Today’s News
Bill aims to reduce costs of state’s College Credit Plus program
Committee members in the Ohio House of Representatives were scheduled this week to hear testimony in support of a bipartisan bill that would revise some operations of the College Credit Plus program for middle- and high-school students. The changes proposed in House Bill 219 will improve the program for eligible students who earn college credits while completing their secondary education at their own school, according to the sponsors of the bill — Reps. Adam Bird, [...]
Automatic emergency braking to be required on new passenger vehicles starting in 5 years
DETROIT (AP) — In the not-too-distant future, automatic emergency braking will have to come standard on all new passenger vehicles in the United States, a requirement that the government says will save hundreds of lives and prevent thousands of injuries every year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration earlier this week unveiled the final version of the new regulation and called it the most significant safety rule in the past two decades. It's designed to [...]
FDA regulation to put lab tests under government oversight
WASHINGTON (AP) — Makers of medical tests that have long escaped government oversight will have about four years to show that their new offerings deliver accurate results, under a new government rule opposed by the testing industry. The regulation finalized earlier this week by the Food and Drug Administration will gradually phase in oversight of new tests developed by laboratories, a multibillion-dollar industry that regulators say poses growing risks to Americans. The goal is to [...]
Growing number of communities raising taxes to help pay for child care
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Last summer, Derrika Richard said she felt stuck. She didn't have enough money to afford child care for her three youngest children, ages 1, 2 and 3, yet the demands of caring for them on a daily basis made it impossible for Richard, a hairstylist, to work. One child-care assistance program rejected her because she wasn't working enough. It felt like an unsolvable quandary: Without care, she couldn't work and without [...]
Investors seeking control of Norfolk Southern receive support
The activist investors trying to take control of Norfolk Southern's board are picking up key support, but Norfolk Southern’s CEO promised to fight the takeover attempt until a May 9 shareholder vote because he believes his strategy is the best in the long run for investors, customers and workers. Ancora Holdings' bid to elect seven new directors and replace management at Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern has gained the backing of one of the major proxy advisory [...]
EPA rule bans toxic chemical that’s commonly used as paint stripper
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency said it has finalized a ban on consumer uses of methylene chloride, a chemical that is widely used as a paint stripper but is known to cause liver cancer and other health problems. The EPA said its action will protect Americans from health risks while allowing certain commercial uses to continue with robust worker protections. The rule banning methylene chloride is the second risk management rule to be finalized [...]
Autonomous tractor-trailers could be driving on highways by end of the year
PITTSBURGH (AP) — On a three-lane test track along the Monongahela River, an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rounded a curve. No one was on board. A quarter-mile ahead, the truck's sensors spotted a trash can blocking one lane and a tire in another. In less than a second, it signaled, moved into the unobstructed lane and rumbled past the obstacles. The self-driving semi, outfitted with 25 laser, radar and camera sensors, is owned by Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation. [...]
After years of declines, police hiring has risen
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Police departments across the United States are reporting an increase in their ranks for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 killing of George Floyd, which contributed to an exodus of officers, a survey shows. More sworn officers were hired in 2023 than in any one of the previous four years and fewer officers overall resigned or retired, according to the 214 law enforcement agencies that responded to a [...]
Help is coming for New Jersey shore town’s eroded beaches By WAYNE PARRY
NORTH WILDWOOD, N.J. — A long-running sandstorm at the Jersey shore could soon come to an end as New Jersey will carry out an emergency beach replenishment project at one of the state's most badly eroded beaches. North Wildwood and the state have been fighting in court for years over measures the town has taken on its own to try to hold off the encroaching seas while waiting — in vain — for the same [...]
Analysts say economy boosted by Americans’ leisure spending
WASHINGTON (AP) — Since retiring two years ago, Joan Harris has upped her travel game. Once or twice a year, she visits her two adult children in different states. She's planning multiple other trips, including to a science fiction convention in Scotland and a Disney cruise soon after that, along with a trip next year to neolithic sites in Great Britain. "I really have more money to spend now than when I was working," said [...]
Legal News
Ohio Supreme Court agrees to hear appeal of Columbus pastor
The Supreme Court of Ohio accepted one of three arguments posited by a former pastor convicted of multiple felony fraud and corruption charges relative to [...]
Bill would require emotional intelligence training for officers
A Cincinnati lawmaker has resurrected a bill that would require law enforcement officers to complete emotional intelligence training as a part of the overall instruction [...]
Bill designed to eliminate delivery double taxation
A Galena state lawmaker has proposed a possible legislative fix for the circumstance in which consumer delivery-service providers, such as Instacart and Uber Eats, find [...]
Business News
Last year, Ohio saw its second-highest number of new business filings
Ohio last year had its second-highest number of new business filings in the state, according to figures from the secretary of state’s office. In 2023, [...]
New federal rule would bar noncompete agreements for most employees
WASHINGTON (AP) — Companies would no longer be able to bar employees from taking jobs with competitors under a rule approved earlier this week by [...]
Biden is seeking higher tariffs on Chinese steel, aluminum imports
PITTSBURGH — President Joe Biden announced last week that he will push for higher tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum, aiming to insulate American producers [...]
Real Estate
Rise in all-cash buys helping drive up prices for most expensive homes
LOS ANGELES — Well-heeled home shoppers are increasingly paying cash, helping turbo-charge price gains for the most expensive U.S. homes. The median sale price of [...]
Central Ohio home sales fall 3.7 percent in March
Home sales in central Ohio last month were down 3.7 percent compared to March 2023, according to new figures from Columbus Realtors. Sales through the [...]
Kate Ashford: Selling your home could boost your nest egg – but is it worth it?
A 2023 report from investment firm Vanguard estimates that about a quarter of Americans age 60 and over could move to a cheaper housing market [...]
Politics
EPA designates 2 chemicals as hazardous substances, eligible for Superfund cleanup
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency last week designated two forever chemicals that have been used in cookware, carpets and firefighting foams as hazardous [...]
Regulators tell Union Pacific to reduce its use of temporary shipping limits
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific dramatically reduced its use of temporary limits on some businesses’ shipments over the past year after its customers complained, [...]
Latest plan for student loan cancellation moving as proposed regulation
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden's latest plan for student loan cancellation is moving forward as a proposed regulation, offering him a fresh chance to deliver [...]