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PIQUA, Ohio (WCMH) — A historic Ohio church that has become a social media darling is up for grabs again after changing hands a few times over the past 20 years.

The sprawling red brick building at 531 W. Ash St. in Piqua could become the deal of a lifetime for its next enterprising owner, as Ohio Real Estate Auctions has put it on the bidding block. After being traditionally listed by Melissa Cleary of Glasshouse Realty Group, the 111-year-old former house of worship went up for public auction on July 30, with bidding ending Wednesday at noon.

The property has gained attention and notoriety from popular social media accounts like Zillow Gone Wild and Cheap Old Houses. Cleary told NBC4 that a producer from HGTV's “Scariest House in America” also approached her about featuring the unconventional home. Despite being previously owned by Jeff Bolin, who has written several horror novels, the building ultimately did not make the TV series, which features tours of homes that give off creepy vibes.

Zillow Gone Wild recently chose to showcase it with a “church Sundays” post.

“This historic Ohio church, built in 1914 with vintage stained glass and soaring ceilings and over 11k sq ft, is now at auction and we may need to make it a zgw compound???,” the caption read.

The post garnered more than 5,000 likes and nearly 90 comments. While one cheeky viewer asked, “Is the exorcism included in the price?” many others suggested ideas for the premises, including a wedding venue, restaurant, bookstore, pickleball facility, gym, concert venue, etc.

• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group
• Photo Courtesy/ Melissa Cleary with Glasshouse Realty Group

Cleary echoed the multitude of possibilities for the building, but said in her opinion the next owner needed three things to be successful, “pocket, knowledge and vision.” She mentioned two significant things in the property's favor are its intact stained glass windows and sanctuary organ. She also gushed about its beautiful woodwork and craftsmanship. It also has numerous bathrooms, one with a bathtub, and a commercial-size kitchen.

The listing offers more details for prospective buyers.

“With soaring ceilings, vintage stained glass, wood finished and endless amounts of open space, this is a canvas for creativity,” it reads. “There is even a portion of it that has been used as a residence for some time, Zoned TRM-E, this allows for residency, work, events, and multiple other creative uses.

“THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING AMAZING WITH SOMETHING AMAZING! Rich in character and historic charm, it's just waiting for someone to bring it new life. Be Bold. Make this dream your reality.”

The bidding began at $1,000, an Aug. 20 bid placed on the auction site put the purchase price at $53,000.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The showdown between defending national champion Ohio State and top-ranked Texas is just days away. And the Buckeyes are making their final preparations.

Coach Ryan Day will address the media at noon about the game. You can watch Day's comments as they happen in the video player above.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday that the top-three showdown will be an "epic matchup" to start the college football season and is good for the sport.

"As much as I'm going to talk about how the rankings don't matter, which I believe that, but I do think for college football, the fanfare and the excitement around this game, it's great for our sport," Sarkisian said. "And the fact that we have three top-10 matchups this weekend is great for college football in general."

Although the Longhorns are looking for revenge after losing to the Buckeyes in a playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl, they also recognize that this is a new season. Sarkisian hopes his fourth at Texas pays dividends after going 5-7 in 2021.

"Naturally, it's a tall task. We've talked about this at length before the season, but we've got a tough road slate this year and this is the first one of a few to come," Sarkisian said. "It serves us good to have to go on the road early. Find out about ourselves, find out where we're at, where we're at as a program, where we can improve and where we can continue to get better because we're going to travel more than any SEC team this year in our conference."

Texas quarterback Arch Manning is set for the first road start of his career and his first visit to Ohio Stadium.

"I've heard a lot about it, heard it's pretty intense. Can't wait, they're a good team too," Manning said. "Really good players, they're well coached. They've got a bunch of guys that can play a lot of football. Caleb Downs, can't say enough good things about him, he's a great player. And we're going to have to bring our A-Game."

Ohio State will play Texas at noon on Saturday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) - An annual festival that celebrates the culture and ancestry of Greece is returning to Columbus for the Labor Day weekend.

The Columbus Greek Festival is kicking off its 52nd year on Friday, where visitors can flock to The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral at 555 N. High St. for a full weekend of activities. Stacey Stathulis, who is the public relations and marketing chair for the event, expects a busy weekend and a good turnout for the festival.

• The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral will be open for tours throughout the weekend. (Courtesy Photo/Columbus Greek Festival)
• Greek folk dancers will perform in traditional dress throughout the weekend. (Courtesy Photo/Columbus Greek Festival)
• Spanakopita, a blend of spinach and cheese wrapped in a buttered dough. (Courtesy Photo/Columbus Greek Festival)
• Baklava is a must-do treat for visitors at the festival this weekend. (Courtesy Photo/Columbus Greek Festival)

"A lot of the times, we catch people coming in for lunch or dinner one day and try as much of the food as they can and want to come back other days," Stathulis said. "Historically, Sunday has been our biggest day because people don't have to go to work Monday morning."

