(From the University of Findlay)

University of Findlay held its annual Helping Hands food drive on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, bringing together community members, local middle schools, and the campus community together to fight hunger. On Thursday, November 2, 2023, the food totals were tallied and it was announced that Helping Hands brought in 249,897 pounds of food to be donated to CHOPIN Hall (Christians Helping Other People In Need).

2023 resulted in more than 11,000 additional pounds of non-perishable food items compared to 2022’s total of 238,732 pounds. The food was weighed, sorted, packaged, and loaded on to 59 pallets. It took three semi trailers to move all of the food to CHOPIN Hall, including 5,168 jars of peanut butter (most requested item).

“It’s overwhelming to see that number go up every year, thinking there’s no way it can go up any more. This year was one of those years where I was positive that we would have a good showing, but I didn’t think we were going to beat last year’s record,” said David Harr, University of Findlay director of Dining Services.

CHOPIN Hall director, Ron Rooker, was beyond excited to learn how much food was collected, as food insecurity has increased in Hancock County, and because Helping Hands is one of CHOPIN Hall’s biggest collection events. “It’s tough to explain how important this event is to us. It fills the pantry at CHOPIN Hall, but more importantly it allows our clients to receive more food and food options that we are unable to provide throughout the year,” Rooker said.

To learn more about Helping Hands, and to see a running total of the year’s previous pounds of food, visit Helping Hands online.

Findlay High School’s Ryan Montgomery has been named the offensive player of the year in the Buckeye Division of the Northern Lakes League.

Findlay’s Stefan Adams was named the co-coach of the year.

See the full NLL All League selections below.

The Trojans finished the season with a record of 8-3.

(From Findlay Hope House for the Homeless)

Marathon Petroleum Corporation has awarded a grant to Findlay Hope House for the Homeless.

The grant will provide for an electrical upgrade and air conditioning for the Transitional Shelter.

The project will be completed in three phases over several months.

Currently, the building is cooled using window air conditioners which volunteers from Marathon install in the spring and remove in the fall.

“We are so very grateful for this grant that will provide much needed relief to our residents, volunteers and staff,” said Laurie Poland, Hope House Development Director.

“When the temperatures rise, it can get very uncomfortable, and the window units and box fans just cannot keep up. We are very excited to collaborate with Marathon to get this project moving forward.”

(From Flag City Honor Flight)

Flag City Honor Flight (FCHF) will conclude its season with its fourth flight to Washington, D.C. on November 7, 2023. Eighty-nine veterans will depart from the Grand Aire Terminal in Toledo at 8:00 a.m. Previous flights took place on April 18, June 13, and September 12 of this year.

Veterans flying on the November 7 flight come from Allen, Auglaize, Darke, Franklin, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Huron, Jackson, Lenawee, Lucas, Medina, Monroe, Oakland, Putnam, Sandusky, Seneca, Washtenaw, Wayne, and Wood counties.

Nov. 7 Flight Breakdown
1 WWII Vets
9 Korea
79 Vietnam

Welcome Home
The public is encouraged to attend the Welcome Home event at the Grand Air Terminal. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., with an expected arrival time of 9:45 p.m. A band, refreshments, and signs will welcome veterans as they return home.

Involvement
FCHF serves WWII, Korean War and Vietnam War Veterans. We encourage other Veterans to go on flights as Guardians. All applications can be found on flagcityhonorflight.org.

Live feed of Welcome Home will be available on Flag City Honor Flight’s Facebook page.

(From the Ohio Treasurer of State)

The Ohio Market Access Program (OMAP) administered by Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague has helped the Village of Sycamore (Wyandot County) enter the market to refinance outstanding debt and save an estimated $6,884.93 in interest costs.

“OMAP is designed to help lower borrowing costs for local governments by using the state’s high credit rating to improve market access,” said Treasurer Sprague. “We’re happy to partner with the Village of Sycamore for a second time to help the community save money as it makes critical upgrades to the village’s electric system.”

The OMAP credit enhancement will assist the Village of Sycamore to achieve meaningful savings on interest costs. The original note was issued to finance electric system upgrades, including reconductoring existing lines, installing new switches, and reconfiguring feeders to balance load. This issuance marks the second time that the village has utilized OMAP to achieve savings. The previous deal saved the village an estimated $6,108.22 in interest expenses.

OMAP is a credit enhancement program that leverages the state’s excess liquidity and high short-term credit rating to help improve market access and lower borrowing rates for local governments. Since its 2014 launch, OMAP has supported more than 285 deals, ranging from $365,000 to over $100 million. There have been no defaults, and to date, OMAP has generated more than $5.3 million in estimated savings for local governments.

