Category Archives: News Alerts

BVHS Named A Finalist For BBB Award For Ethics

(From Blanchard Valley Health System)

Blanchard Valley Health System (BVHS) was named a 2024 Finalist in the Better Business Bureau Torch Awards for Ethics.

The Better Business Bureau of Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan reviews nominations from 24 counties for this annual award, which honors area businesses and nonprofit organizations for their exemplary ethical business practices.

“We are honored to be recognized as a finalist for our commitment to ethical practices, reflecting our dedication to integrity and excellence at BVHS,” said Myron D. Lewis, president and chief executive officer of BVHS.

Ethics in healthcare are crucial for ensuring that patient care is delivered with integrity, respect, and fairness. They also serve as the foundation for building trust between patients and healthcare providers and guide decisions that affect patient well-being.

Ethical principles, such as autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice, help healthcare professionals navigate complex situations, ensuring that patients’ rights are upheld and that they receive appropriate care. Moreover, a strong ethical framework fosters a culture of accountability and transparency, encouraging providers to prioritize patient welfare while adhering to legal and professional standards. Ultimately, ethics in healthcare not only enhances the quality of care but also promotes a compassionate environment where patients feel valued and understood.

A review by the organization’s leadership demonstrated that BVHS is an ethical organization regarding its patients and associates and that ethics are a priority for the organization.

Please visit bvhealthsystem.org to learn more about the services offered at Blanchard Valley Health System, a connected care network.

Early Voting Underway For November 5 General Election

Early voting for the November 5th election began on Tuesday, October 8th.

In-person absentee early voting hours at the Hancock County Board of Elections in Findlay are as follows:

October 8 thru 11 – 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

October 15 thru 18 – 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

October 21 thru 25 – 8:00 am to 6:00 pm

October 26 – 8:00 am to 4:00 pm

October 27 – 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

October 28 – 7:30 am to 7:30 pm

October 29 – 7:30 am to 8:30 pm (absentee ballot application deadline – last day to mail absentee ballot)

October 30 thru November 1 – 7:30 am to 7:30 pm

November 2 – 8:00 am to 4:00 pm

November 3 – 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

A few of the races and issues voters will decide on include the race for the Ohio House of Representatives 83rd District seat between Republican Ty Mathews and Democrat Sheila Coressel, the race for Hancock County Common Pleas Court Judge between Phil Riegle and Alex Treece, and Issue 1 which would ban gerrymandering and create a commission of citizens to create the state’s political maps instead of politicians.

Findlay City Schools is putting a 1 percent earned income tax levy on the ballot.

Click here for a full list of issues and races in Hancock County, here for Putnam County, and click here for the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.

Findlay Hockey Day Coming Up

Findlay Hockey Day will be held on Saturday, October 12th at Findlay High School.

“What better way to kick off the 24-25 FHS Hockey season!! Mark your calendars and join us for a fun-filled day!!” Findlay High School Ice Hockey said on its Facebook page.

The fun, community event will include street hockey, shots on net, free food, and much more.

Get more details below.

Beam Setting Night Work On New Findlay Interchange To Impact Traffic

(From the Ohio Department of Transportation)

Interstate 75 will be rerouted and County Road 99 will close overnight according to the schedule below to set the structural steel beams for the new westbound County Road 99 bridge.

 Wednesday night, Oct. 9 – Saturday morning, Oct. 12. (The schedule below applies to all three nights.)

Interstate 75 southbound:

8 p.m. – Traffic will be reduced to one lane.

11 p.m.-5 a.m. – I-75 southbound traffic will be rerouted onto the CR 99 southbound ramps.

I-75 northbound ramps will remain operational.

During this time CR 99 over I-75 will be closed to traffic.

5 a.m. – I-75 and CR 99 are expected to return to full operation.

 

Monday night, Oct. 14 – Thursday morning, Oct. 17. (The schedule below applies to all three nights.)

Interstate 75 northbound:

8 p.m. – Traffic will be reduced to one lane.

11 p.m.-5 a.m. – I-75 northbound traffic will be rerouted onto the CR 99 northbound ramps.

I-75 southbound ramps will remain operational. 

During this time CR 99 will be closed to traffic.

5 a.m. – I-75 and CR 99 are expected to return to full operation.

County Road 99 will close over I-75 during beam setting operation dates listed above, 11 p.m.-5 a.m.

Detour: U.S. 224/Trenton Ave. to Main St. to Center St. to Tiffin Ave. to Bright Rd. to Fostoria Ave. to CR 236 to CR 212 to CR 99.

The detour map will be published here Monday, Oct. 7: ODOT District 1 detours

 

The new interchange at 75 and County Road 99 will be a Diverging Diamond interchange which shifts the eastbound and westbound traffic to the other side of the bridge at signalized crossovers which eliminates left turns across traffic and the traffic signals for left turns. (design below)

The benefit is that all traffic can enter the interstate in a free flow movement to the ramps which reduces the long start and stop times of trucks at signals.

