Construction of the new roundabout near U.S. 68 and S.R. 15 on the south side of Findlay has begun, and with it comes road and ramp closures. 

The Ohio Department of Transportation says U.S. 68 and the S.R. 15 and U.S. 68 eastbound ramps closed on Monday and will remain closed for approximately 75 days.

The suggested detour is listed below.

ODOT’s Cheri Newton explains how the project came about.

ODOT says the project is needed because Township Roads 49 and 77, which currently provide access to U.S. 68, will be removed as part of the Eagle Creek Dry Storage Basin project, one of the projects included in the Flood-Risk Reduction Program currently underway by Hancock County and the Maumee Watershed Conservancy District. 

The project will:

-Remove the current U.S. 68 exit ramp from State Route 15 eastbound.

-Connect Township Road 80 to the ramp to provide access to U.S. 68.

-Construct a new U.S. 68 exit ramp from State Route 15 eastbound.

-Construct a roundabout at the intersection of U.S. 68, the new U.S. 68 exit ramp, and the eastbound State Route 15 entrance ramp.

Get more on the project by clicking here.

(From the City of Findlay)

The City of Findlay Shade Tree Commission has two openings for members.

The terms will expire 12/31/2025.

Meetings are currently held on the first Thursday of the month at 11:30am in the Mayor’s Conference Room on the 3rd Floor of the Municipal Building.

The Commission meets at least 8 times per year.

Members must live within City limits.

The Findlay Shade Tree Commission was created in 1978 by Findlay City Council to address the need to care for Findlay’s aging urban forest.

Members of the Shade Tree Commission are appointed by the Mayor to three year terms.

The Commission operates with guidance from the Shade Tree Ordinance 913 and coordinates with the Public Works Department.

The Shade Tree Commission’s responsibilities are to provide leadership in selection, promotion, planting, and care of trees in public areas like street rights-of-way, parks, cemeteries and other City properties, as well as hazardous tree removal.

If you are interested in being considered, please reach out to the Mayor’s office via phone (419) 424-7125 or via email mayor@findlayohio.gov.

(From the Findlay Police Department)

The Findlay Police Department will be participating in the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.

This campaign goes through Labor Day (September 2nd) and the primary focus is removing impaired drivers from the roadway.

Motorists can do their part by obeying all traffic laws, never driving impaired, and always designating a sober driver.

Blanchard Valley Medical Associates in Findlay is celebrating a milestone and saying goodbye to one of its founders.

“This year marks our 50^th anniversary of dedicated service to our local community, a testament to our commitment to healthcare excellence,” BVMA said. 

“Alongside this significant achievement, we are bidding farewell to one of our founding physicians, Dr. Leroy Schroeder, as he retires after many years of exceptional service and dedication.”

BVMA says the occasion is not only a celebration of longevity and commitment but also a moment to reflect on the impact Dr. Schroeder had on countless lives throughout his 48-year career.

“People have been very good to us here at BVMA,” Dr. Schroeder told WFIN.

“We tried to do our best as physicians to take good care of them. There are always ups and downs of every illness but we tried to make the ups better than the downs.”

The Findlay Police Department has announced it will be retiring K9 Shadow on August 17.

Shadow is 13-years-old and will be retired to his home with his handler, Officer Paugh.

The police department says Shadow served as a dual-purpose K9, specializing in narcotics detection, tracking, and article searches.

Shadow joined the FPD in 2012 and Officer Paugh and Shadow became partners in 2014.

The police department has selected a new K9 to replace Shadow and that K9 will begin training soon with Officer Frey.

The police department says its other K9, Deke, will be retiring in the next year or so and will also be replaced by a new K9.

The police department told WFIN that it might even get a third K9 in the coming years.

Enjoy your retirement Shadow!

(From Hancock Public Health)

The Hancock Public Health Board has named Lindsay Summit as the new Health Commissioner effective August 19, 2024.

Mrs. Summit’s appointment to the position came after serving as the Interim Health Commissioner following the resignation of Karim Baroudi.

Baroudi resigned in March, to accept a position as the Toledo-Lucas County Health Commissioner.

Prior to this appointment, she held the position of Assistant Health Commissioner and Director of Environmental Health Services for Hancock Public Health (HPH) since the establishment of the combined district for Hancock County and Findlay in 2016.

She has over 20 years of experience in public health services with previous work experience as a Registered Sanitarian for the Hancock County Board of Health. Mrs. Summit has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in Public Health.

Mrs. Summit is well known and respected by many in the Hancock County community and surrounding public health departments.

She is well prepared to serve at the same level of excellence that we have come to expect from our public health agency.

Please welcome her as she interacts with many in the community in the effort to meet all of our public health needs in the future.

(ONN) – The wait is over for Buckeye football fans as the team’s new starting quarterback has been named.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day named Will Howard as the team’s starting quarterback for the 2024 season.

“He’s become a threat both with his legs and his arm. The more he understands what he’s doing out there he’s really executing really well.”

The former Kansas State quarterback beat out four others: Devin Brown, Lincoln Kienholz, Julian Sayin and Air Noland.

Day said the backup QB battle will continue.

(ONN) – Recreational marijuana sales have started in Ohio and the Ohio State Highway Patrol is reminding drivers that the rules of the road have not changed when it comes to using the drug.

Ohioans cannot use any cannabis product while they’re in a car, on a bike, or in a boat.

The products must stay in the packaging they were purchased in while you’re traveling and you can’t transport more than fifteen grams of weed in the form of adult use extract or two and a half ounces of weed in other forms.

State Patrol says troopers are trained in responding to impaired driving incidents and many have undergone additional training to determine what substance may be causing that impairment.

There was a lot of activity on the University of Findlay campus on Thursday.

It was move-in day, as new and returning students moved into their housing for the new school year.

A lot of freshmen moved into their dorms on move-in day including Liza, who came all the way from New Hampshire to study Animal Science at UF.

We asked her what she’s looking forward to the most about college and it sounds like she’s ready to get right to work on her major.

Later in the afternoon, the Arch Ceremony for new students was held and they walked through the Griffith Memorial Arch towards Old Main.

Legend has it that they must not walk back through the Arch until commencement or they won’t graduate.

See some video of the move-in process below. 

(From Hancock Public Health)

Hancock Public Health will be partnering with Hancock County WIC to provide car seat checks and Free Car Seats to qualified families.

So, if you are wondering if your child’s car seat is installed correctly, come on over to the Family Center Parking lot on Friday, August 16 from 9:00am to 1:00pm and get your seat checked.

Other upcoming car seat check event dates are listed below.