Ohio

‘Above 1,500 degrees’: Fireworks laws in Ohio designed to protect children this July 4

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2 years ago

June 27, 2024

Press Room

‘Above 1,500 degrees’: Fireworks laws in Ohio designed to protect children this July 4

Thousands of children will be rushed to the emergency room this Independence Day because of fireworks injuries.

Fireworks are legal to launch in Ohio during July 4 celebrations, but only under specific guidelines and on certain days, according to the state fire marshal’s office.

This year, adults in the Buckeye State can discharge fireworks labeled as “1.4G consumer” 4-11 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then again the same times July 3-7.

“Even sparklers can cause serious injuries if not handled correctly,” Anita Metheny of the fire marshal’s office said. “Always supervise their use or consider safer alternatives like glow sticks, especially for children.”

Fireworks caused $700,000 in damages last year

Statistics from the state fire marshal’s Fire Prevention Bureau show 128 fireworks incidents in Ohio in 2023 caused 22 residential building fires totaling nearly $700,000 in damages.

So far in 2024, there have been 10 incidents involving fireworks causing almost $10,000 in losses, the fire marshal’s office reported in a news release.

Fireworks were involved in more than 10,200 treated injuries nationwide in 2022, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

“Fireworks can bring joy to our celebrations, but it’s important to recognize the inherent risks that come with them as well,” Metheny said. “By being informed and following safety guidelines, we can reduce injuries and ensure a festive and safe Fourth of July for all.”

‘A sparkler can reach temperatures above 1,500 degrees’

Nearly half of all the fireworks injuries reported in Ohio last year were to bystanders, many of them children.

The ER trips mostly were caused by bottle rockets, sparklers and firecrackers, according to Dr. Anjay Khandelwal, director of the Adult and Pediatric Burn Institute at Akron Children’s.

“Many families believe sparklers are harmless and safe for young children to use,” Khandelwal said. “However, they are the most common cause of injury from fireworks in children. What families may not realize is a sparkler can reach temperatures above 1,500 degrees, which can cause serious burns or ignite clothing.”

Ohio law restricts who can launch fireworks and when

That’s why Ohio lawmakers set so many parameters when they started allowing consumers to shoot off fireworks in 2021.

Only residents over the age of 18 can launch fireworks, and they can’t be launched while in possession of or under the influence of drugs or alcohol, along with a slew of other restrictions, the Columbus Dispatch reports.

The National Safety Council provides the following tips for those who plan to set off fireworks:

Never use fireworks while impaired by drugs or alcohol.
Anyone using fireworks or standing nearby should wear protective eyewear.
Never hold lighted fireworks in your hands.
Never light fireworks indoors.
Only use fireworks away from people, houses and flammable material.
Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
Only light one device at a time and maintain a safe distance after lighting.
Never ignite devices in a container.
Do not try to re-light or handle malfunctioning fireworks.
Keep a bucket of water nearby to fully extinguish fireworks that don’t go off or in case of fire.

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Ohio

Urban Meyer recalls Pete Rose’s texts about Ohio State football

Published

11 hours ago

May 10, 2026

Press Room

Urban Meyer recalls Pete Rose’s texts about Ohio State football

Cincinnati Reds legend and well-known gambler Pete Rose was possibly more than just curious about Ohio State football’s 2012 season when he texted Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer.

Appearing on “The Triple Option” show with Alabama running back Mark Ingram May 6, Meyer told a story about his relationship with Rose.

After OSU hired Meyer, the Reds asked him to throw out the first pitch at a game. Meyer threw to his son, Nathan, and walked into the dugout, where Rose, MLB’s all-time hit leader, was waiting to greet him.

“I couldn’t get enough talking about ‘Big Red Machine,’ and he wanted to talk college football,” Meyer said on the podcast, explaining how the two spoke for hours and exchanged numbers.

Meyer said that during his first season, Rose texted him early on. He wanted information about the team, like news on Braxton Miller’s shoulder injury.

“I told that to someone, and they said, ‘You’re an idiot. Do you know he’s trying to get information from you for gambling, and you could get in trouble?’ ” Meyer said.

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Though Meyer asserted that he never disclosed much, he started to steer the conversations clear of college football after he realized Rose potentially wanted information for gambling.

The two had another conversation in Las Vegas, where Rose told Meyer he gambled daily after retiring.

