The superintendent of Tiffin City Schools is charged with driving under the influence after being pulled over in Marion County.

Court records in Marion Municipal Court show Gary Barber, 55, is charged with OVI, OVI test refusal and a traffic lane violation.

Records show the alleged violations happened at 10:49 Friday night November 29th.

Barber was issued a summons to appear in court on February 5th.

In 2017 Barber entered a no contest plea to an OVI charge in Tiffin Municipal Court and he paid a fine and had his license suspended for 6 months.

The Tiffin City Schools Board of Education issued the following statement:

The Board wants to advise staff, students and the parents of the school district that Superintendent Barber is presently on a medical leave of absence.

The Board is looking into all of the current circumstances and will be developing a plan for the effective and efficient management of the operations of the District.

At present, Assistant Superintendent Bob Boes continues to manage the day-to-day operations with the support of the District’s competent administrative team.

Just because recreational marijuana is legal in Michigan doesn’t mean drivers can take it across the border to Ohio.

That’s what the Ohio State Highway Patrol is saying this week, adding that they’re concerned about drivers being stoned while crossing state lines.

Officers will be conducting impairment tests if they suspect someone is high while operating a vehicle.

In the 2018 midterm election, Michigan became the 10th state to approve the recreational use of cannabis.

Marijuana for recreational use by adults went on sale in Michigan on December 1st.

(ONN) – Ohio’s top law enforcement official has sent more than $325,000 in grants for new body armor to local police departments over the past three months.

Attorney General Dave Yost said the money went to some 60 police departments through the Ohio Law Enforcement Body Armor Program.

The program was launched in August 2018 by then-Attorney General Mike DeWine after the Associated Press reported more than 50 Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation agents were wearing expired bulletproof vests despite pleas for replacement vests.

The Findlay Police Department did not apply for this particular grant.

They had previously been awarded funds through the Department of Justice Ballistic Vest Partnership, which they have participated in for several years.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says a woman was injured when she ran a stop sign and caused a crash.

It happened a little before 6 p.m. on Wednesday at County Road 212 and Township Road 230, on the northeast side of Findlay.

The sheriff’s office says Shianne Newman, 25, of Findlay, was driving north on Township Road 230 when she failed to yield for traffic and turned west onto County Road 212.

Her car was hit by an SUV driven by Gaye Habib, 24, of Findlay.

Newman was injured in the crash and was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital.

Both vehicles sustained disabling damage in the crash and had to be towed.

Newman was cited for failure to yield at a stop sign, and Habib was cited for driving under suspension.

The Hancock County Grand Jury indicted 36-year-old Kory Conley on two vehicular homicide charges Tuesday.

Hancock County Prosecutor Phil Riegel explained that 36-year-old Kory Conley is accused of hitting 55-year-old Kenny Bender on September 27.

Bender was hospitalized but passed away due to his injuries on October 4.

You can learn more about the accident here and about Bender here.

Kenny loved riding his bike around town and, in his memory, a lot of people participated in a special bike ride to his funeral.

Findlay City Council gave the Blanchard Street project a second reading at its meeting on Tuesday.

The project will likely receive a third reading and could be voted on at council’s next meeting on December 17th.

The controversial proposal calls for reconfiguring Blanchard Street into one lane in either direction, with a dedicated center turn lane, from Sixth Street to Center Street.

The project also calls for a bike lane to be constructed on either side of the street.

The city says the project would improve safety at 17 intersections along the Blanchard Street corridor and reduce rear-end and T-bone crashes.

The project also includes a multi-use path along Lincoln Street.

Some residents have been outspoken in their opposition to the project.

The mayor admitted the project could have been better communicated to the public.

The estimated cost is $2.7 million, of which all but $214,000 would be covered by grants from the Ohio Department of Transportation.

The city says its max share of the cost would be no more than $328,000.

Councilman Jeff Wobser is proposing a scaled-down version of the project that doesn’t include dedicated bike lanes and would not receive any money from the state.

