(From the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library)

The Findlay-Hancock County Public Library invites the community to join in on the joy of reading with the 2024 Summer Reading Program,“Adventure Begins at Your Library”! 

Join us at the main library on June 3 at 10 AM for a special kick-off party! There will be special SummerREAD activities from 10 AM – 1 PM and again from 4 PM – 6 PM.

Come and enjoy our obstacle course, face painting, inflatable archery and more!

The library’s Brittany Lutes was on with WFIN’s Chris Oaks to discuss their SummerREAD program.

The kick-off party at the Arlington Branch is scheduled for June 8 from 11AM – 2 PM, and will include games, crafts and snacks. Enjoy exciting summer activities and programs at the library that encourage curiosity all summer long. Participants are encouraged to celebrate the “Adventure Begins at Your Library” theme and share in the adventure of reading!

SummerREAD registration begins on June 3, and is open to all ages, infant through adult at findlaylibrary.readsquared.com.

The library is providing a free gift book to all early literacy, children, and teen registrants. This summer, the library is again using an online platform, READsquared, for participants to keep track of their reading progress. 

Participants can earn great prizes by logging reading, writing a review, or completing fun activities. There will be weekly drawings for amazing prizes.

If you prefer not to track your reading online, there will be paper forms available at the library to log reading progress. 

The new Findlay High School Boys basketball coach has been announced.

“FHS Athletic Department is excited to announce Coach Ryan Grose as our FHS Boys Basketball Coach! We are excited to have him join Trojan Country!!” the athletic department said on Facebook.

Grose has some huge shoes to fill – those of longtime Findlay Trojans Boys Basketball Coach Jim Rucki who finished his career with an overall record of 545 wins including 385 at Findlay High School.

Findlay City Schools Athletic Director Nate Weihrauch says Coach Grose has had great success at previous stops at North Union and Marysville and is excited that he is now a Trojan.

“Coach Grose comes to Findlay with a wealth of knowledge in the game of basketball, but most importantly will bring the same set of values and characteristics we teach within our athletic department in the Findlay City School District.”

The Findlay Fire Department conducted some boat drills on Lake Cascades.

Captain Clevidence says they hold the refresher course each spring to go over lake and river rescue procedures so they’ll be ready when needed. 

In addition, they have some rookies in the department who needed to get in some time on the boats.

The Captain says every year they get called out to the reservoir for boaters in distress and there is always the possibility of river rescues.

He says they take their three boats to Lake Cascades, the reservoirs, and to the Blanchard River in the spring to get their firefighters back into the swing of things and familiarized with their equipment.

Get more of our conversation with Captain Clevidence in the video below.

The Findlay Police Department says a man was taken to the hospital after suffering a medical emergency and causing a crash.

It happened at the intersection of South Main Street and Sixth Street/Lake Cascades at around 9:30 Thursday morning.

Police say Terry Boston, 75, of Findlay, was southbound on South Main in his pickup truck and rear-ended another pickup truck that was stopped at the light at South Main Street and Sixth Street/Lake Cascades.

Police say Boston was taken to the hospital for the medical emergency he suffered prior to the crash.

The Marathon Center for the Performing Arts in Findlay has a full slate of outdoor events in the coming months, and it won’t be long before they’ll be announcing their next season of top-notch entertainment.

Executive Director Heather Clow was on with WFIN’s Chris Oaks to discuss all the upcoming events, including Boogie on the Block, which is happening on Friday, June 7 and is a big fundraiser for MCPA and supports their mission-based programming.

(From the Bluffton Foundation)

Four separate grants make up The R.L. and Etta L. Triplett Foundation’s 2024 grant distribution, which totals $5,520, according to Tomm Triplett, board president of the Bluffton-based foundation.

