Some local Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers have been recognized for their efforts in getting drugs and weapons off the streets.

Details are in the following news release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Three Findlay District troopers were honored with the Criminal Patrol Award at a ceremony held today at the Bowling Green Post.

Captain John C. Altman, Findlay District commander, presented the awards to troopers Garrett R. Lawson, Matthew R. Cook and Jeffrey J. Huffman.

The Criminal Patrol Award is presented to officers who initiate 12 or more felony cases during a calendar year for drugs, weapons and U.S. currency seizures related to criminal activity. A certificate and uniform ribbon was presented to each of them.

“This award is representative of their dedication and service to the citizens they have sworn to protect,” said Captain Altman. “Their ability to look beyond the plate during each and every traffic stop has a direct impact on the safety of our
community by removing illegal drugs and weapons from our roadways.”

Trooper Lawson has been assigned to the Findlay District Headquarters since 2018.
He is a member of the 154th Academy Class and earned his commission in 2013.
This is his sixth time earning this award.

Trooper Cook is assigned to the Findlay Post and this is his fifth time being recognized for this award. He is a member of the 155th Academy Class and earned his commission in 2014.

Trooper Huffman earned his commission in 2017 as a member of the 161st Academy Class and was assigned to the Bowling Green Post. This is his second time receiving this award.

Mobile tickets will be the only way to get into a Cleveland Indians game next season.

The team made the announcement on Monday, saying this allows for contactless entry into the stadium and also reduces the risk of fake tickets being sold.

All PDF tickets, whether printed or a screenshot of a phone, will no longer be accepted at Progressive Field in 2021.

Click here for details on the latest Indians game on WFIN.

Findlay City Schools says a staff member at the high school has tested positive for COVID-19.

This is the first staff member to come down with the coronavirus after two students recently tested positive and more than 100 went into quarantine, putting the football and volleyball seasons on hold.

Three other staff members are under quarantine.

The school district sent a letter to parents saying that Hancock Public Health is reviewing the level of contacts the staff member had and if they determine that the staff member was in close contact with you or your student you will receive a call from the health department.

“Findlay City Schools will continue to follow all COVID-related safety procedures from the CDC as well as the state and local health departments for best practices and procedures to protect everyone’s health,” the letter said.

The school district has a COVID-19 dashboard that you can view by clicking here.

The Hancock County Board of Elections is looking for a few more people to help out at the polls on November 3rd.

The BOE says it has filled the 300 poll worker positions it needed to fill ahead of the election but is still in need of some alternates.

Lori Miller, Democrat Director of the Hancock County Board of Elections, says there are concerns that some poll workers might drop out due to COVID concerns as we get closer to the election.

She says poll workers get paid $140 for the day and also get paid to attend a two-hour training session.

And she says poll workers need to be ready for a long day on election day.

Miller says they’re working on making election day as safe as possible for voters and poll workers.

She says the voting machines will be spaced out to allow for social distancing and will be wiped down after being used and all poll workers will be wearing personal protective equipment.

For details about becoming a poll worker or for general information regarding the upcoming election click here.

Hancock County is now up to ten COVID-19 deaths.

The tenth death was revealed in the latest COVID-19 data released on Monday by Hancock Public Health.

Health officials say, as of Monday, there have been 662 total cases of the virus in the county and ten deaths.

45 of the cases are active which means the patient is currently under quarantine or isolation.

Hancock Public Health says 56 people have been hospitalized from the virus in Hancock County since the beginning of the pandemic.

Hancock County is still at level 2, or orange, on the state’s COVID-19 alert map.

State data show Putnam County has had 548 cases as of Monday and 23 deaths.

Putnam County is still at level 3, or the red level.

The Findlay Rotary Club has announced the semifinalists for its 2020 Golden Apple Awards.

The Rotary presents the Golden Apple Awards annually to local educators for their teaching excellence.

Details are in the following news release from the Findlay Rotary Club.

You can check out last year’s winners here.

The Findlay Rotary Club has announced its nine semifinalists for the 2020 Golden Apple Awards.

Annually, Rotary chooses three teachers from the elementary level, three teachers from the middle school level and three teachers from the high school level to compete for the award. The finalists will be announced at the annual Golden Apple Awards Dinner on October 21, 2020.

