Today’s News
Fashion capital New York considers banning sale of all new fur products
NEW YORK (AP) — A burgeoning movement to outlaw fur is seeking to make its biggest statement yet in the fashion mecca of New York City. Lawmakers are pushing a measure that would ban the sale of all new fur products in the city where such garments were once common and style-setters including Marilyn Monroe, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Joe Namath and Sean “Diddy” Combs have all rocked furs over the years. A similar measure in [...]
Stars from Susan Sarandon to Ben Affleck donate to Democratic hopefuls
WASHINGTON (AP) — From Ben Affleck and Susan Sarandon to Anna Wintour and Willie Nelson, celebrities lined up to give money — and a dash of star power — to their favorite Democratic presidential candidates ahead of this week’s first quarter fundraising deadline. For months, candidates in the crowded field of more than a dozen contenders have aggressively courted key figures in music, television, publishing and film, who are one of the party’s most reliable [...]
Electric car makers woo Chinese buyers with range, features
SHANGHAI — Automakers showcased electric SUVs and sedans with longer range and luxury features this week at the Shanghai auto show, wooing Chinese buyers as Beijing slashes subsidies that helped to launch the industry. Two of China’s biggest state-owned automakers unveiled models they said can travel 370 miles on one charge, or nearly double the range of global competitors. If that can be achieved, it would raise the standard for an industry trying to compete [...]
Activist behind anti-abortion heartbeat bill not at signing
COLUMBUS — One of the nation’s fiercest advocates for banning abortions at the first detectable heartbeat was missing when Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed the bill into Ohio law. Legislative leaders, bill sponsors, pastors, pregnancy center operators and members of Ohio Right to Life — the state’s leading anti-abortion group — attended last week’s bill signing. Absent was anti-abortion activist Janet Folger Porter, founder and president of Faith2Action, the group she used to originate and [...]
Bipartisan plan would protect state’s war relics
A proposal in the Ohio House of Representatives acknowledges the state’s fallen sons and daughters and the role Ohio veterans have played in wars since before the country’s founding. At the same time, the Ohio Veterans’ Heritage Protection Act was proposed to thwart future desecration of war memorials, cemeteries and relics throughout the Buckeye State. A bronze statue representing one of the thousands of Confederate soldiers buried at Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery in Columbus’ Hilltop [...]
School shootings’ effects on police officers understudied
LITTLETON, Colo. — The first SWAT team members to see the horror in the Columbine High School library had to step around bodies and ignore a wounded student’s plea for help as they searched for shooters they didn’t know had already died by their own hands. As member Grant Whitus put it, officers carried something home with them that day, a level of trauma and a sense of futility that stayed with them for years [...]
Lewis Center wellness firm evolves as trends change
Alyfe Wellbeing Strategies, a Lewis Center company that started 15 years ago as a community wellness center, has evolved into a firm that takes a more holistic approach to wellness — beyond physical health to help improve clients’ financial and social wellbeing, too. Corporate wellness continues to change as the industry moves away from offering simple wellness programs and focusing more on wellbeing as a concept, said Ashwin Lakhi, vice president of national sales for [...]
Car-sharing offers ways to profit from or ditch personal car
NEW YORK — While a growing number of Americans are struggling to make payments on their auto loans, a new crop of companies is offering alternative ways for car owners to get rid of costly vehicles or earn money while their cars would normally sit idle. Companies such as Turo and Getaround provide a platform for individual car owners to rent out their own personal vehicles to nearby drivers who find the cars using a [...]
New business owners find it’s a mistake to work for free to try and build clientele
NEW YORK (AP) — It’s a situation many new business owners land in — they’re so anxious to find customers and clients that they work for little or no money. Or take on projects they don’t like. These owners hope to get referrals, build a portfolio or get photos and testimonials for their websites. Instead, they wind up with a lot of grief and regrets. Elise Gelwicks recalls feeling desperate for clients when she started [...]
Legal News
Dissenting opinions: Ruling erroneously dictates workers’ compensation payouts
The Supreme Court of Ohio narrowly dismissed the appeal of an Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation ruling that centered on the manner in which the [...]
In ‘FUCT’ fashion brand case, Supreme Court justices avoid saying word
WASHINGTON (AP) — None of the Supreme Court’s justices wanted to say the four-letter word. The high court was discussing a trademark case Monday involving [...]
House proposal goes after solicitation
A pair of lawmakers in the Ohio House of Representatives are hoping to stanch the rising incidents of prostitution associated with the state’s opioid crisis. [...]
Business News
Some local television stations plan to implement new broadcast technology
Some Columbus TV stations are expected to be among many stations across the country implement a new generation of broadcast technology, including the ability to [...]
Mainstream retailers embrace marijuana’s less taboo cousin
NEW YORK — Mainstream retailers are leaping into the world of products such as skin creams and oils that tout such benefits as reducing anxiety [...]
Journalism or not? WikiLeaks’ status in media world complex
NEW YORK (AP) — After the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in London, his lawyer was quick to characterize it as an assault against [...]
Real Estate
Report: Costs for selling a home in central Ohio are below national average
Central Ohio’s hidden costs for selling a home is below the national average, according to a new report. Local homeowners spend about $16,813 to sell [...]
Indianapolis’ historic downtown White Castle building sells
INDIANAPOLIS — The visually unavoidable but itty-bitty historic White Castle building at the corner of Fort Wayne Avenue and Delaware Street here finally sold after [...]
Group asks state to spend more money on affordable housing
The Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, or COHHIO, is calling on state and federal leaders for actionable steps to expand affordable housing in [...]
Politics
Dem activists eye a 2020 election focus beyond ‘getting rid of Trump’
WASHINGTON (AP) — Leaders of a prominent liberal group are urging Democratic presidential contenders who are pitching massive policy changes to also focus on more [...]
Bill would providing privacy shield to mental health workers
A bipartisan effort to expand privacy protections for certain mental health workers cleared the Ohio House of Representatives last week and awaits Senate consideration. By [...]
United States to China: Don’t steal trade secrets the way we used to do
WASHINGTON (AP) — The upstart nation was a den of intellectual piracy. One of its top officials urged his countrymen to steal and copy foreign [...]
