11/15/17 – 6:45 A.M.
The Findlay Police Department is asking for your help in identifying a theft suspect. A post on the department’s Facebook page says officers are looking for a man they believe stole a wallet from a purse at the Tiffin Avenue Walmart on October 17. The man then used credit cards in the wallet at stores in the Toledo area.
We have pictures of the suspect on our website. If you have information about the case, investigators ask you to call (419)424-7150.
11/15/17 – 5:36 A.M.
A former State Patrol Trooper from Findlay is facing a theft charge. The Courier reports the Hancock County grand jury indicted 49-year-old Dean Laubacher Tuesday on a count of theft in office. He allegedly stole $764 from the State Patrol on March 7 of 2016.
Laubacher has since retired from his position.
MORE: The Courier
11/15/17 – 5:30 A.M.
The Findlay Police Department has new equipment in its arsenal. The Courier reports the department recently bought two drones and a mobile surveillance trailer. The department tells the newspaper officers can use the equipment for things like surveillance, crowd control and preventing thefts.
The department put the trailer into service following severe weather earlier this month. Lt. Ryan Doe says officers used it to help evacuate the Highland Estates mobile home park. It provided officers with lights and surveillance of the area.
In the meantime, five officers are working on getting FAA certification to use the drones. Doe says the drones can help officers look at crime scenes and crashes as well as track suspects through wooded areas and cornfields using infrared camera technology. The water department will use the equipment to inspect the city’s reservoirs.
The equipment cost around $80,000. The police and water departments are splitting the cost. Doe says the department will follow all FAA regulations when flying the drones. He added the police department is setting its own policy on drones to avoid infringing on civil liberties.
MORE: The Courier
11/15/17 – 5:15 A.M.
The Maumee Watershed Conservancy District is now accepting bids for the first round of work on flood mitigation efforts along the Blanchard River in Findlay. The Courier reports the District is looking for a company to remove trees and brush from around 15 acres of land. The flood reduction plans call for the construction of “benches” to widen the river, increasing its capacity.
Findlay owns most of the land that needs clearing. The Conservancy District is negotiating with one private property owner. Adam Hoff of Stantec Engineering says they need to remove the trees by March 31. The EPA would ban clearing after that because of the nesting season of the endangered Indiana brown bat. If crews miss the deadline, they’ll have to wait until next October to resume.
The clearing plan calls for crews to cut trees down to their stump along part of the river. They would leave the stump in place for soil retention until the construction of the river benches. Once the work finishes, crews would plant appropriate vegetation along the river.
MORE: The Courier
11/15/17 – 3:10 A.M.
The City of Findlay is in the market for a new public safety software system. Safety director Paul Schmelzer said that their current system lacks efficiency.
The current system hasn’t been updated in over 15 years. Fire chief Josh Eberle said that there are too many steps to take to respond to a call. This effects efficiency and can tie up dispatch lines. Schmelzer said he has been working on finding deals for different systems.
Some of the deals are under a time constraint. Schmelzer asked the appropriations committee to recommend approving $725,000 for a new system. The committee unanimously voted to recommend appropriating the money.
11/15/17 – 2:12 A.M.
Autoliv-Nissan Brake Systems had a ground breaking ceremony for their new facility in Findlay. Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development director Tim Mayle said that the company made a good decision choosing Findlay.
Mayle said that they will use the facility to make advanced brakes.
The facility is being built at the corner of Bigelow Avenue and Bright Road.
11/14/17 – 1:33 P.M.
AEP Ohio is introducing a new design to their customer bills next month. This will affect both the residential and commercial customer bills. AEP decided to alter the bill after customers said they wanted a visually appealing and user-friendly bill. Director of Customer Experience and Communications Katie Graham said that they listened to customers and made changes to improve communication.
The new bill format features color, graphics, and section headers to make it easier to find important information.
11/14/17 – 10:47 A.M.
Construction on the Osborn Avenue bridge in Findlay won’t finish before Thanksgiving. County Engineer Chris Long says crews recently placed beams for the new bridge, but it’s still a little behind schedule. Long says workers needed extra time to coat the beams with a substance that helps prevent corrosion.
The original plans called for the bridge to open before Thanksgiving.
11/14/17 – 10:38 A.M.
Marathon Petroleum is selling around $8.1 billion in refining and logistics assets as well as fuels distribution services to MPLX. The company expects the assets to generate $1 billion for the Marathon subsidiary.
In return, MPLX is paying $4.1 billion in cash. MPLX is also giving Marathon equity valued around $4 billion.
In a release, Marathon CEO Gary Heminger said, “We are very pleased to have reached agreement on the terms for the remaining dropdown to MPLX outlined in our strategic actions.” He added, “The addition of these high-quality, fee-based revenue streams to MPLX further diversifies the partnership’s earnings and contributes substantially to the distributable cash flow base of the partnership.”
MPLX is an energy and logistics subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum.
11/14/17 – 7:42 A.M.
The Carey School District needs bus drivers. The Courier reports Superintendent Mike Wank told school board members the situation could force them to make changes in the school schedule. Wank says the district may have to stagger starting times for the elementary and junior/senior high school students. They may also have to run separate bus routes with fewer buses.
Wank says several bus drivers are approaching retirement. He added part of the difficulty in filling the positions is finding qualified people who can work from 6:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
The district plans to advertise for bus drivers. If you’re interested, you should get in touch with bus driver supervisor Lenny Orians.
MORE: The Courier