(From the City of Findlay)

The City of Findlay is seeking the help of the citizens of Findlay for a donation of a tree for Findlay’s Christmas Tree that will be displayed in Dorney Plaza during the Christmas Season.

Requested specifications for the tree are listed below:
-25-35 feet tall
-Short Needle Spruce Tree (Preferred)
-Easily accessible for equipment to access
-No obstructions such as overhead lines
-No backyard trees unless totally accessible for large equipment

The City will remove the tree, grind the stump, clean up the area, and seed.

Additionally, we will plant a new tree in the spring if desired by the property owner.

The donor of the tree will be recognized on a plaque in front of the tree.

If you are interested in donating your tree, please contact Kathy Launder in the Mayor’s Office at 419-424-7137 or by email at klaunder@findlayohio.gov.

(From the Hancock Historical Museum)

Join us for an exciting evening of cinema at the Hancock Historical Museum on October 25 at 7 PM, as we present Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller, Strangers on a Train (1951). This iconic film, starring Robert Walker and Farley Granger, promises to keep you on the edge of your seat!

Based on Patricia Highsmith’s gripping novel, Strangers on a Train follows tennis star Guy Haines (Farley Granger), who is frustrated by his wife’s reluctance to finalize their divorce so he can marry senator’s daughter Anne (Ruth Roman). In a chance encounter, he meets the enigmatic Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker), who suggests a disturbing idea: swapping murders to eliminate their problems. What begins as a casual conversation spirals into a chilling series of events that leaves Guy as the prime suspect in a shocking crime. The film was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 1952 Academy Awards, showcasing its remarkable visual storytelling.

This unforgettable film will be screened at the Hancock Historical Museum, located at 422 West Sandusky Street in Findlay, OH. Sponsored by Gleaner Life Insurance Society’s Flag City Arbor, this movie night is free and open to the public. Complimentary popcorn will be provided!

Seating is limited, and reservations are encouraged but not required. Historical information will be shared before the movie, and guests are welcome to stay for a discussion afterward. Don’t miss this chance to experience one of Hitchcock’s finest works in a historic setting. Bring your friends, grab some popcorn, and immerse yourself in the suspense of Strangers on a Train!

The rest of the 2024 Classic Movie Line Up includes:

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 the Ohio Department of Transportation)

Since 2009, pedestrian deaths have been on the rise, hitting an all-time high in 2021 with 176 people killed. However, Ohio has recorded a steady decline of 6% in 2022 and 9% in 2023 with 165 and 150 pedestrian deaths, respectively. Through August, pedestrian deaths this year were also down 17% to 84.

Of 150 pedestrian deaths in Ohio last year, 103 occurred after dark. So far this year, there have been 84 pedestrian deaths, 73 of which occurred during dusk, dawn, or nighttime conditions.

“During National Pedestrian Safety Month, we remind drivers about the importance of obeying the speed limit, paying attention to the road ahead, and keeping an eye out for pedestrians,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “Those who are walking or biking should also remember that they, too, must follow the rules of the road and watch out for traffic.”

Safety tips for motorists include:

Phone’s down. It’s the law. You can be stopped by law enforcement for violating Ohio’s distracted driving law.

Slow down. During the early morning and evening hours, more time is needed to see pedestrians.

Yield to people walking at intersections and marked crosswalks. Every intersection is a crosswalk whether it is marked or not.

Don’t pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk.

Check for people walking when turning.

Safety tips for pedestrians include:

Cross at intersections or in marked crosswalks.

Walk in the opposite direction of traffic where sidewalks aren’t available.

Reflective clothing and lights can make you more visible to motorists.

From 2019 – 2024, the Ohio Department of Transportation has invested more than $440 million directly into projects with a pedestrian or bicycle safety focus.

“The Ohio Department of Transportation has invested record-levels of funding to improve pedestrian safety on our roadways. We’ve also assisted municipalities across the state with funding and technical expertise to make their roadways safer for those who walk and bike,” said ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn.

