Ohio
Columbus City Council urges state to block AEP Ohio rate hikes
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The Columbus City Council is encouraging state regulators to protect Columbus residents from rising electricity bills.
The council passed a ceremonial resolution 9-0 on Jan. 26 asking the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to block American Electric Power Ohio’s request to raise its distribution rates in 2026 for its 1.5 million Ohio customers.
Columbus City Councilmember Christopher Wyche, chair of the council’s Public Utilities & Sustainability committee, told The Dispatch ahead of the meeting that he was bringing the resolution forward because affordability is quickly becoming the number one issue for residents. He said council is concerned because PUCO has recently approved multiple AEP Ohio rate increases.
“It is clear that we are facing not only a rising cost of living crisis, but also an urgent energy affordability crisis that will have serious impacts on Ohio residents,” Wyche said at the meeting.
This symbolic vote comes ahead of state regulators meeting this week to hear evidence in AEP Ohio’s case. The electricity distributor proposed a settlement in the case on Jan. 7 that it says will save customers money. But the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, a state agency that advocates for consumers, says the proposal is riddled with “accounting gimmicks” to disguise a rate hike.
Customers’ electric bills will actually increase by about $30 more per month after tax credits and additional charges, or riders, are factored in, according to the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel.
AEP Ohio disputes the OCC’s assertions, saying its proposal will save customers $1.22 per month. But the electricity provider’s proposed rate decrease is only possible due to a credit it owes customers anyways, according to information the company sent to The Dispatch. Due to Accumulated Deferred Income Taxes, AEP Ohio owes customers $82 million. The credit is temporary and will run out in 18 months.
Wyche said the invited AEP Ohio representatives to speak at the City Council meeting but the utility declined. Speaking of its proposal, an AEP Ohio spokesperson previously told The Dispatch in an email:
“This is a good thing for AEP Ohio customers – it means all parties took concerns about affordability seriously. This settlement also allows AEP Ohio to invest in delivering reliable electricity safely, as well as make local infrastructure investments in local communities that drive economic development.”
Wyche told The Dispatch that increased strain on local electricity infrastructure is being driven by large users like data centers, adding that he’d like to see the burden placed on those businesses rather than residential customers. He said the state should require data centers to be built more sustainably so residents don’t foot the bill.
In the resolution, City Council urges PUCO to conduct a study on the impact of data centers on residential customers’ rates.
“A growing region needs to invest in its infrastructure, but longtime residents and working families shouldn’t shoulder that cost,” said Columbus City Council President Shannon G. Hardin in a statement released after the vote. “Runaway utility bills are pushing families to the brink, just to keep the lights on.”
The council’s action follows advocacy from the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund and Columbus Stand Up. Columbus Stand Up has collected more than 2,500 signatures on its petition opposing rate hikes.
“AEP operates as an exploitive monopoly and without firm intervention, it will continue to extract resources from households, schools and public institutions across the state,” Columbus Stand Up co-founder Kwesi Low said at the meeting.
Because of the severe winter weather, the scheduled start of the PUCO evidentiary hearing was continued to Jan. 28, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. in Hearing Room 11-A at the offices of the commission, 180 E. Broad St., 11th Floor, Columbus. PUCO expects to make a decision in AEP Ohio’s case later this winter or spring, according to a spokesperson for PUCO.
Columbus Stand Up also moved its “Lights Out on AEP Rally” from Jan. 27 to Jan. 28 at noon at PUCO headquarters.
The city council meeting on Jan. 26 was held virtually due to winter storm Fern’s lingering impact. The budget hearing scheduled for Jan. 27 will also be held virtually due to the weather.
Government and politics reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.
MIDDLEFIELD, Ohio (WKBN) — The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Chardon Post is investigating a fatal plane crash that killed three people around 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
According to a press release, about one mile east of the Geauga County Airport, a Piper Comanche 250 crashed into a field.
The plane sustained major damage — killing three Ohioans who were identified as Thomas A. Cunningham, 76, of Rome, John W. Taipale, 71, and Alexander C. Taipale, 40, both from Geneva.
