Habitat for Humanity of Findlay/Hancock County honored several volunteers during its annual Volunteer Celebration Dinner.

Details are in the following news release from the organization.

At the annual Volunteer Celebration dinner November 13, Habitat for Humanity of Findlay/Hancock County recognized several outstanding volunteers for contributions to the organization. The dinner, which was sponsored by Olive Garden, was held at First Presbyterian Church in Findlay.

Although Habitat is blessed to work with hundreds of outstanding volunteers each year, the following stood out and were recognized for their tremendous efforts in 2019.

Photo of the Year is presented to the photographer whose photo best represents what Habitat means to our volunteers, partners and families. This year’s award was presented to Rhiana Grieger. The photo taken by Rhiana (above) shows herself and fellow Habitat 2019 new homeowner Shae Golden working together and building a bond and a home as they construct Habitat’s 43rd house in Hancock County.

Youth Leadership Volunteer of the Year is presented to a volunteer under 25-years-old who exemplifies outstanding character and leadership. This year’s award was presented to Halle Sattler. Halle is immediate past president of the University of Findlay Habitat Chapter. She proved herself as an invaluable volunteer during Habitat’s move to its new location at 1200 Commerce Parkway. While at UF, she went participated in alternative spring break programs and represented both the campus and the affiliate at Habitat on the Hill advocacy day in Washington DC.

Golden Hammer Award is presented to someone who demonstrates understanding, commitment and contribution to multiple programs to support the overall mission of Habitat. This year’s award was presented to Dan Eborg. Dan is one of the crew leaders on the construction and repair team. He has over 10 years of service with Habitat, logging over 1,000 hours on new builds, home rehabs and critical repair projects. Dan helped Habitat by developing blueprints and house plans for the construction team and training volunteers to carry out those plans.

Paul Geyer Leadership Volunteer of the Year recognizes our affiliate’s most exceptional leaders and visionaries. This year’s award was presented to Mike Pepple. Mike has served as a Board Member since 2013. He was the Board Development Chairperson 2013-2015, served as Vice President 2015-2018, and has been Board President since April 2018. He was instrumental in securing construction financing for Habitat’s new location, as well as coordinating a plan for the capital campaign and the relocation. Mike has attended every Raise the Wall ceremony, every home dedication, and volunteered on every project since joining the Board. Mike attended the Habitat for Humanity State Conference in October, where he was named 2019 Volunteer of the Year in Ohio.

Ohio lawmakers are looking at a new bill that would create an automatic voter registration system.

Details of Senate Bill 186 show the proposal would automatically register people to vote when they go to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles for a driver’s license or official state ID.

People would have an option to decline.

The bill has received bipartisan support with those in favor saying registration at the BMV could update addresses and cut down on the number of provisional ballots cast in Ohio elections.

With the deadline to register for the March primary on February 18th, the bill’s sponsor, State Senator Vernon Sykes, says he hopes to see it passed early next year.

(ONN) – A school district in Ohio is using cameras on school buses to catch drivers who blow past stopped buses.

Before they were installed on the school buses in Mentor, in northeast Ohio, police only gave out nine citations.

So far this year, police have already issued 42 citations thanks to those cameras.

Bus drivers like Pat Keegan say it’s a relief.

“The most dangerous time is when the kids are getting on and getting off, and we’re trying to make that as safe as we possibly can.”

A citation for violating the state’s laws regarding school buses requires a court appearance and violators could face a $500 fine.

The University of Findlay will be hosting a public breakfast to discuss the ongoing workforce development needs next week.

The program is called “Hancock County Educational Collaborative: We’re All In This Together” and will feature a panel discussion with education leaders.

Hancock County economic development representatives report that the county has open positions of all types but aren’t getting filled.

The event will be at the Winebrenner Building’s TLB Auditorium from 7:30 to 9 am on Monday.

The breakfast costs $12 and you can reserve a seat and find more information here.

Friday marks the last day for leaf pick pickup in the City of Findlay.

You can place leaves in biodegradable paper bags at the end of the curb by 7 am Friday for pickup.

The city won’t pick up plastic or loose leaves.

The paper bags are available at hardware stores and some groceries.

The Green Waste Site will close for the season on Saturday at 4 pm.

The Findlay High School Boys Basketball team is getting prepped for the season.

Coach Jim Rucki said the team is looking good and is showing a lot of athleticism.

He said they do have a problem with injuries though.

Several players are off the court and Rucki said they have to play young athletes.

FHS kicks the season off tonight (December 3) against Calvin M. Woodward High School.

You can listen to the full interview with Rucki below.

The most popular week for hunting in Ohio is underway.

Ohio’s deer-gun season began on Monday and will run through Sunday, December 8th,

There will also be an additional weekend of hunting on December 21 and 22.

