Ohio
Linebacker C.J. Hicks has a massive goal for 2024
C.J. Hicks didn’t play a defensive snap as a true freshman at Ohio State. Hicks played only 75 of them last year as a sophomore.
And, yet, the former five-star linebacker and top-15 overall prospect is set on leading the Buckeyes in sacks this season.
Why?
Because he has his confidence back.
“I feel like when you need a play, when it’s 3rd-and-long and you need somebody to get to the quarterback, I’m that guy, no matter who the D-Ends are,” Hicks said. “I love our D-Linemen, but I feel like I’m the best when it gets to [rushing the] quarterback.”
“I don’t stop,” he later added.
The last Ohio State linebacker to finish a season atop the team’s sack leaderboard was A.J. Hawk in 2005 when he tied defensive lineman Mike Kudla for that honor.
While Hicks hasn’t recorded a single sack in a promising Buckeyes career that’s been slow to get off the ground, he’s had a breakthrough offseason, particularly as a pass rusher.
That’s not all talk, either. It was especially evident in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Student Appreciation Day back in the spring. The late March practice — which was open to students, players’ families and the media — saw Hicks wreak havoc in the backfield.
And that wasn’t a one-off performance from the Dayton, Ohio, native, who piled up 18 tackles for loss in his senior year at Archbishop Alter.
“I think he’s probably the best blitzer in our room,” first-year Ohio State linebackers coach James Laurinaitis said Wednesday. “C.J. just makes stuff happen when you send him.”
Laurinaitis noted how Hicks has a natural ability to “reduce the surface” when he blitzes.
Hicks is competing for the starting WILL linebacker spot with fellow third-year defender — but first-year linebacker — Sonny Styles, who moved down to the second level from the safety spot this offseason.
Styles played 12 snaps in the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal against Georgia two seasons ago and started several games, both at “nickel” and at strong safety last season. He has the experience advantage over Hicks and has taken the majority of first-team reps in the training camp practices open to the media.
But the Buckeyes aren’t crowning a starter right now, and it doesn’t seem to really matter because they want both Styles and Hicks to play.
They each have unique traits, Laurinaitis said. Where Hicks shines the most is as a pass rusher, a disruptor.
“I’ve just got a knack for getting to the quarterback,” Hicks said. “You put anybody in front of me, I’m going to do my best to get to the quarterback, and nobody’s going to stop me.”
So, when asked if he’s throwing himself in the ring to lead the Buckeyes in sacks this season, Hicks smiled.
“For sure,” he said. “That’s my thing.”
North Central Ohio Industrial Museum
North Central Ohio Industrial Museum houses hundreds of products made in north central Ohio — including appliances, tires, pumps and much more.
MANSFIELD ― If you’re interested in manufacturing, you can come and see hundreds of products made in North Central Ohio — including appliances, tires, pumps, Klondike bars, cigars and pieces made for streetcars.
The North Central Ohio Industrial Museum inside the lower east diagonal wing of the historic Ohio State Reformatory showcases the history of manufacturing in Mansfield and surrounding areas.
Location
The Ohio State Reformatory, 100 Reformatory Road, Mansfield.
Why it matters
The museum traces the history of manufacturing in North Central Ohio since the first steam locomotive came through town in 1846. Exhibits highlight the accomplishments of local residents and industry in peace and war, according to NCOIM President Jerry Miller.
What to see
The NCOIM has several themed sections of exhibits, beginning with “Every town had a mill,” then the Cast Iron Age, City of Stoves, Wires & Electric Exhibits, Cigar & Beer, Wheels, AG Industry and Mickey Rupp, which then begins an exhibit on what is currently manufactured in Richland County.
Miller said the late Bob Glasener started the museum and was responsible for saving many local industrial artifacts over the years. Miller said Glasener’s daughter has in her possession the 1939 World’s Fair Westinghouse (gold-plated) roaster, which she donated to the museum.
The museum is full of surprising finds.
