Reflections on the year 2021: Top 10 local news stories

Editor's Note: The year 2021 brought a number of wins to Findlay and the surrounding area, from business growth and state championships to gains in public health. But like many years, there were challenges — some that will stretch into 2022. Here is the newsroom's list of the top 10 local stories from 2021, in chronological order. From all of us at The Courier, Happy New Year! Coronavirus pandemic continues COVID-19 vaccines gradually became available to the general public beginning in January. At first, Hancock Public Health and Blanchard Valley Health System were hearing from many community members eager to get vaccinated, but interest soon waned. By the second week of April, 32.77% of Hancock County residents had been started on the vaccine. By Dec. 27, that figure had only risen to 51.85%. Many institutions, as well as Gov. Mike DeWine, offered lotteries and other incentives to encourage people to get vaccinated. And in June, University of Findlay professor Suzanne "Chris" Ward won $1 million in Ohio's Vax-a-Million drawing. In February, Blanchard Valley Hospital staff briefly celebrated having not a single patient hospitalized with COVID-19. But by September, the hospital's census was running "close to capacity," according to Dr. William Kose, vice president of special projects. And staffing was becoming a particular concern. By early December, things had reached a crisis point. With every bed full and staff exhausted as they watched younger, unvaccinated adults die over and over, the hospital's doctors issued an impassioned plea to the public to help them out, starting by wearing a mask. Goodyear buys Cooper Tire The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. bought Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. in a $2.8 billion deal announced in late February. In buying Cooper, Goodyear will increase sales and save costs in the brutal tire-making business where company size has become increasingly important. "We're looking at a combination of elimination of overlapping corporate functions," Richard J. Kramer, Goodyear chairman and chief executive officer, said at the time of the sale. "The ability to combine research and development functions." The acquisition of Cooper expanded Goodyear's product offerings and increased its distribution and retail channels in highly profitable product segments. Under the terms of the deal, which was approved by the boards of directors of both companies, Cooper shareholders received $41.75 per share in cash and a fixed exchange ratio of 0.907 shares of Goodyear common stock per Cooper share, for a total equity value of about $2.8 billion. A fond farewell to Lincoln The Findlay community said goodbye to a beloved historic school building in May. When Findlay City Schools closed the doors to Lincoln Elementary School for the final time last school year, a little part of the district's history went with it. The building had been a celebrated part of the district for 106 years. The closure was part of the school district's reorganization plan to save up to $1.7 million annually. Under the restructuring, children who attended school at Washington Preschool were transferred to Jacobs Primary. District administrative offices were moved to the Washington Preschool building. The Lincoln Elementary building was closed permanently. Mobile clinic takes off Hancock Public Health hosted an open house for its new mobile clinic on May 27, while giving out vaccinations against COVID-19. The event also served to celebrate the health department having recently earned national accreditation. For the first couple of months, the health department prioritized getting COVID-19 vaccinations out to "all four corners of the county," according to Health Commissioner Karim Baroudi. The department is also using the mobile clinic to address public health issues that were identified in the Community Health Assessment. The mobile clinic meets people at schools, churches and community events. It made its first community appearance at Pride in the Park on June 10. "The best way out of this pandemic is to get vaccinated," Baroudi said when the clinic first hit the streets. Amazon comes to Findlay Amazon.com opened a distribution center in an existing 100,000-square-foot building in northeastern Findlay this summer, at 1601 Production Drive. Amazon has made $5.6 million in improvements to the building, including interior alterations like a break room, restrooms and office suite, and installation of a new canopy. The building was constructed in 2018 as a spec building by Humble Robinson Group, of Bellefontaine. Humble Robinson leased the space to Amazon. "The site location, along with a business-friendly community, attracted us to build the spec building," said Jerry Robinson, managing partner of Humble Robinson. "Findlay is one of the fastest growing communities in northwest Ohio." The spec building site was developed in partnership with JobsOhio, Regional Growth Partnership, the city of Findlay, Ohio Department of Transportation and Hancock Regional Planning Commission. Flood mitigation efforts continue After a good deal of back and forth and a public hearing, the Maumee Watershed Conservancy District Court voted in July to allow construction of the $60 million Eagle Creek flood basin. The court voted 14-1 on July 9 to amend the district's work plan to include the basin, with the lone opposing vote coming from a Hardin County judge. Hancock County Common Pleas Court Judge Reginald Routson voted in favor of the basin, as did judges representing each of the additional counties encompassed by the watershed: Allen, Auglaize, Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Lucas, Mercer, Paulding, Putnam, Shelby, Van Wert, Williams and Wood. The basin, which will range from 600 to 800 acres, will be dry most of the time. However, it could hold