Ohio News

Columbus and Central Ohio Weather QUICK WEATHER FORECAST:

• Today: Increasing clouds, night showers, high 83
• Tonight: Sct'd t-showers, low 62
• Tuesday: AM showers, high 73
• Wednesday: Mainly sunny, iso. sprinkle, high 80
• Thursday: Mainly sunny, iso. sprinkle, high 85
• Friday: Rain & storms, high 79

FORECAST DISCUSSION:

Happy Monday!

We had a beautiful, breezy weekend in Central Ohio, and that doesn't end quite yet! For our Monday, expect highs to warm back into the lower 80s, with a slight breeze. We won't be quite as gusty as we were over the weekend. We'll start the morning with sunshine, then clouds will gradually increase. A cold front then brings showers and thunderstorms tonight, between about 8 PM and midnight, and continuing through Tuesday morning.

Showers will gradually taper Tuesday morning and into the early afternoon, eventually exiting to the southeast. Highs drop back to the lower 70s Tuesday, and clouds gradually break late in the day.

For Wednesday and Thursday, we'll be looking at mainly sunny skies, with highs in the lower 80s Wednesday, and mid 80s for Thursday. We'll be looking at an isolated sprinkle chance, but overall mainly dry.

Our next system moves in Friday, and brings showers and thunderstorms that linger overnight and into the start of Saturday.

-McKenna

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Teresa Scharf has lived in central Ohio for decades, but was born in Athens, Greece. She was adopted as a 7-month-old from Madera Baby Center in Athens. Her adoptive parents were both in the US Navy at the time, so she grew up moving all over the world.

It wasn't until she was grown and ready to start her own family that she became curious about her ancestry.

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"The first time I really felt an interest was when I got… when my husband and I were expecting our first child, and I was like, ‘How, how could you give this baby away?’" she said.

Scharf said that her adoptive parents would not have been receptive to many questions about her biological parents. She felt as if it would have been insulting to ask them. After her adoptive parents died, she began to wonder more seriously.

Scharf contacted the Efthichia Project, an organization that helps Greek adoptees find their families.

“The first thing she said was, ‘You need to do a DNA test,’" she said.

To her surprise, Scharf was met with positive results. She matched with a first cousin who lived in Chicago, and traveled to meet him and his family.

"It was the first time I'd ever met a blood relative ever, and at that point, I was 63 years old,” Scharf said. “This proved that they exist and there was a way to find them. I said to a very dear friend of mine later, ‘I wish I had started this process 30 years ago.’”

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Scharf’s story wasn't finished there. She found through the work of the Efthichia Project that she had about a dozen first cousins living in Greece. She traveled there and met her cousins who welcomed her with open arms.

"They were all talking and trying to figure out which one of her uncle's is her father or which one of our dads is her father," she said.

Then she received the call she thought may never come.

"She said, ‘The results are in. Angie is your sister,’” Scharf said. “And so I called Angie then and it was, I don't know, two in the morning in Greece when I called her. And, we just… she said, ‘Do you have results?’ And I said, ‘Yes, I do, and they confirmed that you and I are sisters.’ And I felt like we were two 10-year-old little girls. Just we just giggled and laughed the whole time. It was just so joyful.”

Scharf called her sister right away and planned another visit to Greece to meet in person.

On March 17 of this year, she flew into Athens, Greece where she met her sister Angie for the first time.

"I saw her, and I knew who she was and all I could do was walk up to her, wrap my arms around her, and just hug her, and she me, and we did that for a long time,” Scharf said. “We talked about everything, mostly about our father. She let me know what he was like as a person. And some of his characteristics and how I reminded her of him. I felt like I was a sponge trying to absorb 60 years' worth of information in a short span of time. But I… we immediately seemed to connect with one another. And, I mean, I could look in her eyes and just feel like we were we were part of each other. It was amazing. It was absolutely amazing.”

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“It was unbelievable. It is still unbelievable to me," said Scharf’s sister Angeliki (Angie) Palaeologou, via Zoom with the Efthichia Project.

Scharf was learning about her birth father, and spending every waking moment with her sister Palaeologou, who joked about their father, "Father, someday someone will knock my door and say, 'Hello sis.' This was a joke going on for years and years," Scharf said.

The journey isn't over yet for Scharf. She plans on visiting her sister and cousins again later this year. Then she wants to find out more about her biological mother's family as well.

