(From the Hancock Historical Museum)

The Hancock Historical Museum is excited to announce the Bill & Gail Miller Annual Outdoor Movie Night, featuring the classic film Jurassic Park (PG-13, 1993). This family-friendly event will take place on Saturday, August 17th, and is free and open to the public.

The evening’s festivities will begin at 7:30 PM with a range of pre-movie activities designed to entertain guests of all ages. Visitors will have the opportunity to take photos with Jurassic Park Vehicles, which will be on display for the event. Additionally, there will be dinosaur-themed crafts and games for children, providing a fun and educational experience.

John King from the Bowling Green State University Popular Culture Department will deliver an engaging talk before the film starts. King will also bring unique items from the Pop Culture Library’s Collection, offering a rare glimpse into the world of popular culture and its history.

The screening of Jurassic Park will begin at 8:30 PM, or as soon as it is dark enough. The movie will be shown in the museum’s parking lot at 422 W. Sandusky Street in Findlay. To accommodate the event, the parking lot will be closed to vehicles, and visitors are encouraged to park on Sandusky Street or in nearby public lots. Guests should bring their own lawn chairs and are welcome to bring their favorite beverages.

For refreshments, the museum will provide free popcorn to all attendees, with donations accepted to support the museum’s programs and events. Ian’s Doughnuts will also be on site, selling a variety of delicious doughnuts to satisfy your sweet tooth. The event promises to be a memorable evening, with potential surprise guests making an appearance to add to the fun.

Jurassic Park, directed by Steven Spielberg, is a thrilling adventure that follows paleontologists Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), along with mathematician Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), as they tour an island theme park populated by dinosaurs created from prehistoric DNA. The park’s mastermind, billionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), assures everyone that the facility is safe, but the visitors soon discover otherwise when various ferocious predators break free and go on the hunt.

In case of inclement weather, the movie will be moved indoors. The Hancock Historical Museum invites everyone to bring their lawn chairs, enjoy the activities, and have a roaring good time at this special outdoor movie night.

Contact Phone Email Website Joy Bennett 419-423-4433 jbennett@hancockhistoricalmuseum.org Hancockhistoricalmuseum.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 12, 2024

The rest of the 2024 Classic Movie Line Up includes:

October 25 – Strangers on a Train (PG) 1951

Starring Robert Walker and Farley Granger, Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

December 20 – White Christmas (G) 1954

Starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen

For more information, please call the museum at (419) 423-4433 or visit www.hancockhistoricalmuseum.org.

(From (ADAMHS) the Hancock County Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services)

Hancock County has received a $2.5 million federal grant over five years to provide support for individuals and families with youth who are facing substance use disorders while experiencing homelessness.

The grant was awarded recently by SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) to the Hancock County Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services (ADAMHS), which will implement Project HOME (Housing, Outreach, and Meaningful Engagement) to provide various services in the community. Grant funds become available on September 30, 2024.

“The need for these services was identified through the local Unhoused Coalition. The ADAMHS Board is pleased to have secured resources for our community and looks forward to the project’s success,” said Precia Stuby, Executive Director. “We are thankful for all the hard work of the Unhoused Coalition to address the needs of some of our community’s most vulnerable citizens.”

Through increased collaboration and services between The City Mission and Family Resource Center, the grant will expand and enhance behavioral health treatment, peer support, recovery support services, and linkages to sustainable permanent housing for individuals experiencing homelessness.

The project will be operated through the City Mission for individuals experiencing homelessness with a special emphasis on helping young adults (18-24 years old), LGBTQ+, veterans and others in need in the community. The grant will assist with funding the establishment and ongoing operations of a 7-day-a-week low-barrier shelter to address the gap in much-needed services.

Low-barrier shelters provide services to individuals with minimal barriers to entrance.

“It is important that we have services available for every homeless person, regardless of where they are on their journey,” said City Mission Director Kathryn Bausman. “Building relationships and trust is often the first step to offering service. That is one of the things we hope to accomplish through a low-barrier shelter.”

