Franklin County

Ohio’s 2020 presidential primary ended with about 20% voter turnout, after some major disruptions from the coronavirus pandemic. 

It’s the first of the month, which means it’s time to pay rent. But with unemployment claims at all-time high because of the coronavirus, many tenants in Ohio are worrying about their ability to keep up with payments. 

Rows of nearly identical houses run along gently meandering roads in Jefferson Township’s Willow Brook subdivision. It’s suburban, but tucked in here is a pretty innovative environmental project.

At first glance, the people inside Franklin County Municipal Court room 13C have little in common. There’s a man in cutoff jean shorts with tattooed arms. Behind him sits a younger woman with freckles who looks like she came from soccer practice.

The group is bound together by circumstance: All were addicted to opioids and got in trouble with the law.

Graduates walked into the atrium of the Ohio Statehouse, greeted by cheers from their friends and loved ones. One by one, they step up to the microphone.

“I spent 37 years of my life a homeless drug addict, a victim of human trafficking on the streets of Columbus,” says Barb Davis. “I truly knew it was my destiny to die out there.”

There are about 230 new cases of HIV in Franklin County every year, mostly among people aged 25-29. On Thursday, celebrated as National HIV Testing Day, free testing is available at multiple locations across the city. 

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday announced a plan to reduce poverty in Central Ohio.

City of Columbus and Franklin County officials announced a new 2020 Census committee on Wednesday tasked with ensuring all residents are counted.