(From the University of Findlay)

University of Findlay is now home to approximately 100,000 bees and a new bee club called The Hive. Two UF students, D’alan Seyer and Jillella Weingart, founded the club and donated half of their own personal bee collection to the University.

The pair shared a natural interest in agriculture and the production of products and through a bee class found a passion for bees. “We went to a small class in Celina to learn about beekeeping and we fell in love with it,” said Seyer. “I’m excited to be able to share it with others and I hope The Hive lasts for a long time on campus,” added Weingart.

The Hive was approved as a new club on campus, with Seyer and Weingart serving as the club president and vice president respectively. The first informational meeting was held to gauge interest on campus and the attendance was unexpected. “We were all really surprised with the amount of interest,” said Lauren Sandhu, M.S., instructor of teaching in Biology and faculty adviser to The Hive. “After ensuring that it was ok to have bee boxes on campus, we held the meeting and nearly 40 students expressed interest in joining The Hive.”

To start, two hives (50,000 bees per hive) were placed on campus to help with pollination. With the help and support of Ben Taylor, assistant vice president of facilities services, one of the boxes was placed near the Hoop House, where students work to plant and grow various types of plants and produce throughout the year. The second box was placed near the greenhouse. Seyer and Weingart said they would love to see the number of hives grow from two to six (300,000 bees) but want to do so in a controlled and planned manner.

With bees now on campus, the goal is to get students involved. “It’s a really unique, hands-on opportunity. The educational aspect of this is limitless,” said Sandhu. “We can talk about native plants, native bees, honeybees, honey products, attracting pollinators, and bee research.” Sandhu said some students have already expressed interest in doing research on the honeybees and the parasite varroa mites, which has been linked to dwindling honeybee numbers.

The Hive is a student organization, has no membership fees or dues, and does not require equipment. “You don’t have to be a beekeeper to be part of The Hive. You can come to learn about bees and ecology, join us on nature hikes, and learn more about production,” said Seyer. The group has attracted the attention of other area bee clubs not associated with the University of Findlay, relationships Seyer and Weingart hope to expand upon to create learning opportunities for community members.

When asked about an end goal with the bees on campus, Seyer and Weingart say they would like to continue to work with the University of Findlay and the city to become a “bee affiliate” campus and city. To reach that goal, the University and city would need to increase the abundance of native plants, provide pollinator-friendly habitats, and provide educational outreach to the local community.

Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH5) announced Charlotte Smith, a sophomore at Eastwood High School, as the winner of Ohio’s Fifth District 2024 Congressional Art Competition.

Smith’s winning artwork, entitled Sacagawea and her Babe, will be displayed at the U.S. Capitol Building for one year. Three honorable mention winners will have their artwork displayed in one of Latta’s congressional offices for the year.

127 high school students from 31 high schools participated in this year’s competition. Latta hosted a reception at Bowling Green State University on Saturday, May 4^th, to honor all participants and to showcase each individual work of art.

 The top prize winners were selected by Matthew Kyba, Curator School of Art Bowling Green State University, Matthew Bowlus, Curatorial Assistant Bowling Green State University, and Precious Gyekye, Curatorial Assistant Bowling Green State University.

“Each year, I’m amazed by the creativity and talent of high school students from Ohio’s Fifth District who participate in the Congressional Art Competition,” Latta said. 

“This year, we had a record 127 students from 31 schools participate, and I want to thank each and every one of them for showcasing their hard work and talent. Congratulations to Charlotte for taking home this year’s top-prize. Her piece, Sacagawea and her Babe, will be a wonderful addition to hang in the U.S. Capitol Building complex!”

(From the United Way of Hancock County)

Hancock County has been allocated federal funds through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the Emergency Food and Shelter National Board program (EFSP) to supplement emergency food and shelter programs.

The selection was made by a national board that is chaired by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and consists of representatives from American Red Cross; Catholic Charities, USA; National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA; The Jewish Federations of North America; The Salvation Army; and United Way Worldwide.

The local board is charged to distribute funds appropriated by Congress to help expand the capacity of food and shelter programs in high-need areas around the country. The local board, made up of representative nonprofits, will determine how the funds awarded to Hancock County are to be distributed among the emergency food and shelter programs run by local service agencies in the area.

Under the terms of the grant from the national board, local agencies chosen to receive funds must: 1) be private, voluntary nonprofits or units of government, 2) be eligible to receive federal funds, 3) have an accounting system, 4) practice nondiscrimination, 5) have demonstrated the capability to deliver emergency food and/or shelter programs, and 6) if they are a private voluntary organization, have a voluntary board. Qualifying agencies are urged to apply.

To apply for Emergency Food and Shelter Program funds, public or private voluntary agencies must contact Kaleb Brown (impact@uwhancock.org) at United Way of Hancock County, 318 W. Main Cross St., Findlay, Ohio, or call 419-423-1432.

The deadline to apply for funding is May 13, 2024.

The Findlay Police Department says one person was injured in a two-vehicle crash.

The crash happened on East Sandusky Street in front of the fairgrounds at around noon on Monday.

