Author

Megan Henry

Megan Henry

Megan Henry is a reporter for the Ohio Capital Journal and has spent the past five years reporting in Ohio on various topics including education, healthcare, business and crime. She previously worked at The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA Today Network.

Turning Point Home offers housing for survivors of human trafficking in Ohio

By: - August 22, 2023

A new home for human trafficking survivors is opening soon in downtown Columbus.  Turning Point Home, located on E. Broad St., can house up to eight women survivors of human trafficking at a time.  Cheryl Kirkham, executive director of the Turning Point Home, first got the idea for the house years ago when she was […]

A vast shortage of homeless shelters: Housing insecurity in Ohio’s Appalachian counties

By: - August 21, 2023

This is the first part of an ongoing series looking at homelessness and housing insecurity in rural Ohio counties.  The Adams County Shelter for the Homeless can house up to 17 individuals at a time.  But that is only able to shelter a fraction of those facing housing insecurity in the Appalachian county on the […]

Proposed recreational marijuana law is headed to the November ballot in Ohio

By: - August 17, 2023

A proposed recreational marijuana law will be on Ohio’s November ballot after all.  The Secretary of State’s office verified 4,405 additional valid petition signatures — bringing the grand total to 127,772, Secretary of State Frank LaRose said Wednesday in a letter to the campaign. 124,046 signatures were needed. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol’s […]

Ohio universities issue new report of hazing incidents under Collin’s Law

By: - August 16, 2023

Ohio State University resolved eight hazing incidents so far this year, according to the university’s latest Collin’s Law report.  Hazing became a felony in Ohio in 2021 when Gov. Mike DeWine signed Collin’s Law: Ohio’s Anti-Hazing Act into law. Previously, hazing was a fourth-degree misdemeanor.  The law is named after Collin Wiant, an 18-year-old Ohio […]

Marijuana initiative could end up on Ohio November ballot alongside reproductive rights amendment

By: - August 15, 2023

Legalizing recreational marijuana could be on the November ballot in Ohio alongside the reproductive rights amendment — which could bode well for those hoping to legalize cannabis, legal experts say. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol is trying to get a citizen-initiative on the ballot that would legalize and regulate cultivation, manufacturing, testing and […]

Gov. DeWine highlights science of reading provisions in the new state budget

By: - August 14, 2023

Students arranged red and blue letters to spell various words such as “lip,” “twin,” and “keys.”  Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and first lady Fran DeWine observed about two dozen children, ages 3-6, spelling words at Columbus Montessori Education Center Thursday morning.  The schools aligns with the science of reading, which is based on decades of […]

Ohio’s Issue 1 goes down to defeat

By: and - August 8, 2023

The Republican-led effort to make amending Ohio’s constitution more difficult has failed. As of 11:45 p.m., unofficial results for the Aug. 8 special election show voters rejected Issue 1 57% to 43%. The Associated Press called the race at 9 p.m. While precincts were still reporting late into the night and absentee ballots will continue […]

What Ohio amendments wouldn’t have passed with a 60% threshold?

By: - August 7, 2023

Only white men would be able to enlist in the Ohio National Guard.  Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Toledo wouldn’t have casinos. Ohio’s governor wouldn’t have term limits.  Ohioans would only have the option of straight-ticket voting at the polls.   These are just some of the amendments to the Ohio constitution that passed, but received less […]

“Critical but often overlooked,” Ohioans face challenges when accessing dental care

By: - August 4, 2023

Dr. Darcy Cook will never forget a particular patient whose teeth she was trying to save. The patient was a recovering drug addict who kept missing appointments — only making her dental issues worse.  But the patient wasn’t oversleeping or intentionally missing appointments. Instead, she was homeless with a pay as you go phone and […]

Ohio counties need more poll workers for August Special Election

By: - August 4, 2023

Twenty-three Ohio counties don’t have the minimum number of poll workers needed for Tuesday’s special election.  These counties don’t have enough poll workers as of Thursday morning: Ashtabula, Clermont, Columbiana, Coshocton, Defiance, Fulton, Greene, Harrison, Highland, Huron, Jefferson, Knox, Licking, Madison, Mahoning, Marion, Montgomery, Shelby, Stark, Trumbull, Van Wert, Warren and Washington. Currently, 32,310 poll […]

Man fishing on Cuyahoga River with Cleveland in background

86% of Ohio’s large rivers met water quality standards, new study shows

By: - August 1, 2023

Most of Ohio’s rivers met water quality standards, except for a stretch of the Mohican River, according to a new study from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.  Eighty-six percent or 1,176 miles of Ohio’s large rivers were determined to be in excellent condition and another 190 miles of Ohio’s large rivers are partially meeting water […]

Ohio’s community colleges, technical schools and career centers will offer Intel-specific courses

By: - August 1, 2023

Ohio’s community colleges, technical centers, local career centers and school districts will offer new programs and career pathways for students who want to work at Intel.  Silicon Valley semiconductor maker Intel made an initial $20 billion investment to build two new microchip factories in Licking County that is expected to create 3,000 jobs. Those jobs include […]