Today From The Ohio Newsroom

One Ohio rural community’s debate around drag queens

A small crowd cheers on a bejeweled drag queen, as she struts onto a stage at the Olive Tree in Bellefontaine.

Despite being a 45-minute commute from Ronald Woodland-Wright’s home in Westerville, Woodland-Wright performs here often as Beariana Grande. Tonight, her pink makeup glimmers in the light of the disco ball as she lip-synchs to Taylor Swift.

Suicide rates in the Black community are on the rise. An Ohio barbershop is stepping up.

The buzz of the cutters at Revive Station Barbershop in Warren often overlaps with a steady flow of conversation.

Barber Adrian Favors – known by his clients as Big A – is chatting with two young clients on a day in late February. He occasionally pauses his trimming to ask the boys about everything from sports, to school to their favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

Rural women lag in cancer screenings. Remote outreach could be key.

Rural areas lag behind when it comes to cancer screenings.

The disparity has led researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center (OSUCCC) to analyze the best ways to reach the at-risk population.

Toledo Blade union members renew efforts to secure a labor contract

A union representing Toledo Blade employees is renewing its efforts to secure a labor contract.

The last contract between the Toledo NewsGuild and Block Communications, the newspaper’s owner, expired in 2017.

Union members have been negotiating since then to secure a new contract, but have recently doubled down on those efforts after a change in union leadership.

Medicaid eligibility is changing and Ohio community health centers will take a hit. 

Medicaid eligibility is being re-determined in Ohio for the first time in three years.

Another church closes: How Ohio is losing faith in Christianity

Ten minutes before St. Mary Church’s very last mass begins, the pews are already full, lined with people who spent a lifetime building memories between the stained-glass windows.

Many Ohioans still lack broadband access. That could hurt voter engagement.

Nearly a million Ohioans don’t have access to broadband, and that could hurt voter turnout in those areas.

Sandhill cranes are resurging in Ohio

The birds awake before the sun on Saturday morning.

Chirping melodies to fading stars, they’re recognizable by song long before it’s light enough to make out their shapes against the sky.

“I think that's a Redwing calling back there,” Susan Brauning says, tilting her ear to the sky. “And there's a field sparrow that sounds like a ping pong ball dropping.”