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Around Ohio
Every story, newest first. Each story is written with AI from public reports and records, names its sources and links to them.
- Auditing Dublin
On the record: who votes no on Dublin City Council
Council split on nine of its 2026 votes, most over the West Innovation District. First-year member Wendy Johnson cast six of the 10 no votes. No one recused.
- Auditing Dublin · Explainer
Auditing Dublin: what we're reading, and how we label what we find
A records-only review of Dublin's council votes, contracts, incentives, audits and campaign money, with every claim tagged by how we know it.
- Sports
ALCS Game 3 moves to 1 p.m. in Cleveland as rain threatens
The series is tied 1-1. Games 3, 4 and 5 are at Progressive Field.
- Sports
No. 4 Ohio State visits No. 5 Indiana with both unbeaten in the Big Ten
Kickoff is noon Saturday on FOX in Bloomington. Jeremiah Smith needs 315 yards to break the Big Ten career receiving record.
- Sports
Ohio's eight FBS football teams at midseason
Ohio State and Cincinnati lead the way. Ohio and Toledo are 4-2 in a crowded MAC; Akron is 1-5.
- Politics
Columbus senator proposes statewide rules for e-bikes and e-scooters
Senate Bill 477 would require helmets for every rider, bar riders under 14 and add a $25 registration sticker.
- Sports
Guardians and Rays split in Tampa; ALCS moves to Cleveland tied 1-1
Cleveland won Game 1 with a late rally. Three unearned runs decided Game 2. Games 3 through 5 are at Progressive Field, starting Thursday.
- Money & banking
Ohio's three biggest home-grown banks report third-quarter results next week
Fifth Third goes Monday, KeyCorp Tuesday and Huntington Thursday. Their banks held about $771 billion in assets at midyear.
- Tech
Cleveland schools weigh a $603,000 renewal of license-plate cameras
District leaders want to keep 201 Flock cameras; activists question who has searched the data. A vote could come Oct. 27.
- Growth & housing
Cincinnati groups launch a lab to work on the region's housing shortage
Partners include the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, UC's Real Estate Center, LISC and Fifth Third. A modular-housing study is due in November.
- Growth & housing
Toledo moves to extend fair-housing tests on source-of-income bias
Testers posing as renters have found smaller landlords less familiar with the rules. Council is expected to vote next week.
- Ohio history · Feature
Home State Savings: the run that closed 70 Ohio thrifts
In March 1985 a Cincinnati savings bank's losses on a Florida bond dealer emptied Ohio's private deposit fund, and the governor shut every thrift it insured.
- Ohio history · Feature
Cleveland's default: how $14 million in bank notes broke a city's credit
In December 1978 Cleveland became the first major U.S. city since the Depression to default, after local banks refused to roll over its short-term debt.
- Ohio history · Feature
Cincinnati's railroad: built in 1880, leased for generations, sold for $1.6 billion
The only railroad owned by a U.S. city began as a bet on Cincinnati's economy. Voters cashed it out in 2023, and a trust fund now pays for repairs.
- Sports
Crew beat Charlotte 3-1; FC Cincinnati falls to New England before Sunday's derby
FC Cincinnati is ninth in the East with 36 points and the Crew 13th with 32. They meet at TQL Stadium at 5 p.m. Sunday.
- Politics
Death penalty bills are unlikely to move before DeWine leaves office
Ohio hasn't carried out an execution since 2019. Sponsors of bills to abolish capital punishment and to add execution methods don't expect votes this year.
- Politics
Early voting tops 170,000 ballots as Ohio's top races stay close
County boards are open weekdays through Oct. 23, with longer hours the final week. Requests to vote by mail are due Oct. 27.
- Politics
Obama will rally with Brown and Acton in Cleveland on Oct. 24
It will be the former president's first Ohio campaign stop since 2018. Trump and Vance have made three trips for Sen. Jon Husted this month.
- Growth & housing
Cincinnati's first review of its tiered tax abatements is overdue
The 2023 overhaul required an evaluation by Sept. 1. City staff now want another year of data first.
- Growth & housing
Dayton asks residents to reimagine five miles of U.S. 35
The Revive35 study, paid for with a $2 million federal grant, holds its first public workshops Oct. 27 and 28.
- Growth & housing
Cleveland proposes longer lead-safe certificates for landlords who replace windows and doors
Only about 30% of the city's rentals hold a valid certificate. The overhaul introduced Oct. 12 aims for harm reduction over perfection.
- Education
Columbus City Schools proposes closing more buildings
About 13,000 desks sit empty across 109 buildings. The plan would close 10 schools and two other buildings over time.
- Sports
Unbeaten teams lead 18 of Ohio's 28 high school football playoff regions with two weeks left
Sunbury Big Walnut and Gahanna Lincoln have the highest ratings in the state. The top 12 in each region make the playoffs when the final ratings come out Oct. 25.
