Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority got off to a rocky start administering its housing choice voucher program.

The subsidized rent program, known by some as Section 8, was run by Canadian IT company CGI from 2022 until March of this year. Low-income, elderly and disabled tenants in the program complained about bad management and CGI's lack of availability.

When CMHA took over, its computer system was supposed to go down for a week, during which it wouldn't be able to process contracts. Instead, the computers stayed down for a month, said Melissa Benson, senior managing attorney with Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio's housing unit.

"This caused a bunch of delays in processing for new contracts, new payments changes," Benson said.

CMHA failed to pay some landlords. While tenants are not legally responsible for CMHA's payments, landlords still took some tenants to eviction court over the missing money, Benson said.

"We did see some situations where eviction cases were filed because CMHA had not been able to make its payment, not because the tenant hadn't been making theirs," she said.

Benson said CMHA's computer systems are back up and running, and the organization seems to be working through its backlog. She said CMHA has also been "responsive" to Legal Aid as attorneys try to help tenants who were sent to eviction court.

"They are prioritizing the cases that we are bringing to their attention," Benson said of CMHA.

CMHA admitted in a statement that it experienced a "regrettable delay in being able to process new contracts," due to a change in its software processing system.

"CMHA has been in contact with both landlords and participants and has addressed or is addressing each situation of delay to lessen the impact of the delay on both participants and landlords," the statement reads. "This includes resolving outstanding payments and resolving situations where evictions may have been initiated or completed."

Benson said to her knowledge, no one was removed from her or his home.

She said aside from the computer problems, she has seen improvements with CMHA administering the voucher program compared to CGI. CMHA has reopened its walk-in center at 11th and Cleveland avenues so people with questions can speak to a representative quickly.

"I hope that the worst of it is behind us," Benson said of the situation with CMHA. "At least in terms of the computer system, I know that's true."

CMHA says it continues to address all challenges "in as timely a manner as possible" and that the organization will invest in "additional tools to maximize efficiency in administering the program."

Norfolk Southern began making promises to East Palestine, Ohio, soon after its train derailed and caught fire in February 2023, saying it would “make it right” after five tank cars of vinyl chloride were intentionally burned, sending up a huge black plume of smoke that spread more toxic chemicals over homes, schools and farms.

A lawsuit filed by the school district Wednesday adds to doubts about the railroad's commitment after plans for a student wellness center stalled. Some residents also point to Norfolk Southern's attempts to force other companies to help pay for its $600 million class-action settlement and its agreement to abandon a training center for first responders that was meant to help the village recover.

“I think a lot of empty promises were made,” said lifelong resident Krissy Ferguson. She recently moved her family away to Poland, Ohio, saying her home in East Palestine still doesn't feel safe.

Of course, not everyone feels exactly the same way. East Palestine's people remain deeply divided: While some complain about lingering respiratory problems, rashes and other unexplained symptoms that raise long-term health concerns, many others say they feel fine and want to put the disaster behind them.

“From the village's perspective, Norfolk Southern is meeting the expectations outlined in our agreements,” a village spokeswoman said. “That's all we can say at this time.”

East Palestine and the railroad announced a $22 million settlement in January that included $13.5 million already paid to the town and formalized the railroad's additional $25 million pledge to renovating the village's park. Without offering explanations or details, the joint statement said both sides agreed the promised training center isn't feasible.

Norfolk Southern estimates that it has committed more than $115 million to help residents and communities in the area recover, including $1.1 million paid to the school district. That doesn't include the class-action settlement or the more than $1.1 billion the railroad has spent on the cleanup.

Lawsuit says promises were broken

But the school district isn't satisfied. Its lawsuit accuses the railroad of failing to reimburse the schools for using its buildings during the disaster and abandoning construction of the community wellness center. The derailment also caused more than 200 students to transfer — 25% of the district's enrollment — which cost more than $1 million in lost state and federal funding last year alone. And property and income tax revenues have dropped, leaving future school finances uncertain.

“To abruptly walk away, it says a lot about what a corporation can do to a community,” Superintendent James Rook said.

The schools' center, with an estimated price tag of $30 million, was meant to offer health and wellness care and job training for students, the lawsuit said. Norfolk Southern even hired an architect and construction firm to design it, but the project stalled last year.

Rook said the wellness center was supposed to be the centerpiece of Norfolk Southern’s commitment to fixing the mess. “People were very excited, still are, about the potential of it," he said.

