Columbus news

• Wildfires barrel toward Northern California lake towns

  30-07-2018 23:31
  LAKEPORT, Calif. (AP) — A pair of wildfires that prompted evacuation orders for 15,000 people barreled Monday toward small lake towns in Northern California, and authorities faced questions about how quickly they warned residents about the largest and deadliest blaze burning in the state.Ed Bledsoe told CBS News he did not receive any warning to evacuate his home in the city of Redding before the flames came through last week and killed his wife, Melody, and his great-grandchildren, 5-year
  
  Read more

• Police: Deadly hit-skip driver checked on victim, then sped away

  30-07-2018 22:55
  The Columbus Division of Police Accident Investigation Unit is trying to identify a female driver who may be responsible for a deadly accident on I-70 near Alum Creek.Investigators said the crash happened Wednesday at about 11:30 p.m.Police said the driver of a blue Chevrolet Trailblazer with Indiana license plates improperly changed lanes and struck a motorcycle ridden by 40-year-old Joseph Hayes.Police said Hayes was thrown from the motorcycle and suffered a head injury. An eyewitness who saw
  
  Read more

• Tony Stewart flees police in Lip Sync Challenge video

  30-07-2018 22:35
  
  In the latest installment of the Lip Sync Challenge, Columbus (Indiana) Police Department has one-upped other departments with a celebrity — Tony Stewart.The NASCAR driver makes his debut in the video right from the start. He's the culprit in a police chase.The five-minute video includes songs from Britney Spears, Journey, Miley Cyrus and even the 'Friends' theme song. Yes, there's a fountain and couch scene.CPD joins IMPD, Evansville PD, a Carmel police officer and others in the challenge
  
  Read more

• VP Pence campaigns in Newark, says Trump agenda needs Balderson in DC

  30-07-2018 22:30
  The national political spotlight once again turned to central Ohio Monday.Vice President Mike Pence returned to the Buckeye state in support of Congressional candidate Troy Balderson.Balderson is facing Democrat Danny O'Connor in a special election Tuesday, August 7th for the seat of Pat Tiberi, who retired earlier this year.Ohio's 12th District includes Delaware, Licking, and Morrow Counties, and parts of Franklin, Muskingum, Marion and Richland counties.It has been safely in Republican hands s
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Former Buckeye Joshua Perry announces retirement from football; cites concussions

  30-07-2018 21:41
  
  Former Ohio State linebacker Joshua Perry has announced he is retiring from professional football.In a post on his Twitter account, Perry said he recently sustained his sixth documented concussion."It wasn't from a high velocity, big contact play. It was a very pedestrian thing, and that was a huge concern for me. The last thing I want to do is put the health of my brain and my future wellbeing in jeopardy over a game and a paycheck."A note regarding my RETIREMENT: pic.twitter.com/dUk3MFYYZt&mda
  
  Read more

• Trump backs Italy's Conte on migration in White House talks

  30-07-2018 20:05
  
  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump endorsed Italy's handling of immigration issues Monday as he welcomed the country's new premier to the White House for talks on trade and the military.Trump said at the start of his meeting with Italy's Giuseppe Conte that the country's new populist government "has taken a very firm stance on the border." The president said other European countries should follow Italy's lead on migration issues.Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte held a joint
  
  Read more

• I-70 east in downtown Columbus reopens after truck hits bridge

  30-07-2018 19:33
  
  COLUMBUS, Ohio -- All lanes of I-70 east are between I-71 and Front Street have reopened after a truck hit a bridge.Police were called around before 1 p.m. after a truck struck a bridge and overturned.Firefighters had to clean up fuel from the truck which spilled on to the highway after the crash.The Ohio Department of Transportation structural engineers will look at the bridge for critical damage.
  
