Ohio
John Carroll University to host Ohio Peace & Conflict Conference Feb. 13; public invited
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — John Carroll University will host on Friday (Feb. 13) the 2026 annual Ohio Peace & Conflict Studies Network (OPCSN) Conference, which will bring together faculty, students, and nonprofit organizations from across the state to explore how civic engagement can serve as a powerful form of peacebuilding to create and strengthen democratic practices.
The conference, titled “Strengthening Democracy through Civic Engagement & Peacebuilding,” will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday at John Carroll University, 1 John Carooll Blvd. in University Heights.
The public is invited to participate by registering, through Feb. 11, here. Faculty, staff, administrators, and students from 16 colleges and universities across Ohio have already registered to attend.
Presentations will be centered on the work of Ohio colleges and universities, as well as community organizations engaged in related efforts statewide.
Registration for the conference includes a light breakfast and lunch, with fees set at $35 for members of the general public; $25 for Ohio college and university faculty, staff, and administrators; and $10 for Ohio college students.
John Carroll will be the first Jesuit university to host the OPCSN conference. Over the years, JCU has supported collaboration and growth in the field of peace and conflict studies through hosting an international college and university seminar, developing courses and programs, and training faculty, staff and students in conflict management and sustained dialogue.
The event will be hosted by JCU’s Tuohy Center for Interreligious Understanding, Peace, Justice & Human Rights program; Center for Service Learning & Social Action, and Office of Student Experience & Campus Belonging.
The conference is co-sponsored by Wilmington College’s Peace Resource Center and Community Campus Coalition, with partners that include The Ohio State University’s Divided Community Project and the University of Akron’s Center for Conflict Management.
The annual OPCSN conference convenes Ohio colleges and universities committed to peace studies, justice, and conflict transformation.
This year’s theme focuses on how civic engagement — through local governance, community organizing, dialogue across differences, and media literacy — can strengthen democratic institutions and foster more just and inclusive communities.
Ohio currently has more than 19 colleges and universities with peace and conflict studies programs, making the state one of the foremost regional hubs for peace education in the country.
“Ohio has a long history of innovative statewide work in the field of alternative dispute resolution, conflict management, and peace studies,” said Jennifer Batton, who is Conflict Management Training Instructor at the University of Akron’s Center for Conflict Management and Coordinator for OPCSN, in a release.
“As early as 1989 the Supreme Court of Ohio Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) was created by the Chief Justice to explore how ADR methods could be used across the state and the non-partisan Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management was created to incorporate these methods and programs into education, court and community, and state and local government.
“The OPCSN was built on this foundation, from work supported state-wide in higher education, in order to help students develop the knowledge, skills and abilities to solve their local and global communities’ most pressing problems.”
This year’s OPCSN conference will feature:
- An opening panel with representatives from John Carroll University, The Ohio State University, and Kent State University’s Growing Democracy Project
- Student poster sessions highlighting civic and peacebuilding initiatives across Ohio
- Two rounds of interactive workshops and panels focused on community engagement, dialogue, and democratic participation
- A networking luncheon for OPCSN member institutions
For more information, visit ohiopeaceandconflict.org.
Another state is jumping into the fray to put the brakes on non-domiciled CDLs, with roughly 5,000 commercial drivers in Ohio facing the potential of having their licenses downgraded.
On Friday, May 29, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles announced it would be contacting approximately 5,000 non-domiciled CDL holders to verify the status of their credentials under updated rules from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
According to the Bureau, non-domiciled license holders in the state will receive one of two notices, depending on the type of documentation they initially used to obtain their CDL.
For drivers whose documentation meets current FMCSA standards, their licenses will remain valid until their expiration date. For those who do not meet current standards, the process is a bit more complicated.
As for CDL holders whose original documents do not meet current FMCSA guidelines, they will receive a notice of downgrade, and their CDLs will be downgraded to a Class D license 30 days after receiving the notice.
