Columbus news

• Diarrheal outbreak spreading

  11-08-2016 23:55
  Public health officials have reported a community outbreak of a diarrheal disease in central Ohio. At least 107 cases of cryptosporidiosis have been reported this year in Columbus and Franklin and Delaware counties - more than the past three years combined, according to Jose Rodriguez, a spokesman for Columbus Public Health.
  
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• Marijuana remains classified in U.S. as dangerous drug, DEA says

  11-08-2016 23:05
  
  The Obama administration will keep marijuana on the list of the most dangerous drugs, despite growing popular support for legalization, but will allow more research into its possible medical benefits, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced Thursday.The DEA said the agency opted not to reclassify marijuana after a lengthy review and consultation with the Health and Human Services Department, which said marijuana "has a high potential for abuse" and "no accepted medical use."
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• Zoo employees know Nora has to leave, but 'our hearts are broken'

  11-08-2016 22:17
  
  Rarely has a success story at the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium caused so much sadness. The zoo announced on Wednesday that Nora, a polar bear born there in November, will move next month to the Oregon Zoo in Portland. She will remain on public display through Sept. 5. Zoo officials knew all along the relocation was coming: It is part of a master plan among North American zoos to help ensure the survival of her species, which is endangered.
  
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• LifeCare Alliance expanding number of community health centers

  11-08-2016 22:16
  
  LifeCare Alliance has received a grant that will allow it to nearly double its community wellness centers in central Ohio.
  
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• Child falls from roller coaster at Pennsylvania amusement park

  11-08-2016 22:04
  
  A child has fallen from a roller coaster at a western Pennsylvania amusement park.A Westmoreland County emergency dispatcher says an ambulance was sent to the Idlewild and SoakZone amusement park near Ligonier just after noon Thursday.A park spokesman told CBS Pittsburgh station KDKA-AM the child was getting medical attention.The dispatcher says the child was conscious and airlifted to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, about 50 miles west. The child's condition wasn't immediately available.The
  
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• Mega Weekend Summer 2016 – Vol. 14

  11-08-2016 20:00
  
  Will it be a rainy weekend? Hopefully there will be time to be able to enjoy all of the great things going on outdoors this weekend! Please check on all events prior to attending in the event they are cancelled due to weather. Our Back to School Supply drive goes through August 19. If you want to see Schoolhouse […]
  
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• Man convicted in Indiana University student's slaying

  11-08-2016 19:59
  
  CBS NEWS/AP --A jury found a man guilty of murder Wednesday in the beating death of an Indiana University student two weeks before she was due to graduate.About five hours after beginning deliberations, the jury returned the verdict against Daniel Messel of Bloomington in the April 2015 slaying of 22-year-old Hannah Wilson of Fishers, an Indianapolis suburb.Messel stared at the jurors, then looked down as the judge polled the jury. The eight women and four men each responded that he or she had v
  
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• 14 people may have overdosed on heroin in Mansfield in a single day: Police

  11-08-2016 19:42
  
  At least 14 people are suspected to have overdosed on heroin in the city of Mansfield on Wednesday.The Mansfield News Journal reports the string of overdoses began when four people overdosed in the early parts of Wednesday.Later that same evening, eight more are thought to have overdosed within a 30-minute span at five different locations.The paper reports that none of the victims died.Police are now probing who may have sold the drugs and where they originated.Heroin at Home: An Ohio EpidemicTh
  
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• 14 Overdoses in 8 hours has Mansfield Police looking for source of dangerous supply

  11-08-2016 19:42
  
  A community is shaken after more than dozen drug overdoses within eight hours.Mansfield Police are looking for the source of the drugs that sent 14 people to the hospital Wednesday.In one case, three children watched their parents OD.Savannah Stamper watched her four children closely Thursday, but it's the three little boys who live next door she can't stop thinking about."It was just so heartbreaking. I mean, they were right next door. These poor boys."She says it was the sound of sirens that b
  
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• 13 people may have overdosed on heroin in Mansfield in a single day: Police