"Everything that we've found so far is on my father's side, so we still don't know about my mother,” Scharf said. “Now there is a name on my birth. Oh, my birth certificate. So we have a name. I may have other half siblings, you know, all over Greece or maybe elsewhere in the world, maybe here in the U.S.”

The key to the life-changing discovery is the ability to submit a DNA test through MyHeritage or other ancestry and genealogy platforms. Technological advancements have connected people across the world who never would have otherwise found each other.

"I have an identity that I never had before. Having the access to be able to do the DNA testing is and it's such a simple process that that's made all the difference. There's always hope and there's always a way to try to find, especially now with the DNA that is that is the key. And if you if you just start looking, you may find something," Scharf said.

GROVEPORT, Ohio (WCMH) -- Shelters across the state are seeing an influx of dogs coming into their shelters.

The shelter animal count shows so far this year, around 681,000 dogs have entered shelters across the United States. Franklin County is seeing this pressure firsthand as every single cage was full earlier this month.

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They put out a plea and people stepped up, through adoptions and fostering. Now one couple is sharing the impact fostering can have, for the dogs and for their foster humans.

Two long-time Franklin County dog fosters are getting ready to move, but they didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye to the 17 dogs they’ve fostered over the years or without showing how much fostering can help.

"It's crazy. It's the best day of my life," Franklin County Dog Shelter foster mom Abigail Lee said. 

Lee got her first dog at 18 and since then, she and her partner Julia Murray have taken in many fosters and helped them find a forever home.

"People always asked, ‘How do you not get attached? How do you not keep them all?’ We would love to. However, then there wouldn't be more fosters," Lee said. 

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They are emphasizing just how important it is to foster; not only does it help make space for the shelter to take in more dogs, but it helps the dogs, too.

"They come in so sick and when they leave, they are so happy and well-adjusted," Lee said. 

"Fostering is huge,” shelter care manager Hannah Henschen said. “It gives us an opportunity to learn more about how a dog does in a home environment, which is really helpful and also just gets dogs out of the shelter environment, which, for a lot of dogs, can be stressful here.”

It gets the dogs into homes and helps make space, which isn’t just an issue in central Ohio.

"It's been a nationwide thing,” Henschen said. “I've talked with a lot of different other shelters. I have a friend who works at a shelter in Alaska and they're seeing the same problems that we are here, just an overpopulation of pets and maybe, maybe some kind of decrease in adoptions as well.”

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Lee and Murray are already signed up to foster in their new home city.

If you are interested in fostering with the Franklin County Dog Shelter, you can find more information here. 

Watch a previous report on Hermanio Joseph in the video player above.

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (WCMH) – A man accused of causing a fatal school bus crash in Clark County on the first day of school last year is set to go on trial this week.

Hermanio Joseph, 36, is facing a first-degree felony involuntary manslaughter charge and a fourth-degree felony vehicular homicide charge in connection with the Aug. 22, 2023 crash.

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According to police, Joseph was driving east on State Route 41 in Lawrenceville while a Northwestern Local Schools bus was driving in the opposite direction. Police said Joseph crossed the center lane, causing the bus driver to swerve. The vehicles still made contact, with the bus going off the road and rolling onto its side.

Aiden Clark, an 11-year-old Northwestern student, was killed in the crash. Twenty-six other students were injured; there were 52 students on the bus that day.

Joseph’s attorney filed a motion in January to have the case dismissed because prosecutors allege that Joseph didn’t have a valid U.S. driver’s license; the attorney argued that Joseph did have a valid Mexican driver’s license at the time of the crash. A judge ruled against the motion in early February.

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If guilty, Joseph faces up to 11 years in prison for the involuntary manslaughter charge and up to a year in prison for the vehicular homicide charge.

The crash prompted the creation of the Ohio School Safety Working Group, formed to issue recommendations to make school buses safer. Among the recommendations made in January were seat belts on the buses, stronger bus frames, and collision avoidance systems.

UPDATE: Columbus police said the case involving a child found on Sullivant Avenue has been resolved.

According to Franklin County Children Services, the child's parents contacted police about the boy. The family is in the process of being reunited.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Police are looking for the parents or guardians of a young boy found at a Family Dollar store in the Hilltop section of Columbus on Sunday.

