Columbus news

• New Pickerington police chief to be sworn in Monday

  22-03-2019 22:27
  
  PICKERINGTON, Ohio – A new Pickerington police chief will be sworn in on Monday.City manager Frank Wiseman announced this week that Commander Tod Cheney will be the new chief.Cheney has been with the Pickerington police department since 1995.During that time, he has served as a K9 officer, sergeant and was most recently named Commander in 2015.“Commander Cheney has an outstanding record and impressive credentials. He is well known and respected in the community and we look forward to
  
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• Special counsel Robert Mueller closes Russia investigation, delivers report to attorney general

  22-03-2019 22:08
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Robert Mueller has concluded his investigation into Russian election interference and possible coordination with associates of President Donald Trump.The Justice Department says Mueller delivered his final report Friday to Attorney General William Barr, who is reviewing it.Mueller's report, still confidential, sets the stage for big public fights to come. The next steps are up to Trump's attorney general, to Congress and, in all likelihood, federal courts.
  
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• Mueller concludes Russia-Trump probe, delivers report

  22-03-2019 22:08
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday turned over his long-awaited final report on the contentious Russia investigation that has cast a dark shadow over Donald Trump's presidency, entangled Trump's family and resulted in criminal charges against some of the president's closest associates.The comprehensive report, still confidential, marks the end of Mueller's probe but sets the stage for big public fights to come. The next steps are up to Trump's attorney general, to C
  
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• City Chat: IMPACT Community Action Organization

  22-03-2019 22:05 via youtube.com
  
  
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• Spoiler-free “Us” Review Plus Movies for Scaredy Cats

  22-03-2019 21:53
  This is the weekend for filmmakers, as theaters are full of great films made with passion by talented writer/directors whose work you should see. All of it. Including these gems. Us by Hope Madden and George Wolf Jordan Peele loves horror movies. How cool is that? It’s evident from the strangely terrifying opening moments of […]
  
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• DeWine to lawmakers: Higher gas tax can 'save lives'

  22-03-2019 21:42
  COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Gov. Mike DeWine tried Friday to dial up the pressure on lawmakers to back his proposed gas tax increase by arguing lives were at stake.The Republican governor repeated his insistence that his 18-cent-per-gallon hike, indexed to inflation, is the bare minimum for needed repairs to dangerous roads, intersections and bridges.Fellow Republicans in the House lowered that amount to 10.7 cents, and Senate Republicans on Thursday cut it even further to 6 cents.DeWine on Frid
  
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• Spaceflight activates herpes virus in astronauts, study finds

  22-03-2019 21:15
  
  Have you ever developed a cold sore after a stressful time at work or home?That's a herpes virus re-activating and the same thing happens to astronauts.New NASA research shows more than half the astronauts who return from space come home with re-activated herpes viruses.They think it’s because of all the stress they undergo like: zero gravity, cosmic radiation, and separation from loved ones.The longer they are in space, the more likely the viruses are to re-activate.There are many differe
  
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• Construction Roundup: Short North & University District

  22-03-2019 20:35
  Our third and final installment of Construction Roundup this month features some of the most prominent new developments on (and off) High Street through two of the most rapidly transforming neighborhoods: The Short North and University District. Much of the new development takes the form of residential housing, and includes the areas of Italian Village, […]
  
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• Gas leak shuts down section of Olentangy River Road in north Columbus

  22-03-2019 19:46
  
  A gas leak has shut down a section of Olentangy River Road in north Columbus Friday afternoon.The leak has shut down the road between McConnell Drive and Thomas Lane, near the hospital curve.Columbus police says this closure will likely impact rush hour traffic.
  
