Nora Igelnik

Journalist

The Columbus Dispatch •

Columbus Zoo receives $10M from McConnells and Worthington Companies for aquarium, other projects

The Worthington Companies Foundation – which includes Worthington Enterprises and Worthington Steel – and their ownership family's McConnell Foundation will give $10 million to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium that, in part, will help build a new aquarium set to open in late 2029.

An event to celebrate the gift is scheduled at 2 p.m. Sept. 2.

The $10 million gift is the second-largest philanthropic commitment in the Columbus Zoo's history, according to a press release, surpassed only by a $50 mil...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Powell continues on revitalization path with new parking, design plans

From securing more public parking to updating architectural design guidelines while preserving historic areas, Powell City Council voted on several items Sept. 1 to help keep its plan for Downtown revitalization moving forward.

From securing more public parking to updating architectural design guidelines while preserving historic areas, Powell City Council voted on several items Sept. 1 to help keep its plan for Downtown revitalization moving forward.
The Columbus Dispatch •

Powell extends moratorium on marijuana dispensaries through 2027

Powell City Council has passed a resolution to extend the city's moratorium on adult recreational use and medical marijuana businesses in the city until Dec. 31, 2027, or until zoning amendments for such operations are adopted.In a unanimous vote at its Sept. 1 meeting, City Council again extended a moratorium that was initially enacted after the passage of Ohio State Issue 2, which legalized the commercial sale, recreational use and home cultivation of marijuana and established the Ohio Divisio...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Columbus saw its 2nd-rainiest August amid tornadoes and flooding

The month of August brought tornadoes, thunderstorms and flooding to central Ohio that left significant damage and disrupted daily life as a derecho whipped through the area.

Severe thunderstorms and multiple tornados hit the region Aug. 11, and flash flooding wreaked havoc Aug. 20 after more rainfall.

Before September arrives, read on for a recap of August weather in central Ohio, encompassing multiple severe weather events that has given the month some lasting infamy. Vehicles were overturne...
The Columbus Dispatch •

6-year-old girl shot herself with unattended gun, Columbus police say

Columbus police say they believe a 6-year-old girl accidentally shot herself with an unattended gun in the city's Weinland Park neighborhood.Callers reported the shooting to 911 at 3:19 p.m. Aug. 30 on 6th Street near 7th Avenue, a Columbus police dispatcher said.

Columbus police say they believe a 6-year-old girl accidentally shot herself with an unattended gun in the city's Weinland Park neighborhood.

Callers reported the shooting to 911 at 3:19 p.m. Aug. 30 on 6th Street near 7th Avenue, a...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Hot air balloon descends on Delaware County neighborhood. See the story behind the landing

It's a bird! It's a plane!It's a hot air balloon?Residents of the Lantern Chase subdivision in Delaware County experienced an interesting sight when a hot air balloon pilot made a calculated landing at the intersection of Merrick Boulevard and Stonhope Drive at around 7:15 p.m. Aug. 29.Russ Jurg, owner of Columbus Aeronauts and the organization's main commercial pilot, was behind the landing that left the neighborhood's kids fascinated. A family celebrating multiple birthdays were the passengers...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Columbus senior citizens are making history through competitive gaming

In the Game Arena at 1556 N. High St., members of Senior Esports USA sat at their high-tech desks. Colorful gaming PCs flashed lights by their feet as the seniors chatted with each other, played video games and prepared for the energetic event of the day: a draft.These aren't high school or college seniors. These seniors are lean, mean, gaming machines – and they're living off retirement funds.On Aug. 18, a team of 11 senior citizens were drafted to represent the United States during the Global...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Grandview Crossing to expand after Franklin County sells land for $1.12M

Grandview Crossing in Columbus will expand by 300 multifamily units beginning next year after Franklin County sold approximately five acres of adjacent land for more than $1.12 million to the community authority that oversees the mixed-use development.

