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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Record jackpots in both the Mega Millions and Powerball lotteries have close to $2 billion up for grabs this week.

Tuesday's Mega Millions drawing is worth a jackpot estimated at $1.13 billion.

Former basketball coach charged with having sex with minor

Tuesday's winning Mega Millions numbers are 07, 11, 22, 29, and 38; the Mega Ball is 04 and the Megaplier is 2X.

All jackpot winners in both lotteries have the option of receiving a lesser, one-time payment or receiving the full jackpot through annual payments over the next 30 years. Tuesday's Mega Millions jackpot is worth a one-time payment of $537.5 million.

Tuesday's jackpot is the sixth time the Mega Millions top prize has surpassed $1 billion, and the third time in the last two years.

The top 10 Mega Millions jackpots are:

1. $1.602 billion -- Aug. 8, 2023
2. $1.537 billion -- Oct. 23, 2018
3. $1.348 billion -- Jan. 13, 2023
4. $1.337 billion -- July 29, 2022
5. $1.100 billion (estimated) -- March 26, 2024
6. $1.050 billion -- Jan. 22, 2021
7. $656 million -- March 30, 2012
8. $648 million -- Dec. 17, 2013
9. $543 million -- July 24, 2018
10. $536 million -- July 8, 2016

Odds of winning the jackpot by matching five numbers from 1 to 70 and a gold Mega Ball from 1 to 25 is 1 in 302,575,350; the odds of winning any prize is 1 in 37. The odds don't change as they are not based on the number of tickets sold, but on the chances of picking the right combination of numbers.

Powerball climbs after no winner Monday

No one matched the five numbers and the Powerball in Monday's latest drawing, pushing Wednesday's Powerball drawing to an estimated $865 million jackpot.

Monday's winning Powerball numbers are 07, 11, 19, 53, and 68; the Powerball is 23 and the Power Play multiplier is 2X.

Buy a sub, fight Alzheimer’s at Jersey Mike’s

Wednesday's estimated jackpot puts it fifth on the game's all-time jackpots. The one-time payout is worth an estimated $416.1 million.

The top 10 Powerball jackpots in the game's history are:

1. $2.04 billion – Nov. 7, 2022
2. $1.765 billion – Oct. 11, 2023
3. $1.586 billion – Jan. 13, 2016
4. $1.08 billion – July 19, 2023
5. $865 million (estimated) -- March 27, 2024
6. $842.4 million – Jan. 1, 2024
7. $768.4 million – March 27, 2019
8. $758.7 million – Aug. 23, 2017
9. $754.6 million – Feb. 6, 2023
10. $731.1 million – Jan. 20, 2021

Players must match five balls numbered 1 to 69 plus a Powerball numbered between 1 through 26 in order to win the jackpot.

The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, and those odds never change because they are not calculated based on the number of tickets sold, but rather the odds of picking the five white ball numbers as well as the Powerball. The odds of winning any prize in the drawing is 1 in 24.9.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Columbus community members came together to raise concerns about property taxes in the city.

On Tuesday, members of the community made their voices heard at a forum hosted by a group of non-profits, the Livingston Partnership. The group includes APDS, Gertrude Wood Community Foundation, Rickenbacker Woods Foundation and Livingston Area Merchants Association. 

Buy a sub, fight Alzheimer’s at Jersey Mike’s

"It's really important because we have a lot of residents that really don't understand the process," Gertrude Wood Community Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Jordan said. "Don't understand the process for tax levies, don't understand where the money goes and they are really concerned about their property taxes going up."

Many shared their frustrations and anger. Some said they feel they are being pushed out of their homes as they see the impact of recently passed levies and property tax hikes.

Members from the county auditor’s office, Columbus City Schools and Columbus Metropolitan Library addressed the crowd and answered questions. Some Columbus residents shared that their property taxes more than doubled.

"People have lost their houses because they can't afford to pay their property taxes," Columbus resident June Upchurch said.

Some people came as a voice for the community, hoping to bring the answers to questions back to others. 

"When they got the tax bill, they start screaming like, how am I going to do this, I can't afford this. I've got a fixed income," Family Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Frederick LaMarr said. 

The Franklin County Treasurer emphasized the resources available and how people need to reach out if they are struggling.

"We are 100% serious about finding what is necessary to help you stay in your home," Franklin County Treasurer Cheryl Brooks said. 

Columbus Metropolitan Library representatives spoke about how the money will help libraries serve the growing population. 

Columbus City Schools spoke about what the money in its levy will be used for as well as efforts to increase transparency.

