(From the City of Findlay)

We have some new pedestrian alleyway lighting in Downtown Findlay!

This alleyway is located between Roobarb Studios and Scramblers.

Thank you to the Downtown Findlay Improvement District (DFID) for funding this project, the Findlay Traffic Department for performing the work, and the building owners for being on board!

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office has released its monthly report for September.

The sheriff’s office said it closed 2,481 total incidents in September, which included 308 traffic stops, 30 OVI/reckless operation investigations, investigated 76 crashes and executed 42 arrest warrants.

Sheriff Mike Cortez says he’s profoundly grateful for the community’s collaboration and confident in a shared commitment to transparency, accountability, excellence, and professionalism.

The full report is below.

(From Blanchard Valley Health System)

Congratulations to Emily Ulrey, RN, for being a September DAISY Award Recipient!

Emily was nominated by a patient who was moved by her ability to turn a devastating hospital stay into a life-changing, positive experience. “The second she walked into my room, she was like a ray of sunshine and an angel of hope. Emily is the true definition of what a nurse is,” they wrote. She provided the patient with all the necessary tools to recover while also offering compassion, empathetic care, and advocacy.

Thank you, Emily, for your dedication to providing the highest-quality patient care. We are lucky to have you as part of #TeamBVHS.

Pictured (Photo one, left to right): BJ Pasztor, RN, chief nursing officer and chief operations officer of acute care services; Renee Matthews, RN, administrator of Bluffton Hospital; Matt Moser, RN, clinical manager at Bluffton Hospital; Jessica Moore, RN, director of inpatient nursing.

Millstream Career Center held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of a new wing at its facility at 1150 Broad Avenue in Findlay.

The $3.4 million expansion allowed for the creation of Millstream’s new STREAM Center, specializing in Science, Technology, Robotics, Engineering, Automation, and Manufacturing.

Millstream Director Pam Hamlin says they expanded their Engineering and Robotics program and created a new program called Manufacturing and Industrial Robotics.

She says the expansion will allow them to educate more students for in-demand jobs.

The expansion was made possible by a $3.4 million career tech grant from the state of Ohio, and partnering school districts and business partners.

Learn more about Millstream Career Center by clicking here.

(From the United Way of Hancock County)

United Way of Hancock County has aged 70 years — just like a great bottle of bourbon.

In honor of this legacy of bringing the community together, the United Way has planned a masquerade-themed fundraiser called Barrels & Bids: An Evening of Impact. This formal event will be held from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Findlay Country Club, featuring bourbon and wine tastings; silent and live auctions; and raffles. Keynote speaker for the evening is Hancock County’s own Jerry Blevins, former MLB player and co-founder of Field of Dreams Whiskey Co.

Tickets are $100 each or $800 for a table of eight. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available via the United Way’s website, www.uwhancock.org, or by calling the office at 419-423-1432.

“We haven’t had a formal event like this for years and we’re excited to put on a fun event to raise money not just for one cause, but for many across our community,” said United Way of Hancock County CEO Kelley McClurkin.

Barrels & Bids falls in the middle of United Way of Hancock County’s 70th anniversary year and its Campaign season, when the organization is working to raise $1.8 million to support critical community services. United Way funding supports 20 programs run by 15 local partner agencies dedicated to championing children’s issues, fighting hunger, promoting safety and health, supporting safe housing and fostering financial security.

All ticket sales and sponsorships from this event will go directly toward the United Way’s Campaign goal.

McClurkin noted that Barrels & Bids is largely being organized by local bourbon enthusiasts and will feature tastings and raffles for a number of highly coveted and sought-after bourbons. She added, however, that this is “not just for bourbon connoisseurs but for anyone looking for an elegant evening out this fall.”

The northern half of Hancock County is still listed as being in Extreme Drought in the latest map released by the U.S. Drought Monitor on Thursday, and the overall Extreme Drought designation has expanded. 

The southern half of the county is listed in Severe Drought. Click here to see the map.