Each year, the festival promises a full menu of Greek specialties from Gyros, Lamb Chops and Spanakopita, to pastries including Baklava, Kataifi, Macaroons and more. Patrons can dance to live Greek folk music, watch traditional festival folk dancers and go on tours through the cathedral.

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Admission for the festival is $5 per day for adults or $10 for a weekend pass. Kids who are 12 years and younger are free. Hours for the event are Friday from 4 to 11 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday from noon to 11 p.m. and Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For additional details on the Columbus Greek Festival, you can visit the event's website.

The cybersecurity community on Reddit responded in disbelief this month when a self-described Air National Guard member with top secret security clearance began questioning the arrangement they’d made with company called DSLRoot, which was paying $250 a month to plug a pair of laptops into the Redditor’s high-speed Internet connection in the United States. This post examines the history and provenance of DSLRoot, one of the oldest “residential proxy” networks with origins in Russia and Eastern Europe.

The query about DSLRoot came from a Reddit user “Sacapoopie,” who did not respond to questions. This user has since deleted the original question from their post, although some of their replies to other Reddit cybersecurity enthusiasts remain in the thread. The original post was indexed here by archive.is, and it began with a question:

“I have been getting paid 250$ a month by a residential IP network provider named DSL root to host devices in my home,” Sacapoopie wrote. “They are on a separate network than what we use for personal use. They have dedicated DSL connections (one per host) to the ISP that provides the DSL coverage. My family used Starlink. Is this stupid for me to do? They just sit there and I get paid for it. The company pays the internet bill too.”

Many Redditors said they assumed Sacapoopie’s post was a joke, and that nobody with a cybersecurity background and top-secret (TS/SCI) clearance would agree to let some shady residential proxy company introduce hardware into their network. Other readers pointed to a slew of posts from Sacapoopie in the Cybersecurity subreddit over the past two years about their work on cybersecurity for the Air National Guard.

When pressed for more details by fellow Redditors, Sacapoopie described the equipment supplied by DSLRoot as “just two laptops hardwired into a modem, which then goes to a dsl port in the wall.”

“When I open the computer, it looks like [they] have some sort of custom application that runs and spawns several cmd prompts,” the Redditor explained. “All I can infer from what I see in them is they are making connections.”

When asked how they became acquainted with DSLRoot, Sacapoopie told another user they discovered the company and reached out after viewing an advertisement on a social media platform.

“This was probably 5-6 years ago,” Sacapoopie wrote. “Since then I just communicate with a technician from that company and I help trouble shoot connectivity issues when they arise.”

Reached for comment, DSLRoot said its brand has been unfairly maligned thanks to that Reddit discussion. The unsigned email said DSLRoot is fully transparent about its goals and operations, adding that it operates under full consent from its “regional agents,” the company’s term for U.S. residents like Sacapoopie.

“As although we support honest journalism, we’re against of all kinds of ‘low rank/misleading Yellow Journalism’ done for the sake of cheap hype,” DSLRoot wrote in reply. “It’s obvious to us that whoever is doing this, is either lacking a proper understanding of the subject or doing it intentionally to gain exposure by misleading those who lack proper understanding,” DSLRoot wrote in answer to questions about the company’s intentions.

“We monitor our clients and prohibit any illegal activity associated with our residential proxies,” DSLRoot continued. “We honestly didn’t know that the guy who made the Reddit post was a military guy. Be it an African-American granny trying to pay her rent or a white kid trying to get through college, as long as they can provide an Internet line or host phones for us — we’re good.”

WHAT IS DSLROOT?

DSLRoot is sold as a residential proxy service on the forum BlackHatWorld under the name DSLRoot and GlobalSolutions. The company is based in the Bahamas and was formed in 2012. The service is advertised to people who are not in the United States but who want to seem like they are. DSLRoot pays people in the United States to run the company’s hardware and software — including 5G mobile devices — and in return it rents those IP addresses as dedicated proxies to customers anywhere in the world — priced at $190 per month for unrestricted access to all locations.

The DSLRoot website.

The GlobalSolutions account on BlackHatWorld lists a Telegram account and a WhatsApp number in Mexico. DSLRoot’s profile on the marketing agency digitalpoint.com from 2010 shows their previous username on the forum was “Incorptoday.” GlobalSolutions user accounts at bitcointalk[.]org and roclub[.]com include the email clickdesk@instantvirtualcreditcards[.]com.

Passive DNS records from DomainTools.com show instantvirtualcreditcards[.]com shared a host back then — 208.85.1.164 — with just a handful of domains, including dslroot[.]com, regacard[.]com, 4groot[.]com, residential-ip[.]com, 4gemperor[.]com, ip-teleport[.]com, and proxyrental[.]net.