Norfolk Southern says it remains committed

The railroad insists there has been no change in its commitments. The derailment became the worst North American rail disaster in a decade after the officials blew open the vinyl chloride tanks, forcing evacuations as the plastic ingredient burned, generating new chemicals that later fell to the ground. The National Transportation Safety Board found the venting was unnecessary.

Norfolk Southern maintains its website, based on the phrase former CEO Alan Shaw repeated in testimony to Congress and in community meetings and interviews. Shaw was fired last fall for having an inappropriate consensual relationship with a railroad executive.

“From the outset, we have been clear about our commitment to do right by the community in East Palestine. We remain focused on taking meaningful action that aligns with community priorities," a railroad statement said.

Current CEO Mark George said after taking over that Norfolk Southern will follow through on all its promises, and he's visited East Palestine several times.

Lingering frustrations

But residents like Misti Allison say it doesn't feel like “making it right” when the railroad refuses to pay for cost overruns beyond its $25 million pledge to the park project. She said people are also mourning the loss of the training center for first responders, which would have brought jobs to town and helped firefighters throughout the region prepare to handle rail disasters.

“Now that Alan Shaw is gone and there is a new CEO in place, all the board cares about is getting those shares as high as possible and to be able to make it right for their shareholders," Allison said. “And if the East Palestine community is a casualty in that, then so be it. This is yet another example of putting profits over people.”

Most of the class-action payments remain on hold because of appeals, adding to frustration in the village. Some personal injury payments have been trickling out, but many residents have complained about the amounts. The court system is the reason for those payment delays, but many blame the railroad nevertheless.

The village's leaders are trying to build on the positives, said Barb Kliner, a retired chief financial officer for a different school district, but she said "the feeling among the people that I associate with and the older folks in town is just kind of disappointment.”

A Columbus social media influencer with a large following is facing federal charges in what authorities called a fraudulent real estate investment scheme.

Court documents said investors lost more than $11 million because of Tyler Bossetti's investment scheme.

Bossetti has been charged in U.S. District Court in Columbus with wire fraud and aiding in the filing of a false or fraudulent document. Records state he owned and operated Boss Lifestyle LLC.

Court documents allege that Bossetti solicited short-term real estate investments promising high returns, and they were frequently 30% or more.

According to records, Bossetti gave investors promissory notes falsely claiming that the investments were risk-free and secured by real estate that he owned.

The documents allege that Bossetti knew he could not cover the obligations he was taking on in the promissory notes.

Records also claim that Bossetti spent investment funds on personal expenses, such as luxury housing and vehicles, and on unauthorized cryptocurrency investments, many of which lost large amounts of money.

Bossetti received more than $20 million from investors, court documents said.

The documents said the acts occurred between Sept. 2019 and June 2023.

Bossetti has hosted the All for Nothing podcast. He has 1 million followers on Instagram, which lists him as an entrepreneur and consultant.

A hearing has been set for June 13.

He's also faced 12 civil lawsuits in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. Half of those lawsuits remain active.

The Hops on High event on Saturday in the Short North kicks off the district's summer season.

With violent incidents in recent years in the Short North still fresh in people's minds, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, Columbus Division of Police Chief Elaine Bryant and Short North Alliance Executive Director Betsy Pandora discussed what steps are being taken to boost safety in the area.

During a press conference Wednesday at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, Bryant said those steps include bicycle and motorcycle patrols, as well as officers engaging with visitors to show their presence.

The measures also includes parking enforcement and making sure ride-share companies pick up and drop off passengers in designated zones.

"We're going to continue what we've been doing for the past couple of years to ensure that there's a safe community, and making sure that people are very safe when they come down here and feel good about what they see and what they have going on," Bryant said.

Bryant also discussed strategically placed mobile cameras and lights.

"We have our mini real-time crime center. And we have our cameras that we're constantly monitoring. And we have personnel that you may not necessarily see," Bryant said.

That includes undercover and plainclothes police, Bryant said.

Pandora said due to the Short North being one of the most visited areas in Columbus requires thoughtful cooperation between city officials and police.

"It doesn't mean that we're less safe. It means that actually we're thoughtful and collaborative partners with each other," Pandora said.

Ginther said 10 million visitors came to the Short North last year, which is the largest number since the pandemic.

"We want to make sure that folks feel safe, and that we have a great police presence," Ginther said.

Ginther mentioned the city's Clean and Safe Corridors Initiative that includes the Short North, as well as Parsons Avenue on the south side and Sullivant Avenue on the west side.