The Extreme Drought designation also extends up into Wood County and over into parts of Putnam and Henry Counties and even further west. 

Get the latest forecast and weather alerts by clicking here. 

(From the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation)

Congratulations Findlay City Schools!

The Allan H. Davis Fund has awarded its annual civic education grants.

$150,000 will support incredible programs like Youth in Government, We The People Competition, Trojan Trailblazers, and Blue & Gold student publications.

These funds help prepare our next generation of civic leaders!

(ONN) – The Ohio Senate has voted to override Governor Mike DeWine’s veto regarding property taxes.

 The Ohio House voted to override the property tax veto in July and now the Ohio Senate has followed suit.

Ohio will be eliminating both emergency and replacement property tax levies that schools and local municipalities rely on for funding.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the measures will not provide meaningful property tax relief but will have a direct negative impact on school districts.

This comes just one day after a DeWine task force released a 20 point plan to address property tax relief.

(From the University of Findlay’s Mazza Museum)

A new exhibit, “A Storm of Horses: The Art of Ruth Sanderson,” will be unveiled at the University of Findlay’s Mazza Museum on Thursday, October 9.

Author/illustrator Sanderson will present her equine-themed work at an opening ceremony from 6 to 7 p.m. Following her presentation, there will be book sales and autographing in the Mazza Gift Shop.

The public is invited to learn more about her subject matter – French artist Rosa Bonheur, a unique 19th century painter of horses – and enjoy a campus visit of real-life horses, courtesy of UF’s equestrian program.

Dan Chudzinski, director of the Mazza Museum, said the exhibition features Sanderson’s original art – from storyboards and preliminaries to her final, published oil paintings.

“Ruth created an inspiring picture book telling the story of Rosa Bonheur, who wanted to be a famous painter in the 1800s, at a time when female artists typically painted scenes from family life,” he noted. “But Rosa was committed to capturing the unbridled wild beauty of horses.”

Sanderson’s book explains how Bonheur’s masterpiece, The Horse Fair, which is eight feet tall and 16 feet wide, propelled her to become a celebrated artist with paintings in museums and galleries worldwide. It is now on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Sanderson has more than 90 published children’s books, including many fairy tales. She illustrated the first Black Stallion paperback covers and has illustrated many chapter book horse stories, including the Horse Diaries series.

A graduate of Paier School of Art in Connecticut, she has always loved horses, and her first oil painting at age 14 was a horse portrait, Chudzinski noted.

After visiting Mazza for the first time in 2022, Sanderson felt that her equine-themed illustrations should become part of the museum’s permanent collection, he explained.

“Ruth loves to share her artistic techniques to inspire other horse-loving young artists,” said Chudzinski, adding that Sanderson will be presenting to students from Arlington and Ridgedale schools earlier in the week.

She recently created a book Drawing Horses that is a guide to drawing realistic horses and suggested for aspiring artists ages 8 and older.

The “Storm of Horses” exhibition and event are part of UF’s Homecoming celebration that takes place from October 9 to 12.

The event is also a collaboration with and a prelude to the University equestrian studies program’s 50th anniversary that will be celebrated in 2026.

(From the Findlay Police Department)

Officers were dispatched to a report of a robbery that had taken place at Dick’s Sporting Goods (1960 Tiffin Ave) at 1757 hours on 10/1/2025.

It was found that four suspects had stolen approximately $6500 worth of merchandise from the store.

Store employees attempted to take pictures of the suspects and one suspect threatened to shoot the employee for doing so.

The suspects then fled the area in a black Jeep Compass with a temporary registration.

Officers located this vehicle on CR 99 approaching I-75 and initiated a traffic stop with it.

As a result, the four suspects were taken into custody and the stolen property was recovered.

Also recovered were criminal tools used to remove magnetic tags from items.

Suspects are as follows – Shanae R Grier (22yoa) Toledo, OH Antionna F Boone (19yoa) Sylvania, OH

Two juveniles