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• Ticket tax and proposed gas tax expected to take effect on same day

  22-03-2019 19:37
  
  Starting in July, anyone who buys a ticket to a sporting event at Nationwide Arena or any other entertainment venue or museum — except college athletics — will pay an extra 5 percent."Five percent is not much. Tickets for all three games are $150, so that's like, what, $7.50? That's nothing if you're paying $150. What's another $7?" says Michael Mills of BlacklickThe money is designated to help fund local arts programs.Nationwide Arena must use 80 percent of its money collected to pa
  
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• Ohio cuts funding for Planned Parenthood

  22-03-2019 19:30
  
  COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Department of Health says it's ending grants and contracts that send money to Planned Parenthood after a divided federal appeals court upheld a state anti-abortion law that blocks public money for the group.The department notified recipients and contractors Thursday that it will end that funding within a month to comply with the law, unless the court delays the effect of its ruling as Planned Parenthood requestedThe department says the law requires it to ensu
  
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• The Confluence Cast: Mayor Andrew Ginther

  22-03-2019 19:13
  
  
  They say politicians are only as good as their last election, but after that, they’re already looking towards the next election. After serving four years as mayor of Columbus, Andrew Ginther is reflecting on the accomplishments of his first term, but since he’s running unopposed for reelection, now he’s thinking about what to get done in his second term. […]
  
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• Arrests made in Columbus forgery case involving serial fraud offender, police say

  22-03-2019 18:55
  
  COLUMBUS — Columbus police have arrested an alleged serial fraud offender and another man on charges of counterfeiting and identity fraud.DeWayne Foster is alleged to have attempted to open a Kemba Financial Credit Union account for a loan of $15,000 under a fake name, according to police.Investigators say the bank employee believed the documents provided for the loan were fake and contacted police. Upon further investigation, police say it was determined the documents provided were forged
  
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• The American Legion Centennial Celebration

  22-03-2019 18:23 via youtube.com
  
  
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• Family identifies Mount Carmel St. Ann’s patient given excessive dose of fentanyl

  22-03-2019 18:07
  
  COLUMBUS – The family of a former Upper Sandusky educator and coach has identified him as the only Mount Carmel St. Ann’s patient who received an excessive dose of pain medication stemming from the patient dosing scandal.Robert Lee, 70, passed away on October 13, 2017, at Mount Carmel St. Ann’s in Westerville.The other 34 patients who are believed to have received excessive doses of pain medication between 2014 and 2018 were at Mount Carmel West.10 Investigates received this st
  
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• Opponents of Columbus ticket tax say they have enough signatures to put issue on ballot

  22-03-2019 18:05
  
  A group fighting the City Of Columbus' 5 percent ticket tax says it has enough signatures to put the ticket tax to a city-wide vote.Bret Adams who leads the anti-tax group says it's collected 18,350 signatures well above the 11,030 needed.The ticket tax will go into effect on July 1, 2019. Columbus City council passed the ticket tax on December 10, 2018.The money will provide new public dollars to invest in the arts which the city says is drastically underfunded compared to peer cities of its si
  
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• Parkland shooting survivor takes her own life

  22-03-2019 17:48
  
  On the day a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Sydney Aiello escaped with her life. However, the grief of losing 17 of her classmates and teachers, as well as the long-lasting effects of enduring such a traumatic event, weighed heavily on her. And this weekend, at the age of 19, Aiello took her own life.Now, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas community is mourning yet another loss.Sydney's mother, Cara Aiello, told CBS Miami that her daughter struggled with survivor's guilt a
  
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• Marion hot dog stand owner, 2 others accused of drug trafficking

  22-03-2019 16:46
  
  Marion police have arrested the owner of a hot dog stand and two others on suspicion of drug trafficking.The MARMET/METRICH Drug Task Force with police and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office served two search warrants in relation into the owner of Royal Dogs selling drugs.The owner, Illya Green, along with Salena Glenn and Kevin Swift were arrested on drug charges related to the warrant at the first location on W. Columbia Street.Police said formal charges will be submitted to Marion Count
  
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• Country singer Justin Carter dies after accidental shooting with music video prop

