Today’s News
Double duty: Senators juggle presidential bids and day jobs
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fresh off jumping into the 2020 presidential race, Sen. Elizabeth Warren had plans to meet voters in Las Vegas. The only problem: a government shutdown roiling Washington. The Massachusetts Democrat had to decide whether to keep her plans in a critical early voting state or stay in Washington in case her vote was needed in the Senate to end the impasse. She ultimately decided to remain in the capital and will make [...]
Strangers’ suspicions rankle parents of mixed-race children
PHOENIX — Amberkatherine DeCory carried photos of her daughter’s birth certificate in her diaper bag in case she had to prove that the lighter-skinned girl was really hers. Cydnee Rafferty sends a letter with her husband explaining that he has permission to travel with their 5-year-old biracial daughter. Families like theirs were not surprised when they heard that Cindy McCain had reported a woman to police for possible human trafficking because the widow of Sen. [...]
Federal report finds problems with student loan servicing, oversight
NEW YORK (AP) — The nine companies and organizations tasked with servicing the accounts of the nation’s 30 million student loan borrowers repeatedly failed to do their jobs properly over a period of years and their regulator neglected to hold them responsible, a new report finds. The report released Thursday by the Department of Education’s independent inspector general’s office shows some borrowers weren’t getting the guidance and protection they needed as they sought the best [...]
Fentanyl deaths from illicit ‘Mexican oxy’ pills hit Arizona hard
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Aaron Francisco Chavez swallowed at least one of the sky blue pills at a Halloween party before falling asleep forever. He became yet another victim killed by a flood of illicit fentanyl smuggled from Mexico into the Southwest — a profitable new business for drug gangs that has pushed the synthetic opioid to the top spot for fatal U.S. overdoses. Three others at the party in Tucson also took the pills [...]
New research from University of Toledo may unlock secrets of treating Type I diabetes
Researchers from the University of Toledo have figured out a new way to replicate the development and progression of Type I diabetes in lab mice, the university announced last week. Considered a breakthrough with the potential of reshaping how the chronic disease, which afflicts an estimated 1.25 million Americans, is studied, the research and findings were published Feb. 7 in the natural sciences journal Scientific Reports. While the condition can be managed with insulin, finding [...]
Idea Foundry growing along with its neighborhood
Coinciding with the rebirth of the Columbus neighborhood it’s located in — Franklinton — the Idea Factory’s activity, size and reputation continue to grow since moving there five years ago. Founded more than a decade ago by Alex Bandar, the Idea Foundry has grown from a tool-share cooperative with fewer than 50 members to a makerspace that now has more than 700 members who pay for space to create their wares or participate in workshops. [...]
Is it love? Maybe not, as romance scams proliferate
Is it love? Maybe not. The FTC announced last week that romance-related scams have surged recently and generated more losses than any other consumer fraud reported to the agency last year. The number of these romance scams reported to the agency jumped from 8,500 in 2015 to more than 21,000 in 2018. And the amount lost by victims has quadrupled over that period — reaching $143 million last year. The median reported loss for victims [...]
Federal, state income tax updates await early filers
Income tax filing season is well under way and both state tax officials and the Internal Revenue Service have begun processing payments and refunds. The average wait on a federal tax return filed now is little more than a week for an e-filed, direct-deposited refund, according to the Internal Revenue Service. Changes, however, to both federal and state income tax law may hold up the average early filer, tax officials expect. A doubling of the [...]
Here’s what Florida’s most popular Airbnb is like
BISCAYNE PARK, Fla. — Behind a discreet one-story, white textured house in Biscayne Park sits the most popular Airbnb rental in all of Florida. Paola Ugolini has lived in the 1920s house with her family for 17 years. Originally she imagined her backyard cottage as a place for her relatives from Europe to stay when they visited Miami. But the family visits were sparse, and the cottage remained empty for much of the year. So [...]
Grandview animation firm continues to grow
Someone opens a laptop, revealing the Ohio Lottery’s logo on the screen. Lottery tickets in the waste bin, on the countertop or lying crinkled on the floor come to life. Together the animated slips jump into the laptop as the narrator explains the latest promotion for old lottery tickets. The animated commercial is one of the many projects Pixel Park has worked on since Matt Hoelter started the creative studio in 2013. The firm occupies [...]
Legal News
Long-term care rape in Arizona spurs video surveillance push
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona is trying to catch up to 10 states with laws allowing electronic monitoring and other technology aimed at deterring abuse of [...]
U.A. Christian school seeks High Court ruling in religious suit
Lawyers from the organization that successfully argued the religious discrimination case of a Colorado cake baker before the U.S. Supreme Court have asked the high [...]
Pilot programs intended to address changing family court dynamics
Today’s families don’t necessarily reflect the family model around which family courts throughout the United States were developed, a nonprofit organization championing the administration of [...]
Business News
From humble beginnings, Columbus’ Wolf Metals has reached capacity again
Starting out in a two-care garage in the early 1970s, Wolf Metals now has outgrown its 70,000-square-foot facility on Columbus’ west side. “We’re out of [...]
Few companies offer phased-retirement that lets workers ease into sunset
Plenty has been written about workers’ failure to plan adequately for retirement. Their employers seem to be doing an even worse job. Only 1 in [...]
Grab a soda and go: Convenience stores get more convenient
SAN FRANCISCO — Get ready to say good riddance to the checkout line. A year after Amazon opened its first cashier-less store, startups and retailers [...]
Real Estate
Columbus is good market for first-time homebuyers
The Columbus area was identified as a top area for first-time homebuyers, according to an online loan marketplace. LendingTree ranked the city seventh among the [...]
Often due to location, Columbus studio apartments more expensive than one-bedroom ones
The rental of a one-bedroom apartment or home is cheaper than a studio apartment in central Ohio, according to one study. The median monthly rent [...]
Another report shows downside to Columbus’ hot housing market
A $1,000 increase in the cost of a new homes would push more than 1,300 prospective homebuyers out of central Ohio’s market, according to a [...]
Politics
Iowa Democrats propose ‘virtual’ caucuses in 2020
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Democratic Party this week proposed the biggest changes to the state’s famed caucuses in nearly 50 years by recommending [...]
Board of Elections rolls out new voting machines ahead of May primary
Franklin County Board of Elections officials took to the road earlier this week to reveal to eager voters and curious onlookers alike the new voting [...]
State’s highway budget shortfall has Ohio farmers concerned
As the nascent 133rd General Assembly of the Ohio Legislature begins meeting in regular sessions this week, the Ohio Farm Bureau has announced the legislative [...]
