5/26/17 – 5:17 A.M.

A recovery home will open in Ottawa sometime this summer. The Putnam County Sentinel reports officials are putting the finishing touches on the rules and requirements for the facility. Pathway’s Executive Director Aaron Baumgartner tells the newspaper the home will provide a stable environment for people in recovery.

Baumgartner says people in recovery need the home because often times the place where a recovering addict currently lives isn’t “conducive to recovery.”

A 3-year state grant through the local ADAMHS board is helping fund the house. The first month at the house is free, but residents have to pay rent after that. The longer someone stays in the facility the more they have to pay.

MORE: Putnam County Sentinel

5/26/17 – 4:58 A.M.

Business leaders and elected officials got together Thursday to talk about the lack of people willing to take manufacturing jobs in the area. Ryan Burgess is the director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation. He spoke at the meeting, saying there is little communication between business and education leaders across the state.

Burgess added collaborative efforts between businesses and schools have seen success. He said the collaborations that work the best are business led. He cited Cooper Tire & Rubber’s applied manufacturing class at Millstream as an example.

State Representative Bill Reinecke of Tiffin put the blame squarely on a a stigma that manufacturing isn’t a good career path. Reinecke said, “We’ve got to figure out how to handle this with the parents of the children, because the stigma is just killing us.” Rowmark CEO Duane Jebbett said 57 percent of the people who go to college don’t finish. He added that was an opportunity for manufacturers to grow their workforce.

MORE: The Courier

5/26/17 – 4:17 A.M.

Bowling Green residents are getting a stern warning to lock their vehicles after a rash of break-ins. Police say nine unlocked cars have been raided over the past month, with thieves taking computers, cash and a gun. The thefts happened outside homes and businesses during the day and at night. Residents are asked to hide valuables to make their vehicles less attractive.

5/25/17 – 2:35 P.M.

Hancock Leadership is taking applications for the class of 2018. The Findlay-Hancock County Chamber of Commerce says the class prepares future leaders by connecting them to many parts of the community. You can find the application for the program on the chamber’s website.

Nearly 1,000 people have taken part in the Hancock Leadership program since it started in 1985.

5/25/17 – 5:29 A.M.

A Pandora woman accused of robbing the same Lima bank twice within a week pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery Thursday. The Putnam County Sentinel reports the case against 27-year-old Kaylee Shoopman is now set for sentencing on July 10.

Investigators say Shoopman robbed the Fifth Third Bank on Harding Highway in Lima on September 28, and then again on October 3 last year. During the first robbery she handed the teller a note demanding money. She used a weapon during the second robbery. Witnesses saw the license plate number of Shoopman’s get away car during the second robbery, which led to her arrest.

MORE: Putnam County Sentinel

5/25/17 – 5:06 A.M.

A veterans organization is designating Hancock County as a “Purple Heart Community.” An official ceremony is set for June 6 at 11 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial in Findlay. During the event the local Military Order of the Purple Heart chapter will give the county an official Purple Heart flag.

The Hancock County Commissioners are also scheduled to read a proclamation at the ceremony.

The Purple Heart is the oldest U.S. Military decoration in use. The military issues it to armed forces members wounded or killed in action in combat with enemy forces.

5/25/17 – 4:28 A.M.

The owner of a Wood County exotic animal farm says his big cats appear to be okay at a sanctuary in Florida. Kenny Hetrick told WTOL-TV he recently visited his tigers after winning a court battle with state officials who took the animals away. Hetrick says the cats remembered his scent and are in good shape, but they’d be better off at his farm. A state appeals court will hear Hetrick’s case to get the animals back next week.