Unemployment numbers for West Central Ohio had little to no change from November to December. According to data released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Allen, Auglaize, and Mercer counties remained the same in the last two months of 2019. Putnam and Hardin counties jumped… More >>

Area law enforcement officials are looking for information about crimes or persons listed in this graphic. The Lima/Allen-Putman County Crimestoppers Program offers cash awards of up $1,000.00 to anyone who provides anonymous tip information that would lead to the arrest of anyone listed on … More >>

We are a little over a month away from the 13th anniversary of the Bluffton Bus Crash, and Senator Sherrod Brown says he is still waiting on the federal government to completely enforce the safety improvement rules that came out of that crash which killed 7 people and injured dozens more.  T… More >>

A bill that could help in the fight against the drug Fentanyl is sitting in the U.S House of Representatives, and an Ohio Senator is urging them get it passed before a critical deadline approaches. The U.S. Senate passed their version of the FIGHT Fentanyl Act last week.  The bill would exte… More >>

2019 is a year that most farmers would like to forget, the same goes for insurance agents that handle crop insurance. But it’s a new year and Citizens National Bank and Williamson Insurance offered local farmers the chance to learn what 2020 could bring. With a rainy spring that lasted into … More >>

The Trump administration announced plans last week to roll back on certain school lunch standards that were originally proposed by former first lady Michelle Obama back in 2010. The new standards would allow schools more flexibility on fruit and vegetable serving sizes. Jennifer Little, who … More >>

The Riley Creek United Methodist Church in Pandora is held a dedication ceremony today for their new addition to the church. The church was established in 1850, and the current building was dedicated in 1882. They started building the addition back in October of last year, and today it was d… More >>

A Columbus Grove home is now a total loss after a house fire earlier Sunday morning. The Columbus Grove fire department was dispatched to 605 W Sycamore Street around 2:45 a.m..The fire traveled through the whole home burning down parts of the right side of the house.No one was home at the t… More >>

Area law enforcement officials are looking for information about crimes or persons listed in this graphic. The Lima/Allen-Putman County Crime Stoppers Program offers cash awards of up $1,000.00 to anyone who provides anonymous tip information that would lead to the arrest of anyone listed on… More >>

A man charged with murdering his son in Putnam County in 2006, will have another month to get everything filed to take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court. According to 33 year old Travis Soto's lawyers, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor granting the one month deadline extension.  Lawyers… More >>

A proposed law has been introduced that could crackdown on drivers who use their cell phones or any electronic devices while on the road. Currently, using a cell phone while driving is only a secondary offense for people over 18. That means law enforcement can only issue a citation if there … More >>

It usually is someone that they know that forces them into doing unspeakable things and January has been designated as Human Trafficking Awareness Month to bring light to the issue. In 2019, the Day One Program at Crime Victim Services served 60 human trafficking survivors and 225 since 2012… More >>

The Census Bureau is recruiting thousands of individuals to fill full time and part time positions as recruiting assistants, field supervisors, office operations supervisors, enumerators, clerks, and foreign language speakers for the 2020 Census. Pay rates for these positions have increased … More >>

Some unusual noises in their attic alerted a Putnam County family that their house was on fire. The Kalida Fire Department was called out to 13970 Road 14 around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. The homeowners claimed to hear crackling noises above them and called the fire department. Glandorf, Co… More >>

Lawyers for Travis Soto have sent a request to the U.S Supreme Court to push the deadline back one month to file their case. The request was made to Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor asking to move the deadline to February 28th from January 29th. Soto is taking his case to the U.S. Supre… More >>

We introduced you all to the Tech Cred Program in October. This bill establishes that program, as well as two more that legislators believe, will close a workforce gap. Gov. Mike DeWine officially signed House Bill 2 on Monday. It systematically organizes the Tech Cred Program, the Individua… More >>

Area law enforcement officials are looking for information about crimes or persons listed in this graphic. The Lima/Allen-Putman County Crime Stoppers Program offers cash awards of up $1,000.00 to anyone who provides anonymous tip information that would lead to the arrest of anyone listed on… More >>

