When Tony Zartman first ran for Paulding County Commissioner in 2009, he said the local government was so poor, it could barely afford to replace a lightbulb.
"It was terrible," he said. "Our community was really strapped for funds for just the daily necessities."
Reeling from the Great Recession, the northwest Ohio county closed its jail and cut hours for government employees.
For Cincinnatians, the sight of a small lizard scurrying across a sidewalk or hanging out on an alley wall isn't surprising. For more than 70 years, European common wall lizards, known locally as Lazarus lizards, have lived in the Queen City.
Some people like to play, and some people live to play. A new movie in theaters, called "The Luckiest Man in America," tells the real-life story of Michael Larson, an Ohio man on a mission to outsmart a popular game show.
The 1980s game show “Press Your Luck” combined a bit of trivia with a bit of hand eye coordination and a lot of, well, luck.
Constance Packard lives in a modest, tidy home in Massillon, Ohio. At 94, she's tired of cooking. Most of her meals are grab and go: something she can get out of the freezer.
For decades, Ohio cities like Mansfield have experienced economic turmoil, loss of industry and subsequent population decline. But, in recent years, the northeast Ohio city has reversed that trend.
Outside the Harrison Township Fire Department, in Pickaway County south of Columbus, a car erupted into flames.
As black smoke billowed from its open windows, a trio of firefighters aimed a thick hose toward the blaze.
No one was hurt in this car fire. It was a test to see if the soybean-based foam that firefighters sprayed onto the flames could successfully smother them.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio parents and community members showed up in droves to their local school board meetings. They took to the podium to debate masking, learning loss and curriculum.
Blake Mathys grew up on a central Ohio farm, going to exotic animal auctions with his father. They collected Scottish Highland cows, Jacob sheep and even peacocks. If it had fur or feathers, it was fair game.
"So when we moved back to Ohio about 12 years ago, I decided I wanted some livestock and maybe something a little unusual," Mathys said. "I thought 'Why not yaks?'"
Schools in impoverished areas tend to have lower rates of reading proficiency. But one Ohio district is bucking the trend: Steubenville City Schools.
The Rust Belt district boasts one of the highest reading proficiency scores in the state despite its high poverty rate.
Ahead of their rehearsal at a small theater in Yellow Springs, members of a community choir pulled out sheet music to the tune of a tinkering piano.
As their chatter turned to whispers, guest conductor David Brown launched the group into its first song: not Beethoven, but Beyonce.
