The Ohio Department of Transportation is collaborating with the Ohio State Highway Patrol to make work zones safer.

The highway patrol says enforcing traffic laws from the ground inside a work zone can be challenging, so troopers will be taking to the sky.

ODOT and the OSHP Aviation Section have identified nearly a dozen locations where troopers will target crash-causing violations like speeding, following too closely, and failure to move over.

The locations were selected due to a history of crashes, higher speeds and the type of barrier used to separate traffic from workers.

One of the work zones that will be monitored is on Interstate 75 around the Wood County/Lucas County line. Another one will be on I-75 in Allen County around mile markers 138 and 139.

There were 6,553 work zone-related crashes in Ohio last year.

Signs posted along the highway will alert drivers about the increased enforcement efforts.

The pilot project will be evaluated and based on results could be expanded next year.

The highway patrol routinely enforces speed violations from the air across the state.

Speed is measured by a pilot who times how long it takes a vehicle to pass between a series of lines painted on the roadway.

The violation time and speed information is then relayed to a trooper on the ground who makes the traffic stop.

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(ONN) – After failing to impeach Governor Mike DeWine over his COVID-19 response, Clermont County Republican Rep. John Becker is trying to charge him with a slew of criminal offenses, including terrorism, bribery and interfering with civil rights.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that Becker, in a private citizen affidavit filed in Clermont County Municipal Court on Monday, accuses DeWine of disenfranchising voters, threatening the health of Ohioans by limiting hospitals to non-emergency procedures and shuttering businesses.

When asked for comment, DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney replied: “If this were serious, I would have a comment. Because it is patently absurd, I do not.”

The Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting that the Clermont County prosecutor reviewed the affidavit and did not find any basis for the filing of a criminal complaint.

A federal judge has ruled that a signature-matching requirement for ballots and ballot applications in Ohio are burdensome to voters but that changing the process so close to the election could be “damaging.”

U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson sided with Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose when he ruled that LaRose’s July directive ensures integrity in the state’s election procedures.

The ruling is the latest back-and-forth between LaRose and voting rights advocates in Ohio as procedures for election safety and mail-in voting continue to be a point of contention as the nation prepares to vote amid the pandemic.

The voter registration deadline is October 5th and early voting begins the following day.

Get more voting resources from the Hancock County Board of Elections by clicking here.

Some Findlay residents awoke Sunday morning to find that their campaign yard sign had been vandalized.

A handful of Biden-Harris signs in front of homes on South Main Street were damaged with a black line painted across them.

WFIN spoke with one of the homeowners who said he noticed the damage on Sunday morning.

He was able to wash most of the paint off the sign although some is still visible.

Another homeowner had their campaign sign stolen and filed a report with the police.

The City of Findlay previously reminded people that tampering with election signs is illegal and is vandalism.

Possible charges for someone caught vandalizing or stealing a campaign sign include disorderly conduct and criminal mischief.

Findlay Municipal Court will be holding a Safe Surrender Week from September 28th through October 2nd.

Officials say anyone who has a bench warrant for their arrest through municipal court, regardless of the reason, can set up an appointment to have the warrant released.

All the individual needs to do is show up to meet with court staff at the scheduled date and time.

In order to comply with social distancing and other health protocols, appointments and masks are required.

The number to call to make an appointment is 419-424-7141.

Safe Surrender Week is September 28th through October 2nd.

Court officials say during last year’s event, the municipal court cleared 119 bench warrants in just one day.

Click here for more information on Safe Surrender Week.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Hancock County went down in the Friday numbers released by Hancock Public Health.

The agency was reporting 39 active cases as of Friday which is a drop of 17 from Wednesday.

An active case means the patient is currently under quarantine or isolation.

Five patients were hospitalized as of Friday and a total of 58 have been hospitalized from the virus since the beginning of the pandemic.

Total cases stood at 696 on Friday, an increase of 14 from Wednesday.

Ten Hancock County residents have died from the virus.

Hancock County is still at level 2, or orange, on the state’s COVID-19 alert map.

Putnam County is still at level 3, or the red level.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife is encouraging Ohioans to celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day by enjoying these great American pastimes with family and friends on Saturday, September 26th.

National Hunting and Fishing Day was established in 1972 by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and is celebrated annually on the fourth Saturday in September.

In Ohio, it also coincides with the start of the white-tailed deer archery hunting season.

Ohioans have many options for hunting and fishing during National Hunting and Fishing Day.

Hunting seasons are open for squirrel and mourning dove, as well as white-tailed deer.

The fall is also a fantastic time to fish, as walleye, perch, saugeye, bass, catfish, and panfish are all biting this time of year.

Go to wildohio.gov to learn more about all the hunting and fishing opportunities Ohio has to offer.

Through fishing and hunting license sales, new additions to public access this year include the acquisition of 31,000 acres of the new Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area in east central Ohio, the 718-acre Andreoff Wildlife Area in Hardin County, a vital wetland, and 2,300 acres in Brown County known as Eagle Creek Wildlife Area.

In addition, these funds support the stocking of over 48 million fish throughout Ohio, opening the Darr-Root Fishing Access on the Sandusky River, and upgrading a boat ramp at Hoover Reservoir in Delaware County.

Findlay City Schools says it’s investigating an Instagram account that’s inappropriately targeting students while utilizing the Findlay High School logo.

The school district says the account ‘findlaytearoom’ is also disseminating inappropriate information and sharing sexually explicit material.

District officials say they began an investigation and reported the misuse of social media to Instagram as soon as they were made aware of the account.

Findlay City Schools says, as it continues to investigate the situation, it will take action within the Student Code of Conduct if warranted.

The school district is urging parents to have a conversation with their kids about the appropriate use of social media and the impact it could have on their schooling and future careers.

You can read the letter the district sent parents about the situation here.  

Hancock Public Health held a Narcan distribution event on Friday.

The agency’s Gary Bright says they handed out around 70 of the kits during the event in the parking lot of the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.

Last year, they distributed nearly 700 Narcan kits over the course of the year and he says they are on their way to handing out even more this year.

“It looks pretty clear to us that the more Narcan kits we get out there, in the hands of folks who may potentially overdose, the less fatal overdoses we’re going to have,” Bright said.

He says while Narcan can rapidly reverse an overdose it’s imperative to call 911 because the opioid is still in the person’s system.

Bright says non-fatal overdoses have gone up since the pandemic began, but fatal overdoses have been trending down over the last few years.

In 2019 in Hancock County there were 15 fatal overdoses while there have been six so far this year.

Click here for more information about Narcan and how to receive a kit.

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The Findlay Police Department has released a surveillance photo of the man accused of robbing the Circle K at 2727 North Main Street on September 18th.

Anyone who recognizes the man or has information about the case should contact police at 419-424-7150 or private message the police department’s Facebook page.

People with tips can also contact Crime Stoppers at 419-425-TIPS.

Police say a man entered the convenience store at 2727 North Main Street at around 2:10 Friday morning September 18th.

After a few minutes in the store, police say he ordered the clerk to open the register and give him the money from it.

The clerk complied and then the suspect ordered the clerk to the back of the store before leaving in an unknown direction.

The clerk was not injured and no weapon was used in the robbery.

Responding police officers checked the area but he was not located.

The suspect is described as an Hispanic man, standing about six feet two inches with a stocky build and likely in his late 30s or early 40s.