(From the Findlay Rotary Club)

The Findlay Rotary Club will present its 2024 Golden Apple Awards at a ceremony on October 16th.

The club selected three teachers from the elementary level, three teachers from the middle school level and two teachers from the high school level to compete for the award.

The finalists will be announced at the annual Golden Apple Awards Dinner on October 16, 2024.

The finalist at each level receives the Golden Apple Award along with a $2,500 cash prize. Second and third place semi-finalist each receive a $250 cash prize. Finalists also accept an invitation to join the Golden Apple Academy, a group consisting of all past Golden Apple Award finalists.

At the elementary level, the semifinalists are: Heagan Sparling, Kindergarten at Liberty Benton; Jena Meloy, Kindergarten at Whittier; and Jayson Schube, 4th grade at Bigelow Hill.

At the middle school level, the semifinalists are: Angel Buck, 6th Grade Social Studies at Glenwood Middle School; Andy Honse, Band at McComb; and Maryann Holderman, Science at Riverdale.

At the high school level, the semifinalists are: Amy Teders, English at Liberty Benton; and Tyler Smith, Science at Findlay High School.

The Findlay Rotary Club accepted nominations for the award from students, parents, administration, colleagues and the community-at-large through the beginning of April.

Nominees are required to be a current teacher in the Findlay area or a Hancock County school and have at least three years of experience.

Nominated teachers submit a resume, a teaching philosophy essay, and two letters of recommendation to the Rotary Community Selection Committee who selected this year’s semifinalists. A second group of members from the Rotary Final Selection Committee interviews and conducts classroom visits to determine the finalists.

Below is a picture of last year’s winners, and you can learn more about them by clicking here. 

The Findlay Rotary Club was founded in 1920 and is a member of Rotary International, an association of Rotary clubs around the world, which today numbers almost 32,000 clubs in over 200 countries. The Rotary Club of Findlay was founded by the city’s leaders in 1920, and continues with the leaders of today. The club also sponsors the Rotaract Club at The University of Findlay.

(From the Cops & Kids Findlay Halloween Parade)

Findlay and Hancock County invite the community to nominate candidates for King and Queen for the 2024 Cops & Kids Findlay Halloween Parade presented by loanDepot. These individuals should exemplify the Halloween spirit by excelling in home decoration, costume planning, or participating in Halloween-related events and activities.

To nominate someone, visit fortfindlayfop20.org/halloweenparade and click on “Nominate our King and Queen”. Nominations will be accepted until midnight on October 8. This is an opportunity to recognize someone who truly embodies the Halloween vibe.

The Halloween Parade committee will make the selection based on nominations. The crowned King and Queen will not only wear their regal accessories but also play a special role during the Halloween Parade. They will be seated at State Bank Judges’ Square, where they will join the panel of judges in evaluating parade entries and contributing to the decision-making process.

The annual Cops & Kids Findlay Halloween Parade presented by loanDepot is Tuesday, October 22, starting at 7 p.m. on S. Main St. between Sixth St. and Lima St. Parade registration closes on October 15 at midnight. Parade proceeds benefit the Cops & Kids Champion fund, ensuring continued support of law enforcement and their increased positive interactions with youth in Hancock County.

Volunteers are also needed for the event. Volunteer positions and sign-ups are on the parade website. Click the volunteers button. https://www.fortfindlayfop20.org/halloweenparade

(From the Red Cross of North Central Ohio)

Todd James, Executive Director of the American Red Cross of North Central Ohio is joining the Red Cross Hurricane Helene relief effort. James will be serving as the External Relations Chief, helping coordinate efforts with local, state and federal partners in assisting families affected by flooding with their ongoing recovery needs.

Hurricane Helene is one of the deadliest storms to ever hit the United States, leaving behind hundreds of miles of catastrophic damage and changing lives forever. The American Red Cross has launched a massive response to ensure no one faces this challenging time alone.

Across the Southeast, hundreds of people are still missing, and damaged roads and bridges have cut off entire communities, making it difficult to get help to those areas. People need water, food, medicine and medical care. Tens of thousands of homes have been affected and some 1.3 million customers — about 4 million people — are still without power.

“With massive relief efforts underway in response to Hurricane Helene, we are working around the clock to help people and communities devastatingly impacted by this storm’s path of destruction,” said Trevor Riggen, president of Red Cross Humanitarian Services. “Our hearts go out to all those who have been affected, and we want you to know that you are not alone. The Red Cross and our partners will be there to provide shelter, food and comfort in the days, weeks and months ahead.”

RED CROSS RESPONSE More than 1,200 Red Cross disaster responders from across the country are helping people across the Carolinas, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida.

The Red Cross is managing shelters where residents can get hot meals and emotional support. In these same areas, emergency response vehicles — deployed from every state — are on the roads providing meals and critical supplies as families begin to clean up their homes. In the Carolinas, we’re working with state taskforces to coordinate feeding efforts to help ensure communities are getting the help they need. And in Florida, the Red Cross is helping to assess residential damage.

