Hancock County Overdose Awareness Day was on Friday, August 23.

An event was held at Dorney Plaza in front of the Findlay Municipal Building in which Hancock Public Health, FOCUS, ADAMHS, and other organizations participated.

There was free Narcan, testing, and survival bags for people who attended the event.

Nicole Dailey is project coordinator and peer support supervisor at Focus Recovery and Wellness.

Kalynn Sommers, harm reduction coordinator at Hancock Public Health, says fatal overdoses are down this year and she attributes the drop to making the overdose-reversing medication Narcan (Naloxone) more available.  

She says there were 10 fatal overdoses in Hancock County in 2023 and are only two suspected fatal overdoses so far in 2024.

Hancock Public Health reminds people that they have Narcan available through Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided with Naloxone) as a way to combat the opioid overdose epidemic.

Additionally, Nalox boxes are located throughout the county where people can get Narcan if they need it.

(From the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office)

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to receive complaints about telephone scams, email scams, and mail scams.

Multiple reports have been filed where a family member needs money.

The “family member” says they are in jail and needs money to post bond (the requested money amount has been up to $20,000).

Please be aware of these scammers and do not give any personal information to anyone without 1st verifying the information.

(From the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation)

The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation Board of Trustees approved grants totaling $418,020 at the August board meeting. This total includes 23 responsive grants and 45 donor-advised fund grants.

“While we see many smaller grants in this release, two significant grants directly support Foundation-directed programming for our community,” said Brian Treece, President & CEO of the Foundation. “Our advocacy program has resulted in local nonprofit agencies building relationships and accessing more than $9 million in public dollars since 2020. The Organizational Strengthening program will help nonprofits with their critical mission work, as it has for over a decade. We are proud to continue these two important programs for our local nonprofits.”

Responsive Grants

Responsive grants are awarded to organizations that meet community needs and match The Community Foundation’s goals and objectives. 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, which is comprised 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:

-Awakening Minds Art was awarded $593 for art programming with local veterans.

-Black Heritage Library and Multicultural Center was awarded $2,272 for a Haitian-Caribbean Summer Festival as part of the Fun for All series of free community events.

-Children’s Mentoring Connection received two grants:

$234 for fishing equipment to lend to mentors/mentees.

$2,075 for a Family Fun event in partnership with the YMCA as part of the Fun for All series of free community events.

-Findlay City Schools was awarded $3,727 for the One Book, One School project at Jefferson, Northview and Whittier primary schools.

-Findlay Family YMCA was awarded $3,300 for three free pool days as part of the Fun for All series of free community events.

-Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation was awarded four grants for nonprofit support:

$5,000 for additional advocacy support through the end of 2024.

$11,500 to provide local school foundations with capacity building workshops and one-on-one coaching.

$128,200 for Organizational Strengthening to support local nonprofit organizations in 2025, including a learning series, cohorts, one-on-one coaching, certificate options and individual professional development funds.

$165,000 to provide advocacy support with Williams Nonprofit Consulting for 2025-2026.

-Findlay Young Professionals was awarded $5,795 for a Touchdown Tailgate event on Crawford Street as part of the Fun for All series of free community events.

-Fostoria Vision 2020, Inc. was awarded $35,000 for an inclusive playground in the Hancock County portion of Fostoria.

-Gliding Stars of Findlay was awarded $7,500 for a temporary assistant director to transition leadership.

-Hancock County ADAMHS Board was awarded $12,000 to support the work of the immigration task force in implementing a communications strategy.

-Hancock Historical Museum was awarded $725 for 50 years of Flag City USA Family Fun Day as part of the Fun for All series of free community events.

-Marathon Center for the Performing Arts was awarded $3,500 to provide a family movie and popcorn in December as part of the Fun for All series of free community events.

-Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation, Inc. was awarded $1,015 to sponsor opening day for the Fun for All series of free community events.

-St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish was awarded $6,539 for a book vending machine in the school.

-Village of Arlington was awarded $675 for three free pool days as part of the Fun for All series of free community events.

-Village of McComb was awarded $1,125 for three free pool days as part of the Fun for All series of free community events.