Columbus police said the child, who they estimate to be between 3 and 4 years old, was found in a diaper wandering on Sullivant and South Hague avenues by a Family Dollar store.

The boy, who police said is not talking with officers or social workers, is just over 4 feet tall and weighs about 38 pounds. He has brown eyes and brownish-blonde hair.

Anyone who knows anything about the child is asked to call Columbus police at 614-645-2358 or 614-645-4545 or Franklin County Children Services at 614-299-7100.

MADISON TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WCMH) -- Two people were injured, one critically, in a traffic accident Sunday afternoon.

According to Madison Township Fire Chief Howard Hahn, first responders were dispatched to the area of Ebright Road and Blair Avenue at approximately 12:17 p.m. for a report of a two-vehicle crash.

Both of the victims, one in critical condition and the other in a stable condition, were taken to Mount Carmel East.

Details as to what caused the crash have not been released.

Ebright Road was closed between Bixford Avenue and Bixby Road for safety reasons because the crash involved two side-by-side telephones being hit and damaged, Hahn said. AEP repaired the poles and the road is expected to reopen by approximately 5 p.m. Sunday.

The Madison Township Fire Department was assisted at the scene by Columbus Division of Fire.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – This week on The Spectrum:

• There’s no end in sight for the battle for control of the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS).

“We’ll let the courts figure that, figure this out,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said about one week after a court ruled the governor overstepped his authority in ousting STRS member Wade Steen.

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“I felt like they, again, pulled the rug out from underneath us,” STRS board member Julie Sellers said.

• President Joe Biden signed a bill this week aimed at addressing the fentanyl crisis.

“This is not a… it’s not an urban problem or a rural problem or suburban problem,” Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said. “It’s, it’s everywhere.

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Hear who the bill targets and why Brown said it will save lives.

• “I think the most important thing that we believe as conservatives is that, keeping local control,” Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn, a Republican, said.

Home rule is at the top of the agenda for the Ohio Mayor’s Alliance.

“There’s no Republican way to create a job, no Democratic way to fix a pothole,” Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, a Democrat, said.

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Hear why leaders from both sides of the aisle said they’re better positioned to solve problems than lawmakers at the Ohio Statehouse.

• Republican strategist Mike Gonidakis and Democratic strategist Joe Rettof join the roundtable to discuss the struggle for control of STRS and Ohio’s mayors lobbying for more local control.

Columbus and Central Ohio Weather

High pressure off the Atlantic East Coast has prompted a southerly flow of warm air into the region. Skies are partly cloudy, with afternoon readings reaching the low 80s. Early morning readings will only fall back into the low 60s again tonight.

A storm in the central Plains will push a cold front farther east on Monday, resulting in scattered showers and storms over the western half of the state later in the day, spreading east Monday night into Tuesday morning. The weather will remain quite warm, as readings again climb into the low 80s.

The passage of a cold front will bring slightly cooler weather Tuesday, as rain showers taper off in the morning. Temperatures will hold in the 70s. High pressure will slide in midweek, providing drier weather. The weather will stay on the warm side.

Widely scattered showers and storms are likely Thursday night and Friday, before a cold front crosses the state. Showers will end early Saturday, followed by cooler weather next weekend.

Forecast

• Sunday: Partly cloudy, warm. High 84
• Tonight: Few clouds, mild. Low 63
• Monday: Some sun, late-day storm. High 83
• Tuesday: Showers early, sun. High 74 (63)
• Wednesday: Partly sunny, scattered storms. High 79 (55)
• Thursday: Partly sunny. High 83 (59)
• Friday: Showers, storms. High 79 (63)
• Saturday: Showers taper off. High 73 (58)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Five years after a murder on the East Side, police are still searching for leads.

On May 5, 2019, Columbus police received a 911 call, advising there was a body next to a fence in the alley behind the 1300 block of Gault Street, in the Driving Park neighborhood. Officers and Columbus Division of Fire personnel arrived to find Jayelin Wilson dead from a gunshot wound.

A preliminary investigation that Wilson, 23, was engaged in a gun battle with at least one other person. At around the same time, two people of interest walked into Grant Medical Center with gunshot wounds, but no arrests have been made.

Central Ohio Crime Stoppers is asking anyone with information about this crime to call 614-461-TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrime.org and submit your tip.

NBC4's Colleen Marshall interviews Richard Cordray in 2022 in the video player above.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A former Ohio attorney general announced this week that he will be stepping down from his position in the Biden administration.