Cyber intelligence firm Intel 471 finds GlobalSolutions registered on BlackHatWorld in 2016 using the email address prepaidsolutions@yahoo.com. This user shared that their birthday is March 7, 1984.

Several negative reviews about DSLRoot on the forums noted that the service was operated by a BlackHatWorld user calling himself “USProxyKing.” Indeed, Intel 471 shows this user told fellow form members in 2013 to contact him at the Skype username “dslroot.”

USProxyKing on BlackHatWorld, soliciting installations of his adware via torrents and file-sharing sites.

USProxyKing had a reputation for spamming the forums with ads for his residential proxy service, and he ran a “pay-per-install” program where he paid affiliates a small commission each time one of their websites resulted in the installation of his unspecified “adware” programs — presumably a program that turned host PCs into proxies. On the other end of the business, USProxyKing sold that pay-per-install access to others wishing to distribute questionable software — at $1 per installation.

Private messages indexed by Intel 471 show USProxyKing also raised money from nearly 20 different BlackHatWorld members who were promised shareholder positions in a new business that would offer robocalling services capable of placing 2,000 calls per minute.

Constella Intelligence, a platform that tracks data exposed in breaches, finds that same IP address GlobalSolutions used to register at BlackHatWorld was also used to create accounts at a handful of sites, including a GlobalSolutions user account at WebHostingTalk that supplied the email address incorptoday@gmail.com. Also registered to incorptoday@gmail.com are the domains dslbay[.]com, dslhub[.]net, localsim[.]com, rdslpro[.]com, virtualcards[.]biz/cc, and virtualvisa[.]cc.

Recall that DSLRoot’s profile on digitalpoint.com was previously named Incorptoday. DomainTools says incorptoday@gmail.com is associated with almost two dozen domains going back to 2008, including incorptoday[.]com, a website that offers to incorporate businesses in several states, including Delaware, Florida and Nevada, for prices ranging from $450 to $550.

As we can see in this archived copy of the site from 2013, IncorpToday also offered a premiere service for $750 that would allow the customer’s new company to have a retail checking account, with no questions asked.

Global Solutions is able to provide access to the U.S. banking system by offering customers prepaid cards that can be loaded with a variety of virtual payment instruments that were popular in Russian-speaking countries at the time, including WebMoney. The cards are limited to $500 balances, but non-Westerners can use them to anonymously pay for goods and services at a variety of Western companies. Cardnow[.]ru, another domain registered to incorptoday@gmail.com, demonstrates this in action.

A copy of Incorptoday’s website from 2013 offers non-US residents a service to incorporate a business in Florida, Delaware or Nevada, along with a no-questions-asked checking account, for $750.

WHO IS ANDREI HOLAS?

The oldest domain (2008) registered to incorptoday@gmail.com is andrei[.]me; another is called andreigolos[.]com. DomainTools says these and other domains registered to that email address include the registrant name Andrei Holas, from Huntsville, Ala.

Public records indicate Andrei Holas has lived with his brother — Aliaksandr Holas — at two different addresses in Alabama. Those records state that Andrei Holas’ birthday is in March 1984, and that his brother is slightly younger. The younger brother did not respond to a request for comment.

Andrei Holas maintained an account on the Russian social network Vkontakte under the email address ryzhik777@gmail.com, an address that shows up in numerous records hacked and leaked from Russian government entities over the past few years.

Those records indicate Andrei Holas and his brother are from Belarus and have maintained an address in Moscow for some time (that address is roughly three blocks away from the main headquarters of the Russian FSB, the successor intelligence agency to the KGB). Hacked Russian banking records show Andrei Holas’ birthday is March 7, 1984 — the same birth date listed by GlobalSolutions on BlackHatWorld.

A 2010 post by ryzhik777@gmail.com at the Russian-language forum Ulitka explains that the poster was having trouble getting his B1/B2 visa to visit his brother in the United States, even though he’d previously been approved for two separate guest visas and a student visa. It remains unclear if one, both, or neither of the Holas brothers still lives in the United States. Andrei explained in 2010 that his brother was an American citizen.

LEGAL BOTNETS

We can all wag our fingers at military personnel who should undoubtedly know better than to install Internet hardware from strangers, but in truth there is an endless supply of U.S. residents who will resell their Internet connection if it means they can make a few bucks out of it. And these days, there are plenty of residential proxy providers who will make it worth your while.

Traditionally, residential proxy networks have been constructed using malicious software that quietly turns infected systems into traffic relays that are then sold in shadowy online forums. Most often, this malware gets bundled with popular cracked software and video files that are uploaded to file-sharing networks and that secretly turn the host device into a traffic relay. In fact, USPRoxyKing bragged that he routinely achieved thousands of installs per week via this method alone.