enough storm water to reduce flooding by 1.5 to 1.7 feet on Findlay's Main Street. Once constructed, the basin will cost about $100,000 annually to operate and maintain. In November, a nearly $1.5 million project to elevate the approaches to Findlay's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway overpass wrapped up. The improvements will keep the bridge over the Blanchard River — critical for emergency responders — open during a flood of the magnitude of the 2007 disaster. The bridge was inaccessible then because the approaches were under water. The north and south approaches to the bridge have been raised by 3 feet in a project that saw a major city artery closed for several months in 2021. Officials block court move to mall The Hancock County commissioners last spring proposed moving Hancock County Probate/Juvenile Court into part of Findlay Village Mall, despite objections expressed by other county officials. The mall location was plagued with security concerns, one of which was a gun dealer next door. But for months, the commissioners kept pushing forward with the idea of putting the court in the former JC Penney space. The three commissioners took it to a showdown vote in a meeting in September with a court facilities panel. The commissioners found themselves on the short end of a 4-3 tally, rejecting their idea. Voting against moving the court to the mall were Juvenile/Probate Judge Kristen Johnson, Common Pleas Judge Reginald Routson, Sheriff Michael Heldman and Clerk of Courts Cathy Prosser Wilcox. County officials had a variety of security and cost concerns about the proposed move. "When you buy old buildings, as this county has for many, many years, you're buying expense," said Heldman. "I think this is a time we need to look at a courthouse or a court building that is designed in close with the rest of the courts, where it belongs." The problem of where to relocate Probate/Juvenile Court remains. The Ohio 3rd District Court of Appeals, Lima, has ordered the commissioners to find suitable space for court operations by Dec. 31, 2022. Studies have determined the existing space at 308 Dorney Plaza, just west of the county courthouse, is too small. The commissioners now are considering reducing a 2020 plan to construct a building on a county-owned parking lot on West Main Cross Street, east of the post office. That plan, at $9 million, was too expensive, Commissioner Timothy Bechtol said, so the commissioners are considering how to reduce it. Findlay trooper shot; suspect caught In October, an early-morning traffic stop on Interstate 75 in Findlay left a state trooper wounded by a gunshot and set off a 14-hour hunt by scores of police from around Ohio for the Michigan man involved. Robert Tramaine Hathorn, 42, was captured at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 7 on County Road 223 near Trenton Avenue, less than a half-mile west of Walmart, the State Highway Patrol reported. That location was less than 2 miles south of where Hathorn allegedly got into a struggle on I-75 with Findlay Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Josef M. Brobst, who suffered a gunshot wound. Brobst was shot during the traffic stop at 11:05 p.m. Oct. 6. He was treated at Blanchard Valley Hospital for serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Brobst was struck in his lower extremities when his service weapon was discharged in the struggle with Hathorn, the patrol reported. Hathorn now faces six charges: felonious assault of a police officer, a first-degree felony; aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony; two counts of having weapons while under disability, each a third-degree felony; failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, a fourth-degree felony; and tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony. Hathorn, of Muskegon, Michigan, is being held in the Hancock County Justice Center. A Jan. 31 trial date has been set in Hancock County Common Pleas Court. State champions in our midst The Carey Blue Devils brought home the Division VI state football championship title on Dec. 4 after beating the Coldwater Cavaliers. The Blue Devils won 26-14, marking the second state championship in school history. "It's indescribable, but all the hard work we put in as a class and with the underclassmen that helped us out to get where we are today," Carey quarterback Derek Lonsway said. "I'm glad we went out with a bang. I'm so proud of our team, the town, the coaching staff — no words to say, really." This win came on the heels of the Liberty-Benton volleyball team's Nov. 13 win over Independence. The Eagles were crowned the Division III volleyball champion for the second time in three years. L-B finished 30-0 with a 25-18, 25-21, 25-17 sweep of Independence. "I can't wait to go back and rewatch it and see what really happened," L-B coach Julie Todd said after the game. "I'm so emotional." Colleges team up Bowling Green State University, Owens Community College and the University of Findlay unveiled a new partnership on Nov. 12: the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics. The center, using space at Owens' Findlay campus, promises to open strong careers to youth while benefiting companies facing worker shortages and disrupted supply chains. The center will work with manufacturers to identify and anticipate their needs in workforce training, talent development, innovation, automation, systems integration and supply chain management. Automotive, plastics and logistics companies will be particularly targeted. "As leading higher education institutions in northwest Ohio, it is our responsibility and our privilege to meet our communities' needs in this regard, ensuring that students graduate with the credentials they need for good local jobs and ensuring that employers have a strong candidate pool to draw from," said Owens President Dione Somerville.