  Read more

• I-70 east in downtown Columbus closed after truck hits bridge

  30-07-2018 19:33
  
  COLUMBUS, Ohio -- All lanes of I-70 east are closed between I-71 and Front Street after a truck hit a bridge.Police were called around before 1 p.m. after a truck struck a bridge and overturned.Firefighters are working to clean up fuel from the truck which spilled on to the highway after the crash.The Ohio Department of Transportation structural engineers will look at the bridge for critical damage.Meanwhile, all eastbound traffic on I-70 must exit to either SR 315 north or I-71 south.Duration o
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• LeBron James: Opening school will be one of my "greatest moments"

  30-07-2018 19:30
  AKRON, Ohio— LeBron James is leaving home again and leaving behind something he says is more meaningful than any of his NBA championships.James, who this month ended his second stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers by signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, has opened a public school for challenged children in his hometown.The NBA great admitted to having "jitters" before the opening, an event he said is "going to be one of the greatest moments — if not the greatest — of my life."The
  
  Read more

• Dad works three jobs to buy daughter dream dress for 8th grade dance

  30-07-2018 19:13
  
  A Pittsburgh dad who works three jobs made his daughter's dream come true last month and the heart-melting gesture has gone viral.Fourteen-year-old Nevaeha Smith found her dream dress for the 8th grade formal. The two-piece dress was out of the family's budget, so her dad, Ricky Smith, didn't think he'd be able to purchase it for her at first, "CBS This Morning" reports.Smith balances three jobs to support his family, according to the Daily Mail. After saving up, the father was able to buy Nevae
  
  Read more

• Downtown’s Blind Lady Tavern Closing Soon

  30-07-2018 18:52
  It’s been a weekend of disappointing announcements, the second of which was Blind Lady Tavern’s upcoming closure. The bar and restaurant was about to conclude their third year of business, opening up at 22 E. Mound St. Downtown in October of 2015 and serving for the last time on Saturday, August 11. “It was a […]
  
  Read more

• Animal lovers decry "pet leasing" contracts

  30-07-2018 17:46
  Animal lovers are calling attention to a controversial scheme being used by some pet stores. Customers say they thought they were taking out loans to finance and own pricey pets. Instead, they say they were duped into signing lease agreements.Vladimir Duthiers, of CBSN, spoke to one pet owner who paid almost double the sticker price to keep dogs she thought she already owned.Here's how it works: pet stores lure customers in with a cute but expensive pet. Then the customers sign what they believe
  
  Read more

• Homeless man hands out resumes, gets hundreds of job offers

  30-07-2018 17:43
  
  Jasmine Scofield was driving in Mountain View, California, on Friday and spotted a man standing by the side of the road with an unusual sign. He wasn't asking for money, he was asking people to take his resume. "I had just finished my last day of work at my previous job and was driving to meet my coworkers for a party," Scofield told CBS News. "I was driving to a restaurant... and I saw David," she says. David Casarez told her he'd been living out of his van while searching for jobs in Silicon V
  
  Read more

• Man who lost wife, great-grandchildren in Carr Fire recalls their heartbreaking final words

  30-07-2018 16:52
  
  The death toll is rising, as wildfires force tens of thousands of evacuations in Northern California. The so-called Carr Fire, about 150 miles north of Sacramento, has grown to nearly 150 square miles and is only 17 percent contained.The fire has killed six people, including three from one family: 70-year-old Melody Bledsoe and her two great-grandchildren. They died when the Carr Fire, one of nine major wildfires burning across California, engulfed their home."I was only gone about 15 minutes wh
  
  Read more

• Fawn gives cop a kiss after California wildfire rescue

  30-07-2018 16:40
  
  Social media users are "fawning" over a photo of a California Highway Patrol officer and a baby deer that he saved from a raging wildfire.A California Highway Patrol officer was photographed holding the fawn he helped evacuate from the deadly Carr Fire, which has been burning for days near Redding, in Northern California. In the photo, the fawn appears to thank Sgt. Fawson with a "kiss." The deer is sticking her tongue out and gently touching the officer's cheek. Both CHP San Francisco and CHP R
  
  Read more

• Marine veteran dies in head-on crash after visit with newborn child

  30-07-2018 16:37
  
  BARNSTABLE, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts man who was returning from a hospital visit with his wife and newborn daughter has died in a head-on car crash on Cape Cod.Barnstable police say 32-year-old Kevin Quinn, of Mashpee, was driving on Route 28 shortly after midnight on Saturday when his SUV collided with a vehicle that was headed in the opposite direction.The driver of the other vehicle, 22-year-old Mickey Rivera, of Fall River, also died in the crash, and a female passenger was serious
  