These days, there a number of residential proxy networks that entice users to monetize their unused bandwidth (inviting you to violate the terms of service of your ISP in the process); others, like DSLRoot, act as a communal VPN, and by using the service you gain access to the connections of other proxies (users) by default, but you also agree to share your connection with others.

Indeed, Intel 471’s archives show the GlobalSolutions and DSLRoot accounts routinely received private messages from forum users who were college students or young people trying to make ends meet. Those messages show that many of DSLRoot’s “regional agents” often sought commissions to refer friends interested in reselling their home Internet connections (DSLRoot would offer to cover the monthly cost of the agent’s home Internet connection).

But in an era when North Korean hackers are relentlessly posing as Western IT workers by paying people to host laptop farms in the United States, letting strangers run laptops, mobile devices or any other hardware on your network seems like an awfully risky move regardless of your station in life. As several Redditors pointed out in Sacapoopie’s thread, an Arizona woman was sentenced in July 2025 to 102 months in prison for hosting a laptop farm that helped North Korean hackers secure jobs at more than 300 U.S. companies, including Fortune 500 firms.

Lloyd Davies is the founder of Infrawatch, a London-based security startup that tracks residential proxy networks. Davies said he reverse engineered the software that powers DSLRoot’s proxy service, and found it phones home to the aforementioned domain proxyrental[.]net, which sells a service that promises to “get your ads live in multiple cities without getting banned, flagged or ghosted” (presumably a reference to CraigsList ads).

Davies said he found the DSLRoot installer had capabilities to remotely control residential networking equipment across multiple vendor brands.

Image: Infrawatch.app.

“The software employs vendor-specific exploits and hardcoded administrative credentials, suggesting DSLRoot pre-configures equipment before deployment,” Davies wrote in an analysis published today. He said the software performs WiFi network enumeration to identify nearby wireless networks, thereby “potentially expanding targeting capabilities beyond the primary internet connection.”

It’s unclear exactly when the USProxyKing was usurped from his throne, but DSLRoot and its proxy offerings are not what they used to be. Davies said the entire DSLRoot network now has fewer than 300 nodes nationwide, mostly systems on DSL providers like CenturyLink and Frontier.

On Aug. 17, GlobalSolutions posted to BlackHatWorld saying,”We’re restructuring our business model by downgrading to ‘DSL only’ lines (no mobile or cable).” Asked via email about the changes, DSLRoot blamed the decline in his customers on the proliferation of residential proxy services.

“These days it has become almost impossible to compete in this niche as everyone is selling residential proxies and many companies want you to install a piece of software on your phone or desktop so they can resell your residential IPs on a much larger scale,” DSLRoot explained. “So-called ‘legal botnets’ as we see them.”

WESTERVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) -- Wendell's Pub, a family-owned restaurant and bar that made history as one of the first to serve liquor in Westerville, permanently closed on Sunday after 24 years in business.

Located at 925 N. State St., Wendell's was home to classic pub fare including fish and chips, meatloaf, pork chop, sandwiches and wraps, salads, flatbread pizzas, tacos and burgers. In a social media post, owners of the Westerville restaurant cited a significant increase in rent as the reason for the closure.

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"This seems to be happening all around us lately and it's scary," the post said. "Many mom and pop type establishments are being forced to close and it's just not okay. This has been devastating to all of us, but no one as much as the family."

Wendell's opened in 2001, when Westerville began granting liquor licenses after decades of Prohibition-era dry laws. Founders Steve Wendell Hall, Kenny Deltedesco and Bob Moock secured one of the first licenses and set out to open a welcoming business, "a place where everyone knows your name," the announcement said.

"As most great things do, it started with a couple of guys, a couple of drinks, and an idea," Wendell's post said.

The pub remained family-run throughout its history. Rich Belding, hired early on as a manager, eventually became a partner and later the sole owner. He and his wife, Molli, worked alongside their children, each growing up at the restaurant and playing an important role on staff, the post said.

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"This is the magic of Wendell's Pub," the announcement said. "We've all watched this family grow up and they've watched us. Wendell's wasn't just another place to eat and drink. It was home away from home for staff and patrons alike. Laughter, tears, joy and sadness. Together we've shared in them all."

Over the years, the business endured multiple hardships, including the deaths of Deltedesco and Hall, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the passing of Belding's oldest daughter. Despite those challenges, the business remained open, until the recent rent increase made operations unsustainable.

While there are currently no plans to reopen Wendell's in a new location, the owners thanked patrons for their support and encouraged them to stay in touch, as "maybe the best is yet to come."

"For now it's not goodbye, it's see you later," the post said.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- In part due to Ohio's new anti-DEI higher education law, Senate Bill 1, Ohio State University dorm rooms have a much narrower theme this year.

