Columbus

Ohio court shoots down Columbus gun safety regulations

BY: - December 4, 2023

An Ohio court has shot down Columbus’ efforts to save lives, siding with gun rights advocates to rule that the city can’t require firearm owners to lock their guns up to prevent children from accessing them. Ohio’s Fifth District Court of Appeals dismissed the city’s request to overturn a Deleware County judge’s decision, which granted […]

Adding more housing would mean fewer infant deaths and longer lives, new housing report shows

BY: - October 27, 2023

Bridging the affordable housing gap in central Ohio would lead to healthier lives, more jobs and improved educational outcomes.  This is all according to a new study from the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio that not only spells out how dire the affordable housing crisis is, but looks at how Ohioans would benefit from […]

Columbus fighting Ohio firearm regulation preemptions in court again

BY: - September 12, 2023

Columbus is continuing its case against the state on gun safety, arguing that a state law barring local firearm ordinances is unconstitutional. After a long delay, a county common pleas judge agreed with the city, and filed an order to put the law on hold. But an appeals court went the other way. The panel […]

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 […]

“No shooting death is just a number,” Ohioans call for common gun sense

BY: - July 28, 2023

Ohioans across the political spectrum want common sense guns laws.  A recent Suffolk University/USA Today poll shows 92% of Ohioans want mandatory background checks for firearm purchases — including 99% Democrats and 88% Republicans.  But instead, the Republican-controlled Statehouse has loosened gun laws. “Let’s call a spade a spade,” said Ohio House Minority Leader Allison […]

Ohio lawmakers propose ban on city curfews, saying they ‘cater to criminals,’ hurt businesses

BY: - May 24, 2023

State lawmakers in Ohio have proposed a ban on curfews, leaving local governments feelings exasperated by a lack of options against the rise in gun violence. Cities have implemented curfews for decades now in an attempt to curb crime or stop protests from taking place — most recently in Columbus. After continuous shootings in the […]

Google is building two more data centers in central Ohio

BY: - May 8, 2023

Google is adding two new data centers in Columbus and Lancaster, bringing the tech company’s total investment in Ohio to more than $2 billion.  This will bring Ohio’s total to three Google data centers, joining the one in New Albany that broke ground in 2019.  “This is great news,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said. “Google making […]

Ohio Attorney General and Columbus locked in court dispute over extent of local firearm authority

BY: - January 24, 2023

A Fairfield County judge has allowed a handful of local gun control and safety measures to take effect in Columbus. It’s the latest twist in a long-running case over the extent of home rule authority in Ohio. Columbus’ ordinances prohibit magazines with 30 or more bullets, criminalizes straw sales, and requires gun owners store firearms […]

Voters embraced affordable housing initiatives. Advocates say Congress should do the same.

BY: - December 27, 2022

Voters in Colorado approved a statewide affordable housing initiative in November; while voters in nine cities across the country OK’d measures to finance the construction of affordable housing, preserve existing rental properties and support renters. But as housing costs soar, analysts and advocates say more needs to be done and argue that federal action is […]

Inconsistencies in Ohio’s home rule authority highlighted by tobacco legislation

BY: - December 21, 2022

The following article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.   State lawmakers in Ohio have been able to pick and choose which local […]

Columbus engages Central Ohio residents in the zoning code update with new exhibit

BY: - November 18, 2022

The city of Columbus has announced plans to go back to the drawing board with new updates to the city’s zoning map after 70 years. City partners and officials attribute the long wait to bureaucracy and systemic racism and hope to involve the community in the process. In a presentation on Nov.10, the City of […]

Major Ohio cities stand against abortion law

BY: - August 2, 2022

Officials in two of Ohio’s major cities officials say a six-week abortion ban in the state “willfully jeopardizes the health and safety of millions of Ohioans,” and therefore should be rescinded by the Ohio Supreme Court. The cities, Cincinnati and Columbus, further joined by Dayton, Toledo and Cleveland Heights, wrote to the state’s highest court […]