Wednesday, October 21st, 2026

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On this day in 1879, Milan, Ohio, native Thomas Edison tested his first long-lasting incandescent light bulb.

On top of the Fold, another day brings another poll with Democrats up 6, and two Scioto County teens face felony charges over school threats.

And property tax relief collides with 131 school levies on the Nov. 3 ballot. Plus, NBC4 Columbus commits an act of journalism on Grove City’s Issue 28.

BOWLING GREEN — Another day, another poll showing Democrats ahead in Ohio. 

A Bowling Green State University survey of 1,000 likely voters, released Friday, has Amy Acton leading Vivek Ramaswamy 50% to 44% for governor. 

It has Sherrod Brown leading Sen. Jon Husted 48% to 42%. Both leads are outside the 4-point margin of error. 

But voters aren’t sold: 55% expect Ramaswamy to win, and they split 48-48 on who wins the Senate race. 

BGSU’s Robert Alexander called a blue wave “far from a sure thing.” See BGSU poll results.

LUCASVILLE — Two juveniles face felony charges after threats against Valley Local Schools in Scioto County. 

The sheriff’s office learned of a potential threat Oct. 17 and took both into custody the next day without incident, recovering evidence. 

Each faces charges including making a terroristic threat, grand theft of a firearm, receiving stolen property, tampering with evidence, and inducing panic. 

Both are held at the Ross County Juvenile Detention Center. 

Sheriff David Thoroughman praised the district for reporting the threat quickly. This story continues here.

COLUMBUS — Ohio’s gas tax holiday is two weeks old, but prices are climbing anyway. 

AAA put the statewide average at $4.04 a gallon Monday, up 17 cents from a week ago but still below the $4.30 national average. 

Lima has the state’s cheapest gas at $3.81, while Canton-Massillon is the priciest metro at $4.13. 

Station prices Sunday ranged from $3.27 to $5.79, according to GasBuddy, so shopping around pays. 

One economist blames Middle East tensions and attacks on overseas refineries. For the cheapest areas, go here, and specific stations are here.

COLUMBUS — Rising prices top Ohio voters’ worries in poll after poll, and property taxes haven’t helped. Homeowners have watched their bills climb as reappraisals pushed home values higher.

Lawmakers responded with five property tax laws that took effect March 20. They cap growth in some tax revenue to inflation, eliminate replacement levies, offer credits to offset recent increases and change the 20-mill floor, which let many districts collect more as values rose.

Schools say that relief came out of their budgets. Athens City Schools Superintendent Chad Springer estimated that about a third of Ohio districts are coming off the 20-mill floor, and many are turning to voters. There are 131 school tax issues on the Nov. 3 ballot, and 68 ask for new money. One southeast Ohio superintendent called the changes “a complete disaster.”

House Finance Chair Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, has said schools should stop leaning on the state to pay for staff they hired, and that voters are angry about property taxes. In May, voters approved only about one in four new school tax requests, and a push to abolish property taxes altogether is now aiming for 2027. 

On Nov. 3, homeowners will get the final word, and no polling predicts where this all lands.

With Election Day less than two weeks away, most coverage of Grove City’s Issue 28 has read like a proclamation from a democracy movement. Few outlets have examined what the 12-page charter amendment really says and would do to the city.

In this space, we've objected to Issue 28 for its overreach and its supporters’ tactics. Letters to the editor and guest columns we’ve published raise concerns well beyond data centers.

They point to noise limits that could reach a Friday night high school football game. They point to fines of up to $500,000 (yes, you read that right). They also point to the acreage threshold that could ensnare The Buckeye Ranch, Mount Carmel Grove City, and churches.

That’s why NBC4 deserves credit. Reporter Gracie Collins found someone with no skin in the game. Collins sat down with Rachel Hampton of Capital University Law School to compare the ballot language with the full amendment.

Hampton noted that the ballot describes the referendum process but leaves out the regulatory and enforcement pieces. “The amendment talks about noise restrictions. That’s not noted here,” she said. Lighting rules are missing too, and existing businesses that cross the thresholds would become subject to the entire amendment. 

We believe that’s a road paved for economic and city service chaos.

Continue reading the editorial here.

Should the Ohio Supreme Court overturn the Court of Appeals' decision on EdChoice?
- Yes - 63%
- No - 12%
- Unsure - 25%

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