In years past, resident advisers, or RAs, have decorated the residence hall floors they lead with creative themes, often featuring pop culture references and famous media. But spokesperson Dave Isaacs confirmed RAs were asked to stick to Ohio State spirit themes this year.

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"We are committed to providing an open and welcoming environment for all students, including in our residence halls, as we build community throughout our spaces and programming," Isaacs said. "To assist Resident Advisors in their welcoming programming and public area décor, we have advised them to focus on Ohio State spirit themes."

Isaacs said the goal was to create a welcoming environment, but Senate Bill 1 was "certainly a factor." Senate Bill 1 went into effect in late June, banning DEI programming and stopping public universities from endorsing "controversial policies."

"I think it's kind of silly, like some dorm themes are Mario Kart," Kimmara Yarbrough, a 2025 OSU alumna now getting her graduate degree at Ohio State, said. "You could regulate it better; you don't have to take a full thing away."

Christopher Cade, a sophomore, said one of his friends' dorms last year was recycling and climate change themed, but now that could be seen as taboo. He said his dorm last year was Bratz themed, something he said his floormates loved talking about.

"I think it sort of sucks," Cade said. "I think dorm decorations were a way to not only inspire students to explore their creativity, but it was also a unique way (for) RAs who put them up to express themselves to the students."

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Isaacs said the concept is also being implemented in residence hall activities. He said Ohio State has planned activities for students in dorms to make buckeye necklaces and decorate mugs. Each dorm will also have a photo booth set up for move-in with Buckeyes cutout signs and a scarlet background.

"I love OSU, I love Ohio State so much but I don't want to see football everywhere," Cade said.

The move comes as Ohio State also banned sidewalk chalk on campus, something Cade and Yarbrough felt was a further limitation of student expression. OSU cited "continued complaints" as the reason for updating the university signage standards to no longer permit chalking. See previous coverage in the video player above.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Kim Kardashian’s shapewear and clothing line will soon open at Easton Town Center, joining just a handful of the brand’s physical storefronts. 

Skims will open on The Strand, next to Peter Millar and across from Golden Goose, this fall, signage posted at the location indicates. The storefront most recently housed Louis Vuitton, which moved within the shopping center last year. 

In addition to its shapewear that comes in a variety of shades for different skin tones, Skims is best known for its loungewear and solid-colored staples. The company also sells pajamas, underwear, swimsuits and accessories. 

The new store will mark Skims’ first standalone brick-and-mortar in Ohio, and its 12th in the United States, according to its website. However, the brand has partnerships with some retailers including Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue, where its items are sold at select locations. 

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The Nordstrom at Easton launched a Skims section in December, which it will continue to stock even after the standalone spot opens, according to a store manager.

Kardashian founded the company alongside Swedish entrepreneur Jens Grede in 2019, originally as an online-only store catering to women. The company launched a menswear line in 2023, and opened its first freestanding store in Washington, D.C. last June.

NBC4 reached out to Easton for an opening date and further details, to which a spokesperson said the shopping center “doesn’t have any information to share at this time.”

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- President Donald Trump is reigniting controversy over election procedures with a recent announcement that he plans to eliminate mail-in ballots -- a voting tool that was used by more than 1 million Ohioans last November.

In an August social media post, Trump said he is pushing to end both mail-in ballots and the use of voting machines, citing unsubstantiated concerns about election integrity. While eliminating mail-in voting, a method that almost one third of Americans used in 2024, would require approval from Congress, the president argues it's "corrupt."

"We as a Republican Party are going to do everything possible that we get rid of mail-in ballots," Trump said while taking reporter questions on Aug. 18. "We're going to start with an executive order that's being written right now by the best lawyers in the country to end mail-in ballots because they're corrupt."

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Trump supported his argument by claiming the U.S. is the "only country" that uses mail-in voting, a statement that has been widely refuted. According to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, at least 34 countries -- including Australia, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom -- offer some form of voting by mail.

How many Ohioans vote by mail?

Ohioans have historically embraced early voting options, including both in-person and mail-in. According to data from Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, the November 2024 general election saw 1.1 million voters cast their ballots by mail. Among those, about 518,000 we're returned by voters aged 65 and older and another 205,000 came from voters aged 55 to 64.

Meanwhile, early in-person voting surged to a new state record in 2024, as 1.54 million voters cast ballots early in person at their county board of elections. Total early votes, including mail-in ballots, reached 2.53 million, the secretary of state's data shows.

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Those statistics demonstrate "the high level of confidence Ohioans have in the convenient and flexible voting options offered leading up to election day," said LaRose in a release announcing the certification of Ohio's 2024 results.

"Many states look to Ohio to see how it's done," LaRose said. "We delivered on our promise to report 100 percent of the unofficial results on election night, while others took days or weeks to do that. We're truly the gold standard of election administration."

Who would be affected?

