WOSU-TV (Columbus, OH)

2 days ago | wosu.org | Adriana Martinez-Smiley

Ohio House lawmakers voted this month to make steep cuts to the statewide water quality program, which was formed after toxins left Toledo temporarily without safe drinking water. H2Ohio has since funded programs to prevent farm runoff, protect water supplies and other water quality solutions. The proposed $120 million cut in the House's budget has alarmed local and regional environmental advocates and some state leaders.

2 days ago | wosu.org | Tana Weingartner

There's hope for a rare bird that's been extinct in the wild for 40 years. Eggs from a pair of Guam kingfishers have been spotted on an atoll in the Pacific Ocean where scientists are hoping to reestablish the birds. The Guam kingfisher, or Sihek as it's called by the indigenous CHamoru people of Guam, was nearly wiped out by an invasive brown tree snake introduced accidentally by ships in the 1940s.

6 days ago | wosu.org | Sarah Donaldson

U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) said Friday the historic Chillicothe paper mill, owned currently by Pixelle Specialty Solutions, will pause its permanent closure until December. Pixelle and its parent, the private equity firm H.I.G. Capital, made public the decision to permanently close the plant Tuesday.

6 days ago | wosu.org | Sarah Donaldson

In Ohio, executions have stood still for nearly seven years, due in part to what Gov. Mike DeWine says is pharmaceutical companies’ opposition to use of their products in the drug concoction that creates a lethal injection. One man was sentenced to death in 2024, which was the state’s first death sentence since 2020, according to Attorney General Dave Yost’s recent annual capital case analysis.

1 week ago | wosu.org | Debbie Holmes

As the Trump administration targets immigrants for removal from the United States, Columbus leaders have established a Commission on Immigrant and Refugee Affairs. It’s estimated more than 23,000 international migrants moved into Columbus between 2023 and 2024. The commission’s new chair, Bartholomew Shepkong, spoke with WOSU’s Debbie Holmes to explain what the agency will do. Debbie Holmes: What are the biggest needs of these communities and has that changed over the years?