Mother, daughter killed in Ohio house fire

Published

1 year ago

October 5, 2024

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Mother, daughter killed in Ohio house fire

Two people are dead after a house fire in northern Ohio on Saturday morning.

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The fire was reported in Wakeman, which is in Huron County, around 8:15 a.m.

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Wakeman Assistant Fire Chief Eschen confirmed to WOIO in Cleveland that a mother and daughter were killed in the fire.

No other injuries were reported.

The Wakeman Fire District took to social media to thank the other fire departments who helped put the fire out.

The fire remains under investigation.

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Ohio bill would cut funding to school districts suing over vouchers: Capitol Letter

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38 minutes ago

February 4, 2026

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Ohio bill would cut funding to school districts suing over vouchers: Capitol Letter

Rotunda Rumblings

Not vouching for that: A new Ohio House bill would withhold all state funding to local school districts suing over the state’s education funding formula, including the 100-plus districts suing the state over private school vouchers, Laura Hancock reports. Last year, the average amount of a school district’s funding that came from the state was 37%. The school districts mostly won their case against vouchers, but it’s now in a state appellate court.

Power check: A federal judge blocked the end of protections for Haitians, citing sharp concerns about how the government made its decision. While much of the attention focused on conditions in Haiti, the case may hinge on whether federal agencies must explain their actions. Anna Staver reports the outcome could shape how much power courts have to review major government decisions.

Harsh words: The judge’s decision Monday that blocked the Trump administration from ending protections for Haitians in the U.S. was a sharply worded departure from the long history federal judges have of using even tones to explain the opinions. Here’s some of her more pointed remarks.

Who’s call? A new Ohio House bill would reverse a recent Ohio High School Athletic Association policy that allows middle and high school athletes to enter into sponsorships and other agreements to make money off their name, image and likeness. The OHSAA had long banned NIL agreements for middle and high school students. But the organization passed a policy permitting them in November, when it lost a round in court a month before, Hancock reports. The bill sponsors say allowing corporations into interscholastic athletics ruins the benefits of sports, and that young preteens, especially, cannot handle a contract with a business. It’s the third time in recent years that the legislature has sounded off on OHSAA policies and protocols.

Green light: Attorney General Dave Yost on Tuesday certified a referendum petition seeking to block portions of Ohio’s marijuana and hemp regulations from taking effect, Mary Frances McGowan reports. The certification allows Ohioans for Cannabis Choice to begin gathering the nearly 250,000 signatures necessary to place the measure on the November ballot. The proposed referendum seeks to repeal much of Senate Bill 56, which Gov. Mike DeWine signed in December. The petition would repeal provisions related to the regulation, criminalization, and taxation of cannabis products.

No exceptions: New bipartisan legislation pending in the Ohio Senate would prohibit anyone under age 18 from marrying in Ohio, eliminating current exceptions that allow 17-year-olds to wed, McGowan reports. Ohio law allows 17-year-olds to marry with juvenile court consent if they prove to a judge that they have received marriage counseling, underwent a 14-day waiting period and that the age difference is no more than four years. Senate Bill 341, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Bill DeMora and Republican Sen. Louis Blessing, would make the state’s minimum marriage age 18 an absolute requirement with no exceptions.

Opening salvos: Two former FirstEnergy executives’ obsession with hiking stock prices and fattening their wallets led them to bribe a top state regulator who was supposed to protect customers, prosecutors said Tuesday during opening statements in a key bribery trial, Adam Ferrise reports.

Flattery drive: U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno joined President Donald Trump and industry leaders in the Oval Office on Monday for an event to announce development of a strategic critical minerals reserve, where the Westlake Republican effusively praised Trump and tied the initiative to the auto industry where he made his fortune, Sabrina Eaton writes. “You know not to be hyperbolic, but if you hadn’t been elected the auto industry in America would be over,” said Moreno. “The country would be over,” Trump added.

Money talks: Republican Vivek Ramaswamy far outpaced Democrat Amy Acton in fundraising last year, raising an eye-watering $19.5 million to Acton’s $4.4 million. As Jeremy Pelzer reports, both are records: Ramaswamy for any Ohio governor candidate the year before the election, and Acton for any Democratic gubernatorial hopeful during that time. Ramaswamy’s campaign filings show he spent $513,000 in 2025 on the Columbus-area billionaire’s private jet, plus another $312,000 on charter flights. Ex-Ohio Democratic Party Chair David Pepper and his family, meanwhile, gave $32,500 to Acton’s campaign after she picked him as her running mate.

Censorship in Europe: The House Judiciary Committee chaired by Ohio’s Jim Jordan on Tuesday released a 160-page interim report that accuses European Union regulators of conducting a decade-long campaign to censor political speech worldwide, including content posted by Americans in the United States, Eaton writes. “For more than a year, the Committee has been warning that European censorship laws threaten U.S. free speech online,” said a social media statement from the Champaign County Republican. “Now, we have proof: Big Tech is censoring Americans’ speech in the U.S., including true information, to comply with Europe’s far-reaching Digital Services Act.”