Drivers who receive a downgrade notice can request a hearing with the BMV to dispute the downgrade, and can provide additional documentation to prove their eligibility. According to the Bureau, those documents include:
- An unexpired Employment Authorization Document issued by USCIS, valid on the most recent CDL/CLP issuance date
- An unexpired foreign passport with an unexpired USCIS I‑94 form, both of which must be valid on your most recent CDL/CLP issuance date
Officials said the Ohio BMV has not issued or renewed any non-domiciled CDLs since FMCSA put new standards in place in 2025, and that it does not intend to resume issuing non-domiciled CDLs in the future. Additionally, the BMV will not renew revalidated non-domiciled CDLs after they expire.
All notices will be sent by mail to the address listed on file with the Ohio BMV. The Bureau emphasized that the reverification process does not apply to full CDL holders or CDL holders with legally established permanent residence. LL
2026 U20 World Team Trials
At Geneva, Ohio, May 29
Best-of-Three Final Results
57 kg
Isaiah Cortez (Spartan Combat RTC/ TMWC) defeats Grey Burnett (Burnett Trained Wrestling), two matches to none
Round 1 – Cortez dec. Burnett, 5-1
Round 2 – Cortez tech. fall Burnett, 10-0
61 kg
Aaron Seidel (SERTC- TMWC) defeats Elijah Cortez (Spartan Combat RTC/ TMWC), two matches to none
Round 1 – Seidel tech. fall Cortez, 10-0
Round 2 – Seidel tech. fall Cortez, 10-0
65 kg
Bo Bassett (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC)) defeats Clinton Shepherd (Howe Wrestling School, LLC), two matches to none
Round 1 – Bassett fall Shepherd, 2:40
Round 2 – Bassett tech. fall Shepherd, 10-0
70 kg
Landon Robideau (Cowboy RTC) defeats Melvin Miller (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC)), two matches to none
Round 1 – Robideau dec. Miller, 5-0
Round 2 – Robideau tech. fall, 12-0
74 kg
Jayden James (KD Training Center/ TMWC) defeats Ladarion Lockett (Cowboy RTC), two matches to none
Round 1 – James dec. Lockett, 5-4
Round 2 – James dec. Lockett, 4-2
79 kg
Ryan Burton (SERTC- TMWC) defeats Joseph Jeter (Position Wrestling), two matches to none
Round 1 – Burton dec. Jeter, 10-7
Round 2 – Burton dec. Jeter, 8-1
86 kg
Aeoden Sinclair (Tiger Style Wrestling Club) defeats Brock Mantanona (Cliff Keen Wrestling Club), two matches to none
Round 1 – Sinclair dec. Mantanona, 6-0
Round 2 – Sinclair tech. fall Mantanona, 10-0
92 kg
Jimmy Mastny (Relentless Training Center) defeats Karson Tompkins (Air Force Regional Training Center), two matches to none
Round 1 – Mastny fall Tompkins, 3:31
Round 2 – Mastny tech. fall Tompkins, 10-0
97 kg
Michael Boyle (Ohio Crazy Goats Wrestling Club) defeats Garett Kawczynski (Askren Wrestling Academy), two matches to none
Round 1 – Boyle tech. fall Kawczynski, 10-0
Round 2 – Boyle tech. fall Kawczynski, 10-0
125 kg
Dreshaun Ross (Cowboy RTC) defeats Coby Merrill (NYAC), two matches to one
Round 1 – Merrill tech. fall Ross, 11-0
Round 2 – Ross dec. Merrill 9-2
Round 3 – Ross dec. Merrill, 7-1
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — A Central Ohio family has filed a lawsuit against a Hilliard funeral home after their mother was accidentally cremated, despite plans for her to be buried.
According to court documents, Tidd Funeral Home cremated Nancy Anders in June of last year against the family’s wishes. The lawsuit states Anders died a week earlier in May.
The family says Anders had planned and prepaid for funeral arrangements two years before her death to be buried with her late husband. The arrangements did not include cremation because, the family says, she did not believe in the concept.
The lawsuit says the family was told a week after her death that she had been accidentally cremated. It also accuses Tidd Funeral Home of cremating her even though the proper authorization form was never signed.
The family says they have suffered physical illness and emotional trauma and are seeking $25,000 in damages. They are also asking for the case to be decided by a jury.
ABC 6 reached out to the funeral home for comment but had not heard back.
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