Ohio News

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Columbus residents approved to become U.S. citizens are now seeing their final step toward citizenship canceled. On Dec. 2, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a pause on asylum and benefit applications for immigrants from 19 "high-risk" countries, including many represented in central Ohio. This week, it became clear the pause [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Slow drivers coasting in the left lane of the highway can be a source of frustration for Ohio drivers. But is doing so illegal? According to Ohio law, the left lane on multi-lane roads may only be used for passing other vehicles, except in specified circumstances. Exceptions include avoiding an obstruction, [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Gov. Mike DeWine said Amy Acton, the former state health director who's now running for governor as a Democrat, cannot be blamed for actions the state took during COVID-19. "The decisions that were made during COVID, they were my decisions, so no one should blame someone else if they don't like [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Ohio Department of Transportation warned drivers not to underestimate Friday morning’s snow. “It’s not the amount of snow, it’s the timing of the snow,” said Matt Bruning, Press Secretary at ODOT. He said a light snow is oftentimes just as dangerous as a blizzard because people don’t think they need [...]

WHITEHALL, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Whitehall City Council president is looking into legal options for removing a sitting councilmember following that man's arrest earlier this week. In a statement, Whitehall City Council President Thomas Potter said he is consulting with the city's attorney to see what is written in Whitehall's city charter and council rules [...]

HILLIARD, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Norwich Township Fire Department pairs up with the Hilliard Food Pantry every year to collect and donate toys to local children for the holidays. This year, hundreds, if not thousands, of toys are dropped off and stored at Norwich Township Fire Station 83. However, a sewage leak a few weeks [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Gov. Mike DeWine said on Thursday that he plans to sign the new cannabis bill that would make adjustments to Ohio’s recreational cannabis use laws, including new legal charges for things like improper transportation. Voters legalized the adult use of marijuana in 2023, and that will not change under the new law— [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Gov. Mike DeWine is still deciding whether or not he will sign a bill that would eliminate the four-day grace period for mail-in ballots. The bill would require all mail-in ballots to be received by election day. The bill is opposed by voting rights advocates. NBC4's Colleen Marshall asked DeWine if [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Drug Enforcement Agency agents in Columbus have seized more than 100,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills off the streets in recent months as part of a new national campaign called Fentanyl Free America, which launched in October. Since its launch, agents in central Ohio have made several major takedowns and seizures, actions that [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Families said they are waiting months for grave markers they’ve already paid for from a long-established East Columbus monument business. For them, shifting timelines and a lack of answers have added a new layer of pain to an already difficult loss. They placed orders for grave markers from Evergreen Monuments. Then [...]

MANSFIELD, Ohio (WCMH) -- While some people may not be a fan of winter weather, the drop in temperatures is launching the ski, snowboarding and snow tubing season: Snow Trails in Mansfield officially opened its season on Thursday. Nate Wolleson with Snow Trails said the snow-making process always starts around Thanksgiving, but this year, most [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Funded largely by voter-approved levies, public school districts often have to answer questions about fiscal responsibility. Property taxes continue to be a pressing issue for Ohioans, but the Ohio Federation of Teachers said the state is underfunding public schools by $2 billion. As districts look to cut costs, they often face [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Two arrests have been made in connection with the 2021 fatal shooting of a man outside of a northeast Columbus bowling alley. According to court records, Columbus police arrested Andrew Stromer after a years-long investigation into the murder of Keishawn Riley, who was found lying in the parking lot at the [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A ramen shop near Grandview Heights will close this month but plans to reopen at a new location in the future.  Red Rabbit Ramen has sat inside Echo Spirits Distillery, located at 985 W. Sixth Ave. in the Fifth by Northwest neighborhood, since 2022. Last week, the ramen concept announced that [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) - Meet Abner! He is available at the Franklin County Dog Shelter and Adoption Center. Abner is a 6-year-old pitbull mix who is described as a very sweet and affectionate dog. Shelter staff said he is well mannered, housebroken, crate trained and is treat motivated. As of now, he knows "sit," but [...]

Central Ohio is packed with holiday events this mid-December weekend, from the Franklin Park Conservatory's Holiday Blooms to the Ohio Craft Museum's Gifts of the Craftsmen sale, the Doll Museum's Around the World in 80 Dolls exhibit, the Easton Holiday Drone Show, BalletMet's Nutcracker, the Columbus Dance Theatre's Carol, the Revolutionists at Curtain Players Theatre, Bobcat Goldthwait's standup comedy show, the Run the Lights 2025 event, Christmas at the Harrison House, An American Christmas concert, and the Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Vegas Golden Knights game.

WILLARD, Ohio (WCMH) – Decades after a teenage boy was found dead in an Ohio cornfield under suspicious circumstances, a national podcast and university students are shining new light on the case.  The body of Daniel “Danny” Violette, 17, was discovered in a Huron County cornfield on Nov. 4, 1998. His cause of death was [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A new Emerson College Polling survey of Ohio voters found increasing success for Democratic candidates ahead of 2026's elections. New polling released on Thursday found the statewide elections for governor and U.S. Senate have tightened since Emerson's last poll in August. The poll found Ohioans' shift in favorability toward Democratic candidates [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio lawmakers are weighing new penalties for possessing electronic devices that can be used to unlock and start cars without a key, as vehicle thefts increasingly involve digital tools instead of broken windows or hot-wiring. House Bill 519, introduced in October by Rep. Andrea White (R-Kettering), passed the House on Nov. [...]

HILLIARD, Ohio (WCMH) -- A sewage leak in a basement has led the Norwich Township Fire Department to ask for the community's help to make the holidays better for area children. In a social media post on Wednesday, the fire department said the sewage leak happened at the fire station on Davidson Road, where the [...]