academic year as president on Monday, August 12 by sharing highlights of the Owens Community College strategic plan for faculty, staff and community guests, including Ohio Association of Community Colleges president and CEO Avi Zaffini.

She also recognized this year’s Presidential Teaching Award recipient, professor of English Cory Hoover, who leads the innovative Open Educational Resources (OER) program which has helped save students more than $2 million the past three academic years. She began teaching at Owens in Fall Semester 2000. A recipient of the TRIO Champion Award (2021), Hoover has been active at Owens, including helping launch the Center for Teaching and Innovation, developing numerous presentations, workshops and events and serving as a lead Honors Program advisor (2012-2021).

The address was held twice, at the Findlay-area Campus in the morning and again on the Toledo-area Campus in hybrid format in the afternoon.

Since taking over the Owens presidency in June 2021, Somerville has prioritized engaging community leaders. More than three dozen community leaders attended the two presentations. 

Zaffini began his tenure leading the state’s 23 community colleges in mid-July. Speaking briefly at both presentations, he said Ohio community colleges continue to adapt and collaborate in varied partnerships to meet Ohio’s workforce needs.

Somerville focused her Owens address on the strategic plan adopted in 2023.

“Last year, in the first year of our plan, we worked to put a framework in place that would enable our success moving forward,” Somerville said. “We are kicking off our second year and looking forward to continued momentum.”

She utilized the plan’s six objectives to showcase what the academic year will feature, including:

-Building a community of belonging

The year-long, college-wide Big Read program features author Sara Novic’s book, “True Biz”

Men’s soccer returns to Owens Express sports, led by former Express player and Owens alumni Nate Baer

The Center for Campus and Community Connections continues to be a model for serving students’ basic needs, at institutions in Ohio and beyond

-Expanding partnerships

Owens is positioned to provide relevant education and training as the only community college partner in the Northwest Ohio Innovation Consortium’s new $31.3 million Glass Centre of Excellence project

The Water Workforce Coalition, a collaborative effort with TMACOG and the City of Toledo, continues with a second cohort of students this semester

Jill of All Trades returns in October during National Manufacturing Month with a goal of tripling the exposure to the trades for young people in the community

-Developing an agile framework

The president applauded the faculty’s engagement to an initial assessment workshop created as a follow up to the Higher Learning Commission’s mid-cycle review site visit last October

The first cohort of the new cardiac sonography associate degree is full in anticipation of meeting local labor demands

Trellis Strategies is studying the transportation challenges of college students as a follow up to the City of Toledo feasibility study

In Findlay and throughout Hancock County, Trellis Strategies is beginning a study focused on enrollment patterns and future enrollment opportunities for the Findlay-area Campus

-Deepening employee engagement

The president’s leadership team welcomed new Human Resources vice president, Dr. Leslie Erwin over the summer. She will lead employee engagement opportunities.

Led by the Owens Foundation and a committee of alumni, the college’s inaugural Alumni Hall of Fame class was announced last spring.

-Ensuring a sustainable organization

The president outlined the fiscal year 2025 budget and noted a few additional funding resources supplementing state capital funds, including the state’s community investment funding and grants

Phase 1 of the $31.3 million Healthcare Education Center will open for Fall Semester. After Phase 2 is completed next spring, a grand opening will be staged in March 2025.

-Telling our story

More than a half-million people have attended Owens for credit since the college opened in 1965, according to college research

Since the 2013-14 school year, 37 percent of Owens students have transferred to and graduated from a four-year college or university

The college’s 60^th anniversary will be celebrated during the 2025-26 academic year

It’s back-to-school time and safety officials are reminding drivers to start watching out for school buses and schoolkids and to follow all state laws.

Parents are also urged to talk with their kids about how to act around school buses as drivers are reminded to keep their eyes peeled for children getting on and off of buses.

Officer Brian White with the Findlay Police Department says drivers also need to remember to slow down in school zones when children are present.

A driver who fails to stop for a school bus that’s loading or unloading students can be fined up to $500 and have their license suspended for a year.

On a two-lane or three-lane road drivers going in the same direction and opposite direction must stop for a school bus that’s loading or unloading students.

On a four-lane road or highway, only vehicles going in the same direction as the school bus must stop.

Some useful images are provided below from the police department.

The first day back for Findlay City Schools is Thursday, August 15^th.

The first day for Liberty-Benton Local Schools will be Wednesday, August 21.

The City of Findlay is letting people know that a section of a road will be closing for repairs.

The city says on Wednesday, August 14, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Washington Street from Liberty Street to Hurd Avenue will be closed for sanitary sewer repair.

Motorists are advised to avoid the area during that timeframe.