Trump's proposed changes could significantly impact several groups in Ohio, including seniors and older adults. Voters 65 and older accounted for nearly half of all mail-in ballots in 2024, making them particularly vulnerable to disruptions in access. Disabled, rural and military voters also often rely on absentee voting due to accessibility or geographic limitations.

Election officials and resources would be heavily impacted, as eliminating mail-in ballots could strain early in-person voting infrastructure. Ohio already saw record-breaking in-person early voting in 2024, and absorbing an additional million voters into that system could increase costs and wait times.

A politically risky move?

Despite Trump's criticism of mail-in voting, data from the 2024 election suggests the issue may not cut cleanly along party lines. More Republicans than Democrats in Ohio cast absentee ballots by mail last November, the secretary of state's data shows. Eliminating that option could risk disenfranchising voters in Trump's own base, particularly older and rural voters who tend to favor mail voting for its convenience and accessibility.

The timing of Trump's proposal also overlaps with a critical moment in Ohio, as the state is preparing for a new round of redistricting ahead of the 2026 elections.

Ohio is unique in being the only state required to redraw its congressional map in 2025, a legal consequence of the 2022 map's adoption without bipartisan support under redistricting reform laws. Such maps last only four years; the new map will govern congressional elections through 2030 and likely shape the battleground for control of the U.S. House. 

Under Ohio's constitutional redistricting process, the legislature has until roughly Sept. 30 to pass a congressional map with a three‑fifths majority, including support from both parties. If that fails, the Ohio Redistricting Commission steps in with only a month to agree. If that also fails, the legislature makes a simple‑majority map, but it then lasts only four years.

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Restricting mail-in voting during a redistricting cycle could amplify its impact, particularly if newly drawn districts are more competitive. LaRose said in another release that the November 2024 election in Ohio saw several extremely close races, resulting in either a tie or a winner decided by three votes or fewer. In total, 23 local races triggered automatic recounts.

"Never let anyone tell you a single vote doesn't matter, which is why we continue to make sure it is both easy to vote and hard to cheat in the Buckeye State," said LaRose. "By doing our part to protect the vote, we are also protecting your voice to ensure the outcome accurately reflects the will of the community."

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Franklin County has paused $4 million of anticipated funding for the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

GCAC helps fund programs around the community and some are now in danger of being cut. The future of two youth art programs in Columbus is at risk and program leaders have already started to scale back.

“It’s not just about creating art,”  Central Community House Executive Director Tamar Forrest said. “It's about that process of developing social-emotional learning and soft skills to be successful in the world.”

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Central Community House, a neighborhood center on the Far East side, runs a program called Transit Arts for people ages 12 to 21. Participants try multiple art forms through workshops, performances, and exhibits.

“It really is about supporting youth during a period of time in their lives that can be challenging,” Forrest said.

The other program at risk, called Art in the House, is for elementary school kids. It’s in four settlement houses across Columbus, including Central Community House.

“We see when kids want to come to our after-school programs, they’re going to go to school, too, and we see that when they enjoy what they're doing, their attendance improves at school, and they look forward to being here,” Forrest said.

Between Transit Arts and Art in the House, kids of all ages are eligible.

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Teacher-artist Duarte Brown works with both programs and said they teach much more than art.

“Just how to reason, you know, how to navigate and survive,” Brown said. “You use maybe some art supplies to get those points across, but realistically, it's the relationship that happens.”

With funding cuts to GCAC, the plan is to scale back the number of teachers in the classroom and reduce the number of days the programs are offered.

“We are trying to hold on to pieces of it, but when you only hold on to pieces of it, you lose that model that's successful, and we're really worried about the impact on youth when you do that,” Forrest said.

“We hope a miracle comes through,” Brown said. “We always just hope.”

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GCAC’s funding is currently on pause, but the council’s Chief Creative Officer, Jami Goldstein, said there is a chance to get some of the money back.

“We’re going to go back to the county in the fall and hopefully be able to secure some of these funds,” Goldstein said. “You know, we're not sure what 2026 is going to bring. We're going to be budgeting very conservatively.”

Central Community House is trying to pull together some funding to keep the programs going. Forrest remains optimistic that Franklin County officials will want to help.

REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio (WCMH) -- A 58-year-old man was arrested in Reynoldsburg after a child living in his home told police she had been "sold" to the suspect "to have sex."

According to court records, Daniel L. Sisk is facing one charge of third-degree felony gross sexual imposition; Sisk was arrested on Aug. 22.

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Police were alerted to the case by an anonymous tip that reported a 7-year-old girl had been brought to Reynoldsburg from North Carolina and was being sexually abused by a man who "had possession of her -- but not any legal rights," court records state.

Detectives were able to make contact with the child, who told investigators that she had been "sold" and that her mother gave her to "Dan, my dad, to have sex," according to court records. The child told police about the sexual acts Sisk allegedly did daily for more than a month.