  11-08-2016 19:42
  
  At least 13 people are suspected to have overdosed on heroin in the city of Mansfield on Wednesday.The Mansfield News Journal reports the string of overdoses began when four people overdosed in the early parts of Wednesday.Later that same evening, eight more are thought to have overdosed within a 30-minute span at five different locations.The paper reports that none of the victims died.Police are now probing who may have sold the drugs and where they originated.Heroin at Home: An Ohio EpidemicTh
  
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• Instructor, daughter charged in Ohio gun shop fatal shooting

  11-08-2016 19:40
  
  A firearms instructor and his daughter have been charged in the accidental shooting of a southwest Ohio gun shop owner during a concealed carry class in June.The Cincinnati Enquirer reports 47-year-old Mark Montgomery, of Amelia, was indicted Wednesday on a felony reckless homicide charge in Clermont County. Katie Dunham, of Mariemont, was indicted on a misdemeanor negligent homicide charge.Montgomery was teaching a lesson on misfire malfunctions using plastic bullets. A student's handgun fired
  
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• Trial in rape on OWU campus set for October

  11-08-2016 19:11
  A Columbus man accused of raping an Ohio Wesleyan University student pleaded not guilty in Delaware County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday to charges of rape, sexual battery and theft.Brandon Michael Ward, 29, of Columbus, pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape, which are first-degree felonies; two counts of sexual battery, third-degree felonies; ... (more)
  
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• Separate gas leaks shut down in roads in Worthington, Westerville (UPDATE)

  11-08-2016 18:52
  
  UPDATE: High Street has reopened following the gas leak this morning.In Westerville, northbound lanes on State Street are open, while southbound traffic is still shut down.---Two different gas leaks caused roads to close and businesses in the area to evacuate in north Columbus Thursday afternoon.A portion of High Street is closed in Worthington due to a gas leak in the area. The road is closed between State Route 161 and South Street.According to police, construction crews in the area hit a gas
  
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• Separate gas leaks shut down in roads in Worthington, Westerville

  11-08-2016 18:52
  
  Two different gas leaks caused roads to close and businesses in the area to evacuate in north Columbus Thursday afternoon.A portion of High Street is closed in Worthington due to a gas leak in the area. The road is closed between State Route 161 and South Street.According to police, construction crews in the area hit a gas line, causing the leak.Several businesses in the area have been evacuated.At this time, it is unknown how long the road will be closed to traffic.Meanwhile, Westerville police
  
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• Mom whose baby died of heroin overdose sentenced to five years

  11-08-2016 18:47
  
  A mother whose 14-month-old daughter died of an overdose after she took the child into a Hilltop drug house was sentenced on Thursday to five years in prison. Erica M. Barley, 32, of Reynoldsburg, pleaded guilty in May to involuntary manslaughter in the death of Annabella Sagstetter. Barley called police on the afternoon of May 27, 2015, to say her child wasn't breathing. Police learned that the child became unresponsive after Barley took her in her car seat into a house on Columbian Avenue to p
  
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• Man accused of killing two pedestrians Downtown takes stand

  11-08-2016 18:39
  
  Terrance Trent testified this morning that he went into "panic mode" because his girlfriend was hitting him as he drove his pickup on East Broad Street. And he said he has no memory of speeding recklessly through red lights before causing a crash that killed two pedestrians at a Downtown intersection.
  
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• Terrance Trent takes the stand as prosecutor unloads fiery cross-examination

  11-08-2016 18:11
  
  The man accused of killing two pedestrians in a violent downtown crash in 2014 took the stand Thursday in his own defense.Terrance Trent discussed the events leading up the crash that killed a Columbus city engineer and and 21-year-old Ohio State student.Trent testified that his girlfriend Mamie Adams became upset with him when he was called to do a plumbing job at a local church.She was concerned Trent was “fooling around on him” and doing the job for free.While in his pickup truck
  
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• South Florida swimmer contracts brain-eating amoeba

  11-08-2016 17:57
  
  A person has been hospitalized after health officials say they contracted a brain-eating amoeba while swimming in Broward County, Florida.The Florida Department of Health confirmed the infection Tuesday. Officials say the person's infection stems from Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic, single-cell amoeba commonly found in freshwater lakes, ponds and rivers.The health department hasn't specified where the person came in contact with the amoeba, but did say the person swam in unsanitary water on pr
  
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• Liberty Township needs more time for fire chief's disciplinary hearing

  11-08-2016 17:54
  
  A planned two-day hearing to determine whether Liberty Township's fire chief should be disciplined for alleged management lapses has been extended into next month.
  