"Transformation is not free and it's not okay that we continue to just piece together public education because it is public education. At the end of the day it's our job to advocate for our students," Columbus Board of Education President Christina Vera said. 

Vera added that in the next year, there will be itemized budgets for each school building posted on its websites to increase transparency. 

Ohio community reacts to collapse of Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore

Many plan to continue asking questions to make sure they know where the money is going.

"I just don't understand why the taxes have gone up triple for everyone over here. It's not fair and I'm upset," Columbus resident Paula Palmer said. 

For those hoping to bring their home value down, the deadline for the board of revisions is April 1. More information can be found here. 

Resources for support can be found here. 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The lines could get long Wednesday at central Ohio Jersey Mike’s sub shops, and the Alzheimer’s Association is celebrating that.

It marks the restaurant chain’s annual Day of Giving, a national effort to raise money for worthy causes.

The 31 Jersey Mike’s in central Ohio have pledged this year to give all proceeds to the local Alzheimer’s Association.

Any money spent for anything at one of the restaurants will go directly to the Central Ohio Alzheimer’s Association, which could amount to the association’s biggest single donation ever.

The effort is being spearheaded by a local Jersey Mike’s franchisee who has a personal connection to Alzheimer’s.

Tyler Washington was a teenager, and his mother in her 40s, when she started showing signs of Alzheimer’s.

“I’m involved because of my mom,” he said. “My mom was our world. She was everything to us.

“At that age, you’re going through college, you’re going through trying to be an adult, and so to layer on the fact that you don’t know what’s going on in your family or you’re worried about, you know, how your mom is doing was a trying time and hours for our entire family.”

Now a father himself and the owner of three Jersey Mike’s franchises, Washington is turning his anxiety into action. He helped convince the other central Ohio franchisees to this year earmark the proceeds from the Day of Giving for the Alzheimer’s Association, and not just the profits.

“Oh no, it’s sales, doesn’t matter – chip, cookie, sub catering, you name it – whatever you order is going to be donated to them,” franchisee and area developer Steve Minnich said.

Washington, his three siblings, and his father already support the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

“Yeah, it’s a family affair,” he said. “We grew up as a tight-knit family. We grew up in a small family business, so everything we do is very together, and we fight together, and we’re doing that for our mom together.”

It’s possible business will more than double for the Day of Giving.  Washington said the Jersey Mike’s teams will be ready and they hope you show up hungry.

“It's one day, but boy, it's going to mean a lot, and we think from a, from a monetary standpoint, this is going to be an awesome event,” he said. “We hope to raise a ton of money. We also help to educate, to outreach, to advocate and to get people to understand what the Alzheimer's Association of Central Ohio does, and what they can do for everybody around. So, monetarily, we're excited for a huge contribution. We're also excited to, you know, get people to understand our cause and what we can maybe help them with.”

While Wednesday’s sales will be going to the association, the month of March is a charitable effort at Jersey Mike’s. Any day this month, you can round up the price of your order or make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Nationwide, the company will help more than 200 separate charities on Wednesday.

To find your nearest Jersey Mike’s location, click here.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The number of U.S. measles cases in the first three months of 2024 has already equaled all of the cases for 2023.

This is sparking a health alert from local, state, and federal health agencies.

Another developer proposes demolishing Ohio State dive bar for high-rise apartments

Health officials in the Dayton area are warning of exposure to the disease for those who visited Round One Bowling at the Mall at Fairfield Common on March 16.

While the warning is coming from Greene County, local health officials said it should serve as a warning for all to get vaccinated against the virus.

Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts said the uptick is, in part, due to international travel, but mainly due to a lack of vaccinations.

She said measles symptoms start with a cough, runny nose, and fever before progressing into a rash of tiny red spots. Roberts advises that everyone have an updated MMR vaccine to prevent the disease.

Suspects played basketball with New Albany man, then robbed him, police say

“I think from my perspective, from this alert that the CDC issued, is really to remind health care providers as well as parents eligible for the MMR vaccine that we are seeing an alarming number of measles cases compared to last year and the year prior,” she said.

Roberts said that most of the cases, like an outbreak in the region in 2022, were unvaccinated and children. She said many were eligible for the vaccine, meaning they were one year old and could have received at least one shot.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A man wanted in connection with a May 2018 fatal shooting in Columbus was arrested Tuesday by police and the U.S. Marshal’s Office.

Wayne E. Romaine II, 31, of Washington Court House, was arrested Tuesday at a home on the 1700 block of Little Avenue in Columbus.

Romaine was indicted by a grand jury on March 22 on two charges of murder with a firearm specification and one count each of discharge of a firearm on or near prohibited premises, having weapons while under disability, and tampering with evidence.