  Read more

• Minneapolis police release bodycam videos in fatal shooting of man

  30-07-2018 16:07
  
  MINNEAPOLIS -- Authorities in Minneapolis released body camera video Sunday from two police officers in the fatal shooting of a 31-year-old man. The graphic footage shows Thurman Blevins shot from behind after a frenetic foot chase and what appeared to be a gun in his hand.Officers Justin Schmidt and Ryan Kelly were responding to a 911 call of a man firing a gun into the air on the city's north side June 23. The video shows them pulling their cruiser up and a man -- Blevins -- seated on a curb n
  
  Read more

• Ruth Bader Ginsburg aims to serve "at least five more years" on Supreme Court

  30-07-2018 15:56
  
  Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the eldest justice on the high court, says she has "at least five more years" left on the bench, according to CNN. The network reports that Ginsburg discussed her tenure on the court following a New York production of "The Originalist."The play focuses on the life and career of Ginsburg's late colleague, Justice Antonin Scalia."I'm now 85," Ginsburg said Sunday evening. "My senior colleague, Justice John Paul Stevens, he stepped down when he was 90, so
  
  Read more

• Police: Semitrailer driver killed when truck overturns on Ohio interstate

  30-07-2018 15:42
  
  TALLMADGE, Ohio — Authorities in northeastern Ohio say the driver of a semitrailer died after the vehicle overturned on Interstate 76.The Akron Beacon Journal reports Kenneth Ours was heading east on I-76 near Tallmadge when the truck traveled off the road and went down an embankment. Police say Ours tried to drive the vehicle back onto the road and it overturned.The 55-year-old Akron man was taken to Summa Akron City Hospital where he later died.Authorities say the truck Ours was driving
  
  Read more

• Connect Kids with Nature!

  30-07-2018 15:38
  Do you remember playing outside as a young child? For many children today, the opportunity to “play outside” is a foreign concept.  Grange Insurance Audubon Center (Grange Audubon) serves thousands of children annually through preschool story time, camps, events, and a school-year multi-visit Conservation Classroom partnership with 50 classrooms from Columbus City Schools. This Better Together […]
  
  Read more

• New details emerge in case of missing University of Iowa student

  30-07-2018 15:37
  
  New details are emerging in the case of missing University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts that could help investigators find the reason behind her disappearance, CBS affiliate KCCI-TV reports.Her older brother, Jake Tibbetts, said investigators told him evidence from her computer shows she was doing homework on the computer July 18, the night she went missing. But authorities declined to confirm a specific time, citing the active investigation.Tibbetts, 20, was last seen jogging in her hometown
  
  Read more

• Lawsuit filed in fatal duck boat sinking seeks $100 million

  30-07-2018 15:07
  
  A lawsuit seeking $100 million in damages has been filed against the owners and operators of a duck boat that sank on a Missouri lake, killing 17 people.The federal lawsuit was filed Sunday on behalf of two members of an Indiana family who lost nine relatives when the boat sank July 19 on Table Rock Lake in Branson. Others killed were from Missouri, Illinois and Arkansas.The lawsuit accuses Ride the Ducks of Branson owner Ripley Entertainment and others of ignoring bad weather warnings that day
  
  Read more

• Plans for Oxbow on Short Cancelled as CBC Restaurant Closes Permanently

  30-07-2018 15:02
  When the announcement came that CBC Restaurant would permanently close on Sunday, July 29, it was a surprise to many Columbus diners. The restaurant had only just revealed plans for an interior transformation and a rebrand into Oxbow on Short, expected to open later this fall. Plans changed, according to a Facebook post, due to […]
  
  Read more

• Getting on the Ballot May be Easiest Part for Columbus Community Bill of Rights

  30-07-2018 14:17
  After two previous attempts, the anti-fracking Columbus Community Bill of Rights (CBR) is one step closer to appearing on the November ballot. Columbus City Council is set to approve the ordinance for the ballot at their meeting on Monday, July 30, before it’s off to be verified and assigned an issue number by the Franklin County […]
  
  Read more

• Probe into Flight 370 mystery highlights shortcomings

  30-07-2018 13:59
  
  KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- An independent investigation report released Monday more than four years after Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared highlighted shortcomings in the government response that exacerbated the mystery. The report reiterated Malaysia's assertion the plane was deliberately diverted and flown for over seven hours after severing communications. It said the cause of the disappearance still cannot be determined and the "possibility of intervention by a third party cannot be e
  
