Ohio
Intel construction report identifies completion delay, spending for New Albany plant
Intel has spent $1.5 billion and hired 69 workers so far on what is the state’s biggest economic development project, a fraction of its $20 billion promise to build two factories in Licking County that will create 3,000 high-paying jobs.
Intel sad it remains fully committed to the entire investment of dollars and jobs in the area.
The semiconductor company also now says it anticipates construction of both plants to be finished in 2026-27 and to become operational in 2027-2028, according to a state report released Friday afternoon detailing Intel’s progress through 2023 on the project that was announced two years ago.
Initially, Intel said the plants would begin producing semiconductors by 2025.
The annual report is required of Intel as a condition of a $600 million grant designed to drive production of the tiny devices that power everything from computers to cars to military equipment back to the U.S. Intel received the money last September.
All together, Intel is receiving more than $2 billion in incentives from the state and New Albany.
“We are making great progress growing the Silicon Heartland,” Jim Evers, an Intel vice president in charge of the Ohio site, told the state in the report. “In addition to the approximately $1.5 billion investment in completed spends through 12/31/23 referenced in the report, Intel has an additional $3 billion in contractually committed spends underway, totaling $4.5 billion committed toward our Ohio One projects.
“This investment is growing every day as we work to establish a new manufacturing campus to build leading-edgesemiconductor chips right here in Ohio.”
“Transparency is always important, and we believe the public should be kept well-informed on the statewide impact of this transformative project,” Gov. Mike DeWine said in a statement.
Biden to announce federal grants to Intel next week, report says
Separately, President Biden is traveling to Arizona next week where he is expected to announce how many billions of dollars in federal aid from the CHIPS Act Intel will receive, Reuters reported Friday.
The $52.7 billion bill passed in 2022 includes $39 billion in grants along with loans, loan guarantees and tax credits as part of the push by the Biden administration to restore production of semiconductors to the U.S.
The Biden campaign has confirmed the visit to Arizona on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of an effort to mobilize voters in battleground states, The Arizona Republic reported Friday.
Along with Intel’s project in Ohio, Intel has been expanding its operations elsewhere in the U.S. as part of the reshoring effort, including Intel’s expansion in Chandler, a Phoenix suburb, where Intel is investing $20 billion to build two additional factories.
It has applied for money for all its expansion projects in the U.S.
Intel workers live in 14 Ohio counties
As of Dec. 31, Intel has hired 70 workers with 69 living in 14 Ohio counties and one out of state.
In addition to direct Intel employees, construction workers have come from 75 of Ohio’s 88 counties so far.
The state anticipates that the project will ultimately create 20,000 jobs across the state and add $2.8 billion to the state’s economy.
Intel also said its supplier network in Ohio has grown from around 150 when Intel announced the project more than 350 today.
Power company AEP Ohio is the top supplier, according to the report. Bechtel, the construction manager at the project is No. 2.
mawilliams@dispatch.com
@BizMarkWilliams
Ohio
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington wants seasonal workers
Racers begin MotoAmerica Superbike event at Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course
Racers get in a few practice laps during the MotoAmerica Superbike event Aug. 15, 2025, at the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course in Lexington, Ohio.
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington is hiring seasonal workers.
Candidates must be at least 16 to apply, according to a Mid-Ohio news release.
Workers are needed for customer service and ticketing; food service, catering and concessions; operations and maintenance; safety; guest services and security; and the track corner marshal departments.
Applications can be completed online at midohio.com/jobs. In-person applications can be delivered 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at Mid-Ohio, 7721 Steam Corners Road in Lexington.
Interviews will be conducted in the Mid-Ohio Tower at the track 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 21. Anyone interested in a position is encouraged to attend and ask questions.
“As the new racing season at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course draws near, we’re seeking motivated and dependable individuals to join our team in several seasonal roles,” Mid-Ohio President Craig Rust said. “It’s a unique chance to be part of the energy and excitement of professional motorsports at one of the premier racing facilities in the country. Interested applicants can apply today or attend our in-person interview day at the track on Saturday, March 21.”
Questions about these seasonal positions can also be sent to jobs@midohio.com.
ztuggle@gannett.com
419-564-3508
Ohio
Ohio Supreme Court asked to force vote on elections board challenge
Columbus, Ohio top headlines of the week
Here are some stories you may have missed this week in central Ohio.
An attorney representing a woman challenging whether a Delaware County Board of Elections member lives in Ohio has asked the Ohio Supreme Court to force the remaining three elections board members to vote on the challenge.
The filing with the state’s high court came four days after the county elections board did not hold a hearing on the residency challenge against board member Melanie Leneghan, who is also the female District 19 representative for the Republican State Central Committee.