Project HOME’s collaboration with the Family Resource Center will increase access to evidence-based practices such as medication for opioid use disorder, motivational interviewing, intensive

case management, community reinforcement approach, peer support, trauma-informed care, and harm reduction strategies.

“Our team of providers is eager to remove barriers to treatment and begin this collaboration with the City Mission,” said Ginny Williams, Chief Culture & Transformation Officer at the Family Resource Center.

Project HOME aims to serve 500 individuals through direct and indirect services over the 5-year project period.

(From Owens Community College)

Dr. Dione D. Somerville began her fourth academic year as president on Monday, August 12 by sharing highlights of the Owens Community College strategic plan for faculty, staff and community guests, including Ohio Association of Community Colleges president and CEO Avi Zaffini.

She also recognized this year’s Presidential Teaching Award recipient, professor of English Cory Hoover, who leads the innovative Open Educational Resources (OER) program which has helped save students more than $2 million the past three academic years. She began teaching at Owens in Fall Semester 2000. A recipient of the TRIO Champion Award (2021), Hoover has been active at Owens, including helping launch the Center for Teaching and Innovation, developing numerous presentations, workshops and events and serving as a lead Honors Program advisor (2012-2021).

The address was held twice, at the Findlay-area Campus in the morning and again on the Toledo-area Campus in hybrid format in the afternoon.

Since taking over the Owens presidency in June 2021, Somerville has prioritized engaging community leaders. More than three dozen community leaders attended the two presentations. 

Zaffini began his tenure leading the state’s 23 community colleges in mid-July. Speaking briefly at both presentations, he said Ohio community colleges continue to adapt and collaborate in varied partnerships to meet Ohio’s workforce needs.

Somerville focused her Owens address on the strategic plan adopted in 2023.

“Last year, in the first year of our plan, we worked to put a framework in place that would enable our success moving forward,” Somerville said. “We are kicking off our second year and looking forward to continued momentum.”

She utilized the plan’s six objectives to showcase what the academic year will feature, including:

-Building a community of belonging

The year-long, college-wide Big Read program features author Sara Novic’s book, “True Biz”

Men’s soccer returns to Owens Express sports, led by former Express player and Owens alumni Nate Baer

The Center for Campus and Community Connections continues to be a model for serving students’ basic needs, at institutions in Ohio and beyond

-Expanding partnerships

Owens is positioned to provide relevant education and training as the only community college partner in the Northwest Ohio Innovation Consortium’s new $31.3 million Glass Centre of Excellence project

The Water Workforce Coalition, a collaborative effort with TMACOG and the City of Toledo, continues with a second cohort of students this semester

Jill of All Trades returns in October during National Manufacturing Month with a goal of tripling the exposure to the trades for young people in the community

-Developing an agile framework

The president applauded the faculty’s engagement to an initial assessment workshop created as a follow up to the Higher Learning Commission’s mid-cycle review site visit last October

The first cohort of the new cardiac sonography associate degree is full in anticipation of meeting local labor demands

Trellis Strategies is studying the transportation challenges of college students as a follow up to the City of Toledo feasibility study

In Findlay and throughout Hancock County, Trellis Strategies is beginning a study focused on enrollment patterns and future enrollment opportunities for the Findlay-area Campus

-Deepening employee engagement

The president’s leadership team welcomed new Human Resources vice president, Dr. Leslie Erwin over the summer. She will lead employee engagement opportunities.

Led by the Owens Foundation and a committee of alumni, the college’s inaugural Alumni Hall of Fame class was announced last spring.

-Ensuring a sustainable organization

The president outlined the fiscal year 2025 budget and noted a few additional funding resources supplementing state capital funds, including the state’s community investment funding and grants

Phase 1 of the $31.3 million Healthcare Education Center will open for Fall Semester. After Phase 2 is completed next spring, a grand opening will be staged in March 2025.

