Today From The Ohio Newsroom

Years after they helped make bombs, Ohio nuclear workers face health impacts

Albert Gibson had a top secret job.

For 37 and a half years, he worked at the Mound, a site near Dayton that developed components for atomic bombs.

How one Ohio nonprofit is trying to give people power over their food

It’s not clear the small plot of land on the north side of Youngstown is a community garden. At least not anymore.

Weeds stretch toward the sky, where there once was rows of bright beets and tall turnips. Without dedicated growers, Jubilee Gardens has fallen into disrepair. But on a Friday evening in July, a small group of people are planting.

Making moves: How one organization is using chess to build community

It’s 4 o’clock on Sunday evening when people start to trickle in to the Cooperative Chess Cultural Center on the east side of Columbus.

John Hoffman is the first to arrive. At 81 years old, he’s a regular.

Then, there’s newbie Lynn Williams, a young woman sporting neon purple and blue hair.

As another Ohio EMS agency closes, chiefs grapple with staff and funding shortages

The Riverside Emergency Medical Service started its squad in the early 1980s to serve the village of DeGraff and Pleasant Township, about an hour north of Dayton.

At the time, roughly 30 people volunteered as first responders, remembers Chad Kean, an EMT and trustee for the service.

Corn, soybeans and ...chestnuts? Ohio farmers find new uses for the uncommon crop

As patrons lined up for a late afternoon pastry at Athens Bread Company, Tim McKenna prepped croissants. He pounded on a slab of dough and folded it over a stretched-out sheet of butter to create the pastries’ layers.

“God knows how someone figured out how to do all this but, once you get the hang of it, it’s just going through all the steps,” he said.

Amid counselor shortage, rural schools are training students to help

There aren’t enough mental health counselors in Ohio schools.

For every one school counselor in the state, there’s around 400 students, according to the American School Counselors Association. That far exceeds the recommended ratio of 250 students to 1 counselor.

Climate change could mean influx of people to Central Appalachia

In the last decade, Americans have felt the effects of climate change, from worsening wildfires out west to more severe heat

Ohio researchers predict the most critical job skills as AI gains traction

Technology is changing Ohio’s workforce. Recent developments in artificial intelligence, automation and machine learning have raised questions about the long-term sustainability of some jobs.

One Ohio town hopes to become a model in reducing emissions

Oberlin in northeast Ohio has an ambitious plan to tackle greenhouse gasses. It wants to reduce its emissions by 75% by 2030, compared to its 2007 levels.

A new book is breaking down stereotypes about Appalachian food — and people

When Erica Abrams Locklear discovered her Appalachian grandmother’s cookbook, she was shocked by what she found.

It was filled with recipes for “traditional” mountain foods like apple stack cake and chow-chow, sure, but she also saw foods like streusel and Baby Ruth cookies.