April 25, 2024, Press Release from the USDA Rural Development: COLUMBUS, Ohio, Apr. 25, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development in Ohio State Director Jonathan McCracken announced today funding for 40 projects through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) for investments in renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. These projects will help Ohio farmers and small businesses lower energy costs, generate additional income, and strengthen resiliency in their operations.  

Rhodes State College will be purchasing new equipment for their new semiconductor certificate program coming to campus. The State of Ohio awarded Rhodes State a $113,000 grant to invest in the new technology. The technology consists of various vacuum and gas equipment that will allow students to learn and train in realistic semiconductor manufacturing environments.

May 1, 2024 Press Release from Paulding Putnam Electric Co-op: For 2024, Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative is planning $4 million in investments focused on system improvements that will directly increase the co-op’s service reliability. This year begins a new four-year construction work plan addressing system growth, proactive maintenance, and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) improvements to reduce outage duration.

LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Heir Force Community School students got an interactive introduction to engineering on Thursday.

According to data from Down Detector, AT&T had more than 73,000 outages in locations including Houston, Atlanta, and Chicago. Cricket Wireless had more than 13,000. Verizon had more than 4,000 outages, and T-Mobile had more than 1,800. Some iPhone users have seen SOS messages displayed in the status bar.

Crews from the city's water department have been busy since the arctic blast hit the area. Many homeowners have been facing frozen water lines since Sunday when the temperature plummeted. If you do find frozen water lines, the utilities department suggests that you give them a call and they can come out and evaluate the situation. If you think you have located the frozen area and want to thaw it out be sure to follow these instructions.

Are you ready for our first significant arctic blast of the winter season? Ready or not, frigid temperatures will arrive by Sunday morning. With an unusually warm winter season thus far, I talked with Allen County EMA Director, Tom Berger, about some important measures to take should you have to venture outside. Many people will stay inside their homes using heaters and furnaces to stay warm, but not properly operating these heat sources could result in fires. To help raise awareness on ways to prevent winter house fires, I visited Warren Pughsley, an Inspector with the Lima Fire Department, about determining strategies to reduce the risk of house fires during cold weather.

According to NFPA, heating equipment is the leading cause of U.S. home fires between December and January, while cooking equipment is the leading cause of home fires year-round. The third-leading cause of home fires is electrical equipment, with three in 10 electrical fires occurring between November and February. Also, more than a third (34 percent) of Christmas tree home fires occur in January.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, one of every three home Christmas tree fires is caused by electrical problems. Christmas tree fires are more serious than typical home fires with one of every 31 reported Christmas tree fires resulting in a fatality. On average, just one in 144 typical home fires do. Although Christmas tree fires are not common, when they do occur, they are more likely to be serious.

Phase 1 of the trial involved 12 stroke patients suffering from moderate-to-severe muscle weakness on one side of the body, each had electrodes implanted into part of the brain. The electrodes were used to deliver electric pulses to help regain control of movements. Then the participants first underwent physical therapy with the deep brain stimulation device turned off for several weeks and then turned on for four-to-eight months.