When investigators spoke with the child's legal guardian, the woman told police that the girl's mother -- who was her daughter -- visited with the girl on July 12 but had not returned with the child; court records state that on July 13, Sisk allegedly left with the girl.

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Sisk allegedly admitted to police that the child did sleep in the bed with him, but stopped when he "thought better of it." He also allegedly admitted that, despite the child being 7 years old, he bathed her.

Sisk remains in police custody after being given a $2 million bond, with additional charges possible, according to court records. He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 4.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Faith leaders from across Ohio gathered at the Statehouse on Monday to call for Gov. Mike DeWine to release a man being held in Butler County after he was arrested by ICE agents in July.

Imam Ayman Soliman, of Cincinnati, was granted asylum in 2018 and was serving as chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital when he was detained during an immigration check-in.

"He does no belong with criminals," said Khalid Turaani with CAIR Ohio. "And most importantly, he does not belong in solitary confinement. Why would you put someone like Imam Ayman Soliman in solitary confinement unless it is punitive? And it is punitive. We're very concerned about it."

Soliman has been in the Butler County Jail since his arrest, and a temporary restraining order is keeping him in Ohio.

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said he would not comply if DeWine order's Soliman's release.

"I am elected Sheriff by the people of Butler County, chosen to serve six terms," he said in a statement. "It is my sworn duty to protect this community and to uphold the law -- including federal immigration law. I do not pick and choose which laws to enforce, I do not fear the Governor, I would fear compromising the safety of the citizens I serve."

Soliman's next hearing in front of a judge is set for Tuesday, according to WLWT in Cincinnati.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – For those making plans to head to Ohio Stadium this weekend for what some are calling the matchup of the season, Ohio State University Police are reminding fans of some traffic pattern changes for Saturday.

Due to construction, Woody Hayes Drive in front of the stadium will be closed to traffic about four hours before kickoff. Police said the Woody Hayes Bridge will be open for pedestrians.

Also new this year, police said, the West Campus shuttle will now drop off fans at the campus transit lot south of the stadium, off John Herrick Drive.

“Big game, as we all know, so when we say, ‘Hey, arrive early,’ this one, you really should arrive early,” Ohio State University Police Division Chief Dennis Jeffrey said. “I just think it can be a lot of folks there. We'll have College Game Day and Fox, you know, both broadcasting pre-game. So just a lot of folks on campus and a lot going on.”

Are you ready to once again immerse yourself in a medieval world of knights and queens, of exciting shows, beautiful costumes, and more fun than you know how to handle! The Ohio Renaissance Fair is back, and we have five family four packs of tickets to give away! This is one of the most lively festivals you'll ever attend! it runs every Saturday and Sunday through October 26th. They have nine themed weekends. From pirates and time travelers to romance and even the feast of fools! There are 169 daily performances like sword fighting and jousting, 24 stages, 112 shops, and of course plenty of food and drink!

To enter to win tickets, go to NBC4i.com and click on the contest tab. The tickets are valid for any weekend you choose. Please note, the renaissance festival is located in Waynesville Ohio, which is about an hour from Columbus.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A west side motel is shut down after Franklin County deputies cleared the property Monday.

The New Rome Motel on West Broad Street was shut down by the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office at noon.

The newly formed Nuisance Abatement Department at the prosecutor’s office is tasked with finding properties deemed a nuisance because of crime, disrepair, or both, and then shutting them down for the safety of the community.

The closure is an agreement between the county and the owners of the property after dozens of calls for service ended in arrests and even deaths.

"Over 80 runs in the past, you know, year and a half, 20 of which resulted in narcotics issues, six overdoses here that resulted in deaths, and so we filed a case last month to hold this business accountable, but also work with them to try and bring it into, you know, a safer place for this community,” Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office Deputy Director of Nuisance Abatement Sarah Pomeroy said.

Pomeroy said there were no people staying at the motel when they cleared it. The plan moving forward is to work with the owners to clean up the motel and change the operation so it can re-open as a productive piece of the community.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- For the first time ever, the top-ranked team is coming in as the underdog.

ESPN bet lines have the third-ranked Buckeyes as 2.5-point favorites over Texas ahead of Saturday's matchup.

Ohio State President Ted Carter spoke about that before Monday's convocation.

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"Now we know it's only 2.5 points, but it's going to be a great game," Carter said. "The weather looks even better. I anticipate it's just going to be a crazy atmosphere. Should be a great game."

The Buckeyes kick off the season at Noon on Saturday as they host Texas at Ohio Stadium in what is expected to be one of the most expensive Ohio State home openers ever, with the cheapest tickets costing more than $300.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) - Ohio State University football has long been the biggest show in town, drawing upwards of 100,000 fans to nearly every home game.