The Ohio Auditor’s Office found around $40 million worth of potential savings for ODOT, and they are not done yet. The Ohio General Assembly asked the Auditor’s office to do a performance audit on the Ohio Department of Transportation when the state raised the gas tax to pay for future road … More >>

A man convicted of a double murder will soon be up for parole and the victims' family is asking for the public's help to keep him behind bars. Robin Bender, of Columbus Grove, was convicted of murder back in 1974 for killing Kenny and his father, Louis Youngpeter, during a burglary on their … More >>

Since World War I, the Putnam County Annex building has served many purposes, but now the future of the building is uncertain. Over the past 100 years, the building has experienced some wear and tear. Right now the building currently houses IT, the Prosecutor's Office and Veteran Services. T… More >>

We've been fortunate as of late, but being prepared for inclement weather is something that should be on your mind at the start of the new year. The Ohio State Highway Patrol says prepare before inclement weather and drive carefully when it hits. Last winter there were over 15,000 crashes in… More >>

Colleagues and friends take a moment today to pay their respects to a local sports legend. More >>

The American Red Cross is currently in need of O blood and encouraging people everywhere to donate. Right now the American Red Cross has less than a three-day supply. They are 550 donors away from having their full five-day supply. Although they are specifically looking for O positive and ne… More >>

In case you haven't seen it circling social media, there's something you should be doing with official documents this year to avoid any fraud. The Better Business Bureau is advising a particular practice for any legal documents such as checks, income taxes and more. While writing out the dat… More >>

Area law enforcement officials are looking for information about crimes or persons listed in this graphic. The Lima/Allen-Putman County Crimestoppers Program offers cash awards of up $1,000.00 to anyone who provides anonymous tip information that would lead to the arrest of anyone listed on … More >>

Sad news to report as Vince Koza passed away at the James Cancer Hospital in Columbus early Friday morning.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to Holly, Brittany and Sarah for their loss.   More >>

A new year also means new laws in place, and the age to buy cigarettes or vaping products will be 21 across the United States. The President signed the law to raise the federal minimum age from 18 to 21 years old just before Christmas. The state of Ohio raised the minimum age to 21 back in O… More >>

Allen County judge now weighs in on the conversation about reducing some drug sentences to misdemeanors.Judge Jeffrey Reed spoke to your Hometown Stations about Senate Bill 3, which would reform sentencing laws for certain drug convictions. With the current legislation, reed says he finds mu… More >>

2020 means a pay increase for people making minimum wage in the State of Ohio. People will now make $8.70 an hour, and tipped employee's hourly rate increased 5 cents to $4.35 an hour. The increase was part of a change to the Ohio Constitution that voters approved in 2006. For Ohio businesse… More >>

It took people a little bit to warm up from the annual Putnam County YMCA Chilly 5K.  The event started because organizers felt that since no one else was doing it in our area, why not kick off the New Year on the right foot.  There were medals for the top male and female runner in each age … More >>

The Putnam County Commissioners are looking back at some of the things that the county was able to accomplish over the last year. More >>

As you bring in the new year you want to keep in mind safety during your celebration.Just like every new year, law enforcement are cautioning people not to fire their guns into the air. It's a great safety concern. According to the Associated Press, an Ohio boy was struck by a random gun sho… More >>

Area law enforcement officials are looking for information about crimes or persons listed in this graphic. The Lima/Allen-Putman County Crimestoppers Program offers cash awards of up $1,000.00 to anyone who provides anonymous tip information that would lead to the arrest of anyone listed on … More >>

To reach the national championship the Ohio State Buckeyes will have to go through their fourth straight ranked opponent. #2 Ohio State take on #3 Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday. Both teams coming in undefeated as their respective conference champions.The Buckeyes have never beaten C… More >>

With distracted driving a constant concern, new technology in vehicles may be opening drivers to more distracted driving.A study done by AAA and Virginia Tech found that advanced driver assistance systems may have unintended consequences. The systems, like lane-keeping assistance and adaptiv… More >>

