(ONN) – A case heading to the Ohio Supreme Court involves the 24-hour waiting period for women who want to get an abortion.

The law mandates physicians meet with pregnant patients in person at least 24 hours prior to an abortion being performed or induced.

The goal is to provide state-mandated information.

The ACLU argues this law creates a barrier to getting an abortion procedure.

It now goes to the Ohio Supreme Court.

(From the Elbert Dubenion Drive Planning Committee)

The Village of Bluffton will recognize Bluffton University’s most famous athlete in a ceremony at noon, Friday, Oct. 4, with the unveiling of Elbert Dubenion Drive.

The Drive covers a section of Bentley Road in front of Bluffton University’s Salzman football stadium from the Yoder Recital Hall parking lot to the intersection of Bentley and Elm Street. The ceremony will take place near the recital hall portion of the Drive.

The ceremony, open to the public, will include the unveiling of Drive signs and a brief program recognizing Dubenion, a 1959 Bluffton College graduate, who played for nine seasons with the Buffalo Bills professional football team. He is the only Bluffton athlete to play professional football. Following his playing days, Dubenion served as a college scout for the Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, as well as working for the Bills.

Bluffton Mayor, Richard Johnson, will read a proclamation and several teammates, will speak. Members of Dubenion’s family will also attend.

The group launching the project includes teammates who played football with Dubenion and fans who watched him play during his college years from 1955 to 1958.

One of the alumni committee members is Jim “Spike” Berry,  who quarterbacked the Bluffton College Beaver football team during the Dubenion era at Bluffton.

 In his first year at Bluffton, Dubenion worked on the Bluffton village street crew. As a town celebrity, downtown business owners were among his most loyal fans, making him the most recognized Bluffton student for a generation of those community leaders.

Among his college-era achievements was being named first team Small College All-American in 1958 and was among 33 players selected to play in the College All-Star game in 1959 against the Baltimore Colts. As a member of the Buffalo Bills, Dubenion played in the 1964 NFL Pro Bowl. He holds the record for the longest reception in AFL playoff history with a 93-yard TD. He is also a member of the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame.

 Dubenion died at age 86 on Dec. 26, 2019, at his residence in Westerville, Ohio. His wife, Marilyn, is also a Bluffton College graduate.

 Members of the planning committee are Tom Benroth, Jim “Spike” Berry, Jim Buffenbarger, Charles Buroker, Larry Copeland, Everett Collier, Don Hostetler, Gene Long,  Ronald Lora, Mary Ramseyer, Richard Ramseyer and Fred Steiner.

(From Blanchard Valley Health System)

Residents of Birchaven Village, a division of Blanchard Valley Health System, have been getting a close-up look at nature this year through a new project involving raising monarch butterflies. They begin by caring for eggs and continue until they release the adult butterflies to take flight for the first time.

Ruthann Hahn, volunteer coordinator, has been teaching residents of the Heights at Birchaven about the butterflies. She came up with the idea after bringing her young great-granddaughter last year to speak to residents and show them a butterfly she had raised at home.

“Our residents are always so interested in learning,” Hahn said. “Life gets busy and maybe, when they were younger and raising children, they never had the chance to learn much about butterflies. Getting to see the life cycle up close and personal has been a delight for so many of them.”

In fact, throughout the process, residents have stopped by to check the progress of the eggs and caterpillars, she said. Residents have been heard talking about it over dinner or bingo. The project has even brought some residents who previously kept more to themselves to talk with neighbors about their shared love of the butterflies.

Hahn, inspired by her granddaughter and great-grandchildren, has been growing milkweed at her own home for years. Butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed. Once the tiny black eggs hatch, Hahn puts them in a small plastic tub where the pupa becomes a caterpillar. She then puts it in a small net house, with live milkweed to eat. The caterpillar spins a cocoon and, in time, a butterfly emerges. The Birchaven residents have been giving them a day for their wings to dry, then releasing them.

The butterfly spends about 12 days in the cocoon, which starts out green but turns dark in color over time.

“It’s so interesting to learn about them,” said Jane Brown, a resident of the Heights. “We knew one was getting close to coming out, so I was checking every day.”

Brown didn’t get to see the moment the butterfly emerged from the cocoon, remarking that “I guess it wanted privacy.” However, she had enjoyed learning throughout the experience.

“This has been so much fun for us to watch,” she said.

Before releasing the latest butterfly, Hahn explained that the patterns of dots on a monarch butterfly’s wings are different for males than for females. This butterfly was a female.

Hahn carefully affixed a tracking sticker to the butterfly’s wing before placing it on a flower outside the building. The butterfly sat for a moment, then took off, soaring above the three-story building.

After the butterfly flew away, Brown noted that some remnants of the cocoon were still visible.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” she said.

Each sticker has a unique number identifying this individual butterfly with the organization Monarch Watch. When the butterfly heads to Mexico, where they typically migrate, people there can look it up and learn that that particular butterfly hatched in Findlay.

Hahn’s granddaughter is active in a Facebook group where people track the butterflies that have been tagged. She registers the stickers into the system, so people can follow these individual butterflies. Hahn said people all over the United States and Canada have been raising butterflies for Monarch Watch.

Hahn said the goals of this project were to help residents continue to learn, as well as generally improving their quality of life.

