Monthly Archives: September 2018

Two Women Sentenced In Hilty Home Death

09/28/18 – 6:11 P.M.

The two women who pled guilty in the case of a woman who froze death at the Hilty Home have been sentenced. 37-year-old Rachel Friesel and 20-year-old Destani Fenbert were both sentenced to 60 days in the Putnam County jail, five years of community control sanctions and 100 days of community control sanctions. They will also share over $4,500 in restitution. The women pleaded guilty to forgery and gross patient neglect charges after 76-year-old Phyllis Campbell froze to death in January of this year.

32-year-old Mehan Schnipke pleaded not guilty in the case. She faces charges of forgery, gross patient neglect, and patient neglect. She goes to trial in November.

Raise The Bar Working On Replacing Retiring Baby Boomers

09/28/18 – 5:46 P.M.

More and more baby boomers are retiring every day and they will need to be replaced. Raise theBar Hancock County executive director Laurie Zydonik said that it’s something that causes concerns locally…

Laurie Zydonik

Zydonik explained that they are implementing a “FAME” program to help.

Laurie Zydonik

Zydonik said that this will help people get an associates degree and over 1,800 hours of work experience in manufacturing. She added that they are working with manufacturers to show kids in the community what manufacturing jobs have to offer and raise interest.

Hancock County Veterans Services Offering Help Through Music For Vets With PTSD

09/28/18 – 5:27 P.M.

Hancock County Veterans Services is working with local professionals and the University of Findlay Occupational Therapy students to provide musical therapy. Veterans Services executive director Nicole Coleman said that the music takes people back.

Nicole Coleman

She added that this helps bring veterans happiness.

Nicole Coleman

Coleman explained that this helps veterans through symptoms of PTSD like anxiety and depression. Each veteran in the “GI Tunes” program gets a custom-tailored playlist to help with PTSD. The veterans will work with Heartstring Melodies, who are professional musical therapists to create their playlist.

You can learn more about the program by visiting hancockveterans.com/gi-tunes/.

House Of Hindenach Sold To Bluffton Company

9/28/18 – 5:30 A.M.

A Bluffton business is buying House of Hindenach AV Systems on North Main Street in Findlay. JB Networks will take over operations of the 42-year-old audio-visual systems store on Monday. Justin Byers owns JB Networks and says the name and location will stay the same.

JB Networks is an information technology company. Byers says this is a natural expansion of his existing business.

Don Hindenach and his wife, Pat, are moving to Shade, Ohio.

MORE: The Courier

Two Injured In Crash Near Mount Blanchard

9/28/18 – 5:21 A.M.

A two-car crash injured two people west of Mount Blanchard Thursday afternoon. The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office reports the collision happened at the intersection of State Route 103 and Hancock County Road 8 around 5 p.m.

23-year-old Hailey Hahn of Mount Blanchard was driving a Jeep south on Road 8 when she tried to turn left onto Route 103 and hit a car driven by 34-year-old Joshua Frisbie of Forest. Hanco EMS took Frisbie to Blanchard Valley Hospital for treatment. They treated Hahn at the scene of the crash.

Deputies cited Hahn for failure to yield the right of way.

Judge Urges Negotiation In Road 5 Case

9/28/18 – 5:13 A.M.

The judge overseeing the Road 5 widening case in Putnam County urged both sides to return to the negotiating table Thursday. The Lima News reports Judge Dale Crawford told the county and property owners along the road that the case needs a resolution. There has been litigation in the dispute for six years. He added that the county doesn’t need to pay thousands of dollars in more legal fees.

The two sides did negotiate Thursday, but not much changed. The commissioners made settlement offers to each property owner in the lawsuit. Those offers stand until 5 p.m. today. A trial is still scheduled for October 9.

The judge held the pretrial hearing because a lawyer for the property owners requested a continuance in the case. Linde Webb said the request was in response to the commissioners ordering a $64,000 appraisal of the 13 properties in dispute. Webb said they needed time to do an appraisal of their own.

MORE: Lima News

Cooper Tire To Show Off Manufacturing Industry To Eighth-Graders

9/28/18 – 4:59 A.M.

Eighth-graders in Hancock County will learn more about manufacturing next week. Cooper Tire & Rubber will play host to around 1,000 students as part of National Manufacturing Day events. Part of the program includes interactive stations designed to show kids how technology continues to change manufacturing.

John Bollman is Cooper’s chief human resources officer. He says, “If we want students to consider careers in manufacturing, we need to show them firsthand how exciting and technology-driven today’s manufacturing environment is.”

Some of the interactive stations include tire design, mold design, mixing, and tire testing. Students will also learn about careers in research and development, engineering, and marketing among others.

University of Findlay Master Program Ranked Among Best In The Nation

09/27/18 – 5:26 P.M.

The University of Findlay’s online Master of Science in Health Informatics Program was ranked nationally by “Best College Reviews”. The website uses publicly available data from sources such as the National Center for Education Statistics and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to form their lists. UF’s Health Informatics Program placed on top of the 2018 list out of 35 other colleges and universities. Only two other Ohio colleges made the list.

It is a two-year program based on electronic health records, public health, and public policy information. Students can pick 6 different specializations within the program

One Arrested In Findlay Drug Bust

09/27/18 – 4:36 P.M.

One person is in jail following a drug bust in Findlay early Thursday morning. The Hancock County METRICH Enforcement Unit executed a search warrant at 508 W, Trenton Avenue Lot 34 at around 5:30 a.m.

During the search, they found crack cocaine, powder cocaine, heroin, meth, and marijuana. They also found cash, drug paraphernalia, and items indicative of drug trafficking. The arrested 52-year-old Darin Wyse on possession charges.

More charges are pending as the investigation continues.