The elections board did not hold the residency hearing during its March 5 meeting or take any action on the challenge because the board’s two Democrats, Ed Helvey and Peg Watkins, recused themselves over concerns that any action they took could be seen as partisan.
Leneghan also recused herself, leaving only the board’s other Republican member, Steve Cuckler. As a result, the board didn’t have the required three members needed for a quorum.
Delaware County Republican Party Central Committee member Velva Dunn is challenging Leneghan’s right to vote in Ohio and her candidacy for reelection to the central committee in the May primary. In her challenge, Dunn alleges that Leneghan lives in South Carolina.
Leneghan, a former Liberty Township trustee, sold her home near Powell in January 2025. She is registered to vote in Galena, the elections board’s website shows.
Stay up to date with Delaware County news: Subscribe to The Dispatch’s free weekly Delaware County newsletter, The Delaware Dispatch.
Leneghan told The Dispatch on March 3 that she spends the majority of her time in Ohio, though she travels out of state for her sales job and owns property elsewhere, including in South Carolina, where she visits her daughter in college.
Dunn’s attorney, Curt Hartman, argued in the Supreme Court filing that Helvey and Watkins do not have a direct and personal interest in the challenge and their recusals, “while admirable in terms of seeking to put beyond reproach any perception of bias, is not sufficient to justify their recusal in this instance.”
Unlike when a judge or a prosecutor recuses themselves and appoints a visiting judge or special prosecutor, Hartman argued there is no mechanism or process outlined in Ohio law regarding recusals on boards of election, which are comprised of two Democrats and two Republicans. Hartman alleged that the Ohio Secretary of State does not have legal authority to consider such matters instead of the elections board.
Because there is no other remedy, Hartman argues in the filing that the other three board members have a clear legal duty to hold and conduct the hearing as required by Ohio law.
Hartman is also asking the Supreme Court to force the hearing because Leneghan is seeking reelection to the state central committee in the upcoming May 5 primary election.
In a March 11 response, the elections board’s special counsel, Frank J. Reed Jr., says that the legal concept Hartman is arguing doesn’t apply in these circumstances.
Reed also wrote that Helvey’s and Watkins’s actions were proper under the Ohio Secretary of State’s Ethics Policy for Ohio elections boards. The policy, in part, states: “Members and employees of the boards of elections should avoid actions and associations that create an appearance of impropriety, that undermine public confidence in Ohio elections officials, or that interfere with the performance of duties by Ohio elections officials.”
Now, the case is up to the justices to make a decision. The docket does not indicate when that would happen.
Delaware County and eastern Columbus suburbs reporter Maria DeVito can be reached at mdevito@dispatch.com and @mariadevito13.dispatch.com on Bluesky and @MariaDeVito13 on X.
Ohio
Our voting records aren’t Trump’s damn business. LaRose sold Ohio out. | Letters
Trump to order voter ID for every vote
President Donald Trump said August 30 he will issue an executive order to require voter identification from every voter.
Our voting records aren’t Trump’s damn business
What possible justification could Secretary of State Frank LaRose have for turning over Ohio’s voter registration database to President Donald Trump’s “Department of Justice”?
Note: With Pam Bondi in charge as U.S. attorney general, it is no longer the United States DOJ, it is now an extension of the Trump administration, charged with shielding and protecting one man from any and all accusations of corruption.
What could possibly go wrong with our voter data records?For starters, Trump wouldn’t know the truth if he ran it down with the presidential limo.
LaRose created a horrendous lie in November 2024 when he crafted ballot language for State Issue I, (the anti-gerrymandering initiative) that purposefully misled voters to vote against what they wanted to happen. Ohio Republicans celebrated the outcome.Trump is hell-bent on suppressing “free and fair” voting because he fears losing his power, (and administrative protection from prosecution) to a likely Democrat landslide in congressional elections this November.
LaRose understands Trump’s fear and hopes to position himself favorably for some future state or, better yet, federal political appointment.
So why not submit to the demand to turn over our personal information contained in the voter records?The best and only necessary reason I can think of is that the U.S. Constitution mandates that elections are run at the state level BY the states, NOT the federal government. So, regardless of what Pam Bondi says, (and who could doubt her motives?) Ohio’s voter data is no damn business of the federal government.Sadly, unlike election officials in Washington D.C. and 29 other states, LaRose does not have the courage or the character to stand up for us and say: “Hell no!” And he wants us to make him Ohio auditor? Hell NO! Jeff Reeder, Columbus
DeWine creating unnecessary chaos for my business
As a local craft brewer, I was deeply disappointed by the governor’s recent line-item veto of Ohio Senate Bill 56’s THC-infused beverage timeline.
Ohio restaurants and breweries, like mine, explored this market, responded to changing consumer demand and invested in order to responsibly and safely produce our low-dose hemp-derived THC beverages.
