11/16/17 – 5:32 A.M.

A June shooting incident has landed a Fostoria man in prison for a little more than a year. The Review-Times reports Seneca County Common Pleas Court Judge Steve Shuff sentenced 37-year-old Jerel Rhoades to 15 months in prison on an aggravated assault conviction Wednesday. Rhoades pleaded guilty in October.

Police arrested Rhoades on June 14 after they responded to a report of shots fired near 224 South Poplar Street. They found the victim, Durwin Perkins, when they arrived at the scene. In June, Police Chief Keith Loreno told the Review-Times the shooting happened after a dispute.

MORE: Review-Times

11/16/17 – 5:23 A.M.

Jon Husted brought his campaign for governor to Putnam County Wednesday. WLIO-TV reports the Ohio Secretary of State met with supporters in Kalida. Husted told some personal stories and talked about reducing government spending. He says he’s lowered spending in his office by 16 percent over the years.

Husted is running in a crowded field in the Republican Primary. Attorney General Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Mary Taylor, and U.S. Representative Jim Renacci are also running for the Republican nomination.

MORE: WLIO-TV

11/16/17 – 5:15 A.M.

Almost every Findlay City School building received Energy Star certification this year. The Courier reports that means each building has better energy performance than 75 percent of similar buildings. The Washington Building wasn’t certified because it was a mixed-use building earlier in the year. It will be eligible in 2018 since the administrative offices moved out of the building.

Sean Swisher is a consultant for energy efficiency company Cenergistic. He says the efforts have saved the district $600,000. Most of the savings come from reduced electricity use.

Swisher says a big key is how the school shuts down for breaks. He says the district does things like unplugging everything connected to reachable power outlets before a longer break.

MORE: The Courier

11/16/17 – 5:02 A.M.

A new joint fire district is forming in southern Hancock County. The Courier reports the trustees from Union and Van Buren townships as well as the councils for Jenera, Mount Cory, and Rawson voted in favor of the plan Wednesday. They say the district will save money, reduce duplication of equipment, and provide an equal tax base for fire services.

The district’s official creation is January 1. It won’t be responsible for fire protection for the villages and townships until the following year. That gives officials time to get a fire levy on the ballot for funding. If voters don’t pass the levy the district can fund itself based on real estate values.

Each township and village can appoint one member to the fire district’s governing board. Board members will be responsible for hiring a chief and a clerk.

MORE: The Courier

11/15/17 – 5:53 P.M.

Downtown Findlay will have a grand re-opening after the construction finishes on Small Business Saturday, November 25. There will be a ribbon cutting at 9:30 a.m. across Main Street. This will be done at the midblock cross-walk between Main Cross and Crawford Streets. Afterward, patrons can go shopping in the small downtown businesses.

A cash mob will also celebrate the slated end of the construction after the ribbon cutting. Patrons are invited to spend at least $10 at their favorite downtown shop, restaurant, or service organization. The cash mob will run until the end of the day on November 25.

11/15/17 – 5:42 P.M.

Findlay City Schools had some damage done during the storms that rolled through the area on the 5th but have been working well with their insurers. Superintendent Ed Kurt said that is thanks to having good documentation.

Ed Kurt

Kurt added that they are monitoring the building for any effects the damage may have in the long run.

Ed Kurt

Kurt said that the roof of the high school was compromised. With this in mind, they are checking the insulation to make sure that no moisture got in.

He said that at the moment all of the buildings are safe and usable except the auxiliary gym in the high school.

11/15/17 – 5:39 P.M.

It’s Hire-A-Veteran Month and there are skills that veterans have that employers can miss. Hancock County Veterans Services director Nicole Coleman said that even the veterans themselves might miss putting these skills down.

Nicole Coleman

Coleman said that veterans have excellent leadership, team building, and cooperation skills which can be used in any market.

Coleman said that as veterans help employers, the employers can help the veterans.

Nicole Coleman

Coleman said that most veterans miss being a part of a team and getting hired for a job can be beneficial to them. She added that they can go to veterans.gov to get help on turning their military experience into a resume.

11/15/17 – 1:10 P.M.

The state representative for the district including Wyandot and Seneca counties has resigned. The Courier reports that 87th District state representative Wes Goodman resigned due to inappropriate behavior. Goodman said, “I sincerely regret that my actions and choices have kept me from serving my constituents and our state in a way that reflects the best ideals of public service.”

No information has been released on what the inappropriate behavior was in his state office. Goodman was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2016. He is the second representative to resign for inappropriate behavior in the past month. State Senator Cliff Hite resigned in October.

11/15/17 – 9:48 A.M.
UPDATE – 10:43 A.M.

A power outage was reportedly affecting part of the east side of Findlay this morning. The Courier reports businesses near the intersection of Tiffin Avenue and County Road 236 were without power.

The Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative’s outage map showed more than 500 customers in that area were without power.

11/15/17 – 7:08 A.M.

The Hancock Park District is giving out several grants to parks throughout Hancock County. The Courier reports Arlington, Mount Blanchard, and McComb are getting the largest grants this year.

Arlington is getting the final $12,500 payment for the enclosed shelter house at the Arlington Community Park. McComb is getting more than $10,000 to remove and replace Shelter House 2. Mount Blanchard is getting $12,500 to install a sidewalk from Main Street to the gazebo in Hurricane Park.

The Park District gives around $96,000 in grants every year. You can see a complete list of grants in today’s Courier.

MORE: The Courier