Ohio State’s Ryan Day is the 2019 Big Ten Dave McLain Coach of the Year.

Members of the media who cover the conference gave Day the honor, making him the first Buckeyes head coach in 40-years to take home the award since Earle Bruce in 1979.

Since the Big Ten first began giving out Coach of the Year, prior to Day, an Ohio State coach had only been chosen three times with Woody Hayes winning in 1973 and 1975 and Bruce in 1979.

Including Day, each of the coaches to win the award led the Buckeyes to an undefeated regular-season record.

(picture courtesy of Ric Kruszynski of Columbus Wired)

Habitat for Humanity of Findlay/Hancock County honored several volunteers during its annual Volunteer Celebration Dinner.

Details are in the following news release from the organization.

At the annual Volunteer Celebration dinner November 13, Habitat for Humanity of Findlay/Hancock County recognized several outstanding volunteers for contributions to the organization. The dinner, which was sponsored by Olive Garden, was held at First Presbyterian Church in Findlay.

Although Habitat is blessed to work with hundreds of outstanding volunteers each year, the following stood out and were recognized for their tremendous efforts in 2019.

Photo of the Year is presented to the photographer whose photo best represents what Habitat means to our volunteers, partners and families. This year’s award was presented to Rhiana Grieger. The photo taken by Rhiana (above) shows herself and fellow Habitat 2019 new homeowner Shae Golden working together and building a bond and a home as they construct Habitat’s 43rd house in Hancock County.

Youth Leadership Volunteer of the Year is presented to a volunteer under 25-years-old who exemplifies outstanding character and leadership. This year’s award was presented to Halle Sattler. Halle is immediate past president of the University of Findlay Habitat Chapter. She proved herself as an invaluable volunteer during Habitat’s move to its new location at 1200 Commerce Parkway. While at UF, she went participated in alternative spring break programs and represented both the campus and the affiliate at Habitat on the Hill advocacy day in Washington DC.

Golden Hammer Award is presented to someone who demonstrates understanding, commitment and contribution to multiple programs to support the overall mission of Habitat. This year’s award was presented to Dan Eborg. Dan is one of the crew leaders on the construction and repair team. He has over 10 years of service with Habitat, logging over 1,000 hours on new builds, home rehabs and critical repair projects. Dan helped Habitat by developing blueprints and house plans for the construction team and training volunteers to carry out those plans.

Paul Geyer Leadership Volunteer of the Year recognizes our affiliate’s most exceptional leaders and visionaries. This year’s award was presented to Mike Pepple. Mike has served as a Board Member since 2013. He was the Board Development Chairperson 2013-2015, served as Vice President 2015-2018, and has been Board President since April 2018. He was instrumental in securing construction financing for Habitat’s new location, as well as coordinating a plan for the capital campaign and the relocation. Mike has attended every Raise the Wall ceremony, every home dedication, and volunteered on every project since joining the Board. Mike attended the Habitat for Humanity State Conference in October, where he was named 2019 Volunteer of the Year in Ohio.

Ohio lawmakers are looking at a new bill that would create an automatic voter registration system.

Details of Senate Bill 186 show the proposal would automatically register people to vote when they go to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles for a driver’s license or official state ID.

People would have an option to decline.

The bill has received bipartisan support with those in favor saying registration at the BMV could update addresses and cut down on the number of provisional ballots cast in Ohio elections.

With the deadline to register for the March primary on February 18th, the bill’s sponsor, State Senator Vernon Sykes, says he hopes to see it passed early next year.

(ONN) – A school district in Ohio is using cameras on school buses to catch drivers who blow past stopped buses.

Before they were installed on the school buses in Mentor, in northeast Ohio, police only gave out nine citations.

So far this year, police have already issued 42 citations thanks to those cameras.

Bus drivers like Pat Keegan say it’s a relief.

“The most dangerous time is when the kids are getting on and getting off, and we’re trying to make that as safe as we possibly can.”

A citation for violating the state’s laws regarding school buses requires a court appearance and violators could face a $500 fine.