Romaine is the suspect in a fatal shooting that happened on May 19, 2018. Details of that shooting were not released by the U.S. Marshal’s Office.

Romaine was in custody at the Franklin County Jail as of Tuesday evening.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Eating for a good cause – that's what people are doing Tuesday at Texas Roadhouse restaurants across the state.

20 locations are holding a fundraiser for the people impacted by the tornadoes that devastated the Indian Lake Community this month.

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Employees said they’ve had a wait since they opened. 100% of the profits made here and the other locations will go to the tornado relief fund.

The storms happened on March 14. Three people died and many more are left without a home or business.

Employees said their phones have been ringing all day with people interested. Dine-in and take-out orders are included.

“Some people think, you know, I only have maybe 30, 40 dollars and donating that to the fund might not be the greatest impact. But if you're just able to come in and eat, you have to do it no extra like work. We do everything else for you. We take all those percentages and donate it right back to them,” said Shelby Jones, the store marketer at Texas Roadhouse on Hilliard Rome Road. “So just making it easy and making everybody feel like the community feel like they get to contribute and you know, helping the community as a whole.”

Jones said visitors should check the mobile app before coming, to see wait times and add their name to the list. The fundraiser is going on until 10 p.m. Tuesday night.

Oracle has released GraalVM for JDK 22, an update to the Java runtime with ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation that brings support for Java 22 features.

Released on the same day as Java 22, which was published March 19, GraalVM for JDK 22 can be downloaded from the project website. Most features of JDK 22 are available for Graal JIT compilation and Native Image AOT compilation. Java 22 features supported in both Graal JIT and Native Image include string templates, the class-file API, unnamed variables and patterns, structured concurrency, and scoped values.

To read this article in full, please click here

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A former high school girls’ basketball coach at a school in Westerville has been charged with allegedly having sex with a player on his team.

According to online court records, Jason P. Dawson, 35, is charged with two counts of sexual battery of a minor and one count of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, all felonies.

Man charged with stealing $35K from Columbus VFW

According to court records, Dawson was a teacher and coach at Worthington Christian School in Westerville when he met the victim during her sophomore year. The victim told police that her relationship with Dawson turned sexual in January 2021 when she was 16 years old and ended in September 2023. The victim said she and Dawson engaged in sexual activity approximately 100 times, court records state.

The victim told police that Dawson recorded the two having intercourse multiple times, and would then send the videos to her. According to court records, police found three of those videos on the victim’s cell phone.

Dawson was the girls’ basketball coach at Worthington Christian School for three seasons until 2023, when he left for a job in North Carolina.

Arizona woman arrested in Madison County after $1.75 million of cocaine found during traffic stop

Dawson was arrested by Cornelius, North Carolina, police on Monday. He is currently being held in Mecklenburg County Jail where he is awaiting extradition back to Franklin County.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- As search and rescue efforts continue following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the Baltimore community is top of mind for some in central Ohio.

“It was kind of utterly shocking, I’ve been over that bridge a bazillion times," Matthew Raskin said.

West Virginia couple stopped in southern Ohio with 2 pounds of meth, sheriff says

Raskin is a senior at The Ohio State University (OSU) and is from just north of the city of Baltimore. He said his parents and friends both used the bridge often and that his heart goes out to the families of those who crews are still looking for.

"I can't imagine what they’re going through, especially since boats go in and out of that every day, that one happened to drift off course and hit while they were on it is just absolutely terrible," Raskin said. "Going over that bridge you get marvelous views of the city, it’s one of the best ways to look at the city and to see that gone it's really a tragedy." 

Nathan Dunmoyer, a commander of the Columbus Division of Fire's Dive and Rescue Team (DART), first heard about what happened early Tuesday morning.

“I start wondering about when I hear they’re putting divers in the water, I'm wondering like what they’re running into, the hazards of everything, like what different obstacles they’re going to be facing," Dunmover said.

He said while Columbus has nothing like the port, it's still a situation the division can learn from.

Another developer proposes demolishing Ohio State dive bar for high-rise apartments

While rescue crews will be studying this, so will engineers. Eric Steinberg, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education at Ohio University's Russ College of Engineering and Technology, said the situation will be a topic of discussions in structural design courses. He also said the situation will be studied for years and could cause changes to future design codes.

"It's very very very rare. As designers we always try to think about everything that can possibly happen. But things change over time," Steinberg said. "It's unfortunate, our infrastructure is of course getting up in age and it's hard to keep up with the demands from traffic and just age, so we struggle with that on a regular basis as engineers."

