The United Way of Hancock County‘s Days of Caring service event is being held this week.

Around 220 volunteers from both small and large corporations are helping out by providing much-needed services to local nonprofits.

We caught up with Kate as she and some others from Marathon Petroleum were brightening up a hallway at the Family Resource Center in Findlay with some fresh paint.

Days of Caring is typically held in May but was rescheduled because of the pandemic.

This year, volunteers are tackling 61 projects at 16 local nonprofit agencies, completing 872 service hours.

The United Way has worked with Hancock Public Health to establish COVID19 safety protocols for each project.

Days of Caring comes just a week after the United Way unveiled this year’s campaign showcasing its main kickoff event, “Masked Singers LIVE UNITED.”

The virtual masked singing competition between 9 local contestant volunteers began September 16th and takes place live each Wednesday on the United Way’s Facebook page.

A local woman we had the pleasure of meeting during her last two birthday celebrations has passed away at the age of 107.

Mary Eleanor Ronez died on September 16th and her funeral service was held on Monday.

Eleanor lived at The Heritage in Findlay and in August a drive-by parade was held for her 107th birthday.

Her granddaughter Valerie says Eleanor loved the surprise, especially the part when Dietsch Brothers drove by and dropped off a three-pound box of assorted creams, which has about 107 pieces of candy.

We met Eleanor in 2019 when she turned 106, and she said the secret to living a long life was no drinking, smoking or swearing.

Eleanor was born on August 3rd, 1913 in Elyria, Ohio.

Click here to read her obituary.

(below are videos from her birthday celebrations the last two years)

After weeks of coming in at the top of the list, Putnam County now has the second-highest occurrence of COVID cases in the state based on population.

The latest data released by the governor on Tuesday shows Mercer County now has the highest occurrence at 255 cases per 100,000 people.

Putnam County is at a rate of 236.3 cases per 100,000 people and has had 80 cases from September 7th through the 20th.

State data shows Putnam County has had 558 cases of the coronavirus and 23 deaths.

Putnam County is still at level 3, or the red level, on the state’s COVID-19 alert map.

Hancock County has had 662 cases of the virus in the county and ten deaths.

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

The University of Findlay’s Fridays at Findlay lecture series will feature former NFL defensive coordinator Dean Pees.

“Leadership Lessons Learned On and Off the Field” will be presented completely virtually from 8 to 9 a.m. on Friday, September 25th and is free to the public.

While Pees is widely known as the former defensive coordinator for the Patriots, Ravens and Titans, Pees got his start in northwest Ohio as head football coach at Elmwood High School, and then as an assistant coach at Findlay College.

During the talk, Pees will share leadership insights he has gained on his journey from high school football coach to becoming one of just eight defensive coordinators in NFL history to coach in a Super Bowl with two different teams.

Sponsored by Premier Bank (formerly First Federal Bank), the Fridays at Findlay lecture series is designed to encourage continued educational opportunities for members of the community, the campus, and alumni regarding best leadership practices.

To register and for more information, visit the Fridays at Findlay webpage, or contact the University of Findlay Division of Advancement at 419-434-5334 or erin.thompson@findlay.edu.

Some local Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers have been recognized for their efforts in getting drugs and weapons off the streets.

Details are in the following news release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Three Findlay District troopers were honored with the Criminal Patrol Award at a ceremony held today at the Bowling Green Post.

Captain John C. Altman, Findlay District commander, presented the awards to troopers Garrett R. Lawson, Matthew R. Cook and Jeffrey J. Huffman.

The Criminal Patrol Award is presented to officers who initiate 12 or more felony cases during a calendar year for drugs, weapons and U.S. currency seizures related to criminal activity. A certificate and uniform ribbon was presented to each of them.

“This award is representative of their dedication and service to the citizens they have sworn to protect,” said Captain Altman. “Their ability to look beyond the plate during each and every traffic stop has a direct impact on the safety of our
community by removing illegal drugs and weapons from our roadways.”

Trooper Lawson has been assigned to the Findlay District Headquarters since 2018.
He is a member of the 154th Academy Class and earned his commission in 2013.
This is his sixth time earning this award.

Trooper Cook is assigned to the Findlay Post and this is his fifth time being recognized for this award. He is a member of the 155th Academy Class and earned his commission in 2014.

Trooper Huffman earned his commission in 2017 as a member of the 161st Academy Class and was assigned to the Bowling Green Post. This is his second time receiving this award.