-Telling our story

More than a half-million people have attended Owens for credit since the college opened in 1965, according to college research

Since the 2013-14 school year, 37 percent of Owens students have transferred to and graduated from a four-year college or university

The college’s 60^th anniversary will be celebrated during the 2025-26 academic year

It’s back-to-school time and safety officials are reminding drivers to start watching out for school buses and schoolkids and to follow all state laws.

Parents are also urged to talk with their kids about how to act around school buses as drivers are reminded to keep their eyes peeled for children getting on and off of buses.

Officer Brian White with the Findlay Police Department says drivers also need to remember to slow down in school zones when children are present.

A driver who fails to stop for a school bus that’s loading or unloading students can be fined up to $500 and have their license suspended for a year.

On a two-lane or three-lane road drivers going in the same direction and opposite direction must stop for a school bus that’s loading or unloading students.

On a four-lane road or highway, only vehicles going in the same direction as the school bus must stop.

Some useful images are provided below from the police department.

The first day back for Findlay City Schools is Thursday, August 15^th.

The first day for Liberty-Benton Local Schools will be Wednesday, August 21.

The City of Findlay is letting people know that a section of a road will be closing for repairs.

The city says on Wednesday, August 14, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Washington Street from Liberty Street to Hurd Avenue will be closed for sanitary sewer repair.

Motorists are advised to avoid the area during that timeframe.

(From the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library)

The Findlay-Hancock County Public Library has been awarded a grant of $5,000.00 from The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation. The funds are made available from the HancockREADS Grant 2024.

This grant has been used to purchase a collection of over 100 Playaway audiobooks for children. These audiobook devices allow children to listen to books without a CD player, phone, or other device. All they need to do is plug in headphones or a speaker.

“We’re excited that the grant from The Community Foundation has enabled our library to add this high-demand item,” said Sarah Cramer, Youth Services Librarian.

 “Playaways are a valuable resource for kids who do not have another way to listen to audiobooks. We hope the kids in our community enjoy them!”

For further information, please call the library at 419-422-1712.

(From Cory-Rawson Local Schools)

Bat houses ready to go!

You may remember that our fifth grade classes researched and presented an idea to have bat houses on campus to Mr. Clark.

CRHS student and Boy Scout Nate Gregorowicz joined the effort, working with the fifth graders to construct the houses last spring.

They are now ready for residents!

Small school. Big opportunities.

(From the Flag City Sluggers)

Flag City Sluggers Board President Joe Fenimore announced Tyler Smith as the head coach of the Sluggers. “We are extremely excited to have Tyler as our first-ever Head Coach.” Fenimore said.“Tyler has proven experience in recruiting and developing players, making him a natural choice for the role. Most importantly, Tyler is a leader both on and off the field, shares our core values of sportsmanship, and is committed to fostering a positive and team environment.”

“I’m excited to be managing the Sluggers,” Smith said. “The Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League is one of the most well respected and competitive summer leagues in the country. I’m appreciative of being given this opportunity and can’t wait to get started!” Smith has coached 10 years, (5 years as Head Coach) at Three Rivers after a five year professional career. In Smith’s tenure at Three Rivers, the Raiders have sent 20 players to the Division 1 level, including 15 pitchers into the SEC, Sunbelt, Missouri Valley, SWAC, Ohio Valley, MAAC, Southland, A-Sun). In total, 50 alumni have continued their career into the 4 year level. Raiders catchers and pitchers have experienced unprecedented success under Smith. Logan Carter was an All Conference selection in 2016. Reece Reading garnished All Conference honors in 2018. Nick Fakouri was an All Conference catcher in 2019. Mason Libla was Defensive Catcher of the year in 2021. Trent Buchanan garnished All Region Honors in 2022. Accolades for the pitching staff have followed as well. Noah Stone was National Pitcher of the Week in 2020. Lukas Touma was awarded National Pitcher of the Week in 2023. Austin Gast, Noah Burkey, and Kole Turner have all garnished Region pitcher of the week honors. Academically, Raiders student athletes have excelled in the classroom having 51 players who were named to the National All Academic Team since 2021.

