Today’s News
Organization gives local nonprofits a collective voice
A decade after its inception, the Human Services Chamber of Central Ohio has grown to become a relevant organization to serve and represent 80 nonprofit groups in the region, according to the Human Services Chamber’s leadership. Local nonprofit organizations, some of which are affiliates of larger organizations, started the Human Services Chamber of Central Ohio in 2010 to provide a collective voice among nonprofit organizations, said Michael Corey, Human Services Chamber’s executive director. The biggest [...]
Cosmetology inspector charged with submitting fraudulent timesheets
An inspector employed by the Ohio State Cosmetology and Barber Board may face charges associated with fraudulently completing work timesheets and receiving pay for hours she had not worked during 2019. A recent Ohio Inspector General’s report noted that the results of the investigation of cosmetology inspector and scheduler Paula Samples were turned over to the Franklin County prosecutor. Prompted by complaints about Samples’ recurrent pattern of absenteeism, a direct supervisor reviewed the woman’s timesheets, [...]
Tech-starved government seeks industry’s best, brightest
Denver (AP) — In this post-impeachment era of divisiveness and deadlock in the nation's capital, Uncle Sam has a message for top technologists: I Still Want You. A Washington-based nerd strike force called the U.S. Digital Service is seeking private-sector coders, programmers and software engineers to make government user-friendly for a tech-savvy American public. Launched after the 2013 crash of the Obama administration's Healthcare.gov website, the USDS recruits the nation's top tech talent for Peace [...]
Some worry if New York’s coming plastic bag ban goes far enough
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York retailers have begun giving up single-use plastic bags as the state prepares for the March 1 implementation of a ban aimed at reducing pollution, but many of those who support a move away from plastic are worried the new law doesn't go far enough. The law bars many types of businesses from using the thin plastic bags that have been clogging up landfills, getting tangled in trees and accumulating in [...]
Bloomberg takes veiled swipe at rival’s aggressive loyalists
CARSON CITY, Nev. — With the Nevada caucuses days away, Democratic presidential candidates campaigning were fixated on a rival who wasn't contesting the state. Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg all went after billionaire Mike Bloomberg and made clear they were eager to take him on in a debate. "He thinks he can buy this election," Sanders told a Carson City rally. "Well, I've got news for Mr. Bloomberg — [...]
Oregon wrestles with building
SALEM, Ore. — Experts say the big one is coming to the Pacific Northwest: a massive earthquake that will cause buildings and bridges to collapse and unleash a tsunami that will devastate the coast. But, doubling down on its decision last year to allow the construction of critical facilities in tsunami inundation zones, the Oregon legislature appears headed to approve building standards for those facilities, like police and fire stations. The House Committee on Natural [...]
Misguided China virus fears are hurting Asian American businesses
NEW YORK (AP) — In Arizona, a burgeoning Asian American community fields xenophobic calls about a planned night market featuring Asian street foods. In New York, a dim sum restaurant owner worries he won't make rent. In the San Francisco Bay Area, a local Asian American-owned restaurant chain is mulling temporarily shuttering one of its properties because of the downturn in trade. In major American cities, Asian American businesses are seeing a remarkable decline in [...]
State to use artificial intelligence in reforming regulations
The state’s Common Sense Initiative, or CSI, which reviews rules and works to improve the state’s regulatory climate, is incorporating artificial intelligence into the initiative’s efforts to reform the regulatory landscape of the Buckeye State. The Common Sense Initiative has partnered with InnovateOhio to launch the project, according to a press announcement last week. The implementation of the artificial intelligence tool is expected to allow the initiative to be proactive in the way it examines [...]
Pete Buttigieg’s next test after first two states: Winning over minority voters
So far, Pete Buttigieg has made it look easy. The once little-known former mayor of a midsize Midwestern city vaulted over a former vice president and several senators in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire presidential primary. The 38-year-old's fresh face, intellect and turn-the-page message won votes across many demographic groups in the kickoff states. Now the promise of his candidacy is colliding with the reality of the central question about his viability: Can he [...]
Buyers face more competition amid shortage of home listings
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Americans shopping for a home this spring may face more competition than they have in years. A strong labor market and growing pool of would-be buyers as more millennials enter their 30s is expected to fuel demand for homes at a time when the inventory of properties for sale is at the lowest level in more than a decade. While buyers will benefit from favorable mortgage rates, which remain near historic [...]
Legal News
Ohio bill proposing presidential candidates release tax returns is likely unconstitutional
Despite Supreme Court precedent, analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Service Commission and a federal judge’s move to block a similar California law, Democrats in the [...]
Change to concealed-carry law aims to end notification ‘gray area’
A Wooster lawmaker has championed a bill that would aim to eliminate an issue that has been percolating since the Buckeye State adopted the practice [...]
Unique Kansas fight over abortion has debate turned ‘on its head’
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators considering a proposed amendment to the state constitution on abortion are raising the spectre of women being forced back [...]
Business News
Restaurants romanticize about full cash registers for Valentine’s Day
While many people think of red and pink for Valentine’s Day, local restaurants are focused on green. Valentine’s Day is traditionally the second-busiest day of [...]
Nothing says romance like a 20-minute flight above the city on Valentine’s night
Talk to Carol Maker, an owner of storied Columbus barbecuer JP’s Barbecue, around this time of year and she may introduce herself as cupid. It’s [...]
Mother-daughter pair start business to get you organized
WAITE PARK, Minn. — After a dry run for her parents' garage sale, Julie Braun was ready to take her business live. She is ready [...]
Real Estate
Reports: Flooding risks could devalue Florida real estate, reduce tax revenues
MIAMI (AP) — Flooding due to climate change-related sea level rising, the erosion of natural barriers and long-periods of rain pose substantial economic risks to [...]
Home prices gains accelerate in October for second month
WASHINGTON (AP) — Home prices rose faster in October than the previous month as many would-be buyers competed for a limited supply of available properties. [...]
Zillow: Columbus home values rise
Columbus had the second fastest growing housing market among the 35 largest metropolitan areas in the United States, according to Zillow’s November Real Estate Market [...]
Politics
Fed Reserve gets bipartisan support for independence
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican and Democratic senators voiced strong support for an independent Federal Reserve during a hearing with Fed Chair Jerome Powell, one day [...]
President seeks a big increase in career-technical education money
President Donald Trump is proposing a $900 million increase in education spending to teach skills and trades, in what would be a historic federal infusion [...]
Biden faces competition for black vote in his South Carolina ‘firewall’
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Joe Biden is facing increasingly formidable competition in South Carolina, a state his campaign has long assumed was safely in his [...]
