Findlay City Schools has announced that preschool teacher Alyson Geise was selected as the winner of a nationwide “Blippi in my Classroom” contest.

Ms. Geise won the opportunity to record an episode with Blippi alongside eight of her lucky students.

Blippi has millions of viewers worldwide for his high-quality and free educational videos, with episodes receiving 500,000 views within days.

Blippi’s engaging and informative content has become a valuable resource for parents and educators alike, supporting early childhood education in a fun and interactive way.

Alyson Geise, whose passion for teaching and commitment to fostering growth is evident in her classroom, expressed her excitement about the experience, saying, “It was amazing to see and be involved in the whole planning process, and I’m so thankful I got to make this memory together with my students!”

The episode will air in the coming months.

The Stuff the Bus community school supplies drive is happening July 27-29.

Your local radio stations are partnering with McDonald’s and local organizations to host the annual Stuff the Bus campaign at the McDonald’s on Tiffin Avenue in Findlay.

On Thursday and Friday the hours will be 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Saturday the hours will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m..

The goal of the campaign is to make sure students have everything they need to start the new school year.

Christian Clearing House Executive Director Tammy Stahl was on with WFIN’s Chris Oaks to discuss the annual event and you can hear that interview below and by clicking here.

Backpacks are always the largest need, but you can also donate pencils, crayons, binders and more.

The filled backpacks will then be distributed before the start of the school year.

For a full list of needed items click here.

(ONN) – About 30 swat members from Ottawa, Sandusky, and Erie Counties were called to South Bass Island in Lake Erie Saturday night.

The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office received seven calls about riots on the island.

19,000 people were in downtown Put-in-Bay and police feared they would lose control of the area, including the Jet Express dock.

So, swat teams were called in and the crowds were put back under control.

Police say 6 to 10 fights were broken up by swat members.

Two people were arrested – one for domestic violence and another for disorderly conduct.

The Findlay Police Department is in need of a few more people to help out with Flag City Night Out.

The popular community event will be held on Tuesday, August 1^st at Riverside Park beginning at 6 p.m.

Click here for the list of positions needing to be filled for the event and to sign up.

The free, family-friendly community event is designed to bring community members and public safety professionals together in the same place.

There will be free food and refreshments, live demonstrations, entertainment and other fun activities.

Also, the youngsters will enjoy the large assortment of emergency vehicles like fire trucks, ambulances and police cruisers.

Flag City Night Out will be held at Findlay’s Riverside Park on the west side of McManness Avenue on Tuesday, August 1st from 6 to 9 p.m.

The rain date will be the following Tuesday.

The Findlay Police Department is investigating a stabbing that sent a person to the hospital.

It happened in the 200 block of North Main Street at approximately 10:50 Saturday night.

Police say they responded to the area on the report that a male had been stabbed.

Upon arriving at the scene, officers were made aware that the victim had been taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital by private vehicle.

Officers spoke with witnesses who described a fight between multiple people in the area, but none had witnessed the victim being stabbed.

Officers spoke to the victim at the hospital and were unable to ascertain a description of the suspect.

Police said the victim was treated for a small puncture wound to the abdomen.

Some area fire departments received some good news regarding grants they applied for.

The Southwestern Hancock Joint Fire District says it has been awarded a $661,904 grant through the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program.

The grant money will be used to replace one of their engines.

The volunteer fire district said this is their second award with Ohio First Responder Grants.

The Vanlue Fire Department says it was also awarded an AFG grant it applied for.

They will be receiving a $50,000 grant which will be used to purchase a Cascade System, which is a compressor and fill station, allowing them to refill all of their air bottles for their self contained breathing apparatus air packs.

“This is a huge purchase for our department, to which we will receive tremendous benefits from. I want to thank Mickey Smith with Ohio First Responder Grants and his staff for all of their time and assistance in preparing and submission of our grant application!” said Chief Mark Price.

Local student artists will learn about the world of picture book art in a fun, exciting way during the Mazza Art Camp at the University of Findlay’s Mazza Museum.

Young artists will create daily art projects using different techniques and media inspired by original illustrations from picture books.

At the end of the week, they will attend a reception to honor one another and the pieces of art they’ve created.

The camp, for kids in grades 4-8, will be held from July 24-28.

(picture courtesy of the University of Findlay)

UPDATE- Due to very warm weather in the forecast, the city has changed the date for the event to Thursday, October 5th, instead of Wednesday, July 26.

There’s an event coming up offering people a chance to get outside and get active and possibly also make a connection with a shelter dog.

Dogs from the Humane Society and SPCA of Hancock County who are longing for their ‘furever’ home will be part of the Wags and Walks event at Emory Adams Park.

The event coming up on Wednesday, July 26 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. is part of Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn’s Move with the Mayor campaign.

“The mayor wants to get people active, at least 30 minutes of activity, and what better way than to walk a shelter dog,” said Natalie Reffitt with the Humane Society at a previous event.

People will have the chance to take a shelter dog for a walk around the park to see if they make a connection.

The event will be held at the shelter house next to the Fort Findlay playground.

People are welcome to bring their own pets.

Click here to see what animals are currently up for adoption at the Humane Society and SPCA of Hancock County.

(From Hancock Park District)

Residents and landowners of Hancock County will have the opportunity to participate in the Hancock Park District’s Hunting-with-Permission Lottery program provided in cooperation with Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife.

This year’s lottery will be posted on the Hancock Park District’s Facebook page at 6pm Tuesday, September 12. Winners will be announced at that time and those selected will be notified by email. All current rules and regulations and parking passes will then be emailed.

Participants will not be required to have a Facebook account in order to participate in the drawing. Interested individuals must register online at HancockParks.com under “Park News” between August 1 and August 31.

There is a limit of 5 entries per person. Winners will be chosen from the following categories: 5 Deer/ Gun Permits; 5 Deer/ Muzzleloader Permits; 10 Small Game Permits; 10 Deer/ Archery Permits; 5 Youth Hunt Permits. Interested youth must be 17 years of age or younger for the upcoming youth season in order to be eligible for Youth Hunting Permits.

The season for hunting at Litzenberg Memorial Woods will run from November 1, 2023 to January 31, 2024.

Additional information about the Hunting-with-Permission Lottery program can be found online at HancockParks.com under “Park News”. You may also contact our office during normal business hours 8 AM – 4:30 PM Monday – Friday at 419-425-7275.

The state has awarded more than $9.8 million for projects to improve safety for students walking and biking to school.

Among the area school districts receiving grant funding are the Carey Exempted Village School District and Columbus Grove Local Schools.

The Carey Exempted Village School District will be receiving $347,325 for partial funding to extend a walk south of Memorial Park Boulevard for future extension to a nearby residential area, and to add a walk along the north side of Crabapple Drive from the crossing at the intersection with Yule Tree Drive to the High Street sidewalk.

Columbus Grove Local Schools will be receiving $100,000 for partial funding for pedestrian crossing enhancements at the intersections of High Street with Pendleton Street and Cross Street. Improvements include signage, crosswalk, and rectangular rapid flashing beacons.

The Safe Routes to School program provides funding for infrastructure like new sidewalks and path extensions, crosswalks and rapid flashing beacons, bicycle lanes, and other safety equipment around Ohio schools.

It also provides programming for communities to help encourage and enable K-12 students living within 2 miles of their schools to walk or ride a bike.