Show of support: Ohio lawmakers heard sobering testimony on Tuesday from advocates backing House Bill 524, which is aimed at protecting vulnerable Ohioans from artificial intelligence chatbots that encourage self-harm or harm to others, McGowan writes. Tony Coder, CEO of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, told the Ohio House Innovation and Technology Committee that he has heard from at least four Ohio parents who lost children to suicide whose children had their suicide letters written by artificial intelligence.

Lobbying Lineup

Five organizations that were registered to lobby on House Bill 561 through December, which would require public and most private school to notify parents of the exemptions in the law to vaccination requirements. The bill has its first hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning in the Ohio House Health Committee.

Akron Children’s Hospital
Ohio Department of Children and Youth
American Academy of Pediatrics, Ohio Chapter
Pfizer Inc.
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)

On The Move

Orlando Sonza, a Cincinnati Republican who ran against U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman in 2026, is one of the attorneys prosecuting independent journalist Don Lemon for entering a church in Minnesota.

The Ohio Children’s Hospital Association has named Kate Huffman as its vice president. She has over a decade of experience in legislative and executive lobbying. She previously worked for the Ohio Hospital Association and the office of the Ohio Speaker of the House.

Birthdays

State Sen. Michele Reynolds William Wohrle, legislative aide to state Rep. DJ Swearingen

Straight from the Source

“The past (few) Sundays I have been preaching on Genesis Chapter 1 where God is able to bring structure to the chaos and I encouraged my congregants to keep heart and keep praying because the same God who says that let there be light and there was light, it’s the same God today … and he speaks especially when there is this type of trouble.”

 Vilès Dorsainvil, local pastor and Haitian leader said the federal judge’s ruling blocking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from ending Temporary Protected Status for Haitians said the decision “will lower the pressure quite a bit and ease the fear that has been in the community.”

Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. Subscribe to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free. 

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Joel Klatt defends Ohio State & Ryan Day’s hiring Arthur Smith as OC

Published

13 hours ago

February 3, 2026

Press Room

Joel Klatt defends Ohio State & Ryan Day’s hiring Arthur Smith as OC

Ohio State hired former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in late January, and the move drew plenty of pushback almost immediately. For a lot of fans, Smith is still defined by his time as head coach in Atlanta, where the Falcons went 7-10 in three straight seasons. After being fired, Smith resurfaced as the Steelers’ OC, where the offense finished 23rd in total offense at 319.4 yards per game and 16th in scoring in 2024, then slipped to 25th in total yards at 305.6 yards per game in 2025.

Still, Ryan Day clearly saw something he liked and moved quickly to bring Smith to Columbus after Pittsburgh’s playoff loss to the Texans. Smith replaces Brian Hartline, who has since taken over as the head coach at USF.

On Monday, Fox Sports analyst and top college football voice Joel Klatt broke down Ohio State’s decision to hire Smith as offensive coordinator.

“I don’t think [OSU head coach] Ryan Day wants to have to worry about, look over the shoulder of, the offense,” Klatt said. “I really don’t. I think that he wants to be able to give the keys to the offense to a guy like Arthur Smith, just like he gave the keys to the defense to a guy like [OSU defensive coordinator] Matt Patricia.

“Now, he can be CEO, and he can worry about evaluating and valuating talent, and then fixing a problem here or there that arose. He was able to do that two years ago when Chip Kelly was the offensive coordinator, and he jumped in on the defensive side and allowed them to make some changes that ultimately led to a national championship. Last year, he was never really able to do that.”

Klatt makes some strong points, and with Matt Patricia returning in 2026, he sees Smith having a similar immediate impact on the Buckeyes’ offense. The idea is simple: Day doesn’t have to step in and help. Being a head coach is hard enough, and when one side of the ball demands more attention than it should, things can start slipping elsewhere.

Now, I’m not going to sit here and say the Ohio State offense was bad last season, because it wasn’t. There were, however, some growing pains and small details that needed to be cleaned up. Hartline is an elite recruiter and helped guide Ohio State to a top 26 finish in total offense, but it still felt like there was another level to reach. Because of Hartline departing for USF, Day stepped in to call plays during the CFP game against Miami, and it wasn’t all that inspiring. With Arthur Smith coming in, you get stability. You get a coach who has been around the block and won’t flinch when the lights are brightest, even if his NFL numbers don’t jump off the page.

Klatt sees it the same way.