This year’s distribution includes:
• $2,000 for a continuing scholarship to Amber Gladwell, Bluffton HS graduate, attending Bluffton University
• $1,700 to Bluffton Child Development Center, for playground mulch
• $1,020 to Bluffton Family YMCA, for youth volleyball nets, volleyballs, U6 soccer nets and soccer balls
• $800 for the newly established Bluffton Dog Park

The foundation was established in 1985 with goals to financially support the Bluffton community in five areas:
• Community improvement projects
• Bluffton parks and recreation facilities 
• Advancement of charitable institutions in the Bluffton vicinity 
• Support Bluffton Hospital
• Support athletics, art, education and economic education in area schools 

R.L. Triplett was the founder of the Triplett Corp. of Bluffton. His wife, Etta Lantz Triplett, was the founder of the Bluffton College Home Economics Department. The foundation, a 501 c 3 non-profit, has contributed in excess of $150,000 to Bluffton area organizations from requests it receives.

Persons wanting more information may contact Triplett Foundation, PO Box 158, Bluffton, Ohio 45817.

Board members are Tomm Triplett, president, Fred Steiner, vice-president, Pam Weisenbarger, secretary, James West, treasurer and Terry Mullenhour.

(From Senator Brown’s Office)

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is calling on the Baseball Hall of Fame Historical Overview Committee to include Ohio native William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy on the December 2024 Hall of Fame ballot, in recognition of his dedication and contributions to the game of baseball. Hoy played fourteen seasons of Major League Baseball, including five with the Cincinnati Reds. Brown, a devoted Cleveland Guardians fan, was joined by U.S. Representatives Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-9) and Greg Landsman (D-OH-1) in his letter to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

“As members of Ohio’s Congressional Delegation, we urge you to consider William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy for inclusion into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Hoy is a proud son of Ohio and remains an inspiration to deaf and hard of hearing athletes across the country. Including him on the December 2024 ballot would provide a long-overdue opportunity to consider his achievements and legacy,” wrote the members.

The full letter is HERE or below:

Dear Members of the Baseball Hall of Fame Historical Overview Committee:

As members of Ohio’s Congressional Delegation, we urge you to consider William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy for inclusion into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Hoy is a proud son of Ohio and remains an inspiration to deaf and hard of hearing athletes across the country. Including him on the December 2024 ballot would provide a long-overdue opportunity to consider his achievements and legacy.

William Ellsworth Hoy was born in Houcktown, Ohio in 1862 and became deaf three years later. He graduated as class valedictorian from the Ohio State School for the Deaf and went on to have the most decorated career of any deaf player in baseball history.

Hoy was one of the very best players of his era. He played fourteen seasons of Major League Baseball, including five with the Cincinnati Reds. He played in nearly 1,800 games and amassed more than 2,000 hits. He hit .300 three times and scored more than 100 runs in nine different seasons. He had league-leading seasons in games, plate appearances, at bats, stolen bases, walks, times hit by a pitch, and sacrifice bunts. When he retired, he held the all-time records for both games played in center field and career putouts.

After his baseball career, he operated a dairy farm in southwest Ohio and continued to receive honors from those in and out of the baseball community. In 1951, he was the first athlete inducted into the United States of America Deaf Sports Federation Hall of Fame. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3 of the 1961 World Series in Cincinnati and was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2003. Hoy has been the subject of several children’s books, documentaries, and movies and is the namesake for Gallaudet University’s baseball field and a biannual baseball game held in New York during Deaf Awareness Week.

On the merits of his distinguished career and legacy on and off the field, the National Baseball Hall of Fame should consider “Dummy” Hoy for inclusion.

In April of 2022, a ceremony to dedicate an Ohio Historical Marker recognizing William Hoy was held in Houcktown.

(From the Tiffin Police Department)

*** ATTENTION TIFFIN RESIDENTS ***

Please be aware that today, members of the Emergency Services Unit (ESU) will be conducting a training exercise in collaboration with Life Flight.

This unit includes personnel from Tiffin Police, Fostoria Police, Seneca County Sheriff’s Office, Tiffin Fire/EMS, and Fostoria Fire Department. The exercise aims to identify suitable landing sites within Tiffin for use during critical incidents or injuries requiring Life Flight’s assistance.