“And it’s so beautiful, too,” she added. “Seeing a butterfly take its very first flight, and knowing someday that same butterfly might end up in Mexico – there’s nothing quite like it.”

For more information about Birchaven Village, please visit www.birchaven.org .

(From the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office)

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office has received multiple calls in reference to another scam going around.

For example, the scammers are using phrases like “legal trouble” and “missed court dates”.

The scammers may even state that they are from our office.

Do not give out personal information over the phone!

We do not contact you and demand money.

Please continue to be cautious when answering unknown phone numbers.

(From Hancock County Naturalists)

The Hancock County Naturalists will host speaker Scott Bechtel, a retired computer programmer turned nature photographer, who will present a talk on North American hummingbirds at their monthly meeting on October 10th at 7 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Doc Phillips Discovery Center at Oakwoods Nature Preserve, 1400 Oakwoods Lane. The meeting is free and open to the public to those 15 and older.

Bechtel’s presentation will explore various aspects of these fascinating birds, including:

-How he became interested in hummingbird photography

-The species of hummingbirds found in North America

-Fascinating facts and information about hummingbirds

-Migration, courtship, and nesting behaviors

-His experiences as a co-leader of hummingbird photography workshops in British Columbia

-The practice of hummingbird banding

-Tips on feeding hummingbirds

In addition to his in-depth knowledge, Bechtel will showcase beautiful photographs of these colorful and energetic birds, offering attendees a visual treat.

Scott Bechtel is a self-taught nature photographer based in Hancock County, focusing on landscapes and wildlife. Since beginning photography in 2011, he has developed a passion for capturing birdlife, particularly Bald Eagles and owls, and his favorite subject, hummingbirds. Bechtel has photographed 14 of the 15 hummingbird species regularly residing in North America.

In addition to his photography, Bechtel co-leads a hummingbird photography workshop in the Canadian Rockies and enjoys woodworking, often incorporating hummingbirds into his carvings and automaton creations. He has previously shared his love of hummingbirds with audiences at local nursing homes.

The Hancock County Naturalists, a membership organization, was established to further the study of the fauna and flora of Hancock County and the surrounding area and to participate in selected conservation and educational projects. Membership and events are open to those aged 15 and older. Annual membership fees are $15 per adult, $20 per couple, and $10 for youth.

For more information, contact Jane Riker at 419-306-3697 or emaggin117@aol.com. The group’s website is hancockcountynaturalists.org.

(above picture courtesy of Jane Riley Riker from the Hancock County Naturalists Facebook page)

A man who meant a lot to his hometown of Findlay has died.

Chuck Younger passed away on September 28 at the age of 92.

WFIN spoke with Chuck’s son, Scott, who shared a few anecdotes with us and said his dad “will be greatly missed and was sharp as a tack right until the end.”       

Chuck was Executive Vice President for Continental Cablevision and was very active in Findlay which you can read about in his obituary on coldrencrates.com.

Chuck was the past President of the Findlay Area Arts Council, board member for the Findlay-Hancock County Area Chamber of Commerce, trustee for the United Way of Hancock County, counsellor for the Service Corps of Retired Executives of the Small Business Association, president of the public advisory board for WBGU-TV, board member of Family Service of Hancock County, board member for the Council on Domestic Violence, Dana Chair executive-in-residence for the University of Findlay, Vice President for the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation Advisory Committee, and a board member for the Benton Ridge Telephone Company. Chuck was also the “Golden Voice of the Trojans” – announcing boys’ and girls’ soccer games for Findlay High School for almost 30 years. He and Mariann contributed to dozens of charitable organizations in their community.

According to his obituary on coldrencrates.com a celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Inurnment will take place in the First Presbyterian Columbarum, next to his wife.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Community Foundation, Younger Funds.

Online condolences can be expressed at www.coldrencrates.com.

(ONN) – Ohio’s first statewide human trafficking hotline is now operational.

The non-emergency hotline number funnels incoming tips about suspected sex and labor trafficking directly to law enforcement, connecting the caller with people experienced in investigating such allegations.

It is operated around the clock by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, whose criminal intelligence analysts assess the information and refer information to local law enforcement agencies and human trafficking task forces organized under the attorney general’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission and-or BCI’s Special Victims Unit.

The hotline number is 8-4-4-end-O-H-H-T.

Raise the Bar Hancock County will be holding its inaugural Career Connections Day.

The event will be held on October 4^th at Owens Community College in Findlay.

More than 800 Hancock County 8^th graders will have a chance to meet with dozens of area employers.

Career Connections Day gives students an opportunity to engage with local employers based on their career interest/assessment results.

Raise the Bar Director Tricia Valasek and Workforce Program Specialist Ashley Stepec-Bibler were on with WFIN’s Chris Oaks to discuss the event.

The event expands upon Hancock County’s successful Manufacturing Day (occurring in 2018, 2019, and 2022) to now include employers representing the diversity of career clusters present throughout Hancock County.

A new traffic light has been put in place at an intersection just east of Findlay.

The new signal is located at the intersection of U.S. 224 and Township Road 237.

The Ohio Department of Transportation says traffic there was nearing the threshold of warranting a signal, and traffic will increase even more once further development occurs on the north side of the intersection.

ODOT says they also wanted to get the signal in place there before repairs begin on the bridge over the Blanchard River on State Route 568 which are slated for the summer of 2025 and will close State Route 568 in that area.