Wildlife officials say that guns have slowly been trending down as the preferred method for hunters, and 2018 saw almost half of all Ohio deer killed with archery equipment instead of rifles.

The statewide bag limit this year is six deer with one antlered deer allowed regardless of location or method of take, but some counties may have lower limits.

The bag limit in Hancock County is two deer.

Wildlife officials advise hunters to check the 2019-2020 Ohio hunting and trapping regulations for county-specific bag limits, updates on permits and other information before heading into the woods.

More people were killed in crashes over the Thanksgiving holiday in Ohio this year compared to last.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says 15 people were killed in 13 crashes during the five-day reporting period from Wednesday, November 27 through Sunday, December 1st.

In 2018, seven people were killed in seven fatal crashes.

“The lack of safety belt usage remains a significant problem,” said Colonel Richard S. Fambro, Patrol superintendent.

“Wearing a safety belt remains the single most important thing you can do to protect yourself, your family and your friends from being severely hurt or killed in a crash.”

Troopers arrested 389 people for operating a vehicle while impaired and 172 for drugs.

Troopers also issued 1,002 safety belt and 89 distracted driving violations.

Throughout the holiday reporting period, troopers also assisted 2,518 motorists.

Country music superstar Brad Paisley will be the headline performer at the 2020 Allen County Fair in Lima.

Details are in the following media release from the Allen County Fair.

The Allen County Fair is pleased to announce that three-time GRAMMY Award winner and country music superstar, Brad Paisley, will perform live, in concert, Saturday, August 22nd at next year’s Allen County Fair.

Fair General Manager Bob Fricke said, “The Allen County Fair has had tremendous success in bringing in top-notch country music acts and we have hit another home run in signing Brad Paisley for 2020 fair. The Fair’s Board of Directors looks forward to bringing Brad to the music fans of our area.”

Fricke points out that Paisley, in addition to his three GRAMMYS, has garnered two American Music Awards, 15 Academy of Country Music Awards and 14 Country Music Association Awards (including his Entertainer of the Year)!

Paisley has a prime-time variety special that will air tonight, December 3, on ABC (7/8EST). “Brad Paisley Thinks He’s Special” will showcase the energy of Music City through a combination of Paisley’s signature humor, heartfelt field pieces, rousing musical performances and unexpected surprises. Paisley’s friends to join him on the special include country sensation Kelsea Ballerini, iconic musical group Hootie & The Blowfish, GRAMMY®-nominated multiplatinum powerhouse trio Jonas Brothers, host of ABC’s “The Bachelor” franchise Chris Harrison, NFL legend Peyton Manning, superstars Tim McGraw and Darius Rucker, seven-time GRAMMY Award-winning country superstar Carrie Underwood and more.

A proud Grand Ole Opry member since 2001, Brad has written 21 of his 24 #1 hits and sold more than 20 million albums, track downloads and streaming equivalents in his career! During the European portion of his recently completed 2019 World Tour, he sold out all eight shows and now holds the record for a headlining country artist in all the European venues played on that tour. Paisley is also often seen on TV alongside Peyton Manning in a very successful, ongoing series of commercial spots for Nationwide® Insurance.

Paisley and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, co-founded The Store, a nonprofit, free-referral based grocery store, which aims to empower low income individuals and families in the Nashville area (go to www.thestore.org for more information).

Paisley also touts an exclusive line of jeans, hats, T-shirts, jewelry, belts and woven shirts. The line, Moonshine Spirit by Brad Paisley, was developed in partnership with Boot Barn®.

Fans can connect with Brad at www.BradPaisley.com, www.Facebook.com/BradPaisley, on Twitter @BradPaisley, on Instagram @BradPaisley, and YouTube atYouTube.com/BradPaisley.

Tickets for the Brad Paisley concert will go on sale Tuesday, December 10 starting at 9:00am at www.allencofair.com or at the Fair box office. Pricing – $100 VIP Pit, $70 Party Pit, $60 track seating, $45 for grandstand and bleachers. Prices include service charges but do not include a general admission ticket to the Fair, which is required. VISA and MasterCard are accepted. A seating chart and additional information can also be found on the Fair’s website at www.allencofair.com.

Several Ohio cities are ranked towards the bottom in a new study of the safest cities in America.

According to data released by consumer reports website WalletHub, five Ohio cities were all listed in the bottom half of 182 major U.S. cities for protecting residents from 41 areas of common hazards.

Areas examined in the study for community safety included crime, gun violence, traffic fatalities, natural disaster risk, and economic stability.

Out of 182 cities, Cleveland was rated worst in the state at 166 followed next by nearby Akron at 152, then Columbus at 151, Cincinnati at 138, and Toledo at 108.

Check out the full rankings here.