Ohio’s drought continues to move in a positive direction, even before Thursday’s wet weather.

A new drought map from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows extreme drought retreating from Franklin County and an increasing amount of the state’s area experiencing no drought whatsoever.

Franklin County is now experiencing moderate to severe drought conditions, or D1 to D2 on the drought monitor’s scale.

Ohio’s exceptional drought area in southeast Ohio has shrunk and areas in northeast and southwest Ohio experiencing no dryness at all continued to expand on this week’s map.

Additionally, the state’s Drought Severity and Coverage Index score, an overall measure of the state’s drought conditions, is down to 219 from 247 a week prior. A zero on the scale means the state is experiencing no dryness at all while a 500 means the entire state is experiencing exceptional drought.

For comparison, here’s how the state looked at the peak of the drought on Sept. 24.

Columbus rainfall that occurred after Nov. 12 at 8 a.m. will be reflected on next week’s map.

Speaking of rainfall, here’s what you can expect from the weather for the week, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

Columbus weather for the week of Nov. 14, 2024

• Thursday: There will be showers, mainly before 11 a.m. The high will be near 53. Wind gusts up to 24 miles per hour are possible. The chance of precipitation is 80% and between a tenth and a quarter inch of precipitation is possible.
• Thursday Night: There’s a chance of showers, mainly before 9 p.m. It’ll be cloudy with a low around 48. The chance of precipitation is 30% and less than a tenth of an inch of precipitation is expected.
• Friday: It’ll be mostly cloudy with a high near 55.
• Friday Night: It’ll be mostly cloudy with a low around 44.
• Saturday: It’ll be partly sunny with a high near 55.
• Saturday Night: It’ll be partly cloudy with a low around 40.
• Sunday: It’ll be partly sunny with a high near 62.
• Sunday Night: It’ll be mostly cloudy with a low around 51.
• Monday: It’ll be mostly sunny with a high near 62.
• Monday Night: It’ll be mostly cloudy with a low around 46.
• Tuesday: Showers are likely. It’ll be mostly cloudy with a high near 63. The chance of precipitation is 60%.
• Tuesday Night: Showers are likely. It’ll be mostly cloudy with a low around 52. There’s a chance of precipitation is 60%.
• Wednesday: There’s a chance of showers. It’ll be mostly cloudy with a high near 60. The chance of precipitation is 40%.

NHart@dispatch.com

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The Ohio State Buckeyes are completely focused on winning a national championship this season. However, there is one player who does not appear to be very happy with his current situation.

C.J. Hicks, a junior linebacker, was very vocal about his displeasure with his role for the team this season.

“They need to put me on the f**king edge,” Hicks said after the win over Purdue last week.

Despite the team success, Hicks is unhappy. More than likely, that could lead to an offseason decision from the linebacker to leave the program in the offseason.

Ryan Stano of Scarlet & Game believes that it is “inevitable” that Hicks will end up deciding to transfer after the season.

“It would not be surprising to see Hicks declare for the portal, regardless of what the result is of this team. Even if they win the national title, Hicks will likely look elsewhere. He has to do what he thinks is best for him. That’s what the portal allows players to do.”

At one point in time, Hicks was expected to be a huge part of the Ohio State defense. He simply hasn’t been able to develop his game and continue earning consistent playing time and the role he wants.

So far during the 2024 college football season with the Buckeyes, Hicks has racked up 19 total tackles to go along with 1.5 sacks and a defended pass. His numbers haven’ been horrible for the role he has been given.

If Hicks does end up deciding to transfer away from Ohio State, there will likely be quite a few teams interested in securing his commitment. There is no denying the talent that he possesses.

Unfortunately, the situation simply seems to have turned south. Hicks absolutely does have to do what’s best for him. Right now, it sounds like a transfer is what he could decide on.

In July, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in a 4-3 decision that customers who order boneless chicken should expect bones.

Ohio Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, wants to change that with a bill that would establish a test for restaurants’ and suppliers’ liability for food with harmful substances.

“In 49 of the 50 states, boneless means without a bone, but in Ohio, boneless means the predominance of finding a bone,” he said.

What is the boneless chicken case in question?

In 2016, Hamilton resident Michael Berkheimer ordered his usual, boneless chicken wings with parmesan garlic sauce, at Wings on Brookwood. He ate the wings with a knife and fork as he usually did and accidentally swallowed a roughly 1.3-inch chicken bone.

The bone tore a hole in his esophagus, Berkheimer told The Cincinnati Enquirer, and led to infections and a two-month hospital stay. He sued the restaurant and the food supplier. The case went all the way up to the Ohio Supreme Court, but Berkheimer never got a jury trial.

The court ruled that boneless wings refers to a cooking method and not a guarantee of no bones.

“To say that boneless is food preparation, give me a break. That’s twisting the law,” DeMora said.

What would the bill do?

DeMora said it’s a matter of food safety and consumer protection.

“I don’t know anywhere in Ohio people don’t eat boneless wings,” he said. “Parents order their children chicken nuggets, those are boneless wings. They have to worry about there being bones now.”

His bill would allow for a jury trial for a civil lawsuit brought by someone who suffered injury, death or loss from consuming food with a substance harmful to human health. It would also create a “reasonable expectation test” to decide whether the restaurant or food supplier is liable for the injury.

The bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. If it does not receive final approval before the end of the year, the bill will need to be introduced during the next general assembly.

“As members of the legislature, it’s our job to try to rectify this, and I hope my colleagues will at some point in the next session take this seriously, because it is a serious matter,” DeMora said.

Erin Glynn is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.