The training will cover protocols for guiding the helicopter to a safe landing zone, procedures following the landing, and maintaining security while the helicopter is on the ground and preparing to transport an injured person. Four secure locations around Tiffin will be assessed and utilized during this exercise.

The training will commence at 10 AM and continue throughout the day into the early afternoon. Please note, this is only a training exercise, and there is no cause for alarm.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Chief Pauly

(From the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation)

At the May board meeting, The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation Board of Trustees approved grants totaling $879,305. This total includes 10 responsive grants and 53 donor advised fund grants.

“The Community Foundation board and staff continue to use the community conversations report priorities to guide our grantmaking,” said Brian Treece, President & CEO of the Foundation. “This round of grants addresses many of those, and we are grateful to the donors who made these grants possible.”

Responsive Grants

Responsive grants are awarded to organizations that meet community needs and match The Community Foundation’s goals, objectives and priorities. Grantseekers must submit a written grant proposal for consideration. Applications are reviewed four times per year.

Funding for responsive grants comes from our Community’s Endowment, made up of Funds for the Common Good and Field of Interest Funds established by donors at The Community Foundation. The following responsive grants were approved by the Board of Trustees, made possible by our Community’s Endowment:

50 North was awarded $18,000 to support nine activities during the year for Seniors as part of the Fun for All series of free community events.

City Mission was awarded $100,000 to assist with the creation of a low-barrier shelter.

Findlay City Schools was awarded $2,555 to assist with the purchase of pocket translators so that school staff can more effectively communicate with all students.

Findlay Family YMCA’s Early Learning Center was awarded $250,000 to support a new Early Learning Center.

Hancock County Agricultural Society was awarded $5,300 to support the Kids Zone at the fairgrounds on July 3rd, which will be part of the 4th of July festivities (train, inflatables, and pony rides).

Hancock Public Health was awarded $20,000 to leverage support for the Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan process in 2024 and 2025.

Marathon Center for the Performing Arts was awarded $3,500 to sponsor a Sing Along Movie (Grease) on October 11 as part of the Fun for All series of free community events.

Ohio State Parks Foundation was awarded $1,500 to leverage support for the creation of a Haiku Trail at Van Buren State Park. A local poetry competition will select the poetry for the trail.

University of Findlay was awarded $10,000 to support the hiring of a Health Equity Action Plan (HEAP) Support Staff to focus strategies on neighborhoods at highest risk.

Wharton First Church of God was awarded $2,500 to support the expansion of the Back to School Blitz for students in the Riverdale School District due to increased need.

Donor Advised Grants

Donor Advised funds are established by individuals, families or corporations to recommend grants to nonprofits they’re passionate about. The nonprofits are vetted by the Foundation and grants are awarded. The following donor advised grants were awarded:

53 grants to 47 organizations totaling $452,450.

(From Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn)

Earlier today news was released that Marathon Oil (MRO) based out of Houston, Texas is being sold to ConocoPhillips.

This is not Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) based in Findlay, Ohio.

As many recall, Marathon Petroleum and Marathon Oil split in 2011 dividing the two organizations.

Marathon Oil specializes in oil exploration and production, and Marathon Petroleum Corporation is a petroleum refining, marketing, and transportation company.

The announced sale of Marathon Oil will not have a direct impact on the City of Findlay.

This is a good reminder of the importance of the work that we do every day to ensure that all of our local businesses, and residents, continue to see Findlay as a place of opportunity and build strong community ties.

Additionally, it reminds us of the important work we do to maintain our fiscal position to manage any significant economic changes.

Being a community that has a thriving local economy means good policy, well-maintained infrastructure, available housing options, and amenities that help attract and maintain a high-quality workforce.

These priorities align with my vision for the City of Findlay and the work the City of Findlay team does each day to continue to improve our great community for all.

Thank you for choosing to call Findlay your home and being a part of making it a better place each day.

Sincerely, Mayor Christina Muryn