Findlay city officials and Findlay planning commission are considering requiring businesses to use “low profile” monument signs, while phasing out existing pylon signs, which are those that are on poles.  Businesses directly alongside Interstate 75 would be exempt from the zoning change.  Officials are considering a few ways of implementing the requirement.  One would require all businesses to change their signs after a number of years.  The other is to force new businesses to obey the rule, but only require old businesses to conform when they replace or drastically alter their existing pylon sign.  The goal of the restriction is to make Findlay more aesthetically pleasing.
 

Hancock County officials, including Sheriff Mike Heldman and Common Pleas Judge Reg Routson, have begun discussions about the effort to turn Dorney Plaza into a community gathering place.  At issue is the need for safety around the Hancock County Courthouse and other government buildings.  Often combative prisoners are routinely removed from the courthouse by force which could prove dangerous.  The Findlay-Hancock County Alliance’s Economic Reinvestment Committee began talks about renovating Dorney Plaza last year, with the goal of improving the appearance of the plaza and creating a public gathering place.

Authorities say an armed civilian accidentally fired a shot from an AR-15 rifle outside a military recruiting center in Ohio but no one was hurt. Police in Lancaster say 28-year-old Christopher Reed was holding the rifle outside the center yesterday when someone asked to look at the weapon. While Reed was clearing the ammunition from the rifle, he accidentally fired a shot into the pavement.

Wood County Health District employees voted to end their relationship with Service Employees International Union Local 199.  Of the 36 valid votes cast, six were in favor of staying with SEIU.  A three-year union contract ended June 30, and rather than work with the union to negotiate a new one, wages and policies will now be set by the Board of Health.