Richard Cordray wrote in a letter Friday that he would not return for another three-year term as the chief operating officer for Federal Student Aid (FSA), part of the U.S. Department of Education overseeing the government's student loan program.

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A one-time gubernatorial candidate (he lost to Mike DeWine in 2018), Cordray assumed his role with FSA in May 2021, with his time in the position coming to an official end next week. He did state in the letter that he would stay on through June to help with the department's transition.

During his time with FSA, Cordray led the department in giving more than 4 million Americans $153 billion in student loan forgiveness and helped set up the department's repayment plan after a 3 1/2-year layoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the last few months, changes to how FSA allowed students to apply for financial aid have been plagued with delays and technical glitches, causing frustration for students looking to afford college and schools looking to settle their enrollment for the coming school year.

The department averages about $1.6 trillion a year in federal student loans.

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Before joining the FSA, Cordray served as the first director of the newly-created United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2012 and serving until 2017.

Cordray was a five-time Jeopardy! champion in 1987 and appeared on the show again during the Tournament of Champions and Battle of the Decades Tournament.

Nearly half of Americans live with high blood pressure. High blood pressure, or hypertension, contributed to nearly 700,000 deaths in 2021 and is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

Stacker used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to examine the counties with the highest rates of high blood pressure in Ohio as of 2021. Ties are broken by the share of the population on blood pressure medication. For counties that ranked in the top 200 nationally, their national rank for high blood pressure prevalence is also included.

The Southeast has the highest rates of high blood pressure. Racial disparities underscore these geographical trends, as about 40% of Black people across the U.S. have high blood pressure. Social determinants of health, including access to health care and fresh foods, have contributed to higher rates.

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Guidelines for doctors have also limited the types of high blood pressure medication available to Black patients, a paradigm which is now starting to shift as recent studies have pointed out the flaws of race-based prescribing for hypertension.

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Emma Rubin // Stacker

State-level statistics

The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology in 2017 updated high blood pressure guidelines for the first time since 2003. Any reading of 130/80 and above is now considered hypertensive.

Blood pressure is measured using two numbers: systolic and diastolic pressure. The systolic reading examines the arteries when the heart is beating, while the diastolic reading examines them while the heart rests. Normal blood pressure is below 120/80.

Diet is a major driver of high blood pressure, with salty foods and low-potassium diets connected to hypertension. Other lifestyle choices play a part, too, including drinking and smoking. The CDC says heredity also likely plays some role in hypertension risk.

For people who have hypertension, limiting high-risk foods and behaviors, taking medication recommended by doctors, and regularly monitoring their blood pressure with a cuff can prevent more severe incidents.

Read on to see the counties in Ohio with the highest rates of hypertension.

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#25. Gallia County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 34.1%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 21.0% (61.7% of those with high blood pressure)

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#24. Clark County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 34.2%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 21.4% (62.6% of those with high blood pressure)

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#23. Montgomery County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 34.2%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 21.6% (63.1% of those with high blood pressure)

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#22. Harrison County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 34.4%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 21.3% (61.8% of those with high blood pressure)

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#21. Noble County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 34.5%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 21.3% (61.7% of those with high blood pressure)

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#20. Ross County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 34.5%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 21.5% (62.3% of those with high blood pressure)

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#19. Athens County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 34.6%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 21.2% (61.4% of those with high blood pressure)

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#18. Jackson County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 34.7%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 21.8% (62.8% of those with high blood pressure)

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#17. Trumbull County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 34.8%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 22.2% (63.8% of those with high blood pressure)

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#16. Adams County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 35.0%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 21.9% (62.7% of those with high blood pressure)

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#15. Hocking County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 35.0%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 22.0% (63.0% of those with high blood pressure)

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#14. Highland County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 35.1%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 22.3% (63.5% of those with high blood pressure)

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#13. Monroe County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 35.3%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 21.8% (61.7% of those with high blood pressure)

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#12. Fayette County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 35.3%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 22.0% (62.2% of those with high blood pressure)

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#11. Pike County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 35.3%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 22.3% (63.2% of those with high blood pressure)

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#10. Guernsey County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 35.5%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 22.0% (61.9% of those with high blood pressure)

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#9. Ashtabula County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 35.5%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 22.3% (62.7% of those with high blood pressure)