ODOT has several programs that provide funding for pedestrian safety. The agency also helps local communities create active transportation plans and incorporates active transportation – which includes people walking, bicycling, using strollers, wheelchairs/mobility devices, skateboarding and rollerblading – design standards into many projects.

The Ohio Active Transportation Academy (ATA) provides training, workshops and implementation programs to communities throughout Ohio. It offers active transportation training on projects and policy to help communities reach their active transportation goals.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 145 million adults include walking as part of a physically active lifestyle. The CDC also found that physical activity such as walking can help improve overall health and lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, depression, and some cancers.

More than 6 in 10 people walk for transportation purposes, exercise, relaxation, or for other activities.

Walking can also improve local economies and enhance social and community engagement, which can lead to more vibrant, resilient, and livable communities.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says one person was killed and others injured in a two-vehicle crash.

The crash happened a little after 2 p.m. Saturday at the intersection of County Roads 109 and 18 in Cass Township.

The sheriff’s office says Donovan Reinhart, 20, of Bloomville, was westbound on County Road 109 in a Chevy SUV when he failed to stop at the stop sign at County Road 18 and collided with a Honda CR-V being driven by Wesley Keegan, 47, of Fremont, that was going north on County Road 18.

After the collision, the Chevy overturned and came to rest in a field and the Honda came to rest northwest of the intersection.

The sheriff’s office says Donovan was pronounced deceased at the scene and Wesley was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital for his injuries.

The sheriff’s office said two passengers in the Chevy were taken to hospitals with unknown injuries.

The crash remains under investigation.

(From the Findlay Family YMCA)

More than 1,000 community members helped the Findlay Family YMCA celebrate the season during the organization’s first Family Fall Fest held Thursday evening! In cooperation with several other nonprofit partners and businesses, children and their families enjoyed trick-or-treating, games, Legos, and other activities at the Downtown Branch and Child Development Center.

We offer a huge thank-you to the following for helping us make it all happen: Blanchard Valley Health Center Pediatrics, Hancock Hotel, Family Resource Center, Welcome to a New Life, Open Arms, Hancock Park District, UPS, Children’s Mentoring Connection, University of Findlay Mazza Museum, FOCUS Recovery and Wellness Community, SAFY of Findlay/Lima, YWCA, Findlay Police Department, Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck, Pull Up & Grill, and Community Markets.

Furry Tales Mobile Workshop, a Findlay-based “traveling stuffed animal experience” that offers kids the opportunity to create their own cuddly friend in a one-of-a-kind, interactive learning environment, was also popular at our fall fest and donated part of its proceeds to the Y’s Annual Campaign, which helps financially disadvantaged families afford Y memberships.

The Fostoria Police Department has appointed a new D.A.R.E. officer for the school district.

D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education.

Officer Shilo Frankart will teach a class at Fostoria Elementary School designed to help improve kids’ decision-making skills.

Police Chief Gabe Wedge said children face a growing number of high-risk circumstances and temptations and for years the D.A.R.E. program has been recognized as the gold standard to help students cope with the challenges they face every day.

The D.A.R.E. program has been a part of the Fostoria City Schools curriculum since 2008.

The D.A.R.E. program recently returned to Tiffin and you can read more about that by clicking here.

(ONN) – One of the major decisions facing Ohio voters in this election is choosing three justices for the state’s highest court.

A “state elections survey” found that more than 60 percent of voters struggle with that decision due to not knowing much about the candidates.

To help, the Ohio Bar Association created the website ‘JudicialVotesCount.org.’

It provides detailed information on judicial races by county, profiles on justices and answers to commonly asked questions.

Mary Augsburger, CEO of the Ohio Bar Association says you’ll hear from the candidates about their legal experience is, what their judicial philosophy is, and judge a little bit more about their character as well.

WFIN recently spoke with Incumbent Justice Michael Donnelly, a Democrat, and his challenger, Hamilton County Judge Megan Shanahan, a Republican. Click here for that story.

One of the issues Hancock County voters are deciding on in this election is Issue 10, a replacement tax levy for the care and placement of children by Hancock County Job and Family Services.

WFIN’s Chris Oaks spoke with JFS Director Randall Galbraith about the importance of passing this children’s services levy.