Mobile tickets will be the only way to get into a Cleveland Indians game next season.

The team made the announcement on Monday, saying this allows for contactless entry into the stadium and also reduces the risk of fake tickets being sold.

All PDF tickets, whether printed or a screenshot of a phone, will no longer be accepted at Progressive Field in 2021.

Click here for details on the latest Indians game on WFIN.

Findlay City Schools says a staff member at the high school has tested positive for COVID-19.

This is the first staff member to come down with the coronavirus after two students recently tested positive and more than 100 went into quarantine, putting the football and volleyball seasons on hold.

Three other staff members are under quarantine.

The school district sent a letter to parents saying that Hancock Public Health is reviewing the level of contacts the staff member had and if they determine that the staff member was in close contact with you or your student you will receive a call from the health department.

“Findlay City Schools will continue to follow all COVID-related safety procedures from the CDC as well as the state and local health departments for best practices and procedures to protect everyone’s health,” the letter said.

The school district has a COVID-19 dashboard that you can view by clicking here.

The Hancock County Board of Elections is looking for a few more people to help out at the polls on November 3rd.

The BOE says it has filled the 300 poll worker positions it needed to fill ahead of the election but is still in need of some alternates.

Lori Miller, Democrat Director of the Hancock County Board of Elections, says there are concerns that some poll workers might drop out due to COVID concerns as we get closer to the election.

She says poll workers get paid $140 for the day and also get paid to attend a two-hour training session.

And she says poll workers need to be ready for a long day on election day.

Miller says they’re working on making election day as safe as possible for voters and poll workers.

She says the voting machines will be spaced out to allow for social distancing and will be wiped down after being used and all poll workers will be wearing personal protective equipment.

For details about becoming a poll worker or for general information regarding the upcoming election click here.

Hancock County is now up to ten COVID-19 deaths.

The tenth death was revealed in the latest COVID-19 data released on Monday by Hancock Public Health.

Health officials say, as of Monday, there have been 662 total cases of the virus in the county and ten deaths.

45 of the cases are active which means the patient is currently under quarantine or isolation.

Hancock Public Health says 56 people have been hospitalized from the virus in Hancock County since the beginning of the pandemic.

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

State data show Putnam County has had 548 cases as of Monday and 23 deaths.

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

The Findlay Rotary Club has announced the semifinalists for its 2020 Golden Apple Awards.

The Rotary presents the Golden Apple Awards annually to local educators for their teaching excellence.

Details are in the following news release from the Findlay Rotary Club.

You can check out last year’s winners here.

The Findlay Rotary Club has announced its nine semifinalists for the 2020 Golden Apple Awards.

Annually, Rotary chooses three teachers from the elementary level, three teachers from the middle school level and three teachers from the high school level to compete for the award. The finalists will be announced at the annual Golden Apple Awards Dinner on October 21, 2020.

The finalist at each level receives the Golden Apple Award along with a $2,500 cash prize. Second and third place semi-finalist each receive a $250 cash prize. Finalists also accept an invitation to join the Golden Apple Academy, a group consisting of all past Golden Apple Award finalists.

At the elementary level, the three semifinalists are: Lani Sapp, First Grade at Jefferson Primary; Becky Solomon, Second Grade at Jacob Primary; and Sarah Strohscher, Second Grade at Whittier Primary.

At the middle school level, the three semifinalists are: Kathleen Rayle, Intervention Specialist grades 6-8 at Glenwood Middle School; David Sorensen, Instrumental Music Instructor at Arlington Local Schools; and Raymond Wolfe, Director of Choirs/Musical Director/Assistant Band Director at Liberty-Benton Local Schools.

At the high school level, the three semifinalists are: Martie Andrews, Intervention Specialist at Findlay; Stacy Palmer, Government, History at McComb Local School; Daniel Wilson, Instrumental Music Instructor/ Marching Band Director at Findlay High School.

The Findlay Rotary accepted nominations for the award from students, parents, administration, colleagues and the community-at-large through the beginning of April.

Nominees are required to be a current teacher in the Findlay area or a Hancock County school and have at least three years of experience.

Nominated teachers submit a resume, a teaching philosophy essay, and two letters of recommendation to the Rotary Community Selection Committee, which selects the semifinalists. A second group of members from the Rotary Final Selection Committee interviews and conductions classroom visits to determine the finalists.