Police say Kendyl Bame, 24, of Findlay, was driving a Jeep Wrangler westbound and failed to stop in time and rear-ended an SUV that was stopped due to traffic.

The driver of the SUV, Susan Bunn, 62, of Fostoria, was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital for a possible head and neck injury.

Police say Bame was issued a citation.

The Family Resource Center in Findlay will be putting on a Kinship Care Event.

“Kinship care plays a vital role in providing a stable and supportive environment to children,” said the Family Resource Center.

There are many kinship care families in our area, where a child is being raised by a non-parent member of the family.

Sometimes these are grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, or aunt/uncles raising nieces/nephews because of a family’s unique situation.

These families are often searching for connection with other kinship families, and the Wednesday event hopes to make some of those connections. 

The event will be held on Wednesday, May 8^th from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Lindamood Room at the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library.

Get more details in the flyer below.

(From Hancock Public Health)

Buckle up for Safety! Join us at our Car Seat Check Extravaganza!

Hey awesome parents and guardians! Ready to turn your car into the safest ride on the block?

Swing by our Car Seat Check Event and let our certified experts make sure your little ones are riding in style and safety!

What to expect:

FREE Car Seat Inspections

Expert Tips & Tricks

Fun Goodie Bags for the Kiddos

Save the date this Thursday May 9th and buckle up for a fantastic day of safety and smiles!

Walk -ins welcome or sign up here: https://forms.gle/Ba97k5WMDoiWyvCq7

(From the City of Findlay)

The City of Findlay is performing numerous construction projects throughout the city. The status of some of the projects is weather and contractor schedule permitting. Listed below are some of the projects and the restrictions that result from the ongoing projects. These restrictions are in effect from May 6, 2024, until further notice.

IMPERIAL LANE – Saratoga Drive to Bristol Drive – Imperial Lane will be closed to through traffic from Saratoga Drive to Bristol Drive for curb replacement.

GREENDALE AVENUE – Bright Road to Sutton Place – Greendale Avenue will be closed to through traffic from Bright Road to Sutton Place for curb replacement.

LAUREL LANE – Northridge Road to Sweetwater Road – Laurel Lane will be closed to through traffic from Northridge Road to Sweetwater Road for waterline installation.

BROAD AVENUE/BIGELOW AVENUE – Melrose Avenue to Main Street – Broad Avenue and Bigelow Avenue will be reduced to one lane in each direction from Melrose Avenue to Main Street for curb replacement and resurfacing.

I-75 OVERPASS ON W. BIGELOW AVENUE – The I-75 Overpass on W. Bigelow Avenue will be open. East bound traffic will only be right turn only onto Broad Avenue.

Motorists are advised to avoid these areas if possible. Short delays are expected in these areas over the next week.

The Engineering Department will release updates on information and schedules when it becomes available. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about any of these projects at 419-424-7121.

The month of May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says they’re seeing more crashes involving motorcycles on Ohio’s roadways as temperatures warm up.

Lt. Nathan Dennis with the Ohio State Highway Patrol wants to make clear that everyone needs to be alert because crashes with motorcycles are likely to cause more injuries.

“Use caution when you approach intersections or are changing lanes, make sure you are really looking for motorcycles this time of year.”

The Highway Patrol is reminding motorcyclists that they need to be properly trained in motorcycle safety, have a motorcycle endorsement, always wear a helmet, and not consume alcohol or drugs when operating a motorcycle.

And they’re asking everyone else on the roadways to always pay attention for motorcycles.

Ohio law requires helmets for riders under 18 and drivers with less than one year of motorcycle experience.

Passengers on motorcycles must also wear a helmet when the driver is required to do so.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and other area sheriff’s offices are saluting its correctional officers during National Correctional Officers Week which runs from May 5 through May 11.

We spoke with Captain Jesse Sterrett, Jail Administrator, about the crucial role correctional officers perform.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office took to its Facebook page to recognize its correctional officers and that post can be seen below.

Captain Sterrett recently took over as Jail Administrator from Captain Kidwell, who retired, and you can read more about that by clicking here. 

The University of Findlay held its commencement ceremonies on Saturday.

We spoke with Cate, from Perrysburg, after she completed the traditional Arch Ceremony with her fellow graduates. 

“I walked through it (the Arch) during COVID, which was certainly a wild time, and to walk through it now and see it be just so normal is really exciting,” Cate told WFIN.

“The University of Findlay has given me so much and so I’m really grateful for it.”

Cate earned her undergraduate degree in Primary Education and will be pursuing a master’s degree in Reading from UF.

Cate is also on the basketball team and was granted a fifth year of eligibility due to the COVID year and is excited to be coming back.

Overall, 902 students graduated, with some earning multiple degrees.

Associate Degrees: 16

Bachelor’s Degrees: 432

Master’s Degrees: 314

Doctoral Degrees: 152

The grads come from 39 states and 24 countries.

The youngest graduated was 18-years-old and the oldest was 67.

See video of the Arch Ceremony below.

As freshmen, the students walked through the Arch towards Old Main to symbolize the start of their journey at UF, and tradition states that students must not walk back through the Arch until commencement, or they wouldn’t graduate.