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• Marysville embraces adults-only hotel opposed in Delaware County

  11-08-2016 17:41
  
  An adults-only, romantic-themed hotel appears to have found a home in Marysville, almost three years after it was rejected for being inappropriate during a bitter dispute in southern Delaware County.
  
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• Health officials say diarrheal disease outbreak spreading

  11-08-2016 17:35
  
  Public health officials have reported a community outbreak of a diarrheal disease in central Ohio. At least 107 cases of cryptosporidiosis have been reported this year in Columbus and Franklin and Delaware counties — more than the past three years combined, according to Jose Rodriguez, a spokesman for Columbus Public Health. The outbreak is not tied to one specific location, but is linked to exposure at recreational water facilities in all three areas. A week ago, Delaware County health of
  
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• Outbreak declared after over 100 cases of diarrheal parasite reported at local water parks

  11-08-2016 16:48
  Public health officials have officially declared an outbreak of Cryptosporidiosis, a microscopic parasite that causes diarrhea.This comes after 107 cases have been reported so far this year in Columbus, Franklin County and Delaware County. That’s more than the past three years combined.“This is widespread in our community at this time,” said Mysheika Roberts, Medical Director/Assistant health commissioner for Columbus Public Health. “It's been a really hot summer and peop
  
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• Outbreak declared after more than 100 cases of diarrheal parasite reported at local water parks

  11-08-2016 16:48
  UPDATE: On Friday, Columbus Public Health announced 10 more cases of 'crypto' for a total of 117 cases.---Public health officials have officially declared an outbreak of Cryptosporidiosis, a microscopic parasite that causes diarrhea.This comes after 107 cases have been reported so far this year in Columbus, Franklin County and Delaware County. That’s more than the past three years combined.“This is widespread in our community at this time,” said Mysheika Roberts, Medical Direct
  
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• Wright State won’t return money Ohio allocated for dropped presidential debate

  11-08-2016 16:43
  
  DAYTON — Wright State University says it has no plans to repay the $220,000 in state money it received to upgrade security for the first presidential debate, which it pulled out of last month due to increasing security costs.
  
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• Columbus Council On World Affairs: U.S. - Japan Economic Ties Affecting Ohio

  11-08-2016 16:43 via youtube.com
  
  
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• Dave Yost wants Ohio to reform how online charter schools are paid

  11-08-2016 16:34
  
  Republican Auditor Dave Yost opened Ohio's first statewide charter-school summit Thursday with a call to change the way the state pays online charter schools. Arguing that there is too much ambiguity in current law, he proposed paying e-schools based on what their students learn rather than attendance or time spent online.
  
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• Mom sentenced to 5 years in daughter's deadly heroin overdose

  11-08-2016 16:30
  
  A central Ohio mother has been sentenced to five years in prison in the heroin overdose death of her 14-month-old daughter.Erica Barley faced up to 11 years after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter.Barley’s daughter Annabella Sagstetter died May 27, 2015.The Franklin County Coroner said lethal doses of heroin and fentanyl were found in the toddler’s system.Barley had taken her daughter to a drug house on Columbian Avenue. After leaving the home, Annabella became unresponsive
  
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• Jet-Setting Librarians Touch Down in Columbus

  11-08-2016 16:15
  
  Downtown Columbus and the libraries of Ohio are abuzz as the International Federation of Library Association (IFLA) holds their World Congress at the Downtown Convention Center, Aug. 13 – 19. Previous IFLA meetings were held in Capetown, Singapore and Helsinki. Columbus was selected to host IFLA over Seattle and Washington, D.C. In his welcoming remarks […]
  