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#8. Morgan County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 35.6%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 22.5% (63.3% of those with high blood pressure)

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#7. Allen County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 35.8%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 22.7% (63.4% of those with high blood pressure)

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#6. Muskingum County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 36.0%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 22.6% (62.7% of those with high blood pressure)

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#5. Marion County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 36.1%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 22.1% (61.2% of those with high blood pressure)

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#4. Meigs County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 36.1%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 22.7% (63.0% of those with high blood pressure)

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#3. Lawrence County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 36.1%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 22.8% (63.1% of those with high blood pressure)

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#2. Vinton County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 36.6%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 23.0% (62.8% of those with high blood pressure)

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#1. Scioto County

- Adults with high blood pressure: 38.5%
- Adults on medication for high blood pressure: 24.5% (63.6% of those with high blood pressure)

This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 49 states.

Columbus and Central Ohio Weather QUICK WEATHER FORECAST:

• Today: Few clouds, high 84
• Tonight: Mainly clear, low 63
• Monday: Increasing clouds, storms late, high 83
• Tuesday: AM showers, high 74
• Wednesday: Mostly sunny, iso. shower, high 79
• Thursday: Mostly sunny, iso. shower, high 83

FORECAST DISCUSSION:

Happy Sunday!

We were very warm yesterday, with highs running well-above normal, albeit a little windy. Today, we'll be even warmer, with more sunshine, and the wind dies down a bit. A little bit of a breeze at times, sustained out of the southwest from 10-15 MPH. Highs top out in the middle 80s in the city.

We kick off Monday on a dry note, with increasing cloud coverage. We will be dry most of the daytime hours Monday, with breezy conditions, and highs sticking in the low to middle 80s. A cold front approaches after sunset Monday, which brings rain and thunderstorms Monday night into early Tuesday.

Most of that shower activity looks to taper Tuesday morning, eventually exiting to the southeast. Then for Tuesday afternoon, we'll see highs dropping back to the middle 70s under cloudy skies.

We warm back near 80 on Wednesday, with lots of sunshine, and only and isolated shower chance.

It will be a similar setup Thursday, with just an isolated shower chance, otherwise sunny skies, with highs warming into the lower 80s.

Our next system moves in Friday, bringing us rain and thunderstorms.

-McKenna

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Saturday night was the inaugural Healing Heroes Ball, an event designed to recognize and show gratitude towards first responders, veterans and active duty members.

The event emulated a typical Military Ball. There was a cocktail hour, dinner, and the night ended with live music on the roof of the National Veterans Memorial and Museum.

It was a chance for people to get out and have fun with friends and family, but also it was an opportunity to bring attention to the struggles first responders and veterans face.

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“We're kind of in the middle of the largest mental health crisis, I think, that we've ever kind of come across, and our veterans and our first responders are so very affected by that with the work that they do,” Angie Mack, the director of development for Stockhands Horses for Healing, said.

Stockhands offers a veterans and first responders program that works with them on mental health. Mack said the ball was all about raising awareness for those in need.

“You talk a little bit about the issues that you're dealing with and then have a wonderful night to go dancing and have some live music and really kind of celebrate those people that are in our lives that do so much for us,” she said. “So we wanted to have this night be that moment for them.”

One thing that Stephen Corvi, a trustee with the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund, said isn’t talked about enough is the spouses to the first responders and veterans.

“They're the ones who don't hold the medals and they don't have the stigma of being in the battlefield, but the battlefield is really sometimes at home,” Corvi said. “So we're there to support them as well as the veterans and the first responders themselves who are on the front lines every day.”

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Nearly 200 people attended the event, happy to be around familiar faces.

“The military exists for these reasons right here, so that we can enjoy our lives and have the freedoms we have and come to events like this and feel safe,” Corvi said.

Organizers said the night was truly about appreciation. Their goal is to host this event every year and hope more and more people continue to attend.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – College graduation is right around the corner, and for many, that means getting a job in their chosen careers. But what does that job market look like?

Jeff Reep, the director of career services at Cedarville University, said that right now, the job market is looking pretty good, adding that well over 1/3 of the school’s graduates have jobs lined up.

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Last year, Reep said, 98 percent of graduates were employed or in grad school by the time commencement happened, and the school is on track to hit that number again this year.