-Village of Mt. Blanchard was awarded $900 for three free pool days as part of the Fun for All series of free community events.

Donor Advised Grants

Individuals, families or corporations establish Donor Advised Funds to recommend grants to nonprofits they’re passionate about. The Foundation vets the nonprofits, and grants are awarded. The following donor advised grants were awarded:

45 grants to 35 organizations totaling $257,201.

(From Cancer Patient Services)

Cancer Patient Services’ third annual Flock Walk and 5K will be held at the University of Findlay’s Koehler Center and outside on the campus on Saturday, September 14^th.

This is a family-friendly event with other activities! Join us and walk with your family, friends, and neighbors to support LOCAL cancer patients!

WFIN’s Chris Oaks had Carol Metzger and Mackenzie Wagner on to discuss the event.

The 5K part of the event will be a fun run and will not be professionally timed. If you’re not into running, don’t fret! We will also have a 1-mile family fun walk available.

The upcoming walk will commence with a lap indoors led by local community survivors. The event will feature activities such as running, walking, inflatables, and yard games, among others. Participants may honor or remember their loved ones by purchasing flamingo yard signs that will adorn the walkway and can be collected at the end. Before the event, it is suggested to decorate the flamingos, which can be obtained from our office.

In case you’re not into decorating, we’re happy to do it for you. There’s also an opportunity to win big through Raffle Baskets donated by local businesses and individuals. Additionally, a Visa Card Raffle is available, where you can win a Visa Gift Card worth $1,500, $750, $500, or $250. Basket Raffle tickets can be purchased on-site, while Visa Raffle tickets can be bought in advance. We appreciate your support and welcome any inquiries via email at development@cancerpatientservices.org.

(From the Hancock Historical Museum)

The Hancock Historical Museum will host its seventh Historic Barn Tour from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7. This self-guided tour will showcase six historic barns dating from the 1860s to the 1930s in southern Hancock County (map below) paired with food, live music, kid’s activities, demonstrations and fun for the entire family.

On the tour, attendees will learn about the history of each barn, the farms they occupy and the families who have owned them. Each barn on the tour displays impressive architecture, an array of timber-framing techniques and styles that have served a variety of purposes.

“Hancock County has a rich history in agriculture and each stop on the tour has a unique story to tell from the design of the structures to how the spaces were used and who was there,” said Sarah Foltz, Executive Director of the Hancock Historical Museum. “The Historic Barn Tour is one way we can educate all ages about our agricultural history and celebrate preservation throughout our county in a really fun way.”

Throughout the tour, attendees will enjoy activities including local food vendors, market-style vendors, kid’s activities, antique machinery, blacksmithing demonstrations by Four Haas Forge and timber framing demonstrations by JCM Timberworks. Live music will be provided by the Dulcimer Gathern’, East of Cheyenne and Aaron Peterson.

Many farms have been passed down through the same families for generations and several farms on this year’s tour have been recognized by the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Ohio Historic Family Farms program. The tour will feature one certified Ohio Sesquicentennial Farm, the Bormuth-Rankey farm, which has remained in the same family for well over 150 years. Most recently, the Main-Boehm family received an Ohio Century Farm designation as the farm has remained in their family for over 100 years. The Hartman-Schmehl farm to be featured on the tour is currently in the process of receiving its Ohio Century Farm designation as well.

“The Historic Barn Tour is much more than a one-day event for the museum and participating barn owners,” said Foltz. “We love helping provide research and guidance for families like the Main-Boehm and Hartman-Schmehl families who qualify for the Ohio Century Farm designation. Even the owners who may not qualify for a designation enjoy learning more about their property, family genealogy and those who lived on the property before them.”

Taking place every other year, the Historic Barn Tour is a statewide award-winning program and primary fundraiser for the Hancock Historical Museum, a privately-funded nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the rich heritage of Hancock County and inspiring the future. The 2024 Historic Barn Tour is made possible by Legacy Farmers Cooperative, Hitchings Insurance, Advanced Drainage Systems, Runnings and Visit Findlay.