The initiative deals with graffiti cleanups and streetscape improvements as well as getting criminals off the streets, Ginther said.

"It won't be a one-time thing. That could include more lighting and cameras in those corridors," Ginther said.

Hops on High will happen between Russell Street and East 2nd Avenue.

A 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder in connection with a shooting that happened early Tuesday morning in south Columbus.

Carlos Bolton-Sepulveda is accused of killing 19-year-old Kewhyon Hartwell.

Columbus police responded to a shooting in the 1100 block of South Champion Avenue around 2:45 a.m.

When officers arrived, they found Hartwell shot. Medics took him to a hospital, where he died just before 3:10 a.m.

Authorities say robbery was the motive for the shooting.

Bolton-Sepulveda is being held at the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center.

The investigation into the case is ongoing.

A somewhat bizarre Browns draft has led to a crowded quarterback room with four healthy signal callers. Our sports commentator Terry Pluto explains some of the criticism that caused Shedeur Sanders, son of NFL Hall of Famer and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, to fall to the fifth round.

Sanders was viewed by many as the No. 2 QB in this class and was commonly mocked to go in the first round. The Browns traded their 166th and 192nd picks to the Seattle Seahawks to select Sanders with the 144th overall choice on Saturday.

Pluto believes there’s a couple reasons for Sanders’ freefall.

“Shedeur Sanders was never coached by anybody but his father from high school on," Pluto said. "Then, when (Sanders) came out (of college), Deion actually served as his son's agent.”

Pluto also studied Sanders on the field.

“I watched a couple games and I thought, ‘Well, he's pretty good,’ but I saw him getting sacked a lot and I didn't see him have this great arm," Pluto said.

Pluto said what made Sanders exceptional was his wide receiver, Travis Hunter. The Browns passed on drafting Hunter at No. 2 when they traded with Jacksonville to select fifth overall on Thursday.

“I wish the Browns still had not made that trade,” Pluto said. “Hunter was such, to me, is such a great receiver. If (Sanders) threw the ball in the same zip code as (Hunter), he found a way to go get it, and I really think that helped Shedeur, too.”

There’s speculation that the decision to draft Sanders came from team owner, Jimmy Haslam.

“Jimmy likes stuff like this," Pluto said. "He likes splashes. Of course, they asked (general manager) Andrew Berry, ‘Did the owner influence you taking Shedeur Sanders? The exact quote was, ‘Jimmy lets us do our jobs. Yeah, Jimmy let's us do our jobs.’ That's right off the transcript. That's what Andrew Berry said.”

The Browns drafted a quarterback ahead of Sanders by selecting Dillon Gabriel out of Oregon in the third round.

“If you want Shedeur Sanders, you could have taken him in the third round instead of Dillon Gabriel, and frankly, if they'd done that, we'd have a lot different discussion," Pluto said. "We'd talk about, ‘Okay, (Sanders) dropped a couple of rounds, but you know, it makes sense.’ You take a kind of a lottery pick,” he said.

Pluto said unlike most fifth round picks, Sanders comes with a ton of media attention and scrutiny.

“Kevin Stefanski, the coach, better get ready to answer the question every day, ‘How’s Shadeur looking? Is he throwing?,’” Pluto said.

Pluto wonders how much Deion Sanders will try to be involved in his son’s NFL career.

“I'll tell you one thing, I don't know what the Browns will do, (but if) he says one word, I'm going, ‘Deion, you got your own team to coach at the University of Colorado, go take care of that,"’ Pluto said. "And the son should say, ‘Dad, it didn't go so well the last time around with you kind of being the point guy.’”

Pluto said he thought Shedeur Sanders’ post-draft interview went well, thanking Berry and Stefanski for drafting him.

“I'm sure he was prepped on that, but it came across fairly genuine," Pluto said. "But all right, you've said the right things. You've "been humbled". Are you gonna come in and act that way? Or are you gonna still be acting like the guy who was supposed to be a top pick in the draft and who was paid, you know, was already making like pro money at Colorado? And that's up to Sanders to prove that.”

Still, Pluto said despite the attention and hype, the risk on Sanders is relatively low.

“If you're the Browns, you have very little invested in him," Pluto said. "This isn't like Deshaun Watson that you're stuck to him or even like Johnny Manziel was the first-round pick. If it goes poorly, you can just let him go.”

