4/26/18 – 5:27 A.M.
A retired K9 officer with the Upper Sandusky Police Department passed away this week following a long battle with cancer. The department says K9 officer Hunter retired last June after serving for seven years with Officer Andrew Silcox.
Police said Hunter assisted with more than 800 illegal drug investigations in Wyandot County during his career.
4/26/18 – 5:22 A.M.
Carey village council members recently got more information about an electrical upgrade project. Utility consultant Jeff Gump told council the goal is to develop a “loop” to service improvements and expansions in the village. Right now the priority is to provide better electric service to South Vance Street near State Route 15. Blanchard Valley Health System is building a medical clinic in that area. There are also plans for a new gas station.
Work to reroute a 12.47-kilovolt line to service that area should wrap up this summer at a cost of around $95,000.
You can see a full list of Carey electrical projects in today’s Courier.
4/26/18 – 5:11 A.M.
Law enforcement in Putnam County is holding an event aimed to keep prescription drugs out of the wrong hands. The Lima News reports the sheriff’s office is taking part in National Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday. The event runs from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the sheriff’s office.
Authorities encourage anyone with unused prescription medications to stop by to safely get rid of them.
MORE: Lima News
4/26/18 – 5:03 A.M.
Kenton police have arrested a suspect in a series of arsons. WKTN Radio reports officers took 30-year-old Dustin Cannode into custody for a parole violate Wednesday. Charges connected to four weekend fires in the city are pending.
Investigators believe Cannode set four fires in Kenton between 2:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. Saturday.
Police Chief Dennis Musser credited Detective Mike Conley and the Hardin County Fire and Explosion Team for their investigation into the fires.
4/26/18 – 4:33 A.M.
The Ohio Supreme Court appears to be putting an end to a Wood County farmer’s fight to get his exotic animals back. Justices refused yesterday to hear Kenny Hetrick’s second appeal of his case against the Ohio Department of Agriculture. State officials took eleven animals from Hetrick’s Tiger Ridge farm in 2015 after they weren’t registered under Ohio’s exotic animal law. The lion, tigers, and bears seized from the farm are living in animal sanctuaries across the country.
4/25/18 – 12:27 P.M.
The State of Ohio has appointed a special prosecutor to investigate a death at a Putnam County nursing home. The Lima News reports Debra Wehrle will look into the circumstances surrounding the death of 76-year-old Phyllis Campbell at the Hilty Home in Pandora. Wehrle is a senior assistant attorney general with the Ohio Attorney General’s office
Workers at the nursing home found Campbell dead outside of the facility on January 7. A state report issued later that month was highly critical of the Hilty Home.
4/25/18 – 12:15 P.M.
Some Detroit area residents were in Findlay protesting Marathon Petroleum today. Courier reporter Eileen McClory says the group wants Marathon to buy the remaining homes in a neighborhood near the company’s Detroit refinery…
Audio: Eileen McClory
Crain’s Detroit reported in 2011 that Marathon offered to buy 500 properties in the neighborhood. The company made the offers after expanding the refinery in southwest Detroit.
MORE: Crain’s Business Journal
4/25/18 – 11:41 A.M.
Republican Mary Taylor brought her campaign for governor to Findlay today. While meeting with supporters at the Southside Restaurant, Taylor talked about how she wants to address the opioid crisis…
Audio: Mary Taylor
Taylor says the bonds could pay for things like putting more narcotics officers on the streets. She adds that by issuing bonds her plan won’t raise taxes to fight the opioid epidemic.
Taylor also addressed her plans to end the Medicaid expansion…
Audio: Mary Taylor
Taylor says there are more than 140,000 jobs open in Ohio according to the Ohio Means Jobs website. She says getting people able-bodied people back in the workforce will reduce dependence on government.
Taylor said her education plan calls for three graduation requirements. They include a minimum GPA, a minimum ACT score for college-bound students, and a provision for vocational education…
Audio: Mary Taylor
Taylor also told supporters sanctuary cities are a bigger issue in Ohio than you would imagine…
Audio: Mary Taylor
Taylor says there are at least 12 so-called sanctuary cities in Ohio including Columbus and Cincinnati. She says in some instances the designation is ceremonial, but can still cause confusion among law enforcement.
Taylor ‘s visit comes after Mike DeWine met with business leaders in Findlay last week.
4/25/18 – 9:40 A.M.
Findlay Mayor Lydia Mihalik wants residents to get out and get active this week. As a result, the mayor is hosting a “Move with the Mayor” event in downtown Findlay Thursday afternoon. Residents can meet with Mihalik for a 30-minute walk starting at the Findlay Municipal Building starting at 12:15 p.m.
Mihalik says you can talk about city issues while getting some exercise. She adds the event is an initiative from the National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention.
4/25/18 – 9:30 A.M.
If you travel in Putnam County you’ll want to be aware of a change at an intersection near Ottawa. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office says the intersection of Old U.S. 224 and Road 5 is now a four-way stop. A post on the office’s Facebook page says the highway department recently added stop signs with flashers in the area.
Sheriff Brian Siefker says drivers on Road 5 should keep an eye on cross traffic while drivers on Old U.S. 224 adjust to the new stop signs.