(ONN) – Ohio lawmakers have introduced a bill to forbid employment and housing discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community.

The latest iteration of the Ohio Fairness Act was introduced by Democratic Rep. Michael Skindell and Republican Rep. Brett Hillyer.

The Columbus Dispatch reports the bill’s unveiling comes about two weeks after a request from minority Democrats to extend employment protections to gay house employees was denied by House Speaker Larry Householder.

A similar bill has been filed every session of legislation since 2003 but has only won passage in the House in 2009, before it died in the Senate.

Jury selection is underway in Ohio in the first federal trial over the nation’s opioid epidemic.

The landmark trial in federal court in Cleveland focuses on lawsuits filed by Cuyahoga and Summit Counties claiming drug companies that made, distributed and sold prescription painkillers engaged in a deadly conspiracy that has inflicted massive damage on their communities.

The trial is considered a bellwether because it could help shape how future trials are conducted or possibly help spur a global settlement.

Opening statements are Monday in what is expected to be a trial lasting more than two months.

Three teachers were were honored Wednesday evening at the local Golden Apple Awards Ceremony hosted by the Findlay Rotary Club.

4th-grade teacher Tom Whipkey from Wilson Vance won the elementary division.

Wendi Davis is an instrumental music director at Cory-Rawson Local Schools and won the middle school division.

The high school award went to Cassie Van Horn, a program instructor at Millstream Career Center.

They were all humbled by the experience saying that they had some stiff competition from respected colleagues.

The three received “golden apples” from Dietsch Brothers as well as a $2,500 cash prize.

The three were chosen among 9 semi-finalists. They received “golden apples” from Dietsch Brothers as well as a $2,500 cash prize.

They are all also invited to join the Golden Apple Academy which consists of past Golden Apple Award finalists.

The Blanchard Valley Hospital was named one of the top community hospitals in the U.S.

Becker’s Hospital Review listed Blanchard Valley Hospital in its list of “100 Great Community Hospitals”.

According to the review, hospitals were judged on quality, accolades, and service to their community.

BVHS president and CEO Scott Malaney said that they are extremely honored to be included on the list.

Malaney said and quote, “This kind of recognition is a testament to the quality of the associates, physicians, and volunteers that work in our organization, and demonstrates our ability to deliver safe, high-quality care for the communities we serve.”

A programming note for people who were planning to tune into WFIN for the Findlay Trojans football game Friday night at Toledo St. Johns.

The game will be online only on our secondary stream at WFIN.com due to the fact that the Ohio State Buckeyes have a rare Friday night game on WFIN against Northwestern.

Contractual obligations call for the Ohio State game to be on-air and online Friday night, while the Trojans game will be online on our secondary stream.

The Findlay Trojans game will be available online at WFIN.com on Friday by clicking on the banner for the game.

The Trojans broadcast will begin at 6:30, while coverage of the Buckeyes game begins at 7.

See our full sports schedule here. 

Findlay has a record of 3-4 after a 28-21 win at Clay last Friday.

The next director of the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library is looking forward to taking over the reins in January.

“This is the community I want to serve, I went to storytime at this library, I’ve grown up here and this is the library system I want to be part of,” said Sarah Clevidence, the library’s current assistant director.

Sarah knows she has big shoes to fill when she takes over for the retiring Jeff Winkle, and she expects it to be a rather seamless transition.

“We have an excellent library, a wonderful staff, a supportive community and a dedicated board so we’re already heading in a great direction here.”

Sarah has been with the library since 1996 when she got a part-time job there as a teenager.

She said, in the interview all those years ago she was asked why she wanted to work at the library.

“And I was just dumbfounded by the question, because where else would I want to work.”

Jeff Winkle’s retirement will be effective January 10th, and Sarah will take over as director on January 11th.

The Ohio Department of Transportation is advising drivers of an upcoming ramp closure in Findlay.

ODOT says the flyover exit ramp from Interstate 75 southbound to U.S. 68/State Route 15 will close overnight on Sunday, October 20th for paving.

The ramp will close at approximately 7 p.m. Sunday and is expected to reopen by 7 a.m. Monday.

Traffic wishing to access U.S. 68/State Route 15 from I-75 southbound will be detoured east onto State Route 12 (West Main Cross), then onto South Main Street, and then directed to continue south to the U.S. 68 interchange with State Route 15, south of Findlay.

The work is part of the Interstate 75 reconstruction and widening project through Findlay.

(ONN) – Ohioans have less than a year to get a federally compliant driver’s licenses or ID needed for future air travel.

State officials say fewer than one in three Ohioans has obtained the beefed-up identification, which requires extra documents including at least two showing proof of residency.

The government will no longer recognize standard driver’s licenses and state ID cards for boarding a plane beginning on October 1st, 2020.

Travelers will need a compliant license or other compliant ID such as a passport or military ID.

Non-compliant licenses and IDs can still be used for driving and voting.

In 2005 Congress passed the Real ID Act which created a nationwide security standard for the issuance of drivers licenses.

Click here for more on the difference between a compliant and a non-compliant license.

The Kiwanis and 4-H Family Fun Day is coming up later this month and will feature a costumed 5-K.

The Hancock County OSU Extension’s Karen McDougall said that the Trick-or-Trot 5K helps raise money for local organizations.

This year the money will be split between camp scholarships and the Kiwanis Closet.

The day will start off with a Trunk or Treat event and costume contest between 1:30 and 3:30 pm for no charge. The 5K kicks off at 4 pm and costs $15 to take part.

The Family Fun day will be from 1:30 – 5 pm Saturday, October 26 at the Hancock County Fairgrounds.

You can find more information and get registered here.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office has received a grant to help cut down on fatal accidents and improve traffic safety.

The Ohio Traffic Safety Office awarded over $41,300 to the sheriff’s office for the fiscal year 2020.

The sheriff’s office will use the grant to focus on priority areas such as distracted and impaired driving and safety belt usage.

The OTSO awards competitive grants to organizations for projects that they think will have the greatest impact.