The finalist at each level receives the Golden Apple Award along with a $2,500 cash prize. Second and third place semi-finalist each receive a $250 cash prize. Finalists also accept an invitation to join the Golden Apple Academy, a group consisting of all past Golden Apple Award finalists.

At the elementary level, the three semifinalists are: Lani Sapp, First Grade at Jefferson Primary; Becky Solomon, Second Grade at Jacob Primary; and Sarah Strohscher, Second Grade at Whittier Primary.

At the middle school level, the three semifinalists are: Kathleen Rayle, Intervention Specialist grades 6-8 at Glenwood Middle School; David Sorensen, Instrumental Music Instructor at Arlington Local Schools; and Raymond Wolfe, Director of Choirs/Musical Director/Assistant Band Director at Liberty-Benton Local Schools.

At the high school level, the three semifinalists are: Martie Andrews, Intervention Specialist at Findlay; Stacy Palmer, Government, History at McComb Local School; Daniel Wilson, Instrumental Music Instructor/ Marching Band Director at Findlay High School.

The Findlay Rotary accepted nominations for the award from students, parents, administration, colleagues and the community-at-large through the beginning of April.

Nominees are required to be a current teacher in the Findlay area or a Hancock County school and have at least three years of experience.

Nominated teachers submit a resume, a teaching philosophy essay, and two letters of recommendation to the Rotary Community Selection Committee, which selects the semifinalists. A second group of members from the Rotary Final Selection Committee interviews and conductions classroom visits to determine the finalists.

The Findlay Police Department is investigating a stabbing that occurred at a bar.

Police were dispatched to the Old Stoney Ledge at 752 Howard Street a little after 10 o’clock Sunday night on the report of a large fight.

When officers arrived they learned that a man had been stabbed and that both the victim and suspect had left the scene.

Officers located the victim, Ricardo Anez, 43, of Fostoria, at Blanchard Valley Hospital receiving treatment for a stab wound to the abdomen.

Police say they received conflicting reports as to the description of the suspect and the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone who may have information about the incident can call police at 419-424-7150.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is reminding drivers of ways to keep their children safe on the roadways.

Child Passenger Safety Week runs September 20th through the 26th.

The week is designated to make sure your child is in the correct car seat, that it’s properly installed and used, and that it’s registered with its manufacturer to ensure you receive important safety updates.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 59 percent of car seats are misused. Also, the risks of a fatality or injury are exponentially higher for children who are not buckled in the correct car seat for their age and size.

“Ensuring the safety seat is installed correctly is the best way to keep your child safe in a car,” said Colonel Richard S. Fambro, Patrol superintendent. “It is also important to transitition from one type of car seat to another as your child grows.”

Always remember to register your car seat and booster seat with the manufacturer so you can be notified in the event of a recall.

Get more on Child Passenger Safety Week and related statistics here.

This week is Child Passenger Safety Week! Parents can sometimes rush the transition from booster to seat belt. A seat belt won’t properly protect your child if the fit isn’t correct. #TheRightSeat https://t.co/ecDMcBZpxZ pic.twitter.com/inzGCVnOq3

— Ohio State Patrol (@OSHP) September 20, 2020

Big Ten schools and fans got their first look at the schedule for the rebooted 2020 football season.

In a tweet over the weekend, the Big Ten conference revealed the details of the eight game in-conference schedule beginning October 24th.

New for this year will also be a ninth Big Ten Champions Week game for all 14-teams the weekend of December 19th when the Big Ten Championship game will be played.

The Buckeyes open the season at home against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday, October 24th with kickoff at a time yet to be determined.

The Buckeyes will wrap up the regular season by hosting Michigan on December 12th.

Start planning those socially-distant watch parties now…the 2020 @OhioStateFB schedule is here‼️

? https://t.co/fZbo8PQck6 ?#GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/9rexVxqrzu

— Ohio State Buckeyes ? (@OhioStAthletics) September 19, 2020

Governor Mike DeWine says the state’s mask mandate won’t be enforced at President Trump’s rally at Toledo Express Airport on Monday.

He says the order doesn’t apply to political rallies because of the First Amendment, but he is encouraging people who attend to wear a face covering.

Those attending the rally must agree to a disclaimer concerning COVID-19.

Rallies have been a concern for growing COVID-19 cases in the past, especially after numbers spiked in Oklahoma in June when President Trump held a rally there.

DeWine encourages any candidate coming to Ohio to wear a mask.