Two people are facing drug charges after a task force searched their Findlay residence.

The Hancock County METRICH Drug Task Force along with the Findlay Police Department Emergency Response Team executed a search warrant at an apartment on Center Street on Thursday morning.

Investigators say a search of the residence revealed methamphetamine, suspected Fentanyl mix and an unknown powder.

Several pieces of drug paraphernalia were also seized.

The task force says both Ira B. Mason, 35, and Micki F. Delarosa, 36, were arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine, a 3rd-degree felony.

Additional charges of drug trafficking are expected at the conclusion of the investigation.

The number of active COVID cases in Hancock County continues to drop.

In the latest numbers released by Hancock Public Health on Wednesday, there were 58 active cases in the county, which is down from 71 on Friday.

Only one person was hospitalized with the virus on Wednesday. Two people were hospitalized last Friday.

116 people have died from COVID-19 in Hancock County, an increase of four from last week.

Those four deaths are not new deaths, they are from last year when more than 4,000 statewide COVID deaths went underreported.

In February, state health officials said human error was to blame in that underreporting and a state employee resigned.

Ohio’s COVID-19 vaccination dashboard shows that more than 1.7 million Ohioans have received at least one dose of the vaccine so far, which is around 15 percent of the state’s population.

The dashboard shows that nearly 11,000 people in Hancock County have received at least one dose of the vaccine, which is around 14 percent of the population.

A summer lunch program and outreach for Veterans are among two initiatives that are receiving funding through the Hancock County Community Partnership’s Prevention and Wellness mini-grant program.

A total of $16,000 in funding is being awarded.

Full details are in the following news release from the Hancock County Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS).

Four Hancock County entities will receive a total of $16,000 in funding through the 2021 Hancock County Community Partnership’s Prevention and Wellness mini-grant program, operated in conjunction with the Hancock County Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services.

Receiving $5,000 grants are the Cory-Rawson Local Schools, the Hancock County Veterans’ Service Office, and LGBTQ+ Spectrum of Findlay. The Family and Children First Council was awarded a $1,000 grant.

Cory-Rawson Local Schools’ grant will help expand the “HORNET STRONG” initiative which began with a previous prevention education grant the school received. The focus of the K-12 Prevention Education initiative is to expand “Social Emotional Learning” curriculum, awareness and the development of SEL through the use of character strengths and building positive school and community culture. The funding will allow for additional in-depth training, staff readiness, student leadership development, as well as expanding its spring community outreach event.

The Hancock County Veterans’ Service Office grant will allow for creation of a Veterans Response Team, which will assist local first responders in de-escalating crisis situations involving local veterans. The majority of funds will go to training and essential equipment needed for the team. The grant will also support the work of the Veterans Wellness Program coordinator, an existing position which is responsible for the evaluation, maintenance and creation of various veterans wellness programs.

LGBTQ+ Spectrum of Findlay will use funding to further develop and advance its allyship building educational program, which aims to build partnerships with individuals, community organizations and local businesses likely to serve the LGBTQ+ community. Through training, participants will increase their awareness of LGBTQ+ terminology and issues, while helping turn Findlay and Hancock County in to a more inclusive community.

The Family and Children First Council’s grant will be applied to expenses related to the city’s summer lunch program, which is open to all youth and adults each year. Last summer the program, which is operated in partnership with the Findlay City Schools, provided 6,120 meals to school-aged children through Glenwood Middle and Lincoln schools. With participation expected to increase this summer due to the pandemic, organizers requested a grant to pay for additional monitors at distribution sites. The monitors help welcome and sign-in participants, assist in serving the meals and with clean-up.

The granting of the awards followed a review of applications that support prevention and wellness initiatives that promote health and safety and/or focus on reducing the likelihood of, or delaying the onset of health-related problems.

County non-profit, faith-based, and community-based organizations that serve Hancock County residents were eligible to submit proposals. This year, consideration was given to previously funded programs to allow continuing development, and to those projects related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the past, the annual mini grants have been $5,000 in total, but the Community Partnership opted to fully fund all proposals this cycle due the unique nature of each proposal, and the opportunity to expand its support of prevention with the adult population.

The Hancock County Community Partnership was established in 1990 as a result of receiving a five-year federal Community Partnership grant. The Hancock County Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services served as the fiscal agent for the grant and continued co to fund the efforts of the Community Partnership when the grant ended. Since that time, the Community Partnership has been a charter committee of the ADAMHS Board.

An officer with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources who died helping others was remembered in a memorial service on Wednesday.

Jason Lagore was laid to rest one week after dying during a medical emergency during a search and rescue operation at Rocky Fork State Park in Highland County.

The 15-year veteran was among those called to rescue a 16-year-old girl from an icy lake after she had just saved her brother from the freezing waters.

Lagore was known for his expertise with canines, and he led the ODNR’s first K-9 academy.

Click here for information about donating to the officer’s family.

To watch his memorial service click here. 

For those interested in watching the service online for Natural Resources Officer Jason Lagore, please head to https://t.co/h1DCPyOamU. pic.twitter.com/RxesUd0yuk

— OhioDNR (@ohiodnr) March 3, 2021

A statue honoring John Glenn was installed at the Ohio Statehouse on Wednesday.

