The new Hancock County Judicial Center building is nearly finished.

The Hancock County Commissioner’s office says construction is essentially finished and now they’re working on things like occupancy permits and elevator inspections.

The county is hoping to take possession of the building in December and move in offices in January and then hold a ribbon-cutting after they’re settled in. The groundbreaking for the building was held in June of 2023. 

Commissioner Tim Bechtol says the new three-story building at 209 West Main Cross will house Probate and Juvenile Court which are currently located in a building just east of that location.

As Bechtol mentioned in the audio above, juvenile probation offices will be on the second floor and adult probation on the first floor.

The Domestic Relations Court will also be moving from the courthouse into the new building.

CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, will also move its offices into the new building.

The new facility is named the Allan H. Davis Judicial Center after the longtime judge for the Probate and Juvenile Court.  

There will be staff parking behind the building and the Hancock County Commissioners said they have come to a long-term deal with MCPA to use the northwest corner of their parking lot for public parking.  

As for the current Probate/Juvenile Court building, Commissioner Tim Bechtol has said he’d like to remove the additions that were added to it over the years and preserve the original historic structure, but what will happen to it has not yet been decided.

(From the City of Findlay)

The City of Findlay would like to thank the Owens Community College Center for Emergency Preparedness for their assistance during the recent trauma & triage training course for the Findlay Fire Department and Hanco EMS. The three-day training took place at the STRICT Center. Owens provided the wound props, moulage, mannequins, and other practice equipment. Role players—up to 8 off-duty firefighters for each training session—made the class difficult and effective.

John Leonard, Owens coordinator for Emergency Services Technology, provided the on-site expertise aimed at making the training as realistic as possible. Findlay Firefighter-Paramedic Seth Longanbach, EMS program manager for the fire department and an EMS Instructor, provided the logistics and course preparation ahead of time.

Part of the training included running groups through scenarios that closely resembled real-world emergencies or mass casualty situations. At one of the afternoon trainings, the injuries included a fireworks accident, falling from a ladder, a stabbing and an active shooter situation.

“We want to make it stressful, like, now it’s real, it’s different than playing around with your friends,” Leonard said. “We want them to be stressed. We want that tactile experience to train their mind.”

According to Findlay Fire Chief Josh Eberle, the cooperation between local agencies and Owens Community College is one they hope to continue. “This collaboration between the Findlay Fire Department and Owens Community College really worked out well for everyone involved. The training scenarios were extremely effective, which was a result of lifelike scenarios provided by Mr. Leonard and a realistic setting in the STRICT Center. It’s a partnership we hope to continue in the future.”

(From the Hancock Historical Museum)

The Hancock Historical Museum invites the community to a festive installment of its Brown Bag Lecture Series on Thursday, December 5, at noon. This lecture will be presented by the museum’s Curator and Archivist, Joy Bennett, who brings over 12 years of expertise at the museum and nearly a decade of experience hosting classic movie nights.

Titled “Holiday Magic: A Journey Through the History of Hallmark Christmas Movies,” the presentation will uncover the origins and evolution of Hallmark’s beloved holiday films. Joy will explore the heartfelt storytelling, timeless themes, and cultural impact of these movies, showcasing their enduring role in shaping cherished holiday traditions. The lecture will also examine the influence of classic Christmas movies on Hallmark’s holiday films. By identifying recurring themes in traditional favorites such as Christmas in Connecticut and White Christmas, Joy will highlight how Hallmark has woven these elements into its signature style, creating modern classics that continue to enchant audiences.

The lecture will run approximately 45 minutes to an hour, allowing plenty of time for questions and discussion. Guests are welcome to bring their own lunches to enjoy during the program. Admission is free for museum members and $3 for non-members.

The Brown Bag Lecture Series is held on the first Thursday of every month at the Hancock Historical Museum, located at 422 West Sandusky Street in Findlay. Each lecture highlights topics of historical and cultural significance to Hancock County and Ohio.

No registration is required for this event. For additional details, contact the Hancock Historical Museum at (419) 423-4433 or visit www.hancockhistoricalmuseum.org.

The City of Findlay leaf pick-up will continue for a few more days.

It began on November 18 and will run through Friday, December 6.

City employees will collect leaves that have been placed in biodegradable paper bags at the curb.

Plastic bags and loose leaves will not be picked up.

Bagged leaves are to be placed by the curb.

Limbs that are placed beside the bagged leaves will also be picked up.

The limbs will be picked up separately from the leaves.

City residents may continue to drop leaves at the green waste site located at 330 North Cory Street at no charge.

The last day for the green waste site will be December 7.

The green waste site is intended for residential use only.

No contractors are permitted to use this site.

Only tree trimmings, brush, leaves, and grass clippings can be dumped in designated areas at the site.

A good-sized crowd braved the cold weather to watch Santa Claus himself light up the City of Findlay Christmas Tree.

Santa was joined by Mayor Christina Muryn as they lit up the tree at 6 o’clock Friday night in front of the municipal building and the crowd cheered.

Findlay First Edition then led the crowd in some carols which you can hear in the video below.

The tree is a 30-foot-tall blue spruce and was donated by Findlay residents John and Betty Lee.

The star atop the tree was made by students at Millstream Career Center in 2021.

The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation has announced the schedule for its ‘Fun for All’ series of free community events for December.

The events scheduled so far are listed below and more will be added as they become available.

3 – Santa Clause Movie
7:30 p.m.
Marathon Center for the Performing Arts
Free, NO ticket required. First come, first served seating.

