Today’s News
What’s so bad about processed foods? Scientists offer clues
NEW YORK (AP) — Chips, soda and frozen pizzas tend to be full of salt, sugar and fat, but now scientists are trying to understand if there’s something else about such processed foods that might be bad for us. Already, the spread of cheap, packaged foods has been linked to rising obesity rates around the world. Yet advice to limit processed foods can seem unhelpful, given how convenient they are and the growing array of [...]
Latest public utility will remove coal ash from pits near Tennessee river
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The nation’s largest public utility on Thursday agreed to dig up and remove about 12 million cubic yards of coal ash from unlined pits at a Tennessee coal-burning power plant. Prompted by two environmental groups, the state sued the Tennessee Valley Authority in 2015 over pollution from coal ash dumps at the Gallatin Fossil Plant. According to court filings, pollutants leach from the ash into the groundwater and then enter the [...]
Eastmoor neighborhood hopes improvement district jump starts revitalization
With the help of a special improvement district, stakeholders within the East Main Street corridor of Columbus have taken initial steps to revitalize the area. Drivers are likely to notice the change in aesthetics on East Main Street when they reach the one-mile stretch between Bexley and Whitehall. For awhile, the corridor in the Eastmoor neighborhood was an afterthought for local funding compared with other comparable areas and struggled with issues such as crime, homelessness [...]
Younger Democratic presidential candidates hint at age divide in hitting Biden
WASHINGTON (AP) — Some of the younger candidates in the crowded Democratic presidential primary are suggesting that the early front-runner, 76-year-old Joe Biden , is too mired in the past. Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke , 46, and Pete Buttigieg , the 37-year old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, have stepped up questions this week about whether Biden really provides new perspectives for the direction of the country after the 2020 election. “We cannot return [...]
Seniors should beware of DNA testing scam
The Ohio Department of Insurance and the Ohio Department of Aging last week teamed up to warn Ohioans of a new scam targeting seniors. This time, the officials said, it’s genetic testing firms visiting senior communities or making unsolicited phone calls and mailings related to DNA screenings. In the scheme, which has been reported in Ohio and other states, firms reportedly collect consumers’ personal information under the pretense of DNA testing to screen them for [...]
Panel: 90 percent of sport bets could be online in 5 to 10 years
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Some gambling and technology executives say 90 percent of sports betting in the United States will be done over mobile phones or the internet in the next five to 10 years. Speaking this week at the East Coast Gaming Congress in Atlantic City, the leaders say rapid advances in technology are pushing sports betting further online. Since winning a U.S. Supreme Court case last year clearing the way for all [...]
Florida law to allow autonomous cars – when they’re ready
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Self-driving vehicles with no humans on board will be able to operate in Florida — once they’re finally ready for prime time — under a bill signed Thursday by Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis said he hopes to use the law to lure companies that test and build the cars. The measure, which takes effect July 1, also opens the door for on-demand ride companies such as Lyft and Uber to eventually [...]
New Oregon research lab, seed certification bring standards to hemp
AURORA, Ore. (AP) — A unit of wheat is a called a bushel, and a standard weight of potatoes is called a century. But hemp as a fully legal agricultural commodity is so new that a unit of hemp seed doesn’t yet have a universal name or an agreed-upon quantity. That’s one example of the startling lack of uniformity — and accountability — in an industry that’s sprung up almost overnight since the U.S. late [...]
‘Deepfakes’ called new election threat; no easy fix
WASHINGTON (AP) — “Deepfake” videos pose a clear and growing threat to America’s national security, lawmakers and experts say. The question is what to do about it, and that’s not easily answered. A House Intelligence Committee hearing Thursday served up a public warning about the deceptive powers of artificial intelligence software and offered a sobering assessment of how fast the technology is outpacing efforts to stop it. With a crudely altered video of House Speaker [...]
Legal News
Expanded Sunday liquor sales proposed
Long a vestige of what were known commonly as blue laws, a duo of lawmakers in the Ohio House of Representatives is taking a swipe [...]
For non-violent offenders City attorney implements new no bond release policy
A part of an effort to make criminal justice fairer and more efficient, City Attorney Zach Klein last week put into practice a new policy [...]
$15M in Volkswagen settlement grants available in 26 counties
The aging fleets of diesel vehicles in about a third of Ohio counties are eligible for an upgrade thanks to Volkswagen’s national settlement after it [...]
Business News
Women’s Business Center of Central Ohio honored by SBA
The Women’s Business Center of Central Ohio has been awarded the top women business center of the year by the Small Business Administration’s Columbus district. [...]
From Bogart to millennials: Italian hat maker tries new look
SPINETTA MARENGO, Italy — Hats off, Bogie. The traditional Italian hat maker Borsalino, whose fedora has defined the rough-and-tumble images of Robert Redford, Frank Sinatra [...]
Strong job market hampers FEMA hiring in flood-hit states
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency is facing an unexpected challenge in meeting the needs of the many people affected by this [...]
Real Estate
Former bank building houses luxury apartments in downtown Columbus
The completely refurbished Citizens Savings and Trust Co. building in Columbus’ booming uptown district offers the sort of downtown living that most people equate with [...]
Number of high-income renters continues to climb in central Ohio
The growth of high-income renter households in central Ohio outpaced its owner-occupied counterparts between 2012 and 2017, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. [...]
Broadway Station brings luxury apartment living to Grove City
Grove City in previous years may not have come to mind as the locale to find luxury living, but the outer ring suburb to Columbus’ [...]
Politics
Democrats worry as Trump unleashes money on 2020 digital campaign ads
WASHINGTON (AP) — While Democrats wage a wide open primary, President Donald Trump is blanketing battleground states with online advertising that could help set the [...]
Medicaid vote emerges as key in Virginia’s GOP primaries
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A top Virginia Republican who upset much of his party by supporting Medicaid expansion defeated a conservative challenger Tuesday in a [...]
Free traders no more? GOP warms up to Trump’s use of tariffs
WASHINGTON — Even with President Donald Trump backing off his threat to slap tariffs on goods from Mexico, his transformation of Republican Party trade policy [...]