  22-03-2019 16:16
  
  A rising country singer from Texas has died after an accidental shooting, CBS Dallas Fort Worth reports. Justin Carter was filming a music video at his Houston apartment when a gun being used as a prop accidentally discharged, family members say, according to the affiliate.Carter, 35, leaves behind two daughters. In a message on the singer's Facebook page, his mother, Cindy McClellan, wrote that his death was ruled as an unfortunate accident. "A great loss for our family," she wrote. "He will be
  
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• 'It's full of beer!' Men find ‘magic fridge’ in flooded Nebraska field

  22-03-2019 16:01
  
  It’s kind of like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.Kyle Simpson and Gayland Stouffer discovered a refrigerator packed with ice-cold beer after a flood.The two Nebraska men were cleaning up near the Platte River when they saw the fridge.They trekked through waist-deep water, ice jams and washouts to get to it.When they opened it up, they found the prize.Simpson called it ‘a bright spot in a crappy day.’The two men touched based with the owner of the fridge and promi
  
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• Review: Short North Stage’s Riotous and Charming Pippin

  22-03-2019 15:34
  If any audience members still harbor doubt in their hearts that Amber Knicole is a star of supernova proportions, her turn as Leading Player in Short North Stage’s effervescent revival of Stephen Schwartz (music and lyrics) and Roger O. Hirson’s (book) Pippin, directed and choreographed by Edward Carignan, will lay those concerns to rest. A […]
  
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• Ohio State Fair Announces Concert Series Lineup

  22-03-2019 15:05
  The 2019 Ohio State Fair takes place July 24 through August 4 this year, and now an official lineup for the fair’s Concert and Event Series has been released. The state fair will host a variety of acts, including comedian Gabriel Iglesias, singer Toby Keith with special guest Jimmie Allen, and a stop from the […]
  
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• What’s Next for The Continent?

  22-03-2019 14:00
  Imagine seeing an advertisement for a new development that touts luxury apartments and townhomes situated in a “European style village (with) every convenience in strolling distance of your home.” Those conveniences include a wide range of unique, locally-owned retail shops, an artisan food market, a state-of-the-art pool and fitness center and a curated selection of […]
  
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• Face the State with Jerry Revish | March 24, 2019

  22-03-2019 13:47
  This week on Face The State:Presidential Focus - President Donald Trump traveled to Ohio to support a military tank plant in Lima.The visit came after a twitter feud over the General Motors plant closing in Lordstown.Critics say the president's efforts are too little, too late.City vs. State - Columbus city leaders are taking on the state of Ohio.The city filed a lawsuit last week against the state over the ability to pass local gun laws. City council and the mayor say they want the power to dec
  
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• Astronauts take spacewalk to swap space station's batteries

  22-03-2019 13:34
  
  Two American astronauts are taking a spacewalk to replace aging batteries on the International Space Station.NASA's Anne McClain and Nick Hague are scheduled to work in space Friday for several hours to swap out three old nickel-hydrogen batteries with more powerful lithium-ion batteries.The station's robotic arm did much of the heavy work already, but the astronauts still have to lug 300-pound adaptors the size of a large coffee table and reconnect attachments.Even when the chore is complete, t
  
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• Man arrested for shooting two passengers in car on I-670

  22-03-2019 13:11
  
  COLUMBUS, Ohio –Columbus police arrested the man they say shot two people while riding in a car on I-670.Franklin County court records confirm Demonte Walker was arrested Thursday evening and charged with three counts of felonious assault in connection with the highway shooting.According to police, the shooting happened March 10 when a car was traveling on I-670 east near Leonard Avenue when a silver vehicle pulled up next to it and someone shot multiple times from the back seat.Two passen
  
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• US forces say 2 American soldiers killed in Afghanistan

  22-03-2019 12:19
  
  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Two American service members were killed during an operation in Afghanistan on Friday, the U.S. and NATO forces said, providing no other details on the combat deaths.The fatalities, which bring to four the number of U.S. soldiers killed so far this year in Afghanistan, underscore the difficulties in bringing peace to the war-wrecked country even as Washington has stepped up efforts to find a way to end the 17-year war, America's longest.The U.S. and NATO Resolute
  