Distracted driving remains an issue and has prompted that to be a focus of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.Governor Mike DeWine has challenged drivers to drive without distractions. AAA is expecting record amounts of people to travel through the first of the new year. Highway patrol says it's … More >>

Ohio's Bureau of Motor Vehicles plans to begin a vehicle safety recall notification program using the state's vehicle registration renewal process. The bureau says customers will begin receiving open recall notifications beginning in January 2020. The vehicle safety recall information will b… More >>

You could be dreaming of a white Christmas, but the chances of getting one are small and we are not just talking about this year. According to the National Weather Service in Northern Indiana which covers most of West Central Ohio, since 1901 there is a 37% chance of seeing an inch or more o… More >>

With just a few hours away from Christmas, people were still out on Christmas Eve trying to make sure they complete their Christmas lists. For Rebecca Larimore and Carmen Ramirez shopping on Christmas Eve isn't a norm. But this year was a little different. More >>

The Village of Ottawa will be busy next year working on a project to help with flooding. The conservancy district recently resolved land right claims with two Putnam County property owners for the diversion channel project. The 4,000-foot channel is planned to be built on the northwest side … More >>

As we inch closer to Christmas and New Year's Day, the roads get a bit more crowded with travelers and shoppers. The Ohio State Highway Patrol is encouraging extra attention to your driving with so many things going on at this time of year. While there are many holiday parties, they continue… More >>

We introduced you all to Senate Bill 3 back in March and there have been several discussions in Columbus since then. But it’s looking like talks about this bill will have to continue into 2020. Senate Bill 3 hopes to reform how drug offenders are sentenced in Ohio. The bi-partisan bill would… More >>

Area law enforcement officials are looking for information about crimes or persons listed in this graphic. The Lima/Allen-Putman County Crimestoppers Program offers cash awards of up $1,000.00 to anyone who provides anonymous tip information that would lead to the arrest of anyone listed on … More >>

Governor Mike DeWine says it's time that distracted driving be reason enough to pull someone over. The governor said it's also time for a cultural recognition that texting or calling while driving is as dangerous as drunk driving. Distracted driving includes texting, making calls, or surfing… More >>

The VFW in Ottawa traveled all around Putnam County to meet with other Veterans who are in nursing homes. Their first stop was at the Meadows of Ottawa where they talked with and gave gifts to other fellow Veterans. They called it “Vests for Vets” and gave them each a fleece vest with “US Ar… More >>

The former Fort Jennings police chief has pleaded not guilty to the counterfeiting charge he is facing. According to court records, 44-year-old Michael Schleeter entered a written plea of not guilty to the court earlier this week. The Allen County Grand Jury indicted Schleeter last week on t… More >>

A Fostoria man was arraigned in Putnam County on a sex crime with a minor. 20-year-old Cody Wells has entered a plea of not guilty to one count of rape. Court documents state the victim is a young girl under the age of 10. If convicted, Wells could face life in prison without parole. But thi… More >>

It appears Travis Soto's case in Putnam County could be heading to the United States Supreme Court. Soto confessed to the 2006 killing of his 2-year-old son but had previously served five years in prison for less severe charges. The state public defender that handed his appeal to the Ohio Su… More >>

On Tuesday, State Senator Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) recognized Joshua Verhoff, a Kalida High School graduate, who won the 2019 Division III state title in the track and field 200-meter dash. Verhoff broke the Division III state record with a time of 21.68 seconds. "Joshua's hard work and ded… More >>

A room in an Ottoville home and its contents were lost in a fire earlier today(12/18/19). A viewer sent this video of the scene at 26282 Road R. As you can see, there was a billow of smoke coming from the home. It started around 5:45 on Wednesday afternoon. Fire crews cleared the scene nearl… More >>

Area law enforcement officials are looking for information about crimes or persons listed in this graphic. The Lima/Allen-Putman County Crimestoppers Program offers cash awards of up $1,000.00 to anyone who provides anonymous tip information that would lead to the arrest of anyone listed on … More >>