10/5/18 – 6:54 A.M.
Firefighters responded to a fire alarm at Liberty-Benton Elementary early this morning. Fortunately, it was a false alarm. The fire alarms in the building went off around 5:30 a.m. Firefighters from Liberty-Township searched the building with a thermal imaging camera and didn’t find any hot spots. They cleared the scene just before 6:30 a.m.
10/5/18 – 5:29 A.M.
Fire damaged a home in Upper Sandusky Thursday afternoon. Firefighters responded to a home at 127 North Fifth Street around 1:50 p.m. They were able to contain the flames to the back of the house.
No one was home at the time. There was smoke damage throughout the home.
So far there’s no word on what caused the fire, or a damage estimate.
10/5/18 – 5:15 A.M.
The Hancock County Commissioners have agreed to pay the assessment for Blanchard River maintenance instead of assessing residents. They voted to rescind a resolution that would have charged property owners $1 each. The commissioners then voted to pay for the assessments out of the county’s flood mitigation funds.
Other counties in the Blanchard River watershed have agreed to similar actions.
The six-county assessment should raise $55,000 a year, including more than $33,000 from Hancock County.
The next maintenance project will include the removal of logjams, downed trees, and woody debris. It will also cut out leaning trees and trees that are “obstructing the normal flow of water.”
MORE: The Courier
10/5/18 – 5:07 A.M.
Huntington Bank plans to close 30 Ohio locations by the end of the year. The Blade reports the move will affect one bank branch in our area. The newspaper says the bank plans to close the branch in Continental in Putnam County.
Most of the Ohio closures are happening in northeast Ohio.
MORE: The Blade
10/5/18 – 4:59 A.M.
The list of potential architectural firms that could design a new Hancock County probate and juvenile court building is down to four. The Hancock County Commissioners met with Judge Kristen Johnson and court Administrator Shawn Carpenter Thursday to rank the firms that submitted requests to design the building.
The county expects to build the probate and juvenile court on West Main Cross Street behind the Hancock County Justice Center. It’s currently housed in a 153-year-old building next to the municipal building. Construction could start next year.
The county will interview the four remaining architectural firms over the next few weeks.
MORE: The Courier
10/5/18 – 4:48 A.M.
A recent traffic stop on I-75 in Hancock County led to a drug bust. The State Highway Patrol says a trooper pulled over an SUV for a marked lanes violation on Monday. The trooper said they smelled raw marijuana during the stop, and a probable cause search turned up boxes with five pounds of marijuana, cocaine, and a loaded handgun.
The Patrol arrested 23-year-old Denzell Price and 22-year-old Kennedy Greene of Knoxville, Tennessee. They both face possession of marijuana charges. Price also faces counts of having weapons under disability, carrying a concealed weapon, and possession of cocaine.
Troopers took Greene and Price to the Hancock County jail following their arrests.
10/04/18 – 6:43 P.M.
Several Democratic candidates were in Findlay Thursday to talk about their campaigns. The “People First” Bus Tour featured Congressional candidate Michael Galbraith, state senate candidate Adam Papin (pay pin), and local Ohio House of Representatives candidate Mary Harshfield.
Adam Papin said that it is important to make sure that everyone’s voice is heard.
Michael Galbraith had a similar view saying he wants to have town halls often. This will allow people to voice their opinions and direct him.
Mary Harshfield agreed that there need to be more voices in politics but added that there needs to be less money. She said that she is running a $0 budget campaign to go up against Cross.
Harshfield said that she wanted to do this to show that money can stay out of politics. She added that she won’t owe anything to anyone if she gets elected and she can focus on listening to what the people want.
10/04/18 – 2:08 P.M.
Findlay and Hancock County had an exciting day today when it comes to flood mitigation. The Blanchard River Benching project had its groundbreaking. Stantec project manager Derek Dalton explained that this will bring major changes to the river.
Dalton said that aside from lowering the 100-year flood by a full foot, this will allow people to use the river for fishing and kayaking. It will also return the river to a more natural state.
Both Findlay Mayor Lydia Mihalik and Hancock County Commissioner Brian Robertson attended the event as well. Robertson said that it has been a long road but that he’s glad something is finally being done.
Findlay Mayor Lydia Mihalik expressed the same excitement about having a project. She added that this won’t be the last though.
The project is estimated to be completed next September.
10/04/18 – 11:08 A.M.
The Forest Police Department says that they have reports of scam phone calls hitting the area with local numbers. The scam calls seem to be local to get people to pick up. If you do pick up, you will hear a recording saying that your Microsoft accounts or computer software are about to expire. It will then try to get you to speak to a live person.
The Forest Police Department urges you not to give any information to these callers. It is a scam to get private information.
10/4/18 – 11:16 A.M.
The Hancock County ADAMHS Board is getting a large grant to pay for services for children. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded the agency a grant worth $1 million per year for the next four years.
ADAMHS says the money comes from a System of Care Grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. They’ll use it to create, “infrastructure to implement state-of-the-art mental health services for children and youth.”
ADAMHS has planned a press conference for 10 a.m. on October 12 in Findlay City Council chambers. They’ll talk more in depth about what the grant will help fund in Hancock County.