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – In January, Better Call 4 told you about a Pataskala couple who claimed someone hacked into their bank account and withdrew large sums of money. But when Eric and Brenda Nickolas turned to their bank for help, they were blamed for it instead.

“Refund what was stolen from our account and we’ll call it a day,” Eric Nickolas said. “I don’t want to profit from this, and we certainly didn’t, as they allege.”

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It was just days after July 4, 2023, while in Florida, that Nickolas noticed some unusual activity in his Chase Bank account.

“I was perusing my bank account online, on the phone, and I noticed that approximately $24,000 was missing,” he said. The money was withdrawn through four separate transactions. “$4,300, $7,900, $6,900, and $4,200, and I asked my wife, ‘Have you moved money out of our home equity line of credit,'” Nickolas said.

His wife Brenda said she didn’t.

“We didn’t move any money around,” Nickolas said. “In fact, we’ve been doing nothing but attacking the balance and paying it down for the last seven, eight months.”

Man swindled by social media ad showing fake ‘Shark Tank’ endorsement

Suspecting they had been hacked, the Nickolases immediately went to the nearest Chase branch in Bradenton, Florida, then another branch two days later, and even began working with the local sheriff’s department.

“They’re very sympathetic when you’re talking to them, but, pretty much the bottom line is they said once money is wired out, they can’t do anything about it,” Nickolas said.

But the Nickolases said they continued to reach out to the bank, day after day, week after week.

“Hour-wise, at least 24 hours of sitting in offices with them, being on the phone, being on hold, being told nothing’s happening and we’re going to deny your claim,” he said.

And that was the final word from Chase. The Nickolases’ fraud claim was denied twice because, according to Chase’s investigation, the transactions were approved from Brenda’s personal device.

“We’ve gotten nothing but, ’Well it was through some fault of hers because her phone was hacked’ and we just don’t know how,” Nicolas said. “We’ll both take a polygraph exam if that’s what it takes to say, ‘We didn’t do this.’”

Man scammed out of $6,000 on Facebook

A Chase representative told Better Call 4 exactly what the Nickolases were told. So, Better Call 4 took it a step further, reaching out to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), who directed us to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which, in a statement, said:

“We encourage any consumers who may have a concern about or complaint against one of the institutions we regulate to contact the Customer Assistance Group…”

“The OCC expects the banks it regulates to ensure that any issues that may result in consumer harm are remediated and resolved in a timely manner.”

FDIC statement

“I hope they come through, but I’m not holding my breath,” Nicolas said.

Thankfully, a few months later, it appears they did come through. Nickolas sent a message to Better Call 4 in early March, which said, in part:

"Thanks to you for providing the information about the FDIC and the Office of the Comptroller, which we contacted and completed the application process to investigate the Chase matter. As a result of the FDIC prompting and inquiry to Chase, we have received restitution from them."

Need help? Contact ‘Better Call 4’

Better Call 4 followed up with Nickolas, who confirmed that he and Brenda are no longer on the hook for the nearly $24,000, but are still being held responsible for the interest – which is about $750.

Better Call 4 also reached out to Chase, but did not hear back.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A power struggle in the State Teachers Retirement System had a full audience in Ohio's Tenth District Court of Appeals Tuesday, as retired educators lined the room while an ousted board member fought for his chair back.

The battle over Wade Steen's seat on the State Teachers Retirement System board could have an added side-effect of defining Gov. Mike DeWine's constitutional authority. After the governor appointed Steen to the board, he removed him from the position in May 2023. With no clear answer on why he was ousted, Steen quickly sued in the district court for usurpation of office.

The district court's magistrate judge already issued an opinion that Steen should be reinstated to the board, and said DeWine lacked the authority to make such a move. However, the governor's office was quick to note that the magistrate's recommendation was not a final decision in the case, and needed approval from the district court's panel of judges.

During the Tuesday battle in court, Steen focused on the teachers affected by the board's decisions.

"They do the hard work. They sacrifice for our kids and this has never been about me," Steen told NBC4. "It's been about their pension fund. And I was removed without reason, without cause, and so we are just trying to correct that error."

Another developer proposes demolishing Ohio State dive bar for high-rise apartments

Retired teachers have previously accused DeWine of trying to protect the investment staff on the board with Steen's removal. As the group has denied cost of living increases in the retirees' pensions for years, the managers of the $90 billion fund received $10 million in performance bonuses. In the same year, the team reported investment losses of over $5 billion.

Steen's attorney, Norman Abood, recognized the potential effects on DeWine's power.

"This is a due process state," Abood said. "We are not here to discuss why the governor did what he did, the question is 'does he have the power to do it?'"