  Read more

• Accidents caused by 'drowsy driving' on the rise across Ohio

  30-07-2018 13:18
  One of 10TV’s missions is to end distracted driving. Often the focus is on distractions like texting behind the wheel or drinking and driving, but another form of distraction is on the rise.10TV dug into the upward trend of driving “drowsy” and the consequences it can carry.“Drowsy driving is impaired driving,” according to Lt. Robert Sellers, public affairs commander for the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP).And according to data from OSHP, across Ohio, the number o
  
  Read more

• Octavia Spencer brings hair mogul's story to Netflix

  30-07-2018 12:17
  
  A roundup of news from the Television Critics Association summer meeting, at which TV networks and streaming services are presenting details on upcoming programs.SUCCESS STORYOctavia Spencer is bringing the remarkable saga of black haircare mogul Madam C.J. Walker to television.Netflix said that Spencer will produce and star in a limited series about the outsized life of Sarah Breedlove, who was known professionally as Walker.The eight-episode drama is based on the book "On Her Own Ground" by A'
  
  Read more

• Cincinnati Zoo to host latest Fiona book launch

  30-07-2018 12:12
  
  Fans of the Cincinnati Zoo's famed premature hippo can celebrate the latest book about Fiona at an ice cream party at the Hippo Cove where she lives."Fiona the Hippo" features artwork from illustrator Richard Cowdrey and tells the against-the-odds story of the hippo born nearly two months early in January 2017. She was 29 pounds (13 kilograms), a third the size of a typical full-term Nile hippo. People around the globe followed the efforts to help her overcome early issues to thrive, and she bec
  
  Read more

• Zimbabwe votes for first time without Mugabe on ballot

  30-07-2018 11:58
  
  HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabweans on Monday were voting peacefully in their first election without Robert Mugabe on the ballot, a contest that could bring international legitimacy and investment or signal more stagnation if the vote is seriously flawed.About 5.5 million people were registered to vote in this southern African nation anxious for change after economic and political paralysis during the nearly four-decade rule of the 94-year-old Mugabe.Long lines formed outside many polling
  
  Read more

• Opposition says Cambodian election was death of democracy

  30-07-2018 11:51
  
  PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — The ruling party of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen congratulated itself Monday on its election victory, while the opposition party unable to contest the polls said they marked the death of democracy in the Southeast Asian country, making its government and any dealings with it illegitimate.Sok Eysan, the spokesman for Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party, described Sunday's vote as a "brilliant victory" and said the country would move forward "under the umbrella
  
  Read more

• Monday's Most Wanted: Columbus woman wanted for aggravated robbery

  30-07-2018 11:51
  
  A woman wanted for aggravated robbery and felonious assault is possibly hiding out in west Columbus.The Franklin County Sheriff's Monday's Most Wanted is 41-year-old Twana A. Bragg. She is facing several robbery charges and a felonious assault charge.According to court records, Bragg also has a history of domestic violence and assault charges.Deputies say Bragg is 5'2" weighing about 178 pounds,last known location is the 43204 zip code in west Columbus.Anyone who knows where she may be should ca
  
  Read more

• Manafort trial to shed light on Mueller probe evidence

  30-07-2018 11:45
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The trial of President Donald Trump's onetime campaign chairman will open this week with tales of lavish spending, secret shell companies and millions of dollars of Ukrainian money flowing through offshore bank accounts and into the political consultant's pocket.What's likely to be missing: answers about whether the Trump campaign coordinated with the Kremlin during the 2016 presidential election, or really any mention of Russia at all.Paul Manafort's financial crimes tri
  
  Read more

• Governor Kasich spares record number of Ohio death row inmates

  30-07-2018 11:29
  
  COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio Gov. John Kasich has finished dealing with executions for the remainder of his time in office following a modern-era record of death penalty commutations.The Republican governor spared seven men from execution during his two terms in office, including commutations on March 26 and July 20. Kasich allowed 15 executions to proceed, including the July 18 execution of Robert Van Hook for strangling, stabbing and dismembering a man he met in a Cincinnati bar more than
  
  Read more

• Two accidents involving large trucks cause traffic issues overnight in Columbus

