37 year old Daniel D. Betts of Findlay pleaded not guilty to charges that he drunkenly drove a pickup truck and caused the deaths of John and Kimberly Clark of Fostoria on a motorcycle in May.  Betts was indicted on four counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and two counts of operating a vehicle under the influence.  According to the indictment, his blood alcohol content was more than 0.2.  Bond was established at $92,500 Wednesday and was later posted by family members.

Fourth of July celebrations around the region will light up the sky starting tomorrow night.  On Friday in Findlay, a free fireworks show will begin at dusk at the Hancock County Fairgrounds.  The Fourth of July Parade will be Saturday at 11am on Main Street.  Fostoria’s celebration will take place Friday at Foundation Park. Fireworks will begin at dusk.  In Bowling Green, the community fireworks display will begin at dusk Friday at the Bowling Green State University Intramural Fields.  Upper Sandusky will have a fireworks display is scheduled for dusk Friday at Upper Sandusky High School. 

The Ladies Auxiliary of the McComb Veterans of Foreign Wars organization will host fireworks at the McComb Community Park at dusk Saturday.  Also on Saturday, Tiffin Park and Recreation’s Fourth of July celebration will take place at Hedges-Boyer Park, with fireworks beginning at 10 p.m.

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers or PARCC tests, administered twice a year to grades 3 through 11, will be replaced with spring tests provided through American Institutes for Research (AIR) starting next spring.  State lawmakers removed them in the state budget that was signed Tuesday night.  The PARCC tests have drawn heavy criticism over the past year as teachers and administrators claimed they were too time-consuming, difficult, and included too many technological glitches.

Findlay officials and City Council members argued Wednesday night during an informal committee-of-the-whole meeting about the city’s tax deferment policy.  Auditor Jim Staschiak and Councilwoman Holly Frische argued that changes should be made to the policy, while Mayor Lydia Mihalik and Councilmen Randy Van Dyne, Ron Monday, Grant Russel, Anne Spence along with Law Director Don Rasmussen and City Tax Administrator Andrew Thomas all disagreed.  Shouting and one councilman walking out of the meeting occurred.  Council members and officials walked away from the meeting without coming to an agreement on whether to make any changes. 

Gov. John Kasich vetoed state Rep. Robert Sprague’s effort to put restrictions on addiction recovery housing in Ohio.  Sprague’s proposal was included in the state budget, but Kasich included it in his 44 line-item vetoes.  Sprague’s proposal would have required a “resolution of support” from county commissioners before a property could be purchased for recovery housing, and before state grant money could be awarded to buy the house.  Experts said the requirement would have violated fair housing laws, something the governor noted in his veto.