The issue as it appears on the ballot is as follows:

A replacement tax for the benefit of Hancock County for the purpose of the support of children’s services and the care and placement of children by Hancock County Job & Family Services, that the county auditor estimates will collect $2,116,000 annually, at a rate not exceeding 0.8 mill for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $28 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised value, for a period of 5 years, commencing in 2025, first due in calendar year 2026.

See what other issues and candidates are on the ballot in Hancock County by clicking here.

(From the City of Findlay)

The City of Findlay will offer a bulk trash drop-off for Findlay residents from Saturday, November 2, to Saturday, November 9, 2024. Hours are 8am-7pm or until full on weekdays and 8am-3pm or until full on Saturdays.

Dumpsters will be at the Public Works Department, 330 N. Cory St. where city residents may dispose of unwanted debris.

Hazardous materials, commercial tires, concrete, appliances and electronics will not be accepted. Proof of residency or ID may be required.

The City will accept noncommercial vehicle tires. The tires must be off of the rim. Proof of residency in the City of Findlay and/or ID will be required.

Please note that it is illegal to transport more than ten scrap tires at any time without obtaining a registration certificate from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency per ORC 3734.83.

(From the Cleveland Browns)

Our stadium planning process started in 2017 and as Mayor Bibb mentioned today, for the last two years, we have had positive, productive, and collaborative dialogue with the Mayor and his staff, working together to find the optimal long-term solution for our stadium.

We pursued many possibilities, with our initial focus on renovating the current stadium and engaged design, construction and engineering experts to develop a plan to do so. We also explored building a new stadium on multiple sites, both within and outside of Cleveland. We’ve learned through our exhaustive work that renovating our current stadium will simply not solve many operational issues and would be a short-term approach. With more time to reflect, we have also realized that without a dome, we will not attract the type of large-scale events and year-round activity to justify the magnitude of this public-private partnership. The transformational economic opportunities created by a dome far outweigh what a renovated stadium could produce with around ten events per year.

In the spirit of exhausting all downtown options and continuing to work in good faith with the Mayor, when he announced his efforts to potentially make Burke available for development last month, we engaged in further diligence with the city and County Executive Ronayne’s staff regarding a potential dome stadium on Burke. The significant design, construction, geotechnical and environmental challenges were again apparent. Our work reinforced that despite the City, County and our team doing their best to make the economics work, building a stadium on the Burke property is cost prohibitive and not feasible, especially with no certainty regarding potential timing of closure of the Airport.

We have communicated to the Mayor and his team at every step of the process regarding our mutual efforts to keep the stadium downtown and we conveyed to them yesterday, our most impactful investment for our region is to focus on making a dome stadium and adjacent development in Brook Park a reality. With the funding mechanisms we continue to work on, this stadium will not use existing taxpayer-funded streams that would divert resources from other more pressing needs. Instead, the over $2 billion private investment, together with the public investment, will create a major economic development project that will drive the activity necessary to pay the public bond debt service through future project-generated and Browns-generated revenue.

A solution like this will be transformative not only for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, but also the entire state of Ohio from the resulting events, tourism, and job creation. Additionally, moving the current stadium will allow the city and region’s collective vision for the Cleveland lakefront to be optimally realized, and downtown will benefit from the major events the Brook Park dome brings to the region.

Cleveland and Northeast Ohio are the fabric of the Browns and that will always be the case. Our community commitment to Cleveland and efforts to improve the lives of its residents will not change.

Again, our work with Mayor Bibb and city officials has been transparent and collaborative throughout. We will continue to work in earnest with city, county, and state officials to work together on these transformational opportunities.

As we have previously said, we understand this is a complex process with more questions still to be answered and we will continue to communicate openly as our process evolves. We recognize our season on the field has not had the start we all hoped for and are working hard to improve each week to make our fans proud. At the same time, it is critical that we remain committed to the best long-term, sustainable solution for our stadium and to providing the world-class dome experience our fans deserve. We are confident that the Brook Park project will significantly benefit the Northeast Ohio region for generations to come.