The policy would provide the federal government with access to information on bank accounts and financial transactions. The letter states that banks across the country will have to transform the way they conduct business in order to comply with the proposed reporting requirements, including … More >>
They are partnering with the mental health recovery services boards that serve Allen, Auglaize and Putnam Counties and Mercy Health to offer grants to school districts in those counties to develop or improve programs or buy equipment to promote health and wellness. The Activated School Chall… More >>
Several local agencies will be participating in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this weekend. More >>
The oceans play a major role in weather as nearly three-fourths of our planet is covered with water. Long-range forecasts in the winter are strongly influenced by the state of ocean temperatures in the Pacific Ocean near the equator. Warmer than normal ocean temperatures represent an El Niño… More >>
In honor of National School Bus Safety Week, the Ohio State Highway Patrol will be keeping a close eye on traffic surrounding school buses. Troopers will be following school buses over the next five days. More >>
A fundraiser reached its completion on Saturday in Ottawa. A collectors gun was raffled off to area residents, with all proceeds going towards Honor Flight. More >>
Health leaders from around the state were included in Thursday's statewide discussion and update on the COVID-19 situation. More >>
The Ohio Department of Transportation District 1 is gearing up for the winter season. In order to prepare for snowfall and more, ODOT will be hiring seasonal snowplow drivers. More >>
Ryn Farmer with Day One of Crime Victim Services explains, “We know that it takes time for that to happen. There’s a lot of reasons that people stay with the abuser. Economic reasons, children, they love that person and so if they’re in a situation where they feel like they’re being abused, … More >>
Senate Republicans are looking for accountability for the way that the United States withdrew from Afghanistan. Senator Rob Portman joined 20 other Republicans in introducing the Afghanistan Counterterrorism Oversight, and Accountability Act. It establishes a state department task force th… More >>
Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown introduced the American Energy Worker Opportunity Act, to help those working with fossil fuels, like coal and oil train to get jobs in solar and wind. The proposed bill would help workers that are terminated from their jobs get grants to go back to school and… More >>
The Ottoville church holds this festival every year as one of their biggest fundraisers, and the community came out in droves to support. More >>
Six teachers, and the principal, all lined up to get a smooch from a baby pig. More >>
The latest Fall Color Report from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources shows only patchy color across West Central Ohio as of October 8th. Shorter daylight plays the biggest role in the leaf changing process as less of the green chlorophyll pigment is produced. This allows the red and or… More >>
With the fall season comes new things to look out for when driving on our local roads. We spoke with the Ohio State Highway Patrol to get some driving safety tips for this time of year. More >>
Senator Rob Portman says the Democratic majority will not pass his bill that would help improve roads, bridges, and expand broadband access until the Senate passes a $3.5 trillion spending package. That bill includes money for climate change, health, education, and paid family and medical le… More >>
Election season is upon us, and that means that many people in our area will be heading to the polls over the next month. Here is a collection of some of the issues that will be found on ballots around the area. More >>
A signing ceremony for a new database of criminal sentences that have been made in the state of Ohio was held Monday morning in Columbus. The Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission and the University of Cincinnati worked together to create the database, which was put together in response to sev… More >>
Putnam County Habitat for Humanity have completed building their 12th home, and a new family is moving into a Columbus Grove neighborhood. More >>
In the state of Ohio, if drivers see a vehicle on the side of the road with flashing lights, they must move over to an adjacent lane if possible and slow down. That includes any law enforcement or crews out on the roads like the Ohio Department of Transportation Many drivers are aware of thi… More >>
A Putnam County teenager was killed in an early-morning crash. More >>
October 4th is the last day that you can register to vote. The Allen County Board of Elections will run on special hours that day to ensure that voters can register in time. The board of elections is strongly urging those that plan to vote but have not registered to do so as soon as possible… More >>
Governor DeWine says younger Ohioans are the age group that is low in vaccination rates, only 46%. So he rolled out the Ohio Vax to School program open to all Ohioans ages 12 to 25 who are already vaccinated or who will be soon. The program will offer five $100,000 college scholarships and 5… More >>
Planning a trip or traveling, in general, has looked a lot different since the pandemic hit. One effect of the pandemic is that more people are opting to insure their trips. Some insurance providers have even started offering plans that cover losses because of covid-19 or other epidemic dise… More >>
Governor Mike DeWine says there were 459 new hospitalization reported in the last 24 hours which is the highest amount since January of this year. A larger number of the people that are being admitted are under the age of 50 and 97 percent of all admitted are unvaccinated. More >>
Latta was vaccinated against the virus and is not showing any symptoms. He announced that he contracted the virus after he was exposed to someone who also tested positive. He said that he will quarantine and follow CDC guidelines. Latta's tweet about him being positive came shortly after Co… More >>
According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Allen County fell from 6.3% in July to 5.3% in August. Mercer County has the second lowest unemployment rate in the state at 3.4%, just behind Holmes County. Hardin County fell 1.3% between July and August, which is the biggest dro… More >>
