The Reporting Project

06/04/2026

Pataskala planning board says city council should reject Aligned Data Centers proposal. City planning staff recommended approval of the hyperscale data center proposed for 89 acres at Broad and Mink, and the council will have final say

Four hours into their Wednesday meeting, and five hours after protesters filled the front lawn of Pataskala City Hall, members of the Pataskala Planning and Zoning Commission voted the way […]

06/04/2026

There are 5,725 students enrolled in Newark City Schools. Among them, 3,300 qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. That is nearly 60% of students in the district.

The pantry for Newark City Schools students, staff and their families opened June 2 at the former Woodside Elementary building on Woods Avenue.

06/03/2026

What did these archaeologists find while looking for a mysterious, ancient underground circle?

06/03/2026

Beneath the grass, earlier subsurface testing had identified what appeared to be a circular anomaly, a difference in the soil’s magnetic or electrical properties that showed up against the surrounding field. It could be naturally occurring. But it could also be something more significant.

Earlier subsurface testing had identified what appeared to be a circular anomaly, a difference in the soil’s magnetic or electrical properties that showed up against the surrounding field. It could be naturally occurring. But it could also be something more significant.

06/02/2026

Freepoint Eco-Systems, a plastic recycling facility on Milliken Drive between Heath and Hebron, will suspend operations at the site after more than a year of complaints from neighboring residents and ongoing investigations from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Troubled recycling facility has faced complaints from residents and ongoing investigations from state regulators.

06/02/2026

Changing lives, one dog at a time: A central Ohio nonprofit bridges gaps for K-9 units and veterans. The nonprofit Central Ohio Canine Foundation supports veterans, police, fire, search-and-rescue and service dogs across nine counties.

Niko moves with the kind of confidence that makes people stop what they are doing and watch. One minute, the 5-year-old Dutch shepherd is all focus, muscles taut and ears […]

05/31/2026

At 101 years old, Warren Parsons has lived through the Great Depression, World War II, the 1960s Civil Rights movement and everything mentioned by Billy Joel in his 1989 hit “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”

101-year-old Warren Parsons has been a member of Land of Legend for 65 years – longer than any other member of the chorus.

05/30/2026

Have you tried the strawberry shortcake yet??

05/29/2026

Elections board directors: Voter fraud and election hacking aren’t happening. Checks and balances ensure safe, secure elections in Ohio, say Licking County officials

When the directors of the Licking County Board of Elections were asked to speak to the League of Women Voters about election fraud, the short answer was that it doesn’t […]

05/28/2026

The Wildcats are pioneering a new high school sport in the area by building a program in which players will earn varsity letters while participating in one of the fastest-growing sports in the country, now backed by the NFL and spreading through high schools nationwide.