At this small bookstore in southwest Ohio, there’s a cabinet lined with caution tape. Swing open the doors, and you're met with familiar titles: "Fahrenheit 451," the "Harry Potter" series, "The Great Gatsby," a creased copy of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
They might seem harmless, but their place on this shelf means someone once thought they were too dangerous to be read.
From the outside, Castle Noel looks like a typical church in small-town Ohio. But walk through the entryway and shout “Merry Christmas,” and the doors open to a whole other world.
Renewable energy in Ohio is about to ramp up. The Ohio Power Siting Board says over two dozen utility scale solar farms were approved this year.
The lockers of Bowling Green High School gleam with the same polished look as the shiny floors. But, look below the surface – behind the walls decorated with flyers for the next school play and bulletin boards boasting school pride – there are some major problems.
The newest recreational area of Friendship Park in eastern Ohio’s Jefferson County is situated between acres of rolling farmland and a big lake.
The sloping hill there has just been revegetated with native plants, two different types of restored wetlands, pollinator plots, even a bat roost.
Playgrounds and picnic tables dot Triangle Park in Dayton. The unassuming green space is similar to any number of parks in the city and across Ohio: a field of trees, a gravel path, plenty of grass to play on. But Triangle Park played a key role in America’s most popular sport.
The National Climate Assessment is a research-based, federal report on climate change and its impacts, risks and responses across the country. The assessment is the culmination of years of work by nearly 500 authors and 250 contributors. Their analysis of national and international data paints a picture of what climate change will look and feel like over time.
Ohio is becoming more diverse.
More than a decade ago, in 2011, people of color made up 18.6% of the population. By 2021, that number had grown to 22.2% — an increase of 3.6%.
But that growth did not happen equally across the state.
Athens County’s friendship benches are tucked discreetly into pockets of public spaces: libraries, a community center, the health department.
Sometimes they’re vacant.
But other times, a trained and trusted community member with a listening ear, like Shari Blackwell, will sit on one side of the tête-à-tête style bench, inviting strangers to join her.