The Browns now have four healthy quarterbacks on the roster; Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.

“We always have quarterback drama and this is a new chapter,” Pluto said.

As central Ohio home values continue to climb, so do tax bills, straining household budgets and stirring debate about funding for schools, public safety and other local services.

There are several local levies on the May 6 primary ballot. How might rising property taxes affect support for those measures?

Bevan Schneck is Director of Public Affairs for the Ohio Municipal League, a statewide association that serves the interests of Ohio municipal governments at the Statehouse. 

Matthew Rand: This is an off-year primary election, so voter turnout is expected to be low to begin with. What's your sense of voter sentiment right now? Are rising tax burdens weighing much into voters' decision-making this election cycle?

Bevan Schneck: I think as it relates to municipalities with property levies, I think there's definitely a concern that their residents have fears that they may not be able to pay their property taxes. So, as those communities that are reliant on property tax levies have those on the ballot, they're definitely taking more of an educational aspect to the voters and trying to stress the need for the services that the levies would provide.

Matthew Rand: Ohio's median property tax has risen 23% in the last five years. So as local municipalities try to pass some of these levies, how do you tell property owners who have seen their property taxes increase, they should pay more?

Bevan Schneck: Well, it's a struggle. From a municipal perspective, it's interesting, because we're not generally as reliant on property taxes as say schools and townships are. But about one third of Ohio's municipalities don't have a municipal income tax base. And the communities without income taxes generally are more reliant on state funding and local property tax levies. Generally speaking, they are very much needed services when a municipality puts it on the ballot, because about about 65 to 80% of municipal revenues go toward police and fire alone. And then you'll also sometimes have property tax levies that have to do with, for instance, street maintenance or other capital projects, on down to sometimes parks and recreation. So, I know municipal officials try to have the property tax levies on the ballot that are the most needed services for their residents.

Matthew Rand: Looking at last year's general election, more than 100 school districts across the state asked their communities to raise taxes in support of them, and about a fifth of those levies failed. On the other hand, Columbus voters approved a sales tax levy to support bus rapid transit and other improvements to the Central Ohio Transit Authority. What trends, if any, are you seeing about the reliability of support for local levies, based on the results of the last few election cycles?

Bevan Schneck: I think when the issue is important to them, they show up. And so, for instance, if you take the COTA LinkUS levy, which was a sales tax, that's different than a property tax levy. So, there could be more willingness to pay sales taxes than property taxes, because it's not as steep as an increase and people have a choice in whether they buy things. But also, when it comes to property taxes, and especially as it relates to schools, there's a whole host of dynamics that go into school funding and so forth. From a municipal perspective, it's usually much simpler, because it's those needed services like police and fire and streets and streetlights and water and sewer.

Matthew Rand: What’s been your messaging for the local municipalities you represent to try to help them get some of these levies over the finish line?

Bevan Schneck: It's pretty much just make your case as transparent as they can be. They can let their residents know what revenue they have coming in and how they spend it. And if they're more reliant on a property tax, then say, other municipalities, they need to make the facts known as to why whatever service or project they're hoping to fund with that levy is important to their voters.

Matthew Rand: Finally, what advice would you give to voters who are concerned about affordability but also want to support strong schools and communities?

Bevan Schneck: I would say do your research. A lot of times with these issues, say you have a municipal levy, if you call up someone from your municipality, they're willing to talk you through where their revenue comes from and what the changes would be with that levy, or whether those changes stay the same, depending on how the levy is structured. So, most of the time, municipalities are willing to speak to their constituents and let them know the actual facts and the actual numbers, and that can help constituents come to their own conclusions about whether that service or project is needed.

A citizen’s campaign that wants to ask Ohio voters whether to end qualified immunity for public workers, like police officers, cleared another hurdle Tuesday in front of the Ohio Ballot Board.

Like it did in December, the board unanimously 5-0 to leave the Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity’s proposed constitutional amendment intact, clearing coalition members to immediately start signature-gathering. Their petition seeks to get rid of the doctrine shielding public workers from potential civil liability, particularly in civil rights cases.

Jenny Rowe, Coalition to End Qualified Immunity co-founder and volunteer, lost her partner Sean when he was fatally shot in a 2021 police standoff.

“It’s definitely timidly exciting, because now we have to get over 420,000 signatures,” Rowe said in an interview Tuesday. “It’s a huge win. We lost half of our cases, but we won the ones that mattered.”