Rose was banned from baseball for betting on the sport, something he admitted to in his 2004 autobiography. Rose was reinstated in 2025 and so is considered eligible for the Hall of Fame.

Still baseball’s most prolific hitter (4,256 hits), Rose died in 2024.

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Ohio

8th Annual Trumbull County Special Olympics Invitational held in Girard

Published

23 hours ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

8th Annual Trumbull County Special Olympics Invitational held in Girard

GIRARD, Ohio (WKBN) – Over 100 athletes came together for the 5th Annual Trumbull County Special Olympics Invitational Saturday morning in Girard.

These athletes represent five different schools across Trumbull County to compete and spread the message of inclusion, achievement, and sportsmanship.

The Invitational continued its long-standing tradition of honoring the legacy of Randy Suchanek while celebrating the dedication and accomplishments of Special Olympics athletes throughout the region.

“You can hear all the excitement for this, for the athletes that are here today,” said superintendent Bryan O’Hara. “They work hard all year long to participate. We’ve always worked hand in hand with the rotary to get this accomplished is a lot of work behind the scenes.”

Participating schools included Ashtabula, Geauga, Columbiana, Kent-Portage and Trumbull Fairhaven

“There’s a lot of nice participation from girard students as you see behind us, and a lot of participation from the community helping out,” Girard-Liberty Rotary co-president Andy Kish added.

O’Hara added that the event keeps everything in perspective, seeing the athletes compete in the spirit of fun, along with the courage and determination that they show.

Alex Sorrells contributed to this report.

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Ohio

Can you eat Ohio River fish? Just Askin’

Published

1 day ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

Can you eat Ohio River fish? Just Askin’

Can you eat fish from the Ohio River?

In 1975, future presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, then governor of Massachusetts, bet 20 pounds of New England cod that the Red Sox would defeat the Reds in the World Series. If things went south for Boston, Ohio governor James Rhodes promised to send Dukakis 10 pounds of Lake Erie perch and 10 pounds of Ohio River catfish. The Reds ended up winning and the cod was sent to the Convalescent Home for Children, in Cincinnati.

At the time, people were still eating catfish from the Ohio without too much concern. The fish were also served at several restaurants along the river.

There were warnings in 1977

But two years later, in 1977, The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission released the results of a study of contaminants found in the tissues of Ohio River fish. They warned anglers in cities such as Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Louisville, Wheeling and Gallipolis that man-made chemicals known as PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, had been discovered in the river fish. Later, high concentrations of mercury were discovered in the fish, too.

Thanks to the Clean Water Act of 1972 and the environmental regulations that followed, the river is now cleaner than it was in the seventies. And it’s still teeming with a variety of fish, including catfish, striped bass, drum and black bass, among other species.

But even though PCBs were banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1979, they are still found in fish, since they remain in the sediment in the bottom of the river. “Organisms live in the sediment and fish feed on them,” Rich Cogen, the executive director of the Ohio River Foundation told The Enquirer. Mercury is also a big problem, according to Cogen.

So the question is: Can you eat fish caught in the Ohio River?

The short answer is yes. But it depends on what species you are eating and where along the river you caught it.

There are also very strict limitations on how frequently you should eat them, according to the web site for the Ohio Sport Fish Consumption Advisory, part of the Ohio Department of Health.

In areas of the river between the Belleville Lock, located 204 miles downstream from the river’s origins in Pittsburgh, to the Indiana border, the advisory agency currently recommends consuming Ohio River fish no more than once a month max. That area includes Adams, Brown, Clermont, Gallia, Hamilton, Lawrence, Meigs and Scioto counties.

Here’s where to check

Recommendations change throughout the year, but you can keep up by visiting the Ohio Department of Health’s Sport Fish Consumption Advisory page, which provides updated information on when certain fish, usually bottom feeders such as carp, are deemed too dangerous to eat at all.

Here’s who should take a pass on Ohio River fish

The agency also warns that people who are more likely to have health effects from eating contaminated fish, includingchildren younger than 15 years old, pregnant women and women who are planning to become pregnant to avoid Ohio River fish altogether.

Just because you have to limit the amount of fish you eat, doesn’t mean the river is a bad place for fishing, as long as you limit your intake or do catch-and-release fishing. Just make sure you have a proper fishing license before casting your line.