- Education
Cincinnati Public Schools asks voters for a 7-mill operating levy
The levy would raise about $66.3 million a year. The district has town halls Oct. 13 and Oct. 20.
- Outdoors & Lake Erie
Ohio's fall color should peak around Oct. 19 to 24
Most of the state was still rated as changing on Oct. 12, with one pocket east of Columbus near peak.
- Auditing Dublin
Dublin City Manager Megan O'Callaghan resigns, effective Nov. 13
Council accepted the resignation 7-0 on Oct. 12. The city hasn't named an interim manager or described its search.
- Growth & housing
First 44 homes open in the rebuilding of Dayton's DeSoto Bass
The $15.3 million first phase replaces part of the city's first public housing, which opened in 1940.
- Sports
No. 5 Ohio State beats Maryland 45-16 and heads to unbeaten Indiana
Jeremiah Smith and Bo Jackson scored twice each, but eight penalties and two turnovers drew Ryan Day's attention.
- Education
Ohio University trustees take up gen-ed changes and a $3 million College Green project
The board meets Oct. 15 and 16 in Athens, with updates on fall enrollment and program reviews.
- Politics
Acton and Ramaswamy close on costs: taxes, gas and data centers
With early voting underway, both candidates for governor are making pocketbook pitches in the race to succeed Mike DeWine.
- Politics
Issue 3 would put Ohio's photo ID rule in the state constitution
Photo ID has been required by state law since 2023. The amendment would also cover mail voters unless lawmakers allow a signature plus another identifier.
- Business
Canadian bag maker Polyethics picks Antwerp for its first U.S. plant
The recycled-plastics manufacturer plans more than $41 million in investment and 250 jobs at an existing building in Paulding County.
- Money & banking
Columbus-chartered Erebor Bank reportedly tops $7 billion in deposits
The digital bank started by Palmer Luckey and Joe Lonsdale reported $4.66 billion in assets at midyear, ranking 11th among banks based in Ohio.
- Tech
Cincinnati police defend surveillance tools as Council drafts limits
An ordinance in the works would cap how long data is kept, limit sharing and require Council approval of contracts.
- Growth & housing
Ohio has more than half of the nation's local data center ballot measures
Ballotpedia counts 21 Ohio measures in 18 communities this year, from outright bans to a vote-first rule in Grove City.
- Growth & housing
Rail advocates push for daytime trains through Toledo
Supporters want same-day round trips on a route linking Toledo, Detroit and Cleveland. Their best case is the mid-2030s.
- Politics
Poll: Brown and Acton lead, and Issue 3's photo ID rule draws 61%
The Suffolk University/USA TODAY Network survey of 500 likely voters has a 4.4-point margin of error. The Senate race is inside it.
- Politics
Ohio suspends its gas and diesel tax for 90 days
House Bill 519 moves $725 million in surplus general revenue to cover road money while the 38.5-cent gas tax and 47-cent diesel tax are paused.
- Business
State backs five projects expected to add 1,173 jobs, led by a Fayette County battery plant
The Tax Credit Authority approved credits for projects totaling more than $431 million in investment and $79 million in new annual payroll.
- Money & banking
Fed approves Peoples Bancorp's purchase of Kentucky's Citizens National
The Marietta bank's $76.6 million cash-and-stock deal adds 12 Eastern Kentucky branches and about $686 million in assets.
- Politics
Columbus voters will choose between two plans to change City Council
Issue 8 would elect all nine members by district. Issue 9, placed by council, would grow it to 13 with four citywide seats.
- Business
Ohio's jobless rate slips to 3.3% in August
The state rate is down from 4.4% a year earlier and below the national 4.1%, while payrolls grew by 2,100 jobs.
- Business
General Atomics plans a drone innovation hub near Wright-Patterson
The 22,000-square-foot site in Beavercreek is expected to open in spring 2027 with about 50 employees.
- Auditing Dublin
Dublin's biggest 2026 contract came in 14% over the estimate, and another drew one bidder
Council approved about $25.6 million in contracts, bids and grants with stated amounts this year. It skipped competitive bidding once, for festival beer.
- Money & banking
NexTier completes legal merger with Riverside Bank of Dublin
The Pennsylvania bank counts about $3.2 billion in assets after the deal and names Riverside's founder its Columbus regional president.
- Auditing Dublin
Dublin promised up to $1.3 million to four employers this year
The agreements with Northwest Bank, John W. Danforth Co., Ruscilli Construction and InnoSource mostly pay out as payroll grows. Ohio State is buying 16.3 acres of city land for $2.93 million.
- Auditing Dublin
Dublin rezoned 370 acres for research and industry, and took data centers off the table
Council approved the West Innovation District rezoning 5-2 on July 1, minutes after removing data centers as allowed uses 6-1. Other Ohio towns are putting the question to voters.
- Auditing Dublin
Dublin's last three audits were clean; long-term obligations stood at $202 million
Independent auditors found no material weaknesses or reportable noncompliance for 2022 through 2024. We did not find the 2025 audit in the state's database.