Pre-sale tickets to the Historic Barn Tour are available for $10 at the Hancock Historical Museum or online. Children 16 and under are free. Tickets will be available the day of the tour for $10 for members of the museum and $15 for nonmembers. The tour is self-guided and participants may start at any of the barns and proceed in any order.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Hancock Historical Museum located at 422 W. Sandusky street, visit Hancockhistoricalmuseum.org or call 419-423-4433.

(ONN) – It may still be summer but the Ohio Department of Transportation is already looking for snowplow drivers and they are holding hiring events.

At these job fairs, drivers with a CDL are able to speak with people directly from the ODOT HR department and get an interview on the spot.

Drivers get paid just over $20 an hour and are a huge part in keeping the roadways safe in the winter.

If you do not have a CDL, there is a training program for it.

Find details about upcoming job fairs at transportation.ohio.gov

The month of August is ‘Clear the Shelters Month’ and the Humane Society and SPCA of Hancock County is inviting people to stop by and see if they make a connection with one of their shelter animals.

The Humane Society’s Natalie Reffitt was on with WFIN’s Chris Oaks to discuss how they work to find the right pet for people.

As Natalie said, they have people fill out an application with certain questions that will help them find the right pet for that home.

The Humane Society and SPCA of Hancock County is located at 4550 Fostoria Avenue in Findlay.

Click here to see what animals they currently have up for adoption. (pictured above is Scuba Steve)

(From the Hancock County Veterans Service Office)

The Hancock County Veterans Service Office currently seeks to recognize the efforts of distinguished men and women who have worn the uniform of our nation’s armed forces during any of the following:

-The Korean War

-Vietnam

-Persian Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm)

-Global War on Terrorism (Operation Enduring Freedom / Operation Iraqi Freedom)

One Veteran’s story from each of the four conflicts will be selected by a panel to be featured on the appropriate one of our next four Heritage Trail Story Walk boards.

DEADLINE for nominations is September 5, 2024.

Click here to learn more about the first four story boards that were dedicated in September of 2023.

(From the Seneca County Drug Task Force)

On Wednesday, August 21st, 2024, the Seneca County Drug Task Force-METRICH Enforcement Unit, along with additional Officers from the Fostoria Police Department, the Sandusky County Drug Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) executed a drug-related search warrant on a residence located at 506 Columbus Avenue, in the City of Fostoria, Seneca County, Ohio, which is the residence of Jamie Jones, 44 YOA and Marlana Jones, 42 YOA.

The search warrant signed by Tiffin-Fostoria Municipal Court Judge Rhonda Best led to the confiscation of suspected Oxycodone Pills, Crack Cocaine, Cocaine, Criminal Tools, Firearms & US Currency.

The investigation is presently an “ongoing” investigation. The charges of Illegal Possession of Oxycodone Pills, Possession of Crack Cocaine, Possession of Cocaine, Illegal Possession of a Stolen Firearm, and Possession of Criminal Tools are all pending on the residents in the conclusion of the entire drug investigation.

Fostoria Police Department’s Canine Unit was also utilized to assist with executing the search warrant on the residence.

“The cooperation & efforts from the participating agencies were instrumental to the success of this investigation. The Fostoria Police Department, along with the METRICH Unit, continues to focus on the problem drug areas in our communities & with assistance from citizens in our community, we are capable of removing drugs and guns from our streets & prosecuting the offenders,” Chief Gabriel Wedge, Fostoria Police Department, said.

“I would encourage citizens to continue reporting suspicious activity to their local agencies or the Seneca County Drug Task Force – METRICH Enforcement Unit Crime Hotline at Local 419-443-0463, ext. 1140.”

(From the Wood County Sheriff’s Office)

The Wood County Sheriff’s Office will be holding its annual free Citizen’s Police Academy!

Thursday Evenings – starting Sep 5, 2024 through November 21, 2024.

Classes are held from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Class size is limited, so reserve your space today!!!

Join us to learn about the operations of the Wood County Sheriff’s Office and the duties of the Office of the Sheriff.

RSVP (space is limited) to complete an application contact Deputy Holland no later than August 29, 2024 by calling 419-354-9088 or email at jaholland@woodcountyohio.gov