The relatively uneventful vote follows four years of brick batting between the coalition and Attorney General Dave Yost, who rejected their petition eight times prior to taking it to the U.S Supreme Court—which declined to consider his request to stay a preliminary injunction pushing him to certify proposed summary language.

When certifying the language “over his objections,” Yost added that his office would work on “legislation to reform the ballot initiative summary process to protect the integrity of Ohio’s elections.”

“He severely sabotaged our campaign deliberately because he didn't want this issue on the ballot,” Coalition to End Qualified Immunity Founder Cynthia Brown said Tuesday.

With a July deadline for more than 440,000 valid signatures, it would be a tall task to make the November 2025 ballot, so Brown said they are targeting 2026 instead with a mix of paid and volunteer petition circulators. “We're not going to just rush ourselves,” she said.

Only three states have limited the use of qualified immunity as a defense for officers accused of civil rights violations: Colorado, Connecticut and New Mexico, to gun safety advocates Everytown. Generally, efforts to end qualified immunity face the fiercest opponents in police unions like the Fraternal Order of Police.

READ MORE:

• Ohio's AG approves qualified immunity issue he opposes after U.S. Supreme Court ruling
• After years of trying, group working to end qualified immunity in Ohio can take next step
• Coalition Moving To Eliminate Qualified Immunity For Ohio Police Officers

The Ohio Supreme Court is allowing a ban on gender-affirming care for minors ruling to go back into effect, a little over a month after the Tenth District Court of Appeals blocked it. The ruling means can be applied while the Ohio Supreme Court decides its next move.

“The Supreme Court of Ohio did not issue a written opinion with reasoning on why the stay was granted, so we still don’t know exactly what their thinking is on this case," said David Carey, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio. “We don’t know what they may think about the merits of this case or whether the stay is simply pressing the pause button while they consider a weighty issue. We don’t know that.

Carey said in the meantime, families of children seeking gender-affirming health care are caught in a quandary.

“Many of them are being forced to seek health care out of state. Those who are unable to may very well be simply denied this critical and even life-saving health care,” Carey said. “Those who have already undertaken a course of treatment in gender affirming care are allowed, under the law, to continue that. But those who need it on a new basis will be forbidden from doing so.”

Bethany McCorkle, spokesperson for Attorney General Dave Yost, said, “We are pleased that the Ohio Supreme Court confirmed that Ohio’s law protecting children from drug-induced gender transitions remains in effect as the case moves forward."

We look forward to showing once again that the legislature acted properly in enacting this constitutional law, which protects our children from irreversible medical decisions," McCorkle said.

HB 68, known as the Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act, also includes a ban on trans athletes playing girls' sports, but that's already in effect and is not affected by this lawsuit.

The legislation has been controversial. It was put in place after Republican lawmakers overrode Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto in 2023. DeWine had said he was concerned about the effects of the ban after meeting with parents of trans kids, and had proposed a set of agency rules to track treatments.

There's no word on when the Ohio Supreme Court might hold hearings on whether to take up the case.

This story was updated on April 30, 2025 at 12:40 p.m.

Correction: A version of this story was published stating that 16 employees were working at Ohio State University’s Center for Belonging and Social Change. This story has been updated to say there were a total of four employees working at the center.

Ohio State University’s Center for Belonging and Social Change is closing its doors for good on Wednesday. The closure aligns with Ohio's new Advance Ohio Higher Education Act and Trump administration executive orders that ban diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

The center's programming and services were discontinued on Feb. 28, but the four employees that staffed the center have continued to work for the past 60 days. The employees at the center confirmed to �ǿ����޴�ý that they will continue to work for the university in different roles, but declined to comment further.

The closure of the center came a month before Gov. Mike DeWine signed the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, also known as SB 1, into law. The law bans diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at public universities in Ohio. The law goes into effect on June 27.

Students at OSU protested the center's closure in late February and March, criticizing OSU President Ted Carter for ending programs before it was legally mandated.

The Advance Ohio Higher Education Act is also facing legal challenges by unions for banning university faculty from striking. A petition effort started by members of Youngstown State University’s Chapter of the Ohio Education Association to repeal the law has also began.

The physical space that houses the center will be redeveloped into a facility called the Buckeye Commons, "a central hub where students can connect, network, engage, learn and thrive in an inclusive,
dedicated space focused on advancing student success," according to a release.

The center will remain open until Wednesday at 5 p.m. Employees at the center are giving away unused apparel, such as pride bracelets, clothing and bags.