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• Columbus Metropolitan Club: Alternative Energy Update

  11-08-2016 16:09 via youtube.com
  
  
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• Air Force looking to hire 700 fighter pilots amid shortage

  11-08-2016 15:29
  
  The U.S. Air Force is struggling to fill a shortage of 700 fighter pilots by the end of the year, even as the U.S. battles in three air wars against the Islamic State group in Iraq, Syria and Libya.Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James also told Pentagon reporters Wednesday that she is planning to pay drone pilots a $35,000 a year retention bonus to encourage them to stay in the service.The 35,000 a year retention bonus would be an increase over $25,000 bonus the service has been allowed to prov
  
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• Macy's to close 100 stores nationwide

  11-08-2016 14:58
  
  CNN -- Another 100 struggling Macy’s stores are disappearing.Macy’s announced plans on Thursday to close about 15% of its department stores, the latest effort to adapt to shifting consumer preferences for online shopping.Macy’s did not disclose which stores it will close, but said most of them will close early in 2017.The move comes as Macy’s revealed its second-quarter sales fell less than feared. Macy’s stock soared 10% in premarket trading.
  
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• Suspect in East Side hit-skip arrested

  11-08-2016 14:55
  Columbus police have arrested a 41-year-old woman on a murder charge after she allegedly hit a bicyclist on an East Side street and fled the scene. William Greulich, 69, was hit by a Buick Enclave SUV while he was riding his bicycle northbound on Burlington Avenue, as he crossed Livingston Avenue, just after 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, said Sgt.
  
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• Ohio Politics Now: Mike Pence booed when he calls John Kasich 'great'

  11-08-2016 13:58
  
  GOP vice presidential candidate Mike Pence made two stops in Ohio Wednesday - one in the Dayton area and another in Cambridge where he said “Ohio’s going to loom large in this election and therefore in the destiny of this nation."
  
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• Hidden monkey on Columbus-to-Vegas flight causes stir

  11-08-2016 13:54
  
  Airline officials say they called for help after a passenger was found stowing a monkey in his shirt during a Las Vegas-bound flight.Frontier Airlines spokesman Richard Oliver says the incident happened Tuesday night on a flight from Columbus, Ohio, to Las Vegas.Oliver says the passenger broke policy by not informing the airline that he was bringing a service animal onboard, and then refused to turn over documents verifying the monkey's status.McCarran International Airport spokeswoman Christine
  
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• OSU Studying Effects of E-Cigarettes on Lung Health

  11-08-2016 13:30
  
  If you’re puffing on an e-cig, you’re a guinea pig, based on a lack of information available on the products. The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center — Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) hopes to gain some understanding through two studies aimed at evaluating the health […]
  
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• Ohio Politics Now: Mike Pence booed when he called John Kasich 'great'

  11-08-2016 13:06
  
  GOP vice presidential candidate Mike Pence made two stops in Ohio Wednesday - one in the Dayton area and another in Cambridge where he said “Ohio’s going to loom large in this election and therefore in the destiny of this nation."
  
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• Healthy Food and Fitness Showcased at First Ever Healthy Bites Festival

  11-08-2016 13:00
  
  On Friday, July 29th we gathered together to celebrate the healthier side of Columbus food scene at our first Healthy Bites event. I hope you had a great time trying tasty local foods with wellness in mind. A big thank you to all the local businesses who came out to show off their menus. Thanks to […]
  
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• Columbus Makes Art Presents: Band Leader Eric Paton on Yumbambé, Festival Latino 2016 and Fish

  11-08-2016 13:00
  
  Columbus-based Latin jazz band Yumbambé has been performing in Columbus and beyond for more than 20 years. Led by Eric “The Fish” Paton, the group will be performing at Festival Latino 2016, the largest Latin event in Ohio, being held Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 13 and 14, at Bicentennial Park downtown. We caught up with […]
  
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• Portman tops Strickland by 9 points in Quinnipiac poll

  11-08-2016 12:45
  
  WASHINGTON – Republican Sen. Rob Portman has surged to a nine-point lead over Democratic challenger Ted Strickland in a poll released today by Quinnipiac University. The new poll shows that among those likely to vote in the November election, Portman has the backing of 49 percent compared to 40 percent for Strickland.
  
