Local nature enthusiasts had the chance to learn more about the natural history of Allen County! The Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District was at the Lima Public Library talking about past landscape in the county. The park district talked about remnants of bedrock and limestone deposits underground along with glacial traces left behind. They also discussed how these things altered the soil and how that affected plant, animal, and human life throughout the county.

Heavy rain over the past few days have resulted in flooding along area rivers and creeks. On Tuesday afternoon just northwest of Arlington, the Eagle Creek at County Road 24 in Hancock County was running quite high and spilling out of its banks. Water from the creek spilled into nearby fields resulting in at least several inches of water. The fast moving water nearly touched the bottom of the bridge. At this particular location, the roadway was not covered in water.

Their assessment of the damage to homes and businesses will determine if federal resources will be available to help residents recover, on top of the state and local help they are already getting. Locally, the teams will be visiting Logan, Auglaize, Mercer, and Hancock counties.

The last time the state of Ohio was in darkness from a total solar eclipse was in 1804. This eclipse has been drawing major concerns about the number of visitors that will be coming to view the cosmic event. Allen County Emergency Management Agency attending the Lima Rotary Club to give an update to area business leaders on what to expect. The influx of people in the area is likely to cause a variety of problems including traffic coming to a standstill during the totality and massive congestion following.

LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Genealogy researchers put the spotlight on a lesser known side of black history. 

The city is responsible for the public line from the main to the shut-off valve and the property owner is responsible for the service line from the shutoff valve to the house. Around 800 water customers will soon get letters from the city offering to pick up the cost for the replacement of their line with copper pipes as a public service to reduce health concerns.

The Auglaize County commissioners are hoping to start the renovation and improvements to the Auglaize County Correctional Facility. The five-million-dollar project will triple the size of the block for female inmates and add beds to the mental health and medical area.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today announced the expansion of H2Ohio, the state's comprehensive, data-driven strategy to improve water quality throughout Ohio. Since launching in 2019, H2Ohio has primarily focused on water infrastructure replacement in low-income areas, statewide wetland creation, and the reduction of algal-bloom-causing agricultural runoff into Lake Erie. The new H2Ohio Rivers program will expand the initiative's overall goals to also focus on improving and maintaining the health of Ohio's large rivers. 

Today, Allen County Commissioners awarded the tile work for the Baughman petitioned ditch project to Beaverdam Contracting. The wetlands are completed with three basins that are designed to bring relief in heavy rain events.