1 big thing: Help for housing developers

Illustration of quarters transformed into nails.

2. 🏒 Street hockey coming to Whitehall

A rendering of a municipal street hockey rink. 

3. Nutshells: Did you cashew that? 

Illustration of three smiling emojis, each on an outline of Ohio.

Look who’s hiring

4. Dems pitch constitutional amendment on abortion rights

5. Photo quiz: First responders recognized 

A statue of a police officer, firefighter and boy in a park. 

☔️ Today's weather: High of 75, low of 62, with a chance of thunderstorms.

✈️ Situational awareness: The Axios Columbus crew is in Washington, D.C., for the rest of the week for a retreat with colleagues from across the country.

We'll be focused on improving our newsletter writing but will still be in your inboxes Thursday and Friday mornings!

Today's newsletter is 877 words — a 3.5-minute read.

😴 Tyler is tired after climbing the famed "Exorcist Stairs."

✈️ Alissa is en route to Washington, D.C.!

❤️ Love our newsletters? Show your support by becoming an Axios Columbus member today.

Columbus

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Columbus. Written by Tyler Buchanan and Alissa Widman Neese.

Axios Columbus

1 big thing: 🤔 Cardboard gold ... or junk?

2. 🥵 What happened to spring?

3. Nutshells: Don't cut acorners

New jobs to check out

4. 🇺🇸 Paying tribute

A tribute to Ohio at the World War II memorial in Washington D.C. 

⛅️ Today's weather: Cloudy and warm with a high of 82. 

Situational awareness: The Columbus school board voted yesterday to place a $680 million bond issue for new facilities and a tax levy on the Nov. 8 ballot.

🎵 Sounds like: "Talkin' Softball" by Terry Cashman.

🎧 How It Happened: "Putin's Invasion Part V: The fight for the Donbas" is out this morning with a new documentary episode examining the fight for the Donbas — the eastern borderlands of Ukraine where the most intense fighting is now happening.

This is told through the eyes of a journalist who has been covering the war there and a soldier who has been fighting there, both since 2014. 

Today's newsletter is 521 words — a 2-minute read.

🧳 Tyler is moving to D.C. after this very Ohio-centric diner visit. 

📬 Alissa is looking for recommendations for what to see, do or eat during a free day in the capital.

🤔 Got a burning question? Reply to this email and Ask Axios. 

In a future newsletter, we'll answer your questions about Columbus, current events or whatever else is on your mind.

1 big thing: The baby formula crisis

2. What to do this weekend

Illustration of an animated neutral emoji changing into a smiling-with-sunglasses emoji.

3. Nutshells: Bouncing off the walnuts

Illustration of a buckeye nut bouncing across the screen.

Stop by to see who’s hiring

4. Photo quiz: Where's Gambrinus?

A statue of a portly king raising a beer. 

☀️ Today's weather: A sizzling high of 89. Thunderstorms, then partly sunny.

Situational awareness: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authorized COVID-19 booster shots for children ages 5-11 yesterday.

Meanwhile, all U.S. households can now order eight more free at-home rapid tests from the federal government. Learn more.

Today's newsletter is 715 words — a 3-minute read.

✌️ Tyler is wishing the best to Columbus Alive's Andy Downing on his last day as editor. 

😎 Alissa captured a "Pokemon Go" rarity, Bouffalant, while walking the streets of D.C.

1 big thing: A pandemic "what if"

2. Will Ohio catch the train?

3. Nutshells: Happy National Walnut Day!

Fresh openings from the job board 

4. Photo quiz: Where is this statue?

A statue of a firefighter and police officer in a municipal park. 

5. 1 helpful shop to go

Two men stand beside suit displays at a nonprofit offering low-income men with professional warddrobes. 

Happy Tuesday! Everybody got their spring cleaning done? 

😎  Today's weather: Another beautiful, sunny day with a high of 75. 

Situational awareness: John Clarke Jr., the man behind last year's Issue 7 clean energy ballot item, was convicted yesterday of falsifying a campaign finance report, per the Columbus Dispatch.  

Today's newsletter is 921 words — a 3.5-minute read.

🚂  Tyler is always seconds away from missing the train no matter which state he's in. 

🤔  Alissa is feeling skeptical about "Elemental," a newly announced Pixar film that sounds an awful lot like one of her favorite childhood TV shows.

📬  Check out other Axios newsletters, with topics ranging from science and sports to gaming and global politics.

1 big thing: 🍹 We tried the area's first "sober bar"

The front entrance to The Dry Mill, "The Sober Bar of Columbus"

2. The future of online school

A laptop with a shrugging emoji on the screen

3. Abortion rights protests continue

Protesters at the Ohio Statehouse holding signs including one reading "Abortion is healthcare."

4. Nutshells: This too shell pass

Illustration of a pattern of buckeye nuts, increasing and decreasing in size in diagonal waves.

New jobs to check out  

5. ✈️ Round-trip disappointment

A crowd of Ohio State Buckeye football fans. 