  30-07-2018 09:31
  
  COLUMBUS - Emergency personnel are working two separate accidents involving large trucks in Columbus. A box truck overturned on SR-315 southbound just north of I-670 at the split on Monday morning. At least one person was injured in that crash. Traffic is being diverted to Kinnear Road, according to Columbus Police.Police have also closed the ramp from I-71 northbound to I-70 eastbound due to a jackknifed semi.Fire officials said the semi is leaking diesel fuel. For a detour, officials are telli
  
  Read more

• Vice President to visit Newark and campaign with Troy Balderson

  30-07-2018 04:56
  NEWARK, Ohio - Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to make a stop in Newark Monday, to take part in a Get Out the Vote rally.Pence is attending the rally organized by Republican Troy Balderson who is running against Democrat Danny O'Connor in the highly-coveted 12th congressional district.Debbee Ashley who lives just steps away from the host venue says she cannot remember a sitting President or Vice President making a stop in Newark, but she says she is sure the visit will draw a large crowd.
  
  Read more

• Vice President speaks at Troy Balderson campaign event in Newark

  30-07-2018 04:56
  NEWARK, Ohio -- Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Columbus Monday ahead of a Get Out the Vote rally in Newark.Pence is attending the afternoon rally organized by Republican Troy Balderson who is running against Democrat Danny O'Connor in the highly-coveted 12th congressional district.LIVE: Vice President Mike Pence speaks at a campaign event in Newark for Troy Balderson:Debbee Ashley who lives just steps away from the host venue says she cannot remember a sitting President or Vice President m
  
  Read more

• 6-year-old boy gets to be zookeeper for a day

  30-07-2018 03:15
  COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A 6-year-old boy gets the birthday gift of a lifetime.Isaac Stevens wants to be a Zookeeper when he grows up. Today, he achieved that goal decades early.In a moment's time, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium made his wildest dream come true.Isaac got a backstage pass to see and touch baby cheetahs, penguins and more."It's amazing. just getting to see his eyes light up and just the excitement that when he is excited you can just see it in his whole body," Belinda Stevens said. "His w
  
  Read more

• Deadly California wildfire rages largely unchecked, at least 6 killed

  30-07-2018 02:31
  
  REDDING, Calif. — The deadly Northern California wildfire that has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes slowed down Sunday after days of explosive growth, giving officials hope even as they announced the discovery of a sixth fatality.Meanwhile officials said a second firefighter died fighting a huge blaze to the south near Yosemite National Park. The firefighter was treated for injuries at the scene Sunday but died before he could be hospitalized, said Mike Theune, a spok
  
  Read more

• Florida man makes beer run with gator in hand

  30-07-2018 01:16
  
  JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man made a beer run into a Florida convenience store carrying a live alligator with its mouth taped shut.Video posted by television station WTLV shows the unidentified man walking into the Jacksonville store holding the gator with his right hand.He walks with the gator toward the counter, asking, "Ya'll aint out of beer are you?"He then sees someone in the back of the store and says, "Is he taking the last bit of beer? You aren't taking the last bit of beer are you?"
  
  Read more

• Ohio girl calls out "sexist" comment at parade by writing letter to the editor

  30-07-2018 00:59
  
  A 12-year-old girl made national headlines after she wrote a letter to a local newspaper calling out what she deemed as sexism at a Fourth of July parade in her Ohio town. Julianne Speyer was marching with the Girl Scouts behind the Boy Scouts in Geauga County when she heard an announcer call the boys "future leaders," but introduce the girls as "just having fun," CBS affiliate WOIO-TV reports. She took her frustration to the Geauga County Maple Leaf newspaper – and her message went viral.
  
  Read more

• Homeless man saves woman who jumped from Minneapolis bridge

  30-07-2018 00:44
  
  MINNEAPOLIS — Authorities say a homeless man rescued a woman who had jumped from a bridge near downtown Minneapolis.The University of Minnesota police say the woman jumped from the Washington Avenue bridge around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday. The Star Tribune reports that a homeless man camping under the bridge heard the woman fall and leaped into the water to rescue her.University police say the woman survived the plunge. She was taken to a hospital for treatment and evaluation.Minneapolis firef
  
  Read more

Follow @Colombus_News on Twitter!