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• DoubleTree hotel apologizes after sign said service would be refused to military personnel

  22-03-2019 12:17
  
  The manager of a Doubletree by Hilton in Colorado said two employees had been fired after a customer posted a photo from the hotel that said"No longer serving military personnel and their guest(s)" during a "post deployment ceremony" for military members. The hotel's general manager Daniel Kammerer issued an apology on the hotel's Facebook page the same day, explaining two staff members, "acted without the proper authority to close and exclude military guests from our hotel's bar."A Facebook use
  
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• Trump policy of sending asylum seekers to Mexico faces judge

  22-03-2019 12:13
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A U.S. judge in San Francisco will scrutinize the Trump administration's policy of returning asylum seekers to Mexico during a court hearing Friday to help him decide whether to block the practice.Civil rights groups have asked Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco to put the asylum policy on hold while their lawsuit moves forward. Seeborg was not expected to rule immediately.The policy began in January at the San Ysidro border crossing in San Diego, marking an unprec
  
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• Boston brewery dedicates beer to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

  22-03-2019 12:06
  
  BOSTON- Another honor is brewing for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.Samuel Adams has created a new beer for International Women's Day and is naming it in honor of the justice.
  "When There Are Nine," a Belgian Bruit IPA, will be unveiled March 29 at the Samuel Adams Tap Room in Boston. The name of the beer is in reference to Ginsburg's famous response to the question "When will there be enough women on the Supreme Court?" the company said in an online invitation to the unveiling."We wa
  
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• Ohio man pleads not guilty in hit-and-run death of pedestrian

  22-03-2019 11:13
  
  AKRON, Ohio— A driver accused in a hit-and-run crash that killed an Ohio man who was outside retrieving his newspaper has pleaded not guilty to charges including vehicular homicide.Fifty-six-year-old Monte Porter III, of Bath Township, also pleaded not guilty Thursday in Akron Municipal Court to a hit-skip charge accusing him of leaving the scene of the crash that killed Ernest Liska.Akron police say Porter was driving an SUV left of center, struck a curb and a tree and then hit Liska befo
  
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• Governor declares state of emergency over road damage

  22-03-2019 11:10
  
  COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has declared a state of emergency in 37 Ohio counties that received serious highway damage from severe weather.The Republican governor said in a release this week that the emergency declaration will allow the state Department of Transportation and local governments to access federal emergency relief funds to help with the costs of repairs.The release says the counties included in the declaration suffered damage to roads and/or bridges from severe weat
  
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• Caregivers for disabled to see pay increase under proposal

  22-03-2019 11:07
  
  COLUMBUS, Ohio— Caregivers for Ohio residents with developmental disabilities could see a higher paycheck under a state-budget proposal.The Columbus Dispatch reports pay for home care workers would increase 11 percent over the next two years to $12.38 an hour.Jeff Davis, director of the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, says the disabilities system is facing a workforce crisis, with turnover rates nearing 60 percent.The base reimbursement rate for Medicaid-covered home and per
  
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• Alaska bistro defaced by racist graffiti, reference to Trump

  22-03-2019 11:02
  
  HOMER, Alaska— An Alaska restaurant has been defaced by racist graffiti that included a reference to President Donald Trump.The owners of Wasabi's Bistro near Homer in southern Alaska found racist messages that had been painted Wednesday night or Thursday morning, the Homer News reported Thursday.Police say the owners reported the orange spray paint messages that included a racist epithet, "Leve (sic) our town" and "Go back to Affrica (sic)" on the building's exterior walls.Among the messa
  
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• Mother Russia: South Florida sees a boom in 'birth tourism'