Happy Monday! You can handle whatever this week throws at you. You've got this.

⛈️ Today's weather: More storms. High of 74, low of 54.

💰 Situational awareness: The city launched a new Financial Empowerment Center to provide free financial counseling. Schedule an appointment. 

Today's newsletter is 880 words — a 3.5-minute read.

🤝 Tyler is in Washington, D.C., to solve all our country's problems. I'll let you know how it goes. 

🧳 Alissa is most definitely (not) going to pack her bags early before she leaves for an Axios retreat on Wednesday morning.

To ensure this newsletter reaches your inbox, please add columbus@axios.com to your contacts. If you use Gmail, just drag this email to your "Primary" tab. For other mail clients, check out this page.

Data: Midwestern Regional Climate Center; Chart: Thomas Oide/Axios

It's not just you — May has been a scorcher. 

Driving the news: Friday's high forecast of 91 degrees in Columbus, if reached, would tie the record high for May 20, per the National Weather Service.

Saturday's high forecast of 90 is just two degrees below the record high.

Context: In the first half of May, we've already logged an above-average number of days above 80 degrees (6) when compared to the past 10 years (the average is 5.1).

Yes, and: As we previously reported, overall, Columbus is getting hotter.

From 1948, the earliest data available, to today, the average number of days surpassing 80 degrees from May 1-17 was just 3.9.

Weekend temperatures could set records in Columbus

Our 80-degree days are above-average — and more are coming.

Weather

It&#x27;s not just you — May has been a scorcher. <ul><li>And it&#x27;s going to get even hotter.</li></ul>

News

Data: Brown School of Public Health; Map: Thomas Oide/Axios

Vaccinations could have prevented more than half of Ohio's nearly 30,000 COVID-19 deaths between January 2021 and last month, per a new analysis by Brown University School of Public Health.

Driving the news: Researchers created a model illustrating what could have happened if 100% of adult Americans got fully vaccinated and boosted after the shots became available.

The study used real-world data from the CDC and the New York Times while  considering variables such as supply and vaccine effectiveness over time.

The big picture: Nationwide, COVID vaccines could have prevented roughly 319,000 deaths, nearly half of those occurring during the study's time frame, Axios' Tina Reed reports.

The news comes as the country's overall recorded death toll hit 1 million people on Monday, per the AP. That includes 38,550 in Ohio.

Zoom in: Ohio, with its 15,875 vaccine-preventable deaths, ranks No. 9 overall per 1 million people when compared to other states.

With just 68% of adults fully vaccinated against the virus and 56% of that group having received a booster, Ohio's vaccination rate is below average nationally.

What they're saying: "The vaccine rollout has been both a remarkable success and a remarkable failure," Brown's Stefanie Friedhoff, one of the analysis' authors, told NPR.

While the U.S. was able to get a large vaccine supply rolled out quickly, the shots are useless if they're not going into arms.

The bottom line: As COVID immunity wanes over time and the virus continues to mutate, vaccines and boosters remain our best tools for fighting off new waves of infections. 

Officials must remain committed to increasing vaccine demand, the study's authors say.

💭 Our thought bubble: It's not too late to protect yourself and your loved ones. Find a COVID-19 vaccine near you.

Vaccines could've saved 16,000 Ohioans, study says

Brown University models a scenario of 100% U.S. vaccination.

COVID-19

Vaccinations could have prevented more than half of Ohio&#x27;s nearly 30,000 COVID-19 deaths between January 2021 and last month, per a new analysis by Brown University School of Public Health.Driving the news: Researchers created a model illustrating what could have happened if 100% of adult Americans got fully vaccinated and boosted after the shots became available.

COVID

🔥 Get new ink at the Hell City Tattoo Festival at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, featuring seminars, live music, an art gallery and more.

12-11pm Friday ($25), Saturday ($30), 12-8pm Sunday ($25). $75 weekend pass.

📽️ Catch a movie while supporting Black filmmakers at the Columbus Black International Film Festival at Wexner Center for the Arts.

Saturday, Sunday. Free! View the film schedule.

🎪 Travel back in time to a Victorian Carnival at Ohio Village's opening weekend.

10am-5pm Saturday, Sunday. $7-13. Kids under 3 free!

⚽ Cheer on the Crew at On Our Sleeves Day, a celebration of last week's record-breaking chain of scarves supporting children's mental health.

🛍️ Peruse Friendship Flea, a popup flea market in Clintonville with more than 30 vendors.

12-5pm Sunday. North High Street and Dunedin Road. Free!

What to do in Columbus this weekend

On our list: a tattoo festival, flea market and Crew match.

Weekend

🔥 Get new ink at the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Hell City Tattoo Festival" data-vars-click-url="https://hellcity.com/" data-vars-content-id="2c897c48-ea0d-4ceb-8f0e-18ff82c6d2de" data-vars-headline="What to do in Columbus this weekend" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://hellcity.com/" target="_blank">Hell City Tattoo Festival</a> at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, featuring seminars, live music, an art gallery and more.<ul><li>12-11pm Friday ($25), Saturday ($30), 12-8pm Sunday ($25). $75 weekend pass.</li></ul>

Things to Do

Building a new pipeline of developers from underrepresented backgrounds could help solve Central Ohio's affordable housing crisis, local leaders say.

