Erin Gottsacker

Reporter, Ohio Newsroom at The Statehouse News Bureau

Radio reporter for The Ohio Newsroom. Previously @WXPR and @PeaceCorps Ethiopia. Seeking small town stories. Reach me: [email protected].

Articles

One Ohio city reduced its infant mortality rate. Now it’s helping others do the same

4 days ago | statenews.org | Erin Gottsacker

Ohio’s infant mortality rate is among the worst in the nation. More than seven of every thousand babies born here died before their first birthday in 2023. But while that statewidenumber has remained relatively stagnant for the past decade, infant mortality in one Ohio city has drastically declined. Now the state is endeavoring to expand Cincinnati’s success through an initiative called Partner for Change.
Where things stand one week after a chemical leak in Vinton County

1 week ago | statenews.org | Erin Gottsacker

Last week, residents in Zaleski — an area near Hocking Hills — were told to evacuate their homes. A tank at a nearby factory was leaking, releasing an orange plume of nitric oxide into the sky. It’s the latest — albeit least serious — chemical leak in Ohio: in September, a train car leaked styrene in a railyard west of Cincinnati, and two years ago, there was a train derailment in East Palestine that resulted in the controlled release of toxic chemicals there.
How a new program is sparking change in Ohio jails

1 week ago | statenews.org | Erin Gottsacker

The Sandusky County Jail in northern Ohio is relatively small. On average, about 80 people are incarcerated there and most don’t stay for more than a year. So, for a long time, there wasn’t much investment in educational programming. “They had tried off and on for a few years with a GED program,” said Deputy Caren Nemitz. “That didn't really gain any traction.”But recently, that’s changed.
How a draft plan aims to restore waters of the Ohio River Basin

1 week ago | statenews.org | Erin Gottsacker

The Ohio River and the tributaries, streams and lakes connected to it provide drinking water for more than 30 million people. But serious problems threaten the water’s quality — from sewage contamination to microplastics. To address those issues, researchers from the National Wildlife Federation, the Ohio River Basin Alliance and the University of Louisville released a draft plan earlier this month.
On National Trails Day, Buckeye Trail officials hope Ohioans conquer all 1,440-plus miles

3 weeks ago | statenews.org | Erin Gottsacker

The Buckeye Trail Association is attempting to set a record tomorrow with its Biggest Day Hike. In honor of National Trails Day, the organization is asking people to hike, bike or paddle along segments of the Buckeye Trail in an effort to collectively complete the approximately 1,440 mile loop in just one day. The feat has never been done before.
Ohio museums grapple with federal cuts to the humanities

3 weeks ago | statenews.org | Erin Gottsacker

Last year, the Noble County Historical Society in southeast Ohio celebrated its 60th birthday. The Ohio Humanities pitched in with a $1,100 grant. Though small, grant writer and volunteer Judy Robinson said the award enabled the society to bring in a speaker, orchestrate hay rides around an old homestead and advertise the event in a local paper. The day was a hit, Robinson remembered. “I had more tours, I think, than we'd had for several years in one day.
Less food, more demand: Ohio’s rural food pantries cope with federal cuts

3 weeks ago | statenews.org | Erin Gottsacker

As a steady trickle of cars pulled into a gravel roundabout one morning in Stockport, a tiny village in southeast Ohio, volunteers loaded cardboard boxes into truck beds and passenger seats. They were filled with pantry staples: apple juice, corn flakes, kidney beans and elbow macaroni. “We try to provide a three-day supply of food,” said Stefanie Thompson, the executive director of Morgan County United Ministries, which runs this mobile food pantry.
Earthquakes in Ohio? It is more likely than you think

4 weeks ago | exbulletin.com | Erin Gottsacker

Earthquakes in Ohio? It is more likely than you thinkWritten by: Erin Gottsacker | The newsroom was published in Ohio: Thursday, May 29, 2025Sensinati (Ohio's news room) – At the end of last month, a simple earthquake in Nobel County in southeast Ohio. After a few days, the population was another. Then another. By May 8, the Ohio Naio Ministry of Naio discovered 53 earthquakes in the province, prompting the agency to stop hydraulic cracking – or cracking – at a well pillow there.
Earthquakes in Ohio? It’s more likely than you think

1 month ago | wcsufm.org | Erin Gottsacker

At the end of last month, a minor earthquake rattled southeast Ohio’s Noble County. A few days later residents reported another. Then another. By May 8, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources had detected 53 earthquakes in the county, prompting the agency to halt hydraulic fracturing – or fracking – at a well pad there. “This part of the continent doesn't have a plate boundary now, but it did in the past,” said Mike Brudzinski, a professor of seismology with Miami University.
Earthquakes in Ohio? It’s more likely than you think

1 month ago | wyso.org | Erin Gottsacker

At the end of last month, a minor earthquake rattled southeast Ohio’s Noble County. A few days later residents reported another. Then another. By May 8, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources had detected 53 earthquakes in the county, prompting the agency to halt hydraulic fracturing – or fracking – at a well pad there. “This part of the continent doesn't have a plate boundary now, but it did in the past,” said Mike Brudzinski, a professor of seismology with Miami University.