The price to get into Ohio Stadium has steadily risen, and there's no sign of slowing down.

Ticket prices for Saturday's season home opener against the University of Texas Longhorns is no exception. In fact, it may be the single most expensive home opener in the history of Ohio State football.

"When we seen 3-something a ticket, we were like, ‘Man, that's a lot of money just to spend to go to a ball game,’ Buckeyes fan Jamey Rose said. “We actually decided to opt out of going to the game and plan a little mini vacation, going down to Pigeon Forge for about the same price, and able to take the whole family versus just two of us going to a game.”

The last home opener with this kind of fanfare was against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sept. 3, 2022. That game featured a pair of ranked teams, but not  No. 1 vs. No. 3 like Saturday's game. The lowest price you could find for that game three years ago was around $300. The cheapest ticket for Saturday's home opener will run you almost $400, including fees, on sites like Ticketmaster, StubHub, and SeatGeek.

For fans like Mike Penix, who grew up in Ohio and now lives in South Carolina, even calling friends and family to see if anyone has tickets for sale has been fruitless.

"It's been really tough,” he said. “So, outside of Ticketmaster, all the tickets are really high. Like, especially for this game, Penn State. They're upward of, you know, 5, 6, $700, and that's just, that's in the C-deck.”

Countless Facebook groups tout buying, selling, and trading Buckeyes tickets, but many people have been scammed buying tickets from people they don't know, with no recourse or assurance like using a third-party service.

"I'd rather pay a little extra and have the added security of going through somewhere like Ticketmaster," Rose said.

For Rose, he wanted to celebrate his wife's birthday at the Ohio State game. He thought it would be the perfect place.

"The nostalgia of the Horseshoe, all the history with our several national championships, and just the whole campus area, I mean, it's like just buzzing with the excitement as soon as you get there,” he said. “It's electric.”

Instead, it’s off to Tennessee for a family vacation.

Penix in South Carolina is still holding out hope he can make it to Columbus for the game. For people traveling from out of town, there are even more expenses to navigate. 

AirBnB rental units are mostly booked, and most of those available are shared rooms or will cost you almost $1,000 for two nights. Hotels around the city are also well booked; visitors have to look for a room outside the city to find anything under $400 a night.

"If you were to stay around Columbus or anything, I mean, you're looking at, you know, $2,500 for this game alone," Penix said.

He isn't surprised by the costly price tag.

"It's a huge game, there’s never been anything like this, so this is a one of a kind," Penix said.

Others said they were hoping to see if ticket prices dropped over the coming days.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Franklin Heights High School Golden Falcons and the West High School Cowboys finished the last eight minutes of their season-opening football game on Monday after a shots-fired call prompted law enforcement to evacuate the stadium on Friday night.

Law enforcement officers said no one was injured in the incident, which happened in a neighborhood south of the stadium.

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Yvonne Shepard, whose son is a junior and plays football for Franklin Heights, said he spent the summer looking forward to Friday's opening game against the West Cowboys.

“The boys were pumped, they were ready,” Shepherd said.

Shepherd said she was in the stands on Friday.

“They're in the middle of a play and next thing you know, mind you, my son is on the field, so we just hear a pop, pop, pop, pop,” she said. “It was like 15 shots and then next thing you know, like, we're in the stands and we're looking and then the boys just drop to the ground.”

The incident happened at approximately 10 p.m. Toya Moore lives behind the stadium and said she heard the shots loud and clear.

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“I do know they do not have a name on the bullets, so I made sure I stayed low and I didn't go to any windows,” Moore said. “The first game, you're going to hear gunshots. I mean, really, come on, people, put the guns down.”

The stadium was evacuated out of caution while law enforcement investigated. 

“All the parents were looking for their kids, trying to make sure they're okay,” Shepherd said.

Authorities said they didn’t find anything. 

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In a letter to parents, Franklin Heights Principal Tim Donahue wrote:

“The FHHS administration and South Western City Schools would like to commend our staff, coaches, and event personnel for their leadership and steady presence in guiding students, families, and fans through the evacuation process. Your professionalism and attentiveness played a critical role in ensuring safety and order during a difficult situation.

“We also appreciate the support of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office for their oversight and swift action to secure the area and mitigate potential risks.

“While such circumstances are never anticipated, tonight reflects the strength of our Franklin Heights High School team and the importance of preparedness in putting student and community safety first.”

Both Shepherd and Moore said they were glad no one was hurt.

"When I was growing up, we didn't have to deal with stuff like this, like we were able to enjoy our sports, go out and have fun,” Shepherd said.

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They both said people need to behave because children should not have to go through this.

“I've lived in this neighborhood for over 20 years, so the games are right here, you know?” Moore said. “Let's just have a quiet school year. No incidents. That's my prayer.”

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation. No arrests have been made as of Monday.