Today From The Ohio Newsroom

Malnutrition plagues older adults in northeast Ohio

Constance Packard lives in a modest, tidy home in Massillon, Ohio. At 94, she's tired of cooking. Most of her meals are grab and go: something she can get out of the freezer.

Ohio's Rust Belt cities hope Intel investment can fuel their revival

For decades, Ohio cities like Mansfield have experienced economic turmoil, loss of industry and subsequent population decline. But, in recent years, the northeast Ohio city has reversed that trend.

Firefighters face an increased risk for cancer. Can firefighting foam made with soybeans help?

Outside the Harrison Township Fire Department, in Pickaway County south of Columbus, a car erupted into flames.

As black smoke billowed from its open windows, a trio of firefighters aimed a thick hose toward the blaze.

No one was hurt in this car fire. It was a test to see if the soybean-based foam that firefighters sprayed onto the flames could successfully smother them.

Three post-COVID takeaways from Ohio school board members 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio parents and community members showed up in droves to their local school board meetings. They took to the podium to debate masking, learning loss and curriculum.

Holy cow, that's a yak! Why some Ohio farmers are embracing Himalayan herds

Blake Mathys grew up on a central Ohio farm, going to exotic animal auctions with his father. They collected Scottish Highland cows, Jacob sheep and even peacocks. If it had fur or feathers, it was fair game.

"So when we moved back to Ohio about 12 years ago, I decided I wanted some livestock and maybe something a little unusual," Mathys said. "I thought 'Why not yaks?'"

How a Rust Belt city is beating the literacy odds

Schools in impoverished areas tend to have lower rates of reading proficiency. But one Ohio district is bucking the trend: Steubenville City Schools.

The Rust Belt district boasts one of the highest reading proficiency scores in the state despite its high poverty rate.

How a thousand-voice chorus is creating statewide connection

Ahead of their rehearsal at a small theater in Yellow Springs, members of a community choir pulled out sheet music to the tune of a tinkering piano.

As their chatter turned to whispers, guest conductor David Brown launched the group into its first song: not Beethoven, but Beyonce.

'The black hole of southern Ohio': how cuts to the VA could impact a small Ohio community

Dan Ramey Jr. was just starting his senior year of high school in September 2001. He watched the Twin Towers fall during lunch.

"That's really what was the deciding factor of selflessness for country," he said. "That really struck me as a call to arms."

The decision to serve in the U.S. Air Force was easy, he said. Coming home as a veteran six years later was not.

One man's mission to preserve his grandmother's legacy – and the park she left behind

Kalen Howell can map his family history without moving a single step.

From one spot on Market Street in Urbana, he pointed to the former living spaces of much of his lineage. The home where his grandmother grew up is on the corner, and just to the west, his great-grandparents made their home. He grew up in this neighborhood too, just a couple doors down.

'Every human needs a restroom': Ohioans with disabilities advocate for adult-sized changing tables

High school sophomore Joel Buyer is almost always on the go. He's on a bowling team, a part of his local 4-H club and he loves to travel. He recently visited New York City for his sweet sixteen.

"I have a favorite part: the train," said Joel, who has cerebral palsy and speaks through an augmentative and alternative communication device.