The Franklin County Engineer's Office occupies an almost 17-acre parcel of county land at 970 Dublin Road/ U.S. 33 between the Grandview Crossing development and the city of Columbus' Dublin Road water plant. However, about 5 acres on the norther...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Columbus Water customers report problems after change to monthly billing

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to clarify some information.

Thousands of Columbus Water & Power customers mistakenly received a new bill before the previous one was due and a delinquency notice because of an auto-pay glitch when the city changed its billing cycle from quarterly to monthly.

What began as a pilot project last June led all remaining accounts to the cycle change starting in July. However, about 6,000 customers were impacted by an auto-pay system issue that came with th...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Ohio senator tests OSU chalking ban with sidewalk message

The start of a new semester at Ohio State University brings the opportunity for fresh thinking.On Aug. 26, a state senator decided to publicly show what he thinks about a controversial university policy.Ohio Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, stopped by the Ohio Union on the second day of classes to test Ohio State officials on the subject of chalking, the now-banned practice in which students formerly wrote announcements, political statements and more in chalk on sidewalks around Ohio State's campus...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Why heavy rain may have introduced more bugs into your home

Notice an increase lately in sweat bees and bugs of all kinds flying and crawling outside or – even more annoyingly – inside your home?

You're not crazy. Some insects have been more active the past couple of weeks. Heavy rainfall from storms and flooding in recent weeks drove some bugs from underground or allowed others to reproduce more quickly, explaining the multiplication of crawlers and fliers across central Ohio, according to a bug expert interviewed by The Dispatch.

Many insects live in...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Columbus water bills switched to monthly cycles

Columbus Power & Water recently switched its billing cycle for water and sewer customers from quarterly to monthly.What began as a pilot project last June led all remaining accounts to the cycle change starting in July.Customers have been asking for this switch for many years because budgeting for a quarterly bill while dealing with other monthly bills, like electricity or internet, can get tricky, spokesperson George Zonders previously told The Dispatch.The change is possible thanks to the divi...
The Columbus Dispatch •

How to ensure you receive emergency weather alerts during floods, tornadoes

At 4:45 a.m. the morning of Aug. 20, residents of Columbus, eastern Franklin, southwest Licking and northwest Fairfield counties received a flash flood warning.

These alerts are registered as wireless emergency notifications, but not everyone receives them the same way − and some have complained that they didn't receive the alert at all.

The notifications are meant to pop up on your phone screen with either sound or vibration in the event of a significant weather warning, in a similar manner a...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Worthington Kroger reopens after major renovation

Kroger will hold a celebration for the grand re-opening of its Worthington location Aug. 21.After three months of renovations and improvements, the store at 60 Worthington Mall will unveil its $1.2 million renovation, according to a press release.During an opening ceremony, Kroger will gift the first 50 customers in line by 9 a.m. a $10 gift card. A ribbon cutting will take place at 10 a.m.“We hope the Worthington community can join us on August 21 and to celebrate their all-new grocery store,”...
The Columbus Dispatch •

City leaders detail rezoning 40% of city to boost mixed-use, industrial development

More than a year since announcing plans to rezone almost half of the city, Columbus leaders are unveiling the details of the second phase of the city's zoning code overhaul.

Mayor Andrew Ginther and Columbus City Council President Pro Tempore Rob Dorans revealed updated plans for the second phase of "Zone In," the city's years-long initiative to encourage more development by modernizing its 70-year-old zoning code. This phase – which will rezone 41% of the city, or roughly 66,000 parcels – invo...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Star House CEO Ann Bischoff to lead Community Housing Network

The Community Housing Network – the largest and longest-standing provider of permanent supportive housing in Franklin County – has announced it has a new chief executive officer.Ann Bischoff, longtime CEO of Star House, which provides resources to teens and young adults experiencing homelessness, will take over as the Community Housing Network (CHN) CEO after two decades of experience in youth services, public policy and systems reform, according to an Aug. 19 press release. Bischoff will conclu...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Driver whose vehicle flipped on I-71 Aug. 11 was treated and released

The driver whose vehicle was seen overturned in traffic camera footage due to heavy wind and rain on Interstate 71 Aug. 11 was treated and released.