Elektro the Westinghouse robot should be on display this summer at the North Central Ohio Industrial Museum after being restored.
A manhole and stormwater grate from 1935 made by the Tappan Stove Co. are among the treasures Miller helped to preserve. He also has the Tappan marquee and a Westinghouse marquee.
Plan your visit
Hours/admission: The museum will be open the same hours as OSR and will be free to tour with the purchase of a ticket to the prison-turned-museum.
Getting there: OSR is on the north side of Mansfield, just off U.S. 30.
Learn more: mrps.org (OSR is operated by the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society).
Contact Lou Whitmire at 419-5-21-7223. She can be reached at X at @lwhitmir.
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) — A Warren man who led police on a chase received his sentence on Wednesday.
Michael Greene, 32, was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to make restitution.
Greene pleaded guilty in February to failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and failure to stop after an accident.
Greene was charged following a November 2025 police chase in Niles.
Prosecutors say that the chase involved speeds of about 103 miles per hour.
It was discovered that the car Greene was driving was reported stolen by a family member.
Patty Coller contributed to this report.
Experience history through augmented reality in Middletown
The Sandy Hook Foundation and Monmouth County Historical Association have unveiled an augmented reality experience that tells the story of Colonel Tye, a slave turned Revolutionary War raider for the Loyalists. Video provided by The Sandy Hook Foundation.
Ohioans have until May 25 to help document the final resting places of Revolutionary War veterans buried across the state.
The effort is part of the Revolutionary War Veterans Graves Identification Project, a first-of-its-kind initiative led by America 250-Ohio, the commission organizing the state’s celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The project aims to create a publicly accessible database of veterans’ graves, complete with photographs, inscriptions and GPS coordinates, according to a community announcement.
The public can submit information through the Grave Marker and Cemetery Collection Portal until May 25. Submissions will be reviewed and finalized before the database is released July 4, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Thousands of graves documented by volunteers
Launched on Memorial Day 2025, the project has mobilized about 350 volunteers who have documented more than 4,000 grave markers across Ohio. The database is expected to include information on up to 7,000 veterans believed to be buried in the state.
Clusters of graves have been found in areas such as Clermont County and regions corresponding to the original Virginia Military and United States Military Districts. The first documented entry was the grave of Nathaniel Massie, a Virginia Militia private who founded the city of Chillicothe.
A window into Ohio’s early history
Ohio is home to a large number of Revolutionary War veterans’ graves, despite not being one of the original 13 colonies. After the war, portions of Ohio’s land were granted to veterans as payment for their service, drawing many to settle and build communities in the region.
Previously, records from organizations like the Sons of the American Revolution and Daughters of the American Revolution identified about 6,800 veterans buried in Ohio, but lacked precise locations and current photographs.
How to participate before the deadline
Anyone with a smartphone can contribute to the project. No historical expertise is required. Here’s how to participate:
- Visit ohiohistory.org/revwargraves to review instructions and explore the map of cemeteries already identified as likely grave sites.
- Download the free Survey123 app on your smartphone.
- Visit a cemetery, photograph the grave marker, record inscriptions, and log GPS coordinates.
- Submit your entry through the portal before May 25.
Volunteers who do not wish to remain anonymous will be acknowledged by name for their contributions. The completed database will remain publicly accessible beyond the America 250 celebration and will be maintained by the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office and the Ohio History Connection.
A lasting legacy for future generations
The project is led by the Ohio History Connection and its State Historic Preservation Office, with support from Terracon Consultants, Inc. Submissions appear on a live, publicly viewable dashboard at ohpo.maps.arcgis.com.
“These are the very first veterans of the United States of America,” Krista Horrocks, historian, cemetery preservationist, and project manager with the Ohio History Connection said in the announcement. “Documentation is the part that will outlive all of us. Gravestones won’t survive forever, but if we can record their location and story today, that information will be here for generations to come.”
To learn more, view the live dashboard, or submit information on a grave site, visit ohiohistory.org/revwargraves.
This story was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
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