Any government subdivision in good fiscal standing, including cities, villages, school districts, counties, townships, and special districts, issuing short-term debt is eligible to participate. For more information, visit https://omap.ohio.gov/.

The Hancock County Board of Elections says early voting has been steady ahead of Election Day on November 7^th.

Board of elections officials say early voting numbers will likely surpass the numbers for the special election back in August which also saw good early voting turnout.

Early voting continues at the Hancock County Board of Elections on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Election Day is on Tuesday.

The Hancock County Board of Elections is located at 201 East Lincoln Street in Findlay.

Click here to see what issues and candidates are on the ballot.

(pictured above are some folks arriving to vote early on Thursday)

A longtime bus driver for Liberty-Benton Local Schools was honored as she retires from the school district.

Liberty-Benton posted on its social media a picture of Brenda in front of her bus 16, saying “thank you for your dedication and service.”

“You’ve kept our students safe and brightened their journeys.”

“Congratulations and enjoy your retirement!”

Brenda has been behind the wheel of Eagle 16 for 27 years.

(From Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce)

Get ready to kick off the holiday season in style with the First Annual Jingle Bell Stroll! On November 16th, from Noon till 8:00 PM, 18 Bluffton businesses will come together to spread cheer and celebrate the spirit of giving.

As a ticket holder, you’ll be treated to a delightful experience from the moment you arrive. Upon your first stop, you’ll receive a beautifully curated commemorative gift bag, generously donated by PromoHits, to hold all your delightful goodies throughout the event.

Prepare to be dazzled as you visit each participating business, where a special gift awaits you. From charming ornaments to delectable candies and cookies, enticing product samples, and other surprise treats, the Jingle Bell Stroll promises to delight the senses and warm the heart.

The final stop on this enchanting journey leads you to the Twisted Whisk Cafe, where you’ll have the opportunity to turn in your ticket for a chance to win big. Three lucky winners will walk away with Bluffton Bucks, with prizes of $100, $50, and $25 up for grabs.

Tickets for this magical event are available in advance at select locations, including Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn, Roots by Strattons, The Food Store, Spectrum Salon, Polished/Boutique 415, and The Black Lab. Act fast, as tickets are limited to just 200 and are priced at $10 each.

Join us for a day of merriment, community spirit, and holiday joy at the First Annual Jingle Bell Stroll. Let’s come together to make unforgettable memories and spread the warmth of the season.

For more information, please visit https://www.explorebluffton.com/jingle-bell-stroll/ or contact Jim Enneking at the Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce, director@explorebluffton.com, 419-369-2985.

The Findlay Fire Department is reminding everyone to change the batteries in their smoke detectors over the weekend when they move their clocks back for the time change.

We spoke with Inspector Eric Wilkins, who told us that there’s nothing in our houses that’s more important to our safety than a smoke detector.

He says batteries should be replaced every six months and smoke detectors last about ten years before they should be replaced.

Instead of saying “smoke detectors save lives”, Inspector Wilkins says “working smoke detectors save lives” because if it’s not functional it isn’t going to help.

He says when they see a fire in which a smoke detector doesn’t go off to alert the occupants it’s usually because of human error, such as dead batteries or the detector was taken down because it was going off during cooking and wasn’t put back up.

People are also urged to have carbon monoxide detectors in their home as well.

(From the Hancock County Naturalists)

The Hancock County Naturalists will host speaker Christy Frank at their monthly meeting on Thursday, November 9, at 7 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Doc Phillips Discovery Center at Oakwoods Nature Preserve, 1400 Oakwoods Lane. The meeting is free and open to the public.

 Frank will be showing her short documentary called “Ploverville”, a story about a pair of tiny shorebirds called Piping Plovers nesting in Ohio for the first time in over 80 years, in May of 2021. The Great Lakes population of Piping Plovers is critically endangered, so a group of over 100 volunteers banded together to protect them on the busy public beach they called home.

Frank is an award-winning filmmaker, photojournalist, and writer based in the Great Lakes region. She is passionate about storytelling that intersects environmental and human/wildlife conditions. Frank’s work has appeared in bioGraphic, National Wildlife Federation, PBS, Great Lakes Now, Audubon, CBS News, PBS Nature, and for numerous nonprofit causes.

The Hancock County Naturalists, a membership organization, was established for the purpose of furthering the study of the fauna and flora of Hancock County and the surrounding area and to participate in selected conservation and educational projects. The group and events are open to those aged 15 and older.

For more information, contact Jane Riker at 419-306-3697 or emaggin117@aol.com.