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• 12 central Ohio districts seeking money from voters in November

  11-08-2016 12:45
  
  Wednesday afternoon was the deadline for placing issues on the Nov. 8 ballot, and six Franklin County school districts will approach voters for operating and construction money: Columbus, Hilliard, Westerville, Canal Winchester, Bexley and Licking Heights.
  
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• LGBT proposal draws crowd in Chillicothe

  11-08-2016 12:38
  
  CHILLICOTHE — When Councilman Josh Cartee set down a sign-up sheet for public comment at the start of a Chillicothe City Council committee meeting Wednesday night, a line began to form at the front of the Ross County Service Center building. Plenty of residents had something to say about the council’s proposed anti-discrimination ordinance designed to protect Chillicothe’s LGBT community.
  
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• Newark puts income tax increase to vote

  11-08-2016 12:01
  
  NEWARK — Voters in the Licking County seat will decide in November whether road repairs and police and fire department equipment are worth a quarter-percentage-point increase in income tax.
  
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• Vote for the Top 4 Food Trucks in Columbus!

  11-08-2016 12:00
  
  The sixth annual Columbus Food Truck Festival returns to Columbus Commons this weekend, August 12th and 13th! Over 60 food trucks and food carts will be spread throughout the park and a neighboring parking lot with lots of live music, family activities, craft vendors and of course — plenty of beer to wash it all […]
  
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• Restaurant Review: Stav’s Diner

  11-08-2016 12:00
  
  Right up next to the Bexley Centre Panera, a brand new eatery opened this summer in a neighboring strip mall. Stav’s Diner is right out of the pages of a story book, filled with crowds of eaters bellied up to the counter, and run by a clean-cut, two-man grill team with one bustling server. The […]
  
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• Some polling sites change for Upper Arlington recall vote on Aug. 23

  11-08-2016 11:55
  
  More than 3,000 Upper Arlington voters will have new voting locations for the Aug. 23 special election. Two locations are new and will be used only for the special election.
  
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• Theodore Decker commentary: It’s tough being kid in this (and every) age

  11-08-2016 11:35
  
  Every teenager in the Pickerington Local School District now has an iPhone. I know this because my son has assured me that he was the last one.
  
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• Nestle tests products at Dublin facility

  11-08-2016 11:25
  
  The Nestle products you find in your neighborhood grocery store have something going for them beyond the recipe. Before they’re ready for prime time, they’re tested for safety and nutrition. And they’re put through their paces in central Ohio.
  
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• Expanding BWC program gets injured Ohio workers back on the job faster

  11-08-2016 11:19
  
  The state fund for injured workers is expanding a program meant to reduce workers'-compensation costs for employers while helping injured workers return to their jobs faster. Before July 1, only employers that have had at least one lost-time claim — a claim in which an injured worker is off more than seven days — were eligible for the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation transitional-work program. Now, it’s open to any employer in good standing with the bureau.
  
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• Breaking Bread: Making mozzarella tasty way to expand cooking skills

  11-08-2016 10:48
  Every once in a while, I like to try making a food I've never prepared to give my cooking skills a good stretch. When I signed up for a class on making fresh mozzarella cheese, I had no idea how literal stretch would become.
  
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• Crash involving three semis backs up traffic on I-70 for hours near West Jefferson

  11-08-2016 10:35
  
  A crash involving three semi trucks backed up traffic for hours along I-70 West near West Jefferson.The Ohio State Highway Patrol said the trucks were just east of the State Route 38 overpass when something went wrong, causing the chain reaction crash.When troopers arrived, they closed all lanes of the highway. One of the trucks may have caught fire and spilled acetone and fuel onto the highway. A witness said one of the drivers was flown by Med Flight to a Columbus hospital. That driver was in
  
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