Ohio News

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — During Ohio’s Severe Weather Awareness Week, a statewide tornado drill is set to take place Wednesday morning. Warning signs are activated for three minutes throughout Franklin and surrounding counties starting at 9:50 a.m. That is longer than the usual tone heard during the weekly tornado tests most Wednesdays at noon. Franklin [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Ohio Senate is considering legislation that would create a formal partnership between the state and Israel aimed at expanding trade, investment and research collaboration. House Bill 188, introduced in March 2025 by Reps. Eric Synenberg (D-Beachwood) and Thomas Hall (R-Madison Township), passed the Ohio House last November. The proposal is [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill into law Tuesday that largely bans the use of ranked choice voting in Ohio. Senate Bill 63, a bipartisan bill, will generally prohibit ranked choice voting and withhold state funding for local governments that use it. Previously, municipalities have been allowed to implement ranked choice [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Columbus Board of Education honored an East High School student and the school's football coach Tuesday night for helping save the life of a student who was shot outside a library branch near the school last month. Head football coach Mike Bell and East High senior Cassidy Hayes received formal [...]

WESTERVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) – Winter’s latest blast through central Ohio with powerful winds didn’t just knock out electricity for thousands of residents; it also left behind significant damage to homes. That damage has led local roofing companies to an overwhelming surge in calls. "On Friday, our neighbor kind of came outside," Westerville resident Laura Chiles [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio nurses and their union advocates have sounded the alarm about tough workloads and inadequate staffing. A 2024 survey conducted by the Ohio Nurses Association found that more than 60% of direct care nurses were considering leaving bedside care because of the high patient workloads. State Rep. [...]

DELAWARE, Ohio (WCMH) -- When an emergency happens, some of the first people to learn about it are 911 dispatchers, and with the up and down weather across central Ohio in the last few days, call centers experienced an uptick in calls. Delaware County’s 911 Director Lauren Yankanin said every day in the 911 center [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Former Ohio State President Ted Carter may have gone against a state ethics code in his romantic "inappropriate relationship" with a podcaster. In his abrupt resignation, Carter cited an inappropriate relationship with a woman seeking public resources to support her personal business. The woman has been identified as Krisanthe Vlachos, a podcaster [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The City of Columbus is taking steps to reach major climate goals with updates to the Columbus Climate Action Plan, which was started five years ago. “I think that we’ve really seen an increase in interest,” Sustainable Columbus Climate Planning Manager Brooke White said. The mission is to reduce pollution by [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A man facing a murder charge stemming from a January homicide in a southwest Columbus neighborhood turned himself in to police on Monday. Columbus police said Marcellus James, 29, was arrested after he came to the Franklin County jail to turn himself in. He is scheduled for an arraignment hearing at [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A meteor over Ohio on Tuesday likely led to a loud boom, according to the National Weather Service. NWS Cleveland said the latest GLM imagery shows the meteor caused a loud boom in northeast Ohio. The meteor was also spotted over Columbus. If your camera captured the meteor, click here to [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Former Ohio State President Ted Carter spoke at an out-of-town event with the woman he had an "inappropriate relationship" with last year but did not appear to spend university funds on her. Carter abruptly resigned last week over what was called an inappropriate relationship with a woman seeking public funds to [...]

CARROLL, Ohio (WCMH) – A central Ohio coffee shop has launched a unique initiative to help find missing people, with hopes that it will catch on at other cafes.  Carroll Cup Coffee House, located at 75 E. Canal St. in Fairfield County, began serving coffee with hot cup sleeves featuring missing Columbus man Andrew “Andy” [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio lawmakers are encouraging residents to celebrate the nation's upcoming 250th birthday with a challenge: complete 250 acts of kindness. Senate Resolution 271, introduced in February by Sens. Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson) and George Lang (R-West Chester), asks Ohioans, including lawmakers themselves, to take part in the national "United States of Kindness" [...]

UPPER ARLINGTON, Ohio (WCMH) -- A Franklin County judge will issue an order in the coming weeks on how best to dispose of remains found at Upper Arlington High School, the site of a former Black cemetery. A Franklin County probate judge heard arguments Thursday debating the most respectful way to dispose of the remains [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A recently introduced Ohio bill aims to enhance the enforcement of accessible parking violations and ensure the spaces are available to those who need them. On Feb. 24, Rep. Meredith Craig (R-Smithville) introduced House Bill 712, which would increase the maximum penalty for improperly using an accessible parking space, expand what [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Ohio State University Marching Band is taking its talents overseas. On Tuesday, the Best Damn Band in the Land will perform in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin, Ireland, set for noon GMT, 8 a.m. EST. "They're expecting about two to three million people in Dublin tomorrow for the [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Snow has reared its head again in central Ohio Monday night, with squalls reducing visibility across the region. To that end, a number of central Ohio counties have issued snow emergencies. Snow showers overnight will turn to scattered flurries Tuesday, with temperatures falling below freezing, meaning any snow on the ground [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The podcaster at the center of Ohio State University’s president resigning last week was to pay the university nearly $94,000 to help produce the show. According to the contract between Ohio State and The Callout Podcast, Krisanthe Vlachos, the podcast’s producer, was contracted to pay the university $1,874.32 per episode to [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Friday's wind storm caused challenges for power crews along with residents throughout the weekend and the early part of this week. Broken branches and sticks were still scattered throughout Alfonso Hooper's yard on Monday morning. They were brought down by the wind on Friday. “Trees all around the neighborhood that come [...]