A successful example of a DDI is located in Perrysburg at I-475 and State Route 25.

Local Red Cross Director Joining Hurricane Relief Effort

(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.

Tiffin Man Heading To Prison On Drug, Gun Charges

A Tiffin man was sentenced to prison on drug and gun charges in federal court.

The U.S. Attorneys Office – Northern District of Ohio says Justin Rosas, 31, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm as a felon.

According to court documents, in August, 2019, Sandusky Police Detectives and DEA investigators executed a search warrant at a residence located on Monroe Street in Sandusky.

During the execution of the warrant, law enforcement officers encountered Justin Rosas and Fernando Gonzales Jr. inside the residence and seized two semiautomatic pistols located within plain sight of both men.

Officers then searched Rosas and located a substance containing methamphetamine.

Rosas is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a previous conviction of aggravated drug trafficking in the Seneca County Common Pleas Court.

Fernando Gonzales was charged in April 2021 as a felon in possession of a firearm. That case remains ongoing.

This case was investigated by the DEA and Sandusky Police Department, and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorneys Office – Northern District of Ohio.

 

Gliding Stars Of Findlay In Need Of On-Ice Volunteers

Gliding Stars of Findlay is back and looking for on-ice volunteers.

Gliding Stars is an adaptive ice skating program that gives people with special needs a chance to enjoy some time on the ice with the help of a coach.

Cindy Bregel, executive director of the Findlay chapter of the organization, says the program helps improve the participants’ motor skills, strength and speech.

And she says the socialization and friendships that come from the program are priceless.

 

 

Cindy said they haven’t been on the ice since March of 2020 because of the pandemic and it’ll be great to be back.

The first day for the program will be Sunday, September 12th from 1:30 to 3 at The Cube.

Then the season will conclude with an Ice Show in March of 2022.

She said it’s very rewarding to be an on-ice volunteer and they still need some for the upcoming season.

Learn more about Gliding Stars of Findlay and how to volunteer by clicking here.

(above picture courtesy of Gliding Stars of Findlay)

 

 

 

Cooper Tire Findlay Plant 200 Millionth Tire

Cooper Tire’s Findlay manufacturing plant is celebrating production of its 200 millionth tire.

Cooper says 200 million tires stacked end to end would stretch 96,000 miles and be able to circle the earth nearly four times.

Details on the milestone are in the following news release from Cooper Tire.

 

Cooper Tire announced that its Findlay, Ohio, manufacturing plant reached a milestone today with the production of its 200 millionth tire, a Cooper® Discoverer® AT3 LT™.

The Findlay plant was constructed in 1919 and was Cooper Tire’s first manufacturing facility. Today, it employs approximately 900 associates within one million square feet of production space. In June, Cooper Tire became part of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, combining two leading companies with complementary product portfolios, services and capabilities and creating a strong U.S.-based leader in the global tire industry.

“We are grateful for our Findlay associates, past and present, who contributed to this significant production achievement,” said Plant Manager Mark Kreinbrink.

 

 

“Two hundred million tires, if stacked end to end, would stretch 96,000 miles and be able to circle the earth nearly four times. I sincerely appreciate the dedication, hard work and commitment to quality that our Findlay team has delivered day in and day out to produce this significant body of work. Our customers recognize and appreciate our commitment to service, as well, and have rewarded us with continuing strong demand for our products. We look forward to serving them by making millions more industry-leading tires.”

“The USW is proud to see the Findlay plant reach this milestone driven by a great team that makes great tires,” said Brian Brubaker, President of USW Local 207L.

“This is a major accomplishment that shows the enduring contributions of our USW members over several generations. Thank you to the men and women of the Findlay plant for their skills and efforts.”

The Discoverer AT3LT is a top-selling on-road/off-road all-terrain tire designed for drivers of pickup trucks, work vehicles and full-size SUVs who need a tire that offers the rugged durability required to keep up with their active lifestyles.

 

National Library Card Sign-Up Month

The Findlay-Hancock County Public Library is encouraging people who don’t have one yet to get a library card during National Library Card Sign-Up Month in September.

Library Director Sarah Clevidence says at the library they believe there’s nothing more empowering than getting your own library card.

“It gives you access to technology, resources and services to help you pursue your passions and your dreams.”

 

 

Sarah says 27,334 members of the community are currently library card holders and they’d like to sign up a lot more during National Library Card Sign-Up Month.

Get more details by clicking here.

 

 

Ohio’s Capital City To Reissue Indoor Mask Order

The mayor of Columbus, Andrew Ginther, has announced he plans to issue an executive order requiring people to wear a face mask in indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status.

Ginther made the announcement during a news conference alongside Columbus health officials.

The mayor said masks, along with vaccines, are the best way to keep people safe.

 

 

He added that the executive order is about slowing the spread of the virus and keeping Columbus safe and open for business.

Ginther said the executive order will go into effect when he signs it on Friday.

Ginther is also asking people who have not been vaccinated to get vaccinated today.