With the support of our partners, the Red Cross has provided tens of thousands of overnight shelter stays, meals and snacks. And more than 200 Red Cross reunification team members are working to reconnect loved ones. We’ve received more than 3,000 reunification requests for help and that number continues to grow.

How You Can Help

People affected by Hurricane Helene need urgent help now, and we can’t do this alone. You can help by making a financial donation by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word HELENE to 90999. Financial donations for Hurricane Helene enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.

(ONN) – A case heading to the Ohio Supreme Court involves the 24-hour waiting period for women who want to get an abortion.

The law mandates physicians meet with pregnant patients in person at least 24 hours prior to an abortion being performed or induced.

The goal is to provide state-mandated information.

The ACLU argues this law creates a barrier to getting an abortion procedure.

It now goes to the Ohio Supreme Court.

(From the Elbert Dubenion Drive Planning Committee)

The Village of Bluffton will recognize Bluffton University’s most famous athlete in a ceremony at noon, Friday, Oct. 4, with the unveiling of Elbert Dubenion Drive.

The Drive covers a section of Bentley Road in front of Bluffton University’s Salzman football stadium from the Yoder Recital Hall parking lot to the intersection of Bentley and Elm Street. The ceremony will take place near the recital hall portion of the Drive.

The ceremony, open to the public, will include the unveiling of Drive signs and a brief program recognizing Dubenion, a 1959 Bluffton College graduate, who played for nine seasons with the Buffalo Bills professional football team. He is the only Bluffton athlete to play professional football. Following his playing days, Dubenion served as a college scout for the Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, as well as working for the Bills.

Bluffton Mayor, Richard Johnson, will read a proclamation and several teammates, will speak. Members of Dubenion’s family will also attend.

The group launching the project includes teammates who played football with Dubenion and fans who watched him play during his college years from 1955 to 1958.

One of the alumni committee members is Jim “Spike” Berry,  who quarterbacked the Bluffton College Beaver football team during the Dubenion era at Bluffton.

 In his first year at Bluffton, Dubenion worked on the Bluffton village street crew. As a town celebrity, downtown business owners were among his most loyal fans, making him the most recognized Bluffton student for a generation of those community leaders.

Among his college-era achievements was being named first team Small College All-American in 1958 and was among 33 players selected to play in the College All-Star game in 1959 against the Baltimore Colts. As a member of the Buffalo Bills, Dubenion played in the 1964 NFL Pro Bowl. He holds the record for the longest reception in AFL playoff history with a 93-yard TD. He is also a member of the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame.

 Dubenion died at age 86 on Dec. 26, 2019, at his residence in Westerville, Ohio. His wife, Marilyn, is also a Bluffton College graduate.

 Members of the planning committee are Tom Benroth, Jim “Spike” Berry, Jim Buffenbarger, Charles Buroker, Larry Copeland, Everett Collier, Don Hostetler, Gene Long,  Ronald Lora, Mary Ramseyer, Richard Ramseyer and Fred Steiner.

(From Blanchard Valley Health System)

Residents of Birchaven Village, a division of Blanchard Valley Health System, have been getting a close-up look at nature this year through a new project involving raising monarch butterflies. They begin by caring for eggs and continue until they release the adult butterflies to take flight for the first time.

Ruthann Hahn, volunteer coordinator, has been teaching residents of the Heights at Birchaven about the butterflies. She came up with the idea after bringing her young great-granddaughter last year to speak to residents and show them a butterfly she had raised at home.

“Our residents are always so interested in learning,” Hahn said. “Life gets busy and maybe, when they were younger and raising children, they never had the chance to learn much about butterflies. Getting to see the life cycle up close and personal has been a delight for so many of them.”

In fact, throughout the process, residents have stopped by to check the progress of the eggs and caterpillars, she said. Residents have been heard talking about it over dinner or bingo. The project has even brought some residents who previously kept more to themselves to talk with neighbors about their shared love of the butterflies.

Hahn, inspired by her granddaughter and great-grandchildren, has been growing milkweed at her own home for years. Butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed. Once the tiny black eggs hatch, Hahn puts them in a small plastic tub where the pupa becomes a caterpillar. She then puts it in a small net house, with live milkweed to eat. The caterpillar spins a cocoon and, in time, a butterfly emerges. The Birchaven residents have been giving them a day for their wings to dry, then releasing them.

The butterfly spends about 12 days in the cocoon, which starts out green but turns dark in color over time.

“It’s so interesting to learn about them,” said Jane Brown, a resident of the Heights. “We knew one was getting close to coming out, so I was checking every day.”

Brown didn’t get to see the moment the butterfly emerged from the cocoon, remarking that “I guess it wanted privacy.” However, she had enjoyed learning throughout the experience.

“This has been so much fun for us to watch,” she said.

Before releasing the latest butterfly, Hahn explained that the patterns of dots on a monarch butterfly’s wings are different for males than for females. This butterfly was a female.

