Today From The Ohio Newsroom

What new methane regulations mean for Ohio

Methane regulations from the U.S. EPA went into effect this month. They’re meant to limit the amount of accidental emissions from oil and gas operators across the country.

Sherman’s sword comes home: Lancaster museum buys general’s weapon at auction

The personal belongings of one of Ohio’s most famous historical figures went to auction in Columbus last week. Union General William T. Sherman’s personal items were put up for sale, including his family Bible, his photographs and, perhaps most coveted, his sword.

In a digital world, this Ohio artist keeps his posters old-school

The walls of a small shop in the downtown strip of Marietta look more like a concert venue. The plastered posters boast bright sketches with the names of world-renowned musicians: Willie Nelson. John Prine. Soundgarden. Indigo Girls. And a lot of Billy Strings.

As pandemic-era relief funds end, rural school districts face tough decisions

At lunchtime on a recent Wednesday afternoon, the cafeteria at Western Elementary School hums with kindergarteners loading lunch trays with fish sticks and broccoli.

Every student here can eat breakfast and lunch for free, and that’s not all the school offers. The entryway to the district’s administration offices is lined with boxes.

Why some Ohio cities are buying, and forgiving, residents’ debt

Last year, Cleveland City Council member Kris Harsh proposed a different way to use some of the city’s American Rescue Plan funds: relieve medical debt.

“Medical debt is like a monkey on your back,” he said during an April 2023 press conference. “It never goes away. You think about it constantly. It interferes with your credit score when you go to buy that house or get a car.”

A new report highlights the gaps in women veterans’ mental health care

Ginger MacCutcheon had plans to spend decades as a military medic in the Women’s Army Corps. She enlisted right out of high school, leaving northeast Ohio at the age of 18.

“I went off to boot camp dressed in a suit with matching luggage and shoes, just like Private Benjamin would go,” MacCutcheon said. “And I thought, ‘Oh, this is a great adventure I’m going on.’”

The Ohio Supreme Court cases that could have big impacts on public records law

The Ohio Supreme Court is considering holding oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging the Columbus Police Department’s decision to withhold the names of eight police officers involved in a 2023 deadly force incident.

An Ohio economist weighs in on what Biden’s student loan relief means for the state

Ohioans hold more than $60 billion in student loan debt. That’s part of over a trillion owed nationwide.

How one Ohio town is preparing for a future of floods

This story was adapted for the Ohio Newsroom from a four-part Richland Source series called Ripple Effect. Read the entire series at richlandsource.com.

It’s been a wet spring in Ohio.

Meet Ohio’s master mandolin maker

The walls in Don MacRostie’s studio in Athens County are covered in tools. Screwdrivers and scissors hang above tin cans full of markers and brushes. Piles of wood line tabletops and everything is covered in a light layer of sawdust.