7 – Lunch and Activities with Santa
12 – 2 p.m.
50 North
Registration required: Find Yourself at 50 North, Findlay, Ohio

“We’ve heard time and time again that finding affordable, family-friendly activities is a challenge in Hancock County. The Community Foundation is proud to provide Fun for All to help bridge the gap,” said Community Foundation President and CEO Brian Treece.

Brian says the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation is thankful to its community partners for making the events possible.

(From the Ohio State Highway Patrol)

The 13th annual “Lights for Lives” campaign proved to be another successful operation, demonstrating the positive impact of multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional collaboration. In the interest of public safety, the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Findlay District, along with law enforcement agencies from Williams, Fulton, Lucas, Defiance, Henry, Wood, Putnam, Paulding, Hancock, Van Wert, Allen, and Hardin counties, came together for this important initiative.

The “Lights for Lives” campaign is a cooperative enforcement effort where officers focus on stopping vehicles committing traffic violations, activating their overhead lights during each stop with the goal of saving lives. This year’s operation took place from 6 p.m. on November 25 to 6 a.m. on November 27, marking the start of the holiday driving season.

During the 36-hour traffic safety initiative, officers stopped 894 vehicles for traffic violations and issued 449 citations. Among these citations, 26 were for safety belt violations, underscoring the importance of safety belt usage. Additionally, officers removed eight impaired drivers from northwest Ohio roadways, potentially preventing impaired driving-related crashes from occurring.

Roadway safety remains a shared responsibility and a commitment to safe driving habits can help ensure safer roadways for everyone. On behalf of all participating law enforcement agencies, we remind motorists this holiday season to always:

· Buckle up – It’s the most effective way to save your life in the event of a crash.

· Move over – Motorists must move over when flashing lights are seen on the roadside. If unable to move over due to traffic or road conditions, motorists must slow down.

· Never drive impaired – Designate a sober driver or make other travel arrangements.

Motorists are encouraged to safely dial #677 or 911 to report impaired or reckless drivers.

What are the chances of us having a White Christmas this year in Findlay and northwest Ohio?

Well, WFIN’s Chris Oaks invited WTOL-11 Chief Meteorologist Chris Vickers on the show to discuss what goes into predicting whether we’ll get any snow for Christmas.

Vickers says, this year, he’s expecting warmer than average temperatures across northwest Ohio and below average snowfall.

Get Chris Oaks’ full interview with Chris Vickers in the audio below.

(From the Ohio Division of Wildlife)

Ohio’s weeklong deer gun hunting season begins Monday, Dec. 2, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The gun season traditionally begins the Monday after Thanksgiving, is open to all hunters, and runs until Sunday, Dec. 8. An additional deer gun weekend follows on Dec. 21-22.

Ohio’s first deer gun season was in 1943, and excitement has remained high for white-tailed deer hunting ever since. Deer gun harvest totals are typically highest in eastern Ohio. Coshocton (2,440), Tuscarawas (2,260), Ashtabula (2,189), Muskingum (2,076), and Knox (1,878) counties led the state during the 2023 seven-day gun season. 

Hunters harvested 95,606 deer during all 2023 gun seasons (gun week, December gun weekend, and youth weekend). That total includes 70,103 deer taken during the seven-day gun season. Hunters ages 17 and younger checked 10,033 deer during the 2023 youth weekend, and another 15,470 deer in the December gun weekend. The three-year average (2021 to 2023) for these seasons is 93,207.

(From the Seneca County Drug Task Force)

On Monday, November 25, 2024, the Seneca County Drug Task Force-METRICH Enforcement Unit, along with additional Officers from the Fostoria Police Department, and Agents from the Federal Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF), Toledo Division apprehended a fleeing fugitive, in the City of Fostoria, Seneca, County, Ohio.

While preparing to execute a drug-related search warrant on a residence located at 739 Cherry Street, Fostoria, Ohio, that being the residence of Christopher Conley, Agents observed a subject by the name of Clarence David Smith Jr., who was a known fugitive, leaving the residence. A brief pursuit occurred, and Smith was discovered hiding in a garage in the 900 block of North Main Street, Fostoria, Ohio.

Upon placing Smith under arrest, Agents discovered additional Crack Cocaine, Heroin, and US Currency. Once Smith was in custody, agents and officers executed the search warrant at the residence of 739 Cherry Street, Fostoria, Ohio. The search warrant resulted in an additional small amount of Cocaine and instruments indicative of drug trafficking and abuse.

Arrested was Clarence David Smith Jr., 53 YOA for the outstanding drug trafficking warrant out of Seneca County and Aggravated Burglary, Failure to comply, tampering with evidence, and resisting arrest. And Christopher R. Conley, 46 YOA for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Additional charges of Possession of Crack Cocaine and Heroin are both pending on Smith upon further investigation.

“The Task Force has indicated that Mr. Smith is a person of interest in the drug trade that plagues our community. We have been receiving multiple complaints regarding him and the residence located at 739 Cherry Street being suspected in the illegal sales of drugs. We will continue to utilize all of the resources we have available to pursue these individuals who choose to poison our community. This is certainly not Mr. Smith’s first rodeo suspecting to be involved in drug trafficking.”……Chief Gabriel Wedge, Fostoria Police Department, said.

“I encourage citizens to continue reporting suspicious activity to their local agencies or the Seneca County Drug Task Force – METRICH Enforcement Unit Crime Hotline.ne at Local 419-443-0463, ext: 1140.”