For those who are still on the job hunt, Reep said building up a network is important, and utilizing resources like LinkedIn, career events, and just talking with people in the community can help a recent grad find a full-time job.

“If they can help, they'll normally help,” Reep said. “And if they know somebody that can, they'll probably give you that contact. And so, I think building a network is something that's very important. And then just doing the diligence of applying, searching, trying to find somebody on the inside.”

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As far as what employers look for, Reep said besides having the skill in a certain career, employers often look for individuals who know how to communicate well and how to be a team player.

The commencement schedule for a number of central Ohio colleges and universities is below.

• Otterbein University -- April 28 
• Cedarville University -- May 4
• Ohio Dominican University -- May 4
• Ohio State University -- May 5
• Columbus State Community College-Columbus Campus -- May 10
• Capital University -- May 11
• Ohio Wesleyan University -- May 11
• Columbus College of Art & Design -- May 11
• Denison University -- May 11
• Franklin University -- June 2

DETROIT (WCMH) -- On the final day of the NFL Draft in Detroit, one Buckeye got the chance to reunite with his former teammate.

Tight end Cade Stover was chosen as the 123rd overall pick by the Houston Texans, putting the Mansfield, Ohio native on the same roster as quarterback C.J. Stroud. Stover was last season's Big Ten conference tight end of the year and was a finalist for the John Mackey Award, given to the best tight end in the country. He started in 11 of the 12 games he played in 2023 and in his career, he caught 82 passes for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns.

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Elsewhere on Day 3, linebacker Tommy Eichenberg was chosen by the Las Vegas Raiders as the 148th overall pick. The Cleveland-native was the Big Ten linebacker of the year and started ten games last season, recording 82 tackles and a sack.

Earlier in the draft, defensive tackle Mike Hall was taken in the second round by the Cleveland Browns while wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was a first-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals.

Columbus and Central Ohio Weather

High pressure near the Atlantic East Coast will prompt a southerly flow of warm and humid air into the region through early next week.

The weekend will bring a mix of clouds and a fair amount of sunshine, with a small chance for a stray shower or storm across the northwestern part of the state Temperatures will continue to warm, reaching the upper 70s Saturday afternoon and low 80s Sunday and Monday.

A storm coming out of central Plains, where thunderstorms will be focused this weekend and across the Midwest, will reach the Upper Midwest Monday, introducing a greater chance for showers and storms, diminishing with the passage of a cold front that will bring slightly cooler weather Tuesday.

The weather will stay on the warm side later in the week with some sunshine. However, additional scattered showers and storms could develop Thursday through Friday before another weak cold front arrives toward the weekend.

Forecast

• Saturday: Partly sunny, breezy. High 80
• Sunday: Partly cloudy, warm. High 82 (62)
• Monday: Some sun, late-day, storm. High 83 (63)
• Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, few showers p.m. High 75 (62)
• Wednesday: Partly sunny, scattered storms. High 79 (57)
• Thursday: Partly sunny, showers, storms p.m. High 80 (62)
• Friday: Showers, cooler. High 75 (62)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) –  A 2-year-old child was severely injured during an assault that took place Tuesday night on the south side of the city.

According to a police complaint report, a woman living in an apartment on Ship Mill Street in the Far South neighborhood heard her door being kicked in at 9:49 p.m. Tuesday. She told police that a man forced his way into her residence and demanded her phone.

The victim refused and the man told her he was not leaving without taking something. After the man attempted to remove a television mounted to the wall, he went to a bedroom and picked up a flat screen television and began to leave the residence.

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The woman, who was holding her 2-year-old, told the man, later identified as Andre Sallee, that she was going to call police. Sallee reportedly came back inside the apartment and punched the woman multiple times.

After the woman fell onto a couch, Sallee, 25, allegedly kicked her in the leg and fled the scene in what she believed to be a white car.

During the alleged assault the child was injured and taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Neurosurgeons treated the child for a skull fracture and brain bleeding. The child’s condition was not immediately known.

Sallee was arrested Wednesday, charged with aggravated robbery. A Franklin County Municipal judge issued him a $1 million bond and ordered him to next appear in court on May 3 for a preliminary hearing.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Columbus Division of Police is asking for the public’s help in identifying a person of interest in the homicide of a 61-year-old woman.

