There is some uncertainty surrounding the Cotton Bowl entering Friday’s College Football Playoff semifinal between Texas and Ohio State at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium, with bowl organizers preparing “contingencies” due to the weather forecast.

Arlington, Texas is under a winter storm warning from Thursday morning to Friday afternoon, with the possibility of several inches of snow.

While the stadium has a roof, the weather could create dangerous road conditions for fans traveling to the game.

A joint statement from AT&T Stadium and the Cotton Bowl Tuesday night said the game will be played as scheduled at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the two teams arriving to town Wednesday.

“We continue to monitor weather reports, and over the last 24 hours, the forecast for later this week has improved according to the National Weather Service,” the statement said. “We have been meeting routinely with city officials, the Director of Transportation for North Texas and the College Football Playoff. Should the forecast shift, we are prepared for contingencies.

“North Texas highways are already being brined and plans are in place to ensure a safe environment for everyone in and around AT&T Stadium on game day.”

More than 70,000 people are expected to attend Friday’s game, the winner of which will face the victor of the Penn State-Notre Dame Orange Bowl semifinal in the national championship game on Jan. 20.

Kevin Oden, the Dallas director of emergency management and crisis response, said staffing will be increased Wednesday in anticipation of the storm.

“We’re closely monitoring travel conditions into the city, especially as we prepare to host fans and teams for the Cotton Bowl,” Oden said. “Our priority is ensuring safe travel for the teams and their fans visiting Dallas and the metroplex.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The lingering effects of Monday’s snowstorm has led some central Ohio school district to cancel or delay school again on Wednesday, Jan. 8.

Most area school districts were closed Monday, the first day back after winter break for many. Some still remained closed on Tuesday. Those with closures or delays on Wednesday are largely in predominantly rural counties that had Level 3 snow emergencies that barred travel going into Tuesday except for emergency personnel, and where sheriffs reduced the warning to Level 2 later in the day. That designation means travel is still tricky in some areas, often from blowing snow.

More: When will my street be plowed? Snowplow trackers let you track Ohio snow cleanup progress

School closures (or delays) for Wednesday, January 8

As of Tuesday night, the following districts had announced closures (or delays) for Wednesday:

• Amanda-Clearcreek Local Schools
• Bloom-Carroll Local School District (Two-hour delay)
• Circleville City Schools (Two-hour delay)
• Fairfield Union Local School District
• Logan Elm School District
• Madison-Plains Local School District (Two-hour delay)
• Walnut Township Local Schools (Two-hour delay)

This list will be updated as additional information becomes available. School districts are encouraged to send an email with any delays or closures to newsroom@dispatch.com.

Check with your local school district or check back at dispatch.com to see if your school is closed or delayed on Wednesday.

smeighan@dispatch.com

@ShahidMeighan

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Joe Deters was formally sworn in Tuesday as he begins the six-year term he was elected to in November.

In remarks during a public investiture ceremony, Deters, who was the longest-tenured prosecutor in Hamilton County history before being appointed to the high court in December 2022, criticized “judicial activism.” He said it’s crucial that judges as well as Supreme Court justices “stay in their lane.”

Deters said a justice’s job is to interpret laws, determine if they’re constitutional and protect the rights of individuals. It does not include, he said, “inserting ourselves and our personal beliefs into the process.”

“If you don’t care for a law, run for the legislature and change it,” he said. “Don’t ask me, or us, to do that. That is not our job.”

The ceremony was held in the Supreme Court’s grand courtroom in Columbus. It featured remarks from Deters’ close friend, WLW radio host Bill Cunningham, who said he first met Deters in 1985 after Deters lost his first race for political office, for Springfield Township trustee. The winner: John Waksmundksi.

Deters, then in his late-20s, had asked Cunningham if he could appear on the radio show. “I said, ‘Not really,’” Cunningham recalled.

He noted that two decades later, Deters was well-known enough that he won a race for county prosecutor as a write-in candidate. The two speak nearly every day, Cunningham said.

“A citizen could not have a better judge,” he said, “and a man could not have a better friend than Joe Deters.”

Mike and Fran DeWine, Justice Shanahan in attendance

Justice Megan Shanahan, a former Hamilton County judge who was elected to the Supreme Court in November along with Deters, watched the proceedings with the other justices. Also in attendance were Gov. Mike DeWine, First Lady Fran DeWine and Attorney General Dave Yost.

Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy administered the oath of office.

Deters, 67, served as county prosecutor in two separate tenures − from 1992 to 1998 and 2005 to 2023. He also was elected as Ohio Treasurer in 1998 and 2002.

In 2023, he became the first Ohio Supreme Court justice in 30 years to join the court without prior experience as a judge.

Among those in attendance were his wife, longtime WCPO news anchor Tanya O’Rourke, and his children. Two of his siblings, brother Dennis Deters and sister Nancy Slayton, spoke at the ceremony. Joe Deters is the oldest of eight children.

A graduate of St. Xavier High School, he holds a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from the University of Cincinnati. In 1982, the same year he received his law degree, he got a job with the prosecutor’s office.