The line-item veto pulled the rug out from underneath our businesses and unnecessarily punishes state-licensed operators who have operated within the law.
The 180-day timeline originally included in Senate Bill 56 gave businesses time to sell through inventory, striking a reasonable balance between regulation and economic fairness, and allowed for future discussions on commonsense regulation.
The line-item veto forces us to eliminate product by mid-March, months earlier than expected and will create unnecessary chaos, financial losses and wasted product.
This sudden change has real consequences for small business owners, especially in an economy where margins are already tight.
I urge the Ohio General Assembly to override the governor’s line-item veto on SB 56. Doing so would restore the original timeline and respect the businesses like mine that followed the rules.
Collin Castore, Seventh Son Brewing Co., Columbus
Nice work if you can get it
JobsOhio seems to be involved with the resignation of former Ohio State President Ted Carter.
On that topic, we are guaranteed to hear more. What I want to know is how do I get a job with THEM?
I know they all make a lot of money for themselves with VERY large salaries. Exactly how large? Who pays for it? How many jobs have they actually created? What are those salaries?
Please investigate.
Syd Lifshin, Columbus
Wexner wasn’t duped
Re “Guilt by association is not a crime,” Feb. 25: I don’t necessarily disagree with writer Bary Alan Leeman about Les Wexner being duped. He became too full of himself and overthrew a years-long trusted accountant for the high-flying life of Jeffrey Epstein.
However, he covered up a multimillion-dollar theft to save face. How many of us can afford to do that?
Just think if he had sued Epstein. Perhaps a hundred young women might have been saved from the trauma that Epstein and Ghislaine exposed them to.
Also, in case you hadn’t noticed, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Wexner BOTH used virtually the same words to describe their trips with their families to Epstein Island. We were cruising the Caribbean with our families and just stopped by for an hour for lunch.
Libby Wetherholt, Columbus
Keep ICE on the hook
With the initiation of Operation Epic Fury in Iran, coverage of mmigration and Customs Enforcementactivities has been quite limited recently.
But now is the time to be razor-focused on ICE.
The Department of Homeland Security funding bill pending in the U.S. Senate is the best vehicle to force needed operational changes and safeguards at ICE — prevent another Minneapolis!
Don’t let the White House’s strategy of “flooding the zone” — putting so many issues out there you lose focus on other important issues — distract you from a key issue here at home that needs to be resolved: the goals and operations of ICE agents and leadership.
Kristi Noem was dismissed as DHS Cabinet Secretary last week. But her dismissal DOES NOT negate the need for procedural/operational changes at ICE — changes broadly supported by the American public. These changes would require ICE agents to wear badges and name tags, do away with masks, obtain judicial warrants for arrests or home entry, end racial profiling, downgrade ICE garb from military combat to law enforcement, and focus on violent criminals rather than undocumented immigrants.
To get these safeguards, you need to immediately contact your U.S. representative and senators and insist for their inclusion in the final DHS funding bill.
Marty Kress, Columbus
We are the new Russia
U.S. leaders knew Iran was no military threat to us. They still acted as if the bombing of another country for their oil and land was a must for defending the U.S.
This nation is now emulating the Russian invasion of other countries to take over their lands and resources.
When asked if there were any limits on his international power, President Donald Trump told the New York Times, “My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.” Trump said, “I don’t need international law.”
A Republican leader, Senator Lindsey Graham, remarked about bombing Iran, “We are going to make a ton of money. … Venezuela and Iran have 31% of the world’s oil reserves. … This is a good investment.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, when asked if the demolition of Iran was an opportunity more than an imminent threat, replied, “I think much of that discussion is silly and academic.”
The daunting questions now are: Who and what justifies the sending of U.S. military troops to invade and blow up a country? Do we recognize the sovereignty of nations? Do we send military troops to take over resources and land because we want them?
Wonder what World War II soldiers would think?
Jean Gawronski, Powell
-
Detroit, MI7 days agoU.S. Postal Service could run out of money within a year
-
Miami, FL1 week agoCity of Miami celebrates reopening of Flagler Street as part of beautification project
-
Pennsylvania1 week agoPa. man found guilty of raping teen girl who he took to Mexico
-
Sports1 week agoKeith Olbermann under fire for calling Lou Holtz a ‘scumbag’ after legendary coach’s death
-
Michigan4 days agoOperation BBQ Relief helping with Southwest Michigan tornado recovery
-
Oklahoma5 days ago
OSSAA unveils Class 6A-2A basketball state tournament brackets, schedule
-
Southeast3 days ago‘90 Day Fiancé’ alum’s boyfriend on trial for attempted murder over wild ‘Boca Bash’ accusations
-
Virginia1 week agoGiants will hold 2026 training camp in West Virginia