The Ohio Redistricting Commission voted along party lines to approve the new district maps. But since it was not a unanimous vote, the commission will have to look at redrawing the maps again in four years, versus 10 years if the whole commission approved the maps. Some groups say the maps w… More >>
JD Vance appeared across West Central Ohio including Lima on Thursday. The Republican candidate for the U.S Senate seat discussed a variety of topics that included voting, jobs, and more. Ohio Senator Rob Portman announced plans to step down from his seat in 2022 when his current term ends. … More >>
The American Academy of Pediatrics reported since early August when the Delta variant started to surge, COVID cases among children have increased 240 percent nationwide. DeWine says during that same period in Ohio, the state has seen a two thousand percent increase in cases among children. C… More >>
The Putnam County Sheriff’s office is investigating an injury crash that occurred when eighty-one-year-old John Smith of Fort Jennings was traveling northbound on County Road 24 and failed to stop for the stop sign at County Road N. His vehicle was struck by another vehicle which was being … More >>
High-profile disasters, like Hurricane Ida, are always big for scammers to try and play on the heartstrings of individuals who want to help victims. Other scammers are posing as people and service personnel stuck in Afghanistan, saying that they need money to get them out of the country. The… More >>
Republicans are blasting President Joe Biden for his new vaccination mandates. Some are even threatening lawsuits following the President's announcement last week. More >>
The first version of a map that will re-arrange Ohio's legislative district, released Thursday by the seven-member Ohio Redistricting Commission. More >>
Ohio Department of Health Director Doctor Bruce Vanderhoff addressing concerns of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. It has been more than 18-months that the world has been battling the virus and health care providers have been attacking it head-on. They are tired and there is no real … More >>
Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted spoke on Ohio's aging population. The U.S. Census Bureau, reported that 25% of Ohio's population is expected to be over the age of 60. More >>
Area farmers are seeing a bumper crop thanks to timely rains throughout the summer. Meteorologist Nathan Kitchens has a look at the crop conditions and what to expect heading into harvest. More >>
Under the Trump administration, Ohio was able to get a waiver that would require able-bodied people, who don’t have any children, to either work twenty hours a week or get job training for their Medicaid health benefits. The work requirements were supposed to start on January 1, 2021, but wi… More >>
The blood shortage that started before the pandemic continues and the Red Cross is looking for a few volunteers to lend an arm to save a life. In recent weeks, the organization has seen blood donor turnout drop ten percent while hospital demand continues to be larger than the donations comin… More >>
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a virus that affects the lungs. Young children suffer from the virus, with babies born prematurely or with heart or lung conditions at the highest risk. Common symptoms of RSV include trouble breathing, coughing, and irritability. If your child is showing… More >>
Every 10 years after the U.S. Census is complete, Ohio's 99 House districts and 33 Senate districts must be redrawn to reflect the results of the most recent data. The commission could draw the congressional maps too if state lawmakers cannot reach an agreement on the map design. The first o… More >>
It’s almost exactly 14 years to the day that the floodwaters rose in Ottawa, tearing through the village and leaving many buildings in disarray. Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic school was one of those buildings. More >>
Some may have not known about the bomber crash that happened on September 26th, 1942 in rural Putnam County. But thanks to Scott Neidert, there is a lasting memorial to this tragic event. “I knew about the crash when I was young and as I got older, I realized that a lot of people did not ha… More >>
Fort Jennings is diving into history all while paying tribute to the men and women who have served our country. The Fort Fest has been honoring Veterans all weekend. More >>
The Quarry farm held a nature outing for families on Saturday. The Summer Family Day drew families to the Seitz Family Pavilion in Pandora, where they learned about nature and more. More >>
The campaign is a state-wide effort to make sure drivers are staying safe on the roads. The state patrol, joined with other local law enforcement, will be having a close eye on the roads from now until September 6th. Their goal is to remove impaired drivers from the road and decrease the lik… More >>
A bill introduced by Ohio Republican Senator Andrew Brenner would prohibit state boards of education, the Ministry of Education, or school districts from requiring students, teachers, or other employees to wear face covers in public education. This includes face-to-face instruction or extrac… More >>
Nine individuals have joined the ranks of dozens more to be “Court Appointed Special Advocates” to children that are finding themselves in the court system. Often the “CASA” volunteer is the only constant in the child’s life. The volunteers go thru weeks of training to understand their role … More >>
While it is not a requirement, DeWine says that we have the perfect storm with coronavirus just as kids are heading back to school. The Ohio Department of Health says there have been 3,235 new cases Tuesday and continues the upward trend the state has been seeing. The number of cases per 100… More >>
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a semi on the CSX crossing on Sycamore Street in Columbus Grove around 6:45 Monday night. Video footage shows the train is unable to stop and hits the semi, just behind the cab - dragging part of the truck around 250 yards down the tra… More >>
There are 10 public hearings scheduled. The commission will be at Ohio State Lima on Thursday, August 26th from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. The Ohio House and Senate districts get redrawn every 10 years and use the census data to track the movement of the population. Senate President Matt Huffman, … More >>