“[Ryan Day] knows what the blueprint looks like, and he can free himself up to be the CEO of the organization. In that respect, this all makes a lot of sense,” Klatt said. “Arthur Smith is going to have a veteran quarterback in Julian Sayin, the best wide receiver in college football in Jeremiah Smith, a 1,000-yard running back, most of his offensive line back—should be a really good offense. And, an offense that, in theory, could control the line of scrimmage and really do some damage up front.”

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Which central Ohio girls wrestlers are having breakout seasons?

Published

1 day ago

February 3, 2026

Press Room

Which central Ohio girls wrestlers are having breakout seasons?

As central Ohio girls wrestling teams gear up for the postseason, established athletes have their sights set on the state tournament March 13-15 at the Schottenstein Center.

Other competitors are out to erase memories of a disappointing finish last winter, while some excelling on varsity for the first time hope their regular-season success carries over to the postseason, which begins March 1 with sectional.

Here are six Columbus-area girls wrestlers who are delivering breakout performances this season. Watch for a story on breakout boys wrestlers Feb. 4.

Mykah Bailey, Gahanna Lincoln

After falling one place shy of qualifying for state last season, the junior aims to take the next step and is 35-2 at 190 pounds with several strong performances, including a first-place finish Jan. 11 in the Pioneer Classic at Olentangy Orange.

Bailey has five wins against competitors ranked in the top 20 statewide. Both losses came in the Women of Ironman Tournament in mid-December at Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit, where she placed fourth.

“Since the early season losses, Mykah has been improving every week,” coach Jamie Leeseberg said.

Bailey went 32-10 last year and placed fifth at district at 175, making her a state alternate.

Kendleigh Dowalter, Grove City

The freshman has made an immediate impact for the Greyhounds. Competing at 125, she is 26-3 with 19 pins and five wins by technical fall.

Season highlights for Dowalter include beating Miamisburg’s Lila Krull by technical fall (18-0) on her way to winning the title at the Heart of Ohio Tournament on Jan. 17 at Mechanicsburg. Krull finished second at state last season at 125.

“Kendleigh is coming into her own so far this season,” coach Mitch Slyman said. “She’s been putting in the work, and it shows. Sometimes you get freshmen that have had a lot of success growing up, get to high school and think they can coast through, (but) not her. She has doubled down on her effort, and it translates to her success on the mat.”

Izzy Farrow, Westerville North

After missing the 2025 postseason because of a dislocated left elbow, Farrow appears ready to challenge for her first state berth.

The senior is 22-8 at 135, including a first-place finish in the Lady Braves Invitational on Jan. 17 at Whetstone.

“She was disappointed (last season), but she handled it well,” said coach Kenny Farrow, her dad. “She went through the healing process and immediately continued with her training throughout the summer and kept working hard at the weights and wrestling. She’s surpassed where she would have been had she not had the injury. She’s wrestling well, so we’re optimistic.”

Abi Forsythe, Delaware Hayes

The 100-pound junior has sparked the Pacers from the beginning of the lineup, going 23-4 with titles at the Mount Orab Western Brown Hammer and Anvil Invitational and the DeSales Classic.

Coach Kevin Rieman has been impressed with Forsythe’s progress after she came up one spot short of state last season, placing fifth at district at 105.

“She competes aggressively and strives for perfection,” Rieman said. “The biggest area of growth this season has come with the mental and emotional aspect of the sport. Wrestling can be extremely tough emotionally and Abi continues to grow in this area, and the results are showing.”

Alanna Smith, Olentangy Orange

After failing to qualify for state a year ago and supporting the Pioneers from the bench during their second consecutive OHSAA title, the junior entered this season with added motivation and is 21-6 at 140 with 11 pins.

“I was proud of everyone on my team (last season),” Smith said. “It was tougher watching people I beat place at state because my district (tournament) was so hard. I was really upset about that.”

Smith placed sixth at district at 140 last year, finishing the season 33-12.

“She wrestled really hard last season,” coach Brian Nicola said. “We moved her up (in weight) last minute and (she was) a little bit small for 140, so in the offseason she made a big commitment to (adding) strength. She’s probably one of the strongest girls on our team, if not the strongest. She’s done a really nice job at 140.”

As a freshman, Smith finished 30-15 after going 0-2 at state at 115.

Delaney Tackett, Olentangy Orange

The freshman has added to the program’s depth, going 20-5 with 15 pins at 110.

“Delaney is awesome,” Nicola said. “She’s wrestled for us since the youth program and she’s always been a very competitive wrestler and always very talented. We were excited to get her in the lineup this year as a freshman.”

Tackett earned three consecutive runner-up finishes in the junior high state tournament.

“Since this is my first year in high school, it’s crazy to see how the team has responded and how we have a good team dynamic,” Tackett said. “Everyone is friendly with each other.”

High school sports reporter Frank DiRenna can be reached at fdirenna@dispatch.com and at @DispatchFrank on X.

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