Today’s News
DNO Produce unveils new packaging
Columbus-based DNO Produce has eliminated traditional single-use plastics from its FRESHEALTH product line, officials said in a news release. The family-owned fresh-cut produce manufacturing company has been able to accomplish the feat by using integrated film packaging with enhanced biodegradation and compostable cups for its individually packaged fresh food products. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for individually packaged produce surged, and we saw an opportunity to innovate our packaging to reduce landfill volume for [...]
AI was used to impersonate secretary of state and contact foreign, U.S. officials
WASHINGTON — The State Department is warning U.S. diplomats of attempts to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio and possibly other officials using technology driven by artificial intelligence, according to two senior officials and a cable sent last week to all embassies and consulates. The warning came after the department discovered that an impostor posing as Rubio had attempted to reach out to at least three foreign ministers, a U.S. senator and a governor, according [...]
Army moves toward discontinuing most ceremonial horse programs
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Army announced this week it is moving toward a future without ceremonial horses and will put most of them up for adoption. The Army, however, will keep operating the Old Guard ceremonial caisson units at Joint Base San Antonio and Arlington National Cemetery for burial honors. Ceremonial cavalry units will be closed down at bases including Fort Cavazos in Texas, the horses of which were showcased during the military parade [...]
Merck spends $10 billion for Verona Pharma
Pharmaceutical giant Merck is buying Verona Pharma, a company that focuses on respiratory diseases, in an approximately $10 billion deal. With the acquisition, Merck gets access to Verona Pharma’s chronic obstructive pulmonary disease medication Ohtuvayre. The Food and Drug Administration approved Ohtuvayre in June 2024 for the maintenance treatment of COPD in adults. “Ohtuvayre complements and expands our pipeline and portfolio of treatments for cardio-pulmonary diseases while delivering near- and long-term growth as well as [...]
Sophisticated job scams are on the rise and more people are falling for them despite warnings
NEW YORK (AP) — As job-seekers look for work in a challenging environment, an increasing number are falling victim to job scams that promise good pay for completing easy online tasks, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The scams start innocuously, often with a tailor-made text or WhatsApp message, and the scammers take time to build trust with the victim before cashing in on the relationship. “Most of the people who end up losing money [...]
Plans dropped to rewrite Biden-era asbestos ban
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is dropping plans to allow continued use of the last type of asbestos legally allowed in U.S. manufacturing after an outcry from asbestos opponents. The Environmental Protection Agency said in a court filing that it now will defend the Biden administration’s ban of chrysotile asbestos, which is used in products such as brake blocks and sheet gaskets. The carcinogenic chemical has been mostly phased out in the United States, [...]
Ohio awards $310 million to Anduril
COLUMBUS (AP) — Defense contractor Anduril Industries has been awarded a $310 million grant from Ohio’s job creation office, as the company prepares to build a massive advanced manufacturing facility near Columbus. JobsOhio announced execution of the 30-year economic development agreement this week. The deal calls for Costa Mesa, Calif.-based Anduril to create 4,008 new jobs and more than $530 million in new payroll and to make at least $910.5 million in capital investment within [...]
Court: Law preempting local tobacco rules is unconstitutional
A Franklin County Appeals Court panel this week affirmed a trial court’s judgment that a state law devised to preempt Ohio cities’ regulation of tobacco products is unconstitutional. The Tenth District Court of Appeals panel found that R.C. 9.681 blatantly disregarded the state constitution’s Home Rule Amendment, which grants municipalities independent authority to exercise all powers of local self-government and to adopt local regulations that do not conflict with general laws. “We find the trial [...]
IRS says clergy may endorse political candidates
WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS says pastors who endorse political candidates from the pulpit should not have to risk losing their tax-exempt status. The move effectively calls for a carve out for religious organizations from the rarely used IRS rule called the Johnson Amendment, put in place in 1954 and named after then-Sen. Lyndon Johnson. The amendment to the U.S. tax code prohibits tax-exempt organizations, including churches, from endorsing or opposing political candidates. In a [...]
Lawsuit filed against plan to fund stadium
COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio Republicans’ strategy for funding a new domed stadium for the Cleveland Browns using residents’ unclaimed funds violates multiple provisions of the state and federal constitutions, according to a class action lawsuit filed in county court. Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann and former state Rep. Jeffrey Crossman, both Democrats, filed the expected legal action in Franklin County Common Pleas this week on behalf of three named Ohio residents, as well as [...]
Legal News
Appeals panel denies man’s request for a second continuance
A Franklin County appeals court panel affirmed a trial court’s denial of a Grove City man’s request for a second continuance in a civil protection [...]
Supreme Court will take up transgender sports case
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case over state restrictions on which school sports teams transgender students may join. Just [...]
$95M overdraft case against Navy Federal dismissed
NEW YORK (AP) — Navy Federal Credit Union no longer will have to refund $80 million to servicemen and women for illegally charging them overdraft [...]
Business News
Wendy’s names interim CEO as Tanner departs for Hershey
Wendy’s announced this week that Ken Cook will serve as interim chief executive officer as current President and CEO Kirk Tanner prepares to leave the [...]
Japan, South Korea hit with 25 percent tariffs, new import taxes levied on 12 other countries
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump this week set a 25 percent tax on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, as well as new tariff [...]
Microsoft’s largest layoff in years hits Xbox, sales divisions
Microsoft says it is laying off about 9,000 workers, its second mass layoff in months and its largest in more than two years. The tech [...]
Real Estate
Investors snap up growing number of homes in U.S.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Real estate investors are snapping up a bigger share of U.S. homes on the market as rising prices and stubbornly high [...]
New coal sales from public lands considered
DENVER (AP) — Federal officials this week took a first step toward reopening vast areas of public lands in two Western states to new coal [...]
Stadium where Ruth played in Tokyo set for demolition
TOKYO (AP) — Plans to demolish an historic baseball stadium at which Babe Ruth played and an adjacent rugby venue are at the heart of [...]
Politics
Local road project receives $2.5 million in state funding
A roundabout planned for Cassady Avenue in Columbus is one of 55 new traffic safety projects statewide to receive a total of $137.5 million in [...]
Administration to review grants for school programs
The Trump administration has accused states and schools of using federal education grants earmarked for immigrants’ children and low-income students to help fund “a radical [...]
Senate strikes AI provision from GOP bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — A proposal to deter states from regulating artificial intelligence for a decade was soundly defeated in the Senate, thwarting attempts to insert [...]