Hahn carefully affixed a tracking sticker to the butterfly’s wing before placing it on a flower outside the building. The butterfly sat for a moment, then took off, soaring above the three-story building.

After the butterfly flew away, Brown noted that some remnants of the cocoon were still visible.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” she said.

Each sticker has a unique number identifying this individual butterfly with the organization Monarch Watch. When the butterfly heads to Mexico, where they typically migrate, people there can look it up and learn that that particular butterfly hatched in Findlay.

Hahn’s granddaughter is active in a Facebook group where people track the butterflies that have been tagged. She registers the stickers into the system, so people can follow these individual butterflies. Hahn said people all over the United States and Canada have been raising butterflies for Monarch Watch.

Hahn said the goals of this project were to help residents continue to learn, as well as generally improving their quality of life.

“And it’s so beautiful, too,” she added. “Seeing a butterfly take its very first flight, and knowing someday that same butterfly might end up in Mexico – there’s nothing quite like it.”

For more information about Birchaven Village, please visit www.birchaven.org .

(From the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office)

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office has received multiple calls in reference to another scam going around.

For example, the scammers are using phrases like “legal trouble” and “missed court dates”.

The scammers may even state that they are from our office.

Do not give out personal information over the phone!

We do not contact you and demand money.

Please continue to be cautious when answering unknown phone numbers.

(From Hancock County Naturalists)

The Hancock County Naturalists will host speaker Scott Bechtel, a retired computer programmer turned nature photographer, who will present a talk on North American hummingbirds at their monthly meeting on October 10th 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 to those 15 and older.

Bechtel’s presentation will explore various aspects of these fascinating birds, including:

-How he became interested in hummingbird photography

-The species of hummingbirds found in North America

-Fascinating facts and information about hummingbirds

-Migration, courtship, and nesting behaviors

-His experiences as a co-leader of hummingbird photography workshops in British Columbia

-The practice of hummingbird banding

-Tips on feeding hummingbirds

In addition to his in-depth knowledge, Bechtel will showcase beautiful photographs of these colorful and energetic birds, offering attendees a visual treat.

Scott Bechtel is a self-taught nature photographer based in Hancock County, focusing on landscapes and wildlife. Since beginning photography in 2011, he has developed a passion for capturing birdlife, particularly Bald Eagles and owls, and his favorite subject, hummingbirds. Bechtel has photographed 14 of the 15 hummingbird species regularly residing in North America.

In addition to his photography, Bechtel co-leads a hummingbird photography workshop in the Canadian Rockies and enjoys woodworking, often incorporating hummingbirds into his carvings and automaton creations. He has previously shared his love of hummingbirds with audiences at local nursing homes.

The Hancock County Naturalists, a membership organization, was established to further the study of the fauna and flora of Hancock County and the surrounding area and to participate in selected conservation and educational projects. Membership and events are open to those aged 15 and older. Annual membership fees are $15 per adult, $20 per couple, and $10 for youth.

For more information, contact Jane Riker at 419-306-3697 or emaggin117@aol.com. The group’s website is hancockcountynaturalists.org.

(above picture courtesy of Jane Riley Riker from the Hancock County Naturalists Facebook page)

A man who meant a lot to his hometown of Findlay has died.

Chuck Younger passed away on September 28 at the age of 92.

WFIN spoke with Chuck’s son, Scott, who shared a few anecdotes with us and said his dad “will be greatly missed and was sharp as a tack right until the end.”       

Chuck was Executive Vice President for Continental Cablevision and was very active in Findlay which you can read about in his obituary on coldrencrates.com.

Chuck was the past President of the Findlay Area Arts Council, board member for the Findlay-Hancock County Area Chamber of Commerce, trustee for the United Way of Hancock County, counsellor for the Service Corps of Retired Executives of the Small Business Association, president of the public advisory board for WBGU-TV, board member of Family Service of Hancock County, board member for the Council on Domestic Violence, Dana Chair executive-in-residence for the University of Findlay, Vice President for the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation Advisory Committee, and a board member for the Benton Ridge Telephone Company. Chuck was also the “Golden Voice of the Trojans” – announcing boys’ and girls’ soccer games for Findlay High School for almost 30 years. He and Mariann contributed to dozens of charitable organizations in their community.

According to his obituary on coldrencrates.com a celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Inurnment will take place in the First Presbyterian Columbarum, next to his wife.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Community Foundation, Younger Funds.

Online condolences can be expressed at www.coldrencrates.com.

(ONN) – Ohio’s first statewide human trafficking hotline is now operational.

The non-emergency hotline number funnels incoming tips about suspected sex and labor trafficking directly to law enforcement, connecting the caller with people experienced in investigating such allegations.

It is operated around the clock by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, whose criminal intelligence analysts assess the information and refer information to local law enforcement agencies and human trafficking task forces organized under the attorney general’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission and-or BCI’s Special Victims Unit.

The hotline number is 8-4-4-end-O-H-H-T.