On Friday, police discovered the remains of Li-Chu Lin, who suffered a “brutal attack”, on the 6000 block of Zumstein Drive in north Columbus, according to police. Lin was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Police are asking the public for help in identifying a person of interest in the homicide. They advise the public to not approach the man if they see him, but to call 911 immediately.

• (Photo Courtesy/Columbus Division of Police)
• (Photo Courtesy/Columbus Division of Police)

Anyone with information regarding the incident may call the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477.

ZANESVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) -- A man was sentenced to at least eight years in prison after pornographic images of children were found on his phone.

Charles E. Cawley, 43, was given the sentence this week in Muskingum County Common Pleas Court, convicted of pandering obscenity involving a minor. In addition to his sentence, he will be required to register as a sex offender after his release.

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In September, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notified a children's crimes taskforce abuse material downloaded to a phone registered to Cawley's mother. She was contacted by investigators and said her son was using the phone.

Three months later, law enforcement officers searched Cawley's home. He admitted to the officers that he had downloaded the materials, Muskingum County Prosecutor Ron Welch said in a news release.

The glitz and glam of Hollywood captures the attention of Americans starting from an early age. Beyond celebrities' Instagram Stories and red carpet poses, there are actors out there paying their dues and honing their craft in pursuit of a sustainable career or a fulfilling sideline. Submitting to casting calls is a big part of that journey.

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Whether you're a working actor or an aspiring one, you might be curious to know which movies and TV shows are casting roles near you. Backstage compiled a list of projects casting right now in Ohio, and which roles they're looking to fill.

Open casting calls for movie and TV productions

'The Pelican'
- Project type: scripted show
- Roles:
--- Brandon (lead, male, 18-25)
--- Victor (supporting, 18-45)
--- Shawn (lead, male, 18-25)
- Average hourly rate: $93
- Casting locations: Alliance
- Learn more about the scripted show here

'Galactic'
- Project type: feature film
- Roles:
--- Tammy (supporting, female, 18-45)
--- Earl (supporting, male, 25-55)
--- Annie Jane (lead, female, 40-70)
- Average hourly rate: $93
- Casting locations: Columbus
- Learn more about the feature film here

'A Violent World'
- Project type: feature film
- Roles:
--- Jax (supporting, male, 30-50)
--- Scratch (supporting, female, 21-35)
--- Callum (supporting, male, 25-35)
- Average hourly rate: $31
- Casting locations: Blacklick
- Learn more about the feature film here

'The Inheritance' (Working Title)'
- Project type: short film
- Roles:
--- Kelly (lead, female, 35-55)
--- Kat (lead, gender-nonconforming, genderqueer, 30-45)
- Average hourly rate: $12
- Casting locations: Athens
- Learn more about the short film here

'Saving Ava'
- Project type: feature film
- Roles:
--- Younger Versions of Leads (lead, 7-12)
--- Randy Brando (supporting, male, 27-60)
--- Officer Toby (supporting, male, 26-60)
- Average hourly rate: $12
- Casting locations: Columbus
- Learn more about the feature film here

'71 South'
- Project type: feature film
- Roles:
--- Ana (lead, female, gender-nonconforming, trans female, 18-25)
--- Henry (lead, male, gender-nonconforming, trans male, 18-25)
--- Julia (lead, female, gender-nonconforming, trans female, 18-25)
- Average hourly rate: $18
- Casting locations: Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati
- Learn more about the feature film here

'The Lost Healer'
- Project type: short film
- Roles:
--- Kiva (lead, female, 18-25)
--- General Graeme (supporting, male, 40-55)
--- Rian (lead, male, 18-25)
- Average hourly rate: $31
- Casting locations: Cincinnati
- Learn more about the short film here

'Drive Inside'
- Project type: short film
- Roles:
--- Video Editor (crew)
--- Sound Designer (crew)
- Average hourly rate: not available
- Casting locations: Beachwood
- Learn more about the short film here

'Self-Defense'
- Project type: short film
- Roles:
--- Harley (other, 18-50)
--- Cody (lead, male, 10-14)
--- Henchwoman (other, female, 18-100)
- Average hourly rate: $25
- Casting locations: Columbus, Cleveland
- Learn more about the short film here

'American Nightmare'
- Project type: feature film
- Roles:
--- Marshal DeMore (supporting, male, 40-70)
--- Lila (supporting, female, 18-32)
- Average hourly rate: $18
- Casting locations: Columbus
- Learn more about the feature film here