OSHP was assisted by the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office, Geauga County Coroner’s Office, Geauga County Emergency Management Agency, Middlefield Fire Department and Community Care Ambulance.
The Western Reserve Port Authority, Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport’s executive director, Anthony Trevena, reached out to our team with a statement regarding the crash.
“We were heartbroken to learn that members of our extended YNG and Youngstown aviation family, were victims in today’s crash in Geagua County. Our deepest condolences go out the Cunningham and Taipale families. We ask that their privacy please be respected during this difficult time. The FAA and NTSB are leading the investigation to determine the cause and will provide any updates as information becomes available.,” Trevena said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were notified of the crash.
The crash remains under investigation.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — As concerns have grown over the impact of social media on young people, lawmakers are pushing to keep protections in tact to keep children safe online.
This week the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Ohio’s law, the Social Media Parental Notification Act, requiring parental consent for children under the age of 16 to use social media must be restored. Gov. Mike DeWine signed the act into law in July 2023.
Netchoice, the trade group that represents Tik Tok, Snapchat, Meta and other tech companies contested Ohio’s law in 2024, arguing that it was overly broad, vague and represented an unconstitutional impediment to free speech.
“An unconstitutional law protects no one, and we remain focused on ensuring the First Amendment rights of Ohioans are protected,” Paul Taske, NetChoice Litigation Center Director said.
Cincinnati-based Sixth Circuit’s panel does not agree with this view point, determined that the law is not unconstitutional and had the block on the law’s enforcement vacated.
“At bottom, the Act imposes a parental consent requirement,” Judge Eric Clay wrote. “That requirement constitutes a marginal burden that precisely targets the multi-faceted problem that Ohio has identified: Children’s unsupervised assent to terms and conditions for use of platforms that take advantage of and harm them.”
The Social Media Parental Notification Act is a way to protect children’s mental health against the “intentionally addictive” nature of social media, according to U.S. senator Jon Husted.
The law requires companies to get parental permission for social media and gaming apps and to provide their privacy guidelines so families know what content would be censored or moderated on their child’s profile.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson says the ruling is “a win for Ohio families.”
“The court agreed that parents –- not social media companies –- should get a say in what kids see online,” he said in a statement. “We have an obligation to keep our children safe, and today, the most dangerous place for our kids is the internet. This decision gives parents the tools to be involved and provide oversight.”
LICKING COUNTY, Ohio (WCMH) — When you think of wild animals in central Ohio, a black bear likely isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. That’s why one Licking County family said they couldn’t believe their eyes.
It was an average afternoon drive home for father and son, Justin and Aaron Rhodes, when something walked into the road in front of them.
“I didn’t even think it was real at first, so that’s why I had to do the double take,” Justin said.
Aaron said he thought it was “just a weird looking dog”.
To their disbelief, it was a bear. The sighting comes just one year after the animal was spotted in Licking County for the first time in more than two decades.
“It’s kind of hard to believe that they’re even around this area,” Justin said. “I’ve lived in this area for about 24 years now, so it’s been quite a while, and I’ve never seen one before.”
These sightings are becoming more common. The Ohio Division of Wildlife said the black bear population is growing in the state, and they expect those trends to continue. Ohio saw a record number of confirmed sightings in 2025.
Lindsey Krusling, a wildlife communications specialist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, said they are seeing more breeding females establish homes in the state, signaling the species is returning. Experts said the work restoring natural forest land is a big reason why.
“We’re starting to get some black bears coming in from neighboring states like Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky,” Krusling said. “They’re naturally crossing those state borders and coming back to Ohio because we have more of that habitat available to them, especially those forested areas.”
As the black bear population grows, the Division of Wildlife is expanding its research. They are putting radio collars on some bears they find in the state to help track data, such as if the bears are staying here, how far they’ve traveled and if they’re successfully having cubs.
“We’re trying to get quite a bit of data from these bears, and we’re super excited to see where this takes us,” Krusling said.
The research is in the beginning stages, but they expect population growth to continue, Krusling said.
Sighting reports can be submitted here to help the Division of Wildlife track black bear populations throughout the state.
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