The attorney for Brian Parera, who now holds Steen's seat on the board, said nothing in the law protects the governor's original appointee. Rather, it only protects his pick for a replacement.

One of the judges in the case called that argument absurd.

"That subsequent appointee, based on the language of the statute, says that subsequent appointee shall hold the seat for the remainder of the term. That's what the statute says," said Judge David J. Leland. "So the original appointee can have the governor looking over his shoulder but the subsequent appointee cannot. That's what you are arguing."

Retired teachers in attendance clapped in agreement, and accused DeWine of trying to block reform.

"We know that there is something fishy going on and we want to save our retirement," a teacher told NBC4. "And I want to save it for the young teachers who are active out there who did what we did. I'm going to do this and put in the time, but by golly I hope I get a retirement out of it."

The governor's office declined to comment on Tuesday's proceedings, but has said in the past that the law in this case is on the governor's side.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A North Carolina man is facing charges that he stole more than $35,000 from a Columbus Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

According to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, Guy A. Andonian, of North Carolina, was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of grand theft, and one count each of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and telecommunications fraud, allegedly engaging in a check writing scheme that resulted in the theft of $35,007.30 from the post’s charitable accounts.

Suspects played basketball with New Albany man, then robbed him, police say

Between October 2017 and September 2019, while Andonian was living in Ohio and serving as quartermaster for VFW Post 4044, checks with notes like “help veterans in need” in the memo line were issued from the post’s charitable accounts. Those checks were then cashed by co-conspirators in Union County, with roughly half the money being given to Andonian, Yost said in a statement.

An arrest warrant for Andonian was issued in North Carolina. Yost did not say if Andonian had been arrested.

Watch a previous NBC4 report on H.B. 68 in the video player above.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The ACLU announced on Tuesday it has filed a lawsuit against the state of Ohio to halt a law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors before it takes effect next month.

The organization is challenging a provision in House Bill 68 that prohibits Ohio's children's hospitals from providing treatment like gender-reassignment surgery and hormone therapy to trans minors, according to the complaint filed in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. The ACLU filed the suit on behalf of two families whose children are at risk of losing access to their healthcare.

"These personal, private medical decisions should remain between families and doctors; they don’t belong to politicians," said Freda Levenson, Legal Director at the ACLU of Ohio. "We will fight in court to ensure that trans youth and their parents can access critically important, lifesaving healthcare without government intrusion."

The complaint is asking the court to strike down H.B. 68 before the law takes effect on April 24. The ACLU also said the legislation violates four sections of the Ohio Constitution including the single-subject rule, the Health Care provision, the Equal Protection Clause, and the Due Course of Law provision, the ACLU argues.

The legal challenge comes after the Statehouse voted to override Gov. Mike DeWine's veto of the legislation. DeWine decided to reject the bill after visiting several children's hospitals, arguing "parents should make these decisions and not the government."

However, Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery), the primary sponsor of H.B. 68, called gender-affirming care an "experiment" and has long argued "children are incapable of providing the informed consent necessary to make those very risky and life-changing decisions."

Click said on Tuesday the complaint is "not surprising" and "par for the course," and argued H.B. 68 was written "to be bullet proof when it came to lawsuits." Click said he has the "utmost confidence in our attorney general who is capable of defending such commonsense legislation."

While Click noted the lawsuit being filed in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas is "not the most idea place" for those in favor of H.B. 68, but he said "there's an appeals process and I anticipate that ultimately it will make its way to the Supreme Court and it will be heard there and in the end, the law is on our side."

"It is going to be a frivolous lawsuit because there is not constitutional right to sterilize children or to harm or to mutilate them," said Click. "I believe that science and the law is on our side and we will prevail."

Gender-affirming care is backed by every major medical association in the nation, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Psychological Association. To override medical consensus is "government overreach," the ACLU said and promised it will "reinstate Ohio families' right to make personal medical decisions with healthcare providers -- not politicians."

"Families are now confronted with the extremely difficult decision of fleeing the state they call home to protect their children or allowing them to go without the care they and their doctors know is right for them," said Chase Strangio, Deputy Director for Transgender Justice at the ACLU.

DeWine faced a wave of criticism from notable Republicans who called for the Statehouse to override his veto, including from former President Donald Trump, who wrote in a Truth Social post that DeWine "has fallen to the Radical Left."

The governor attempted to assuage the backlash by signing an executive order in January to ban Ohio’s medical professionals from performing gender transition surgery on trans youth. DeWine previously said he in part enacted that order in anticipation of a suit against H.B. 68.