The famous Ohioan was an aviator, an astronaut and represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate.

As an astronaut Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth.

Last week, a state panel voted to place the statue there for about a year.

Rules for permanent placement of a statue on statehouse grounds state that the person depicted must have been dead at least 25 years beforehand.

John Glenn died in 2016 at the age 95.

The statue of the Great Ohioan will be displayed to the public inside the Map Room until March of 2022.

Glenn was among the first to be recognized as a Great Ohioan when the award was established in 2003 by the Capitol Square Foundation and Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board.

Today, the Alan Cottrill Sculpture Studio delivered a statue of John Glenn to the Ohio Statehouse. The statue of the Great Ohioan will be displayed to the public inside the Map Room until March 2022. pic.twitter.com/YgLXYjZVj7

— Ohio Statehouse (@OhioStatehouse) March 3, 2021

A teenager was life-flighted to a Toledo hospital after being seriously injured in a crash just northeast of Findlay.

The crash happened a little after 1 o’clock Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of County Road 236 and County Road 212.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says Lindsey Stultz, 17, of Findlay, was northbound on County Road 236 when a box truck that was eastbound on County Road 212, and had stopped at the stop sign, then proceeded to cross County Road 236 and struck Lindsey’s car in the left front.

The sheriff’s office said when the crash happened there was a semi that was northbound on County Road 236 that was in the left turn lane and was stopped waiting to turn left onto County Road 212, which obstructed the box truck driver’s view.

The impact of the crash pushed the car into a utility pole and trapped Lindsey in the wreckage.

Responding firefighters and Hanco EMS used extrication tools to get her out of the car.

Life Flight then transported her to a Toledo hospital with serious injuries.

The driver of the box truck was identified as Richard Zajac Jr, 37, of North Olmstead.

He sustained minor injuries and refused treatment at the scene.

The sheriff’s office says the crash remains under investigation.

Last spring, scammers were using COVID-19 to scare people out of money, now they’re taking advantage of the vaccine.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is warning Ohioans about phone scams involving COVID-19 vaccines.

He says the scammer calls and says for a certain fee you can get to the front of the line and get a vaccine immediately.

Yost says that’s a scam and the scammer will gladly take your money and run but you won’t be any closer to the front of the line.

This is National Consumer Protection Week, and Yost says he wants all Ohioans to stay safe and informed when it comes to scams.

During National Consumer Protection Week, AG Yost wants all Ohioans to stay safe & informed when it comes to scams! Check out this guide on avoiding commonly used tactics by scammers. Always protect yourself: https://t.co/lLmYXSVr0F #NCPW2021 pic.twitter.com/YNn3UYbD4t

— Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (@OhioAG) March 2, 2021

One person was injured in a three-vehicle chain reaction crash just west of Findlay.

The crash happened on State Route 12 near West Sandusky Street at around 3 o’clock Tuesday afternoon.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office said a Jeep that was eastbound slowed for stopped traffic and was rear-ended.

Then a third vehicle crashed into the back of the vehicle that hit the Jeep.

The sheriff’s office says the driver of the third vehicle, Kiya Benschoter, 16, of Bloomdale, was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

There were no other injuries.

Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague, of Findlay, has been chosen by The Hunt Institute to participate in the Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellowship program.

The Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellowship program, according to The Hunt Institute, “provides political leaders from across the country with the knowledge they need to cultivate smart and effective education agendas.”

Get more details in the following news release from the Ohio Treasurer’s Office.

Click here for a story of Treasurer Sprague recognizing Arlington High School for its financial literacy efforts.

Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague is one of 30 elected officials nationwide chosen by The Hunt Institute to participate in the Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellowship program.

Participants are identified by The Hunt Institute as, “senior-level political leaders who have the knowledge, skill, and will to be effective, equity-minded education policymakers at the state level.”

“Our greatest investments are the ones we make in our future generations,” said Treasurer Sprague. “I am humbled by the opportunity to engage with leading policy minds from across the country and learn more about how we can work together to increase equity and provide each child in Ohio with a quality education.”

The Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellowship program, according to The Hunt Institute, “provides political leaders from across the country with the knowledge they need to cultivate smart and effective education agendas.”

Former Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows from Ohio include Lt. Governor Jon Husted and Former Lt. Governor Mary Taylor.

For the 27th year, #STAROhio has received Standard & Poor’s highest rating of AAAm. The program continues to be a trusted and reliable investment option for local governments across Ohio. https://t.co/hAxMO1wIWq pic.twitter.com/XBwwtA6onX

— Treasurer Robert Sprague (@OhioTreasurer) March 1, 2021

The City of Findlay is having a corridor and safety study conducted on West Main Cross from Main Street to Interstate 75.

City Engineer Brian Thomas says they don’t have any current changes planned for the corridor but the study will help the city get ahead of any potential issues.

He says the study will look at existing traffic counts and predict out 20 years and then using those numbers see if anything needs to be done with signals and turn lanes.

He said if the study reveals a safety issue, any safety grants the city would apply for require a study to be done and they would already have that completed.

The study will be conducted in the spring or summer and he says you might see some surveyors out there gathering data.