The incident was logged as occurring at 10:12 a.m. while the driver was travelling on Interstate 71 south at Weber Road, according to a crash report filed by the Columbus police. There was severe weather with wind gusts up to 100 mph.

As the driver was travelling southbound, a "heavy wind gust and or tornado" flipped the vehicle on its top, accord...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Franklin County vehicle title fees set to increase on Sept. 1

Franklin County residents will see an increase in vehicle title fees starting Sept. 1.

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution at the end of July to authorize the county Clerk of Courts to increase vehicle title fees from $18 to $23.

On June 30, 2025, Ohio House Bill 96 was signed into law, which allowed a fee increase on vehicle titles effective Jan. 1, 2026. That bill included a mandatory $3 increase to the vehicle title fee statewide reserved solely for the Security,...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Amid financial strain, Maryhaven gets 2 county-appointed board members

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the source of $1.5 million in funds from Franklin County to Maryhaven. The short-term emergency funds came from the Alcohol Drug And Mental Health (ADAMH) of Franklin County's levy funds.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the source of $1.5 million in funds from Franklin County to Maryhaven. The short-term emergency funds came from the Alcohol Drug And Mental Health (ADAMH) of Franklin County...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Two men, victim's daughter arrested in death of Delaware County woman

Arrests have been made in connection to the death of a 55-year-old Delaware County woman, the county's sheriff's office said.Just after midnight Aug. 14, a man called 911 from his home on Bean Oller Road and said his wife, Tamela D. Dutcher, had been shot, according to the Delaware County Sheriff's Office. Medics took Dutcher to a local hospital, where she died several hours later.Around 5:25 p.m., detectives executed a search warrant in Delaware and took two people, Dajameous Payne, 21, and Chr...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Pickerington woman charged with Medicaid fraud totaling around $405K

A Pickerington woman who owns and operates Reset Tomorrow, a Reynoldsburg behavioral-health program for children, has been charged by the Ohio Attorney General's office with Medicaid fraud and theft totaling $404,810.She is one of three central Ohio residents recently charged as part of an ongoing crackdown on Medicaid fraud by the state attorney general's office.The office's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit began investigating Rasheedah Biles, 42, after a referral in May 2025 flagged her company for...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Delaware County man sentenced to nearly 27 years for drug trafficking, gun crimes

A Delaware County man has been sentenced in U.S. District Court in Columbus to almost 27 years in prison for drug and gun-related crimes.

Terrance Colvin, 39, was convicted at trial in February on six counts of drug and gun crimes related to 28 kilograms of drugs, 27 of which were narcotics found stashed in hidden compartments of a vehicle being hauled from California to Polaris Fashion Place, according to an Aug. 13 news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Gov. DeWine warns of overnight flooding risks in western Ohio counties

Gov. Mike DeWine said he is concerned about storms forecast to develop overnight as residents in Ohio's southwestern and western counties sleep.Those living in Hamilton, Butler, Darke and Preble counties are expected to see 1 to 4 inches of rain overnight, DeWine said at an Aug. 13 press conference at the Ohio Emergency Management Agency. That rainfall is a serious concern because the ground is already saturated from previous storms, he said.Meteorologists project the rain will start at about 11...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Before storms, Franklin County approved nearly $440k to replace, repair warning sirens

Just two weeks before severe thunderstorms with strong winds hit central Ohio on Aug. 11, Franklin County Commissioners authorized spending $439,050 for the county Emergency Management & Homeland Security to replace old warning sirens with new ones and relocate some of them.

Just two weeks before severe thunderstorms with strong winds hit central Ohio on Aug. 11, Franklin County Commissioners authorized spending $439,050 for the county Emergency Management & Homeland Security to replace old war...
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