Smith graduated from Arkansas State University in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies. Prior to Arkansas State, Smith was a two-year starter for the Three Rivers Raiders where he was an All Conference selection as well as an Academic All American in 2009. After Three Rivers, Smith attended Arkansas State University where he helped the Red Wolves reach the Sun Belt Conference tournament in 2010 and 2011. Smith was on the Sun Belt Conference all academic team as a senior. Following his senior season, Smith was signed by the Kansas City Royals organization where he played for their short season affiliate in Idaho Falls, Idaho. 2012 Coach Smith started the year in AAA Spring Training and finished the year with the Royals A affiliate in Kane County. Smith began the 2013 season with the Rockford Aviators of the Frontier League. In 2014 he was traded to the Lincoln Saltdogs for the American Association. Smith caught the majority of the games for the Saltdogs and helped them reach the Frontier League playoffs and a first half division championship for the first time in the organization’s history. A native of Paragould, Arkansas, Smith graduated from Senath-Hornersville High School in 2007 where he was an Under Armour All-American.

The Flag City Sluggers are a member of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League and are committed to providing a competitive and educational summer baseball experience in Findlay for collegiate players.

(From the Office of the Ohio Treasurer)

In conjunction with ABLE Today and the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST), Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague will recognize Wednesday, August 14^th as National ABLE Savings Day, a time to increase awareness about ABLE Account programs and their life-changing benefits. Under Treasurer Sprague’s leadership, Ohio’s iteration of an ABLE program – STABLE Account – has gained popularity in recent years and seen overall participation grow from fewer than 10,000 accounts in January 2019 to approximately 42,000 active accounts today.

“National ABLE Savings Day is the perfect time to remind Ohioans of the many ways STABLE accounts are empowering people to take better control of their financial health,” said Sprague. “We’re proud of our efforts to expand the program and make it more accessible through intiatives like the STABLE Account Enrollment Incentive and our various partnerships with employers to offer the STABLE Account Payroll Direct Deposit option to those in the workforce.”

In April, Treasurer Sprague announced the launch of the STABLE Account Enrollment Incentive to encourage more eligible Ohioans to open an account. Through the incentive, STABLE Account will match the first $25 that an eligible Ohioan contributes when opening a new account. This matched contribution provides new accountholders with an instantaneous boost toward growing their money and beginning their investment journey.

Just last week, Licking County became the 10^th county to partner with the Ohio Treasurer’s office to offer the STABLE Account Payroll Direct Deposit benefit to county employees. In 2019, Treasurer Sprague announced a similar collaboration with the Ohio Department of Administrative Services to provide eligible State of Ohio employees with the opportunity to direct a portion of their paychecks into STABLE accounts. Over the last several years, several public and private sector employers have partnered with the Treasurer’s office to offer the benefit to employees.

STABLE accounts are 529-like specialized savings and investment accounts for people living with disabilities. The accounts allow individuals to save and invest their money without fearing the loss of means-tested benefits like Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Accountholders can save up to $18,000 annually without losing federal assistance, and they can save an additional $14,580 each year if they’re employed. Earnings on STABLE accounts grow tax-free if they are spent on qualified expenses, which include housing, transportation, living expenses, healthcare, assistive technology, and more.

Through STABLE Account, Ohioans living with disabilities can enjoy a higher quality of life and build a strong financial future. Signing up for a STABLE account takes about 20 minutes and can be done online from home. For more information about STABLE accounts and to sign up, visit www.stableaccount.com.

(ONN) – A new bill in the Ohio House aims to make tips and gratuities tax-exempt.

This means service workers would only pay taxes on the wages they receive from their employers.

Currently, Ohio service workers make five dollars and five cents an hour. Half the minimum wage.

Both presidential candidates want this to also be federal law.

Rising costs of living have challenged service industry workers in recent years causing a worker shortage nationwide.