Today’s News
Pollution fears: Swollen rivers swamp ash dumps, hog farms
Flooded rivers from Florence’s driving rains have begun to swamp coal ash dumps and low-lying hog farms, raising pollution concerns as the swollen waterways approach their crests. Duke Energy said the weekend collapse of a coal ash landfill at the mothballed L.V. Sutton Power Station near Wilmington, N.C., is an “on-going situation,” with an unknown amount of potentially contaminated storm water flowing into a nearby lake. At a different power plant near Goldsboro, three old [...]
To avoid overdoses, some users test their heroin before they take it
NEW YORK (AP) — The newest tool in the fight against opioid overdoses is an inexpensive test strip that can help heroin users detect a potentially deadly contaminant in their drugs. Sales of fentanyl test strips have exploded as a growing number of overdose-prevention programs hand them out to people who use illicit drugs. Though they weren’t designed for it, the test strips can signal the presence of fentanyl in illicit drugs. Some health officials [...]
Survey: 2 million teens are vaping marijuana
A school-based survey shows nearly 1 in 11 students have used marijuana in electronic cigarettes, heightening concern about the new popularity of vaping among teens. E-cigarettes typically contain nicotine, but results published Monday mean 2.1 million middle and high school students have used them to get high. The devices are generally considered a less dangerous alternative to regular cigarettes, despite little research on their long-term effects including whether they help smokers quit. The rise in [...]
GOP, White House fret about election prospects
WASHINGTON (AP) — The prognosis for President Donald Trump and his party was grim. In a post-Labor Day briefing at the White House, a top Republican pollster told senior staff that the determining factor in the election wouldn’t be the improving economy or the steady increase in job creation. It would be how voters feel about Trump. And the majority of the electorate, including a sizeable percentage of Republican-leaning voters, doesn’t feel good about the [...]
Leaked docs show Assange bid for Russian visa
LONDON (AP) — Julian Assange had just pulled off one of the biggest scoops in journalistic history, splaying the innards of American diplomacy across the web. But technology firms were cutting ties to his WikiLeaks website, cable news pundits were calling for his head and a Swedish sex crime case was threatening to put him behind bars. Caught in a vise, the silver-haired Australian wrote to the Russian Consulate in London. “I, Julian Assange, hereby [...]
For homebuyers, mortgages are safer but tougher to come by
Keri Weishaar lives in a spacious, four-bedroom house near Tampa, Fla., thanks to the easy financing that prevailed during last decade’s housing boom. “It was basically nothing to get into this house,” said Weishaar, 48, who bought the house in the spring of 2003 after obtaining a no-money down, adjustable-rate mortgage. Then again, Weishaar and her husband are fortunate to still have their home. That same mortgage eventually morphed into a financial albatross and, for [...]
Decade later: Safer financial system yet much hasn’t changed
On the brink of crumbling a decade ago, America’s financial system was saved by an extraordinary rescue that revived Wall Street and the economy yet did little for individuals who felt duped and left to suffer from the reckless bets of giant banking institutions. The government intervention shored up the banking system, allowed credit to flow freely again and helped set the economy on a path toward a painfully slow but lasting recovery from the [...]
Columbus ranks 34th as ‘boomtown’
Central Ohio was among the top 50 metropolitan areas considered to be the “biggest boomtowns” in America. Columbus ranked No. 34 out of the 100 largest metro areas in analysis from personal finance website Magnify Money. “We wanted to find out where Americans are gathering now to take advantage of growing prosperity and improved lifestyles to achieve the American dream,” said Kali McFadden, a senior research analyst for the website and who authored the report. [...]
Fall’s a great time to plant trees and shrubs
Fall is a good time to plant trees and shrubs — the best time, in fact, for most of them. Whether purchased through the mail or locally, these plants are available in three ways: BARE-ROOT “Bare-root” trees and shrubs are grown in the field, then dug up while they are leafless, which might be done in either fall or spring. Those dug in fall are sold immediately or are stored through winter with their roots [...]
Primary season sets up a brawl for November votes
The stage is set for a November brawl that could loosen President Donald Trump’s grip on Washington. Elections in New York Thursday marked the end of a long, dramatic and sometimes tumultuous primary season that reshaped both parties going into the midterm elections. Democrats have a younger, more liberal, and more diverse slate of candidates they believe can flip control of the House and reclaim several governor’s offices. Republicans, meanwhile, have doubled down on being [...]
Legal News
Proposal would mandate grading of all new laws on health impact
Every new law, administrative rule, directive or state policy would be graded on its health impact of Ohio citizens if a measure championed by a [...]
Bill goes after reckless drivers flouting school bus-stop law
A pair of central Ohio lawmakers are hopeful their peers will consider a measure ultimately intended to improve the safety of students while boarding and [...]
Oregon will require notification from growers of marijuana harvest
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Before Matthew Miller harvests marijuana this fall from his fields in southern Oregon, he’ll have to notify the state for the [...]
Business News
U.S. ‘likely’ has taken over as the world’s top oil producer
The United States may have reclaimed the title of the world’s biggest oil producer sooner than expected. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said Wednesday that [...]
Ohio, Indiana Volunteers of America groups merge into one organization
The Ohio and Indiana affiliates of Volunteers of America have merged into a new organization. The new Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana will serve [...]
Report shows Columbus hospitals’ profits rose last year
Area hospitals reported strong profits over the last two years, according to a new study. Hospitals in Columbus reported a net income of $1.5 billion [...]
Real Estate
Report: Central Ohioans paying spending a little more on their mortgages
The share of income spent on a monthly mortgage payment in central Ohio ticked up in the second quarter of 2018, while the share spent [...]
‘Hidden costs’ of homeownership in Columbus area is on par with national average
Central Ohio homeowners on average pay almost $10,000 per year in hidden costs, according to a recent analysis. In Columbus, where the median home value [...]
Rising home prices in Columbus may be easing
Homebuyers may finally be getting some relief in central Ohio’s housing market. The share of listings with a price cut was at 15.1 percent in [...]
Politics
Upcoming redistricting is a backstory of 2018 midterms
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The task of drawing new boundaries for thousands of federal and state legislative districts is still about three years away, yet [...]
Proposed legislation seeks to recognize Latino contributions to the Buckeye State
Rather than having to introduce and pass a resolution every year to recognize the contributions Latin Americans have made to Ohio, a pair of Latino [...]
High stakes as two-month sprint to mid-term Election Day begins
WASHINGTON (AP) — Control of Congress and the future of Donald Trump’s presidency are on the line as the primary season closes this week, jump-starting [...]
