Ohio News

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Wednesday that he will pause the state sales tax exemptions for data centers, just hours after the first meeting of the state legislature’s new Joint Data Center Study Committee. DeWine said in a statement he fully supports the legislature’s efforts to study the economic and environmental [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Columbus Division of Police has two new helicopters in the air. The new Bell 505 helicopters are equipped with state-of-the-art cameras and high-tech computer systems that allow the team to lock in on a target from miles away. This includes reading a license plate and being involved in a police [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio State's 2026 football season opener now has a kickoff time. The Buckeyes' Sept. 5 game at Ohio Stadium against Ball State will start at 12:30 p.m. This will be the opening game of the 137th season for Ohio State. After the Buckeyes play at Texas on Sept. 12 at 7:30 [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A major redevelopment proposal in Columbus' Italian Village is moving through city review once again as plans to replace the former State Library of Ohio building continue to evolve. The project, led by Cincinnati-based developer Merus in partnership with Columbus architecture firm BBCO, would demolish the 122,000-square-foot former library building at [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A Columbus-based hot chicken restaurant plans to open a new location near Gahanna and New Albany.  The former Subway at 5352 N. Hamilton Road is slated to become an Overdose Hot Chicken, according to signage posted on the building. The North Hamilton Road eatery will mark Overdose Hot Chicken’s second location. [...]

Upper Arlington, Ohio has proposed a mobility device registration and safety program to protect riders and neighbors, which will require certain electric motorized devices to be registered with the Upper Arlington Police Division and to display a free registration sticker, with fines of up to $150 per violation for repeat offenders.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A recent study has named Ohio as one of the best states to be a police officer.  WalletHub, a personal finance company, compared all 50 states and Washington, D.C. across 30 key indicators of “police friendliness,” including the median income for law enforcement officers, police deaths per capita and the quality [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A veteran who was interviewed as part of the investigation into former Ohio State President Ted Carter's relationship with podcaster Krisanthe Vlachos said he received a "suspicious" text from Vlachos hours after his confidential testimony. Paul Hylenski is a disabled veteran and the CEO and founder of Vet Mentor AI, a [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – An Ohio bill that would ban artificial intelligence-generated child sexual abuse material, put guardrails on deepfakes and require AI watermarks is one step closer to becoming law.  Senate Bill 163, sponsored by Sens. Louis Blessing III (R-Colerain Township) and Terry Johnson (R-McDermott), unanimously passed the Senate on May 20. It moved [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Historic schools, a vacant Downtown office tower and deteriorating residential buildings are among the properties named to this year's list of Columbus' most endangered sites. Columbus Landmarks released its 2026 "Most Endangered Sites" list this month, highlighting five properties the preservation organization says are threatened by demolition, neglect, vacancy or redevelopment [...]

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Pickerington Local School district has started its redistricting process with a presentation from the board of education on how the process will work. “We have elementary schools next year that despite the fact that we pulled kindergarten out, they’re already at capacity,” Pickerington Local School Superintendent Dr. Charles Smialek said [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A retired Columbus police deputy chief said that after decades of counseling crime victims to speak up, he is ready to share his own story of being a sexual assault victim. Former deputy chief Tim Becker, who is now the safety director for Gahanna, stepped up to a microphone Tuesday as [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, were in Dublin to announce the expansion of DeWine’s signature OhioSEE program, which provides free eye exams to elementary school students. Tuesday’s visit comes as lawmakers undertake a major push for Medicaid reform, responding [...]

A 17-year-old had a preliminary hearing Tuesday after he was accused of killing his father and assaulting the man's husband in the Glen Echo area of Columbus on Saturday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A Columbus Crew player will get an opportunity so few in the soccer world get: Representing your country at a home FIFA World Cup. Defender Max Arfsten has been selected by USA manager Mauricio Pochettino to the final 26-man roster that will represent the Stars & Stripes at this summer's World [...]

WASHINGTON D.C. (WCMH) -- The Scripps National Spelling Bee for 2026 got underway Tuesday as hundreds of kids from across the United States began their journeys. Among those competing are two central Ohioans. Athens regional Spelling Bee winner Joseph Keffer, who is a sixth grader at Chesapeake Middle School, is competing in the Spelling Bee [...]

Mitchell's Steakhouse has permanently closed its downtown Columbus location after serving customers for decades.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Family Dollar closed 28 stores in Ohio since July 2025, the second-most closures of any state. Dollar Tree previously owned Family Dollar but sold the chain to private firm 1959 Holdings on July 7, 2025, for $1 billion. Since the sale, at least 350 Family Dollar locations in the U.S. have [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Kaleidoscope Youth Center is preparing to leave its longtime Columbus home, marking another major change for the LGBTQ+ youth organization this year. The nonprofit announced in a social media post that May 22 marked its final day operating out of its "Brick House" location at 603 E. Town St. before relocating [...]