  22-03-2019 10:54
  
  MIAMI (AP) — Every year, hundreds of pregnant Russian women travel to the United States to give birth so that their child can acquire all the privileges of American citizenship.They pay anywhere from $20,000 to sometimes more than $50,000 to brokers who arrange their travel documents, accommodations and hospital stays, often in Florida.While the cost is high, their children will be rewarded with opportunities and travel advantages not available to their Russian countrymen. The parents them
  
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• Officials: Man defrauded donors with fake Bernie, Beto sites

  22-03-2019 10:48
  
  BLYTHE, Calif. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say an 80-year-old California man defrauded donors by setting up fake political action committees purporting to support campaigns including Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential bid and former Rep. Beto O'Rourke's Senate race in Texas.The Los Angeles Times reports Thursday that John Pierre Dupont is charged with wire fraud and identity theft. It wasn't immediately known if the Blythe resident has an attorney.Prosecutors say Dupont pocketed $250,000 in
  
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• Syria slams Trump statement on Israel sovereignty in Golan

  22-03-2019 10:44
  
  DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria slammed President Donald Trump's abrupt declaration that Washington will recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, saying Friday the statement was "irresponsible" and a threat to international peace and stability.The Foreign Ministry in Damascus said Trump's comments confirm "the blind bias of the United States to the Zionist entity," referring to Israel, and added that Trump's statement won't change "the fact that the Golan was an
  
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• R Kelly defense emerges, including saying accusers are lying

  22-03-2019 10:43
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — R. Kelly yelled through tears in a recent TV interview before an audience numbering in the millions, saying he's in a fight for his life to disprove sexual abuse charges. That fight will ultimately be waged in court, with an audience numbering just 12 jurors.While the day lawyers deliver opening statements to jurors inside a Cook County courtroom is still many months or even years away, court filings and comments by his lead attorney after the R&B star was charged in Feb
  
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• Police: Man killed in Hilltop shooting

  22-03-2019 02:52
  
  COLUMBUS, Ohio – A man is dead after a shooting in the Hilltop area of Columbus, according to police.Police said officers responded to the 100 block of Columbian Avenue around 9:30 p.m. Thursday.Police said the man was killed inside a house and investigators believe the shooting was the result of an argument.Officers were not able to provide suspect information.The man who was shot has not been identified.
  
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• Police arrest teenager in connection with Hilltop murder

  22-03-2019 02:52
  
  COLUMBUS, Ohio – Police have arrested a teenager in connection with a deadly shooting in the Hilltop area of Columbus.Police say officers responded to the 100 block of Columbian Avenue around 9:30 p.m. on March 21.David Lee Bush II was found inside a house suffering from a gunshot wound.First responders pronounced Bush dead at the scene.Columbus Police say a 17-year-old male was arrested on Wednesday in Huntington, West Virginia and is charged with murder.Investigators believe the shooting
  
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• Columbus Fire Dept. discusses mental health resources available after death of firefighter

  22-03-2019 02:32
  
  The number one question Katie-Jean Brintlinger says she's gotten in the last 18 days: How did you not know?"They're like, 'You were the closest to him, didn't you see something?" she said. "I'm like, 'If I would have seen something, do you think I would have ever let him out of my sight?'"She says she didn't know.She didn't know that after eight years of dating and five months of being engaged and one year of marriage that her husband, 29-year-old Shane Brintlinger, would take his own life."Shan
  
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• Mom, boyfriend get life in prison in Ohio 4-year-old girl's death

  22-03-2019 01:41
  
  CLEVELAND (AP) — An Ohio woman and her boyfriend have been sentenced to life in prison for the death of her 4-year-old daughter, who prosecutors say was abused, neglected and emaciated.Jurors in county court in Cleveland convicted 24-year-old Sierra Day and 27-year-old Deonte Lewis of aggravated murder and other charges in the March 2018 death of Aniya Day-Garrett.Day didn't speak at the sentencing Wednesday. Her lawyer argued she should eventually get an opportunity to push for parole, bu
  
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