What's happening: A new loan program to help minority developers build more homes — particularly women and people of color — launched yesterday through the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County.

The Emerging Developers Accelerator Program is funded by a $10 million investment, half from the city and half from the county. JPMorgan Chase donated $150,000 to fund an educational component.

Why it matters: Participants will complete 12 courses over six months covering all aspects of development, from acquiring sites to understanding zoning rules and working with architects, contractors and lenders. 

Upon completion, developers can take out loans from the $10 million pot, giving them access to enough capital to take out larger loans and finance projects.

They'll also receive mentoring from industry experts.

By the numbers: Just 28% of Urban Land Institute members nationwide are women and just 5% are Black, according to a 2020 report — an issue officials say is also true locally.

And while our booming region needs to build 14,000-21,000 housing units annually to keep up with population growth, we're averaging only about 8,000, per a 2018 study by the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio.

What they're saying: "I'm saying to the powers-that-be: 'It is time for you to scoot over,'" U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge said at yesterday's announcement.

"It is time to make room for other people … so new people can learn."

Context: Fudge, from northeast Ohio, announced several federal initiatives to build affordable housing while in Columbus on Monday.

What's next: The housing trust is now accepting accelerator program applications on its website.

The goal is to begin the first courses in late summer with a class of about a dozen developers, says president and CEO Lark Mallory.

Meanwhile, the city is poised to place a $150 million bond issue on November's ballot to continue addressing affordable housing needs, Mayor Andrew Ginther reiterated at the announcement.

Program to build diversity among housing developers

Columbus, Franklin County donated $5 million each to the effort.

Affordable housing

Building a new pipeline of developers from underrepresented backgrounds could help solve Central Ohio&#x27;s affordable housing crisis, local leaders say.What&#x27;s happening: A new loan program to help minority developers build more homes — particularly women and people of color — launched yesterday through the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County.

Business

Data: Datasembly; Chart: Baidi Wang/Axios

Ohio's low-income families could soon feel a bit of relief amid a frightening nationwide shortage of baby formula.

Driving the news: The Ohio Department of Health requested federal waivers this week to grant formula-buying flexibility for participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

Why it matters: Half of all infant formula in the U.S. is purchased using WIC benefits, according to the White House. In Ohio, nearly 62,000 infants rely on it, per the state health department.

But the program is limited to certain types of formula, which increases demand while limiting parents' options amid the ongoing formula shortage.

Of note: Ohio was one of the last states to apply for the waivers.

Catch up quick: A cascade of issues related to production and distribution are to blame for the shortage, which started late last year and has gotten precipitously worse in recent weeks.

That includes the shutdown of Abbott's baby formula plant in Sturgis, Michigan, following an FDA recall. It is set to reopen in two weeks, Axios' Herb Scribner reports.

In the meantime, an Abbott plant in Columbus has shifted to manufacturing Similac formula to help meet demands, the company announced Monday.

Zoom in: The situation in Ohio is slightly better than the rest of the country, though not by much, with 42% of formulas currently out of stock, according to retail software company Datasembly.

78% of Ohioans drink some formula in their first six months of life, slightly higher than the national average, per the CDC.

Be smart: While homemade recipes are circulating online, health experts advise against making your own formula at home due to potential health risks. Diluting with water or cow milk is also not recommended.

Some soy-based formulas are easier to find as a temporary substitute, according to Nationwide Children's Hospital.

Parents can also call stores and formula providers directly to ask for help.

Talk to a health care provider if your baby is on a special formula to discuss alternatives.

What's next: Relief is expected soon due to increased formula production and imports, Axios' Mark Robinson reports.

"Within days it will get better, but it will be a few weeks until we’re back to normal," FDA commissioner Robert Califf told a House subcommittee yesterday.

Go deeper: Baby formula shortage puts spotlight on how America feeds its young

Formula flexibility coming for Ohio parents on WIC

Ohio was one of the last states to ask for federal waivers.

Children's health

Ohio&#x27;s low-income families could soon feel a bit of relief amid a frightening nationwide shortage of baby formula.Driving the news: The Ohio Department of Health <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="requested federal waivers" data-vars-click-url="https://odh.ohio.gov/media-center/odh-news-releases/odh-news-release-05-18-22" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://odh.ohio.gov/media-center/odh-news-releases/odh-news-release-05-18-22" target="_blank">requested federal waivers</a> this week to grant formula-buying flexibility for participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

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Stories

What to do in Columbus this weekend

Formula flexibility coming for Ohio parents on WIC

Weekend temperatures could set records in Columbus

Program to build diversity among housing developers

Vaccines could've saved 16,000 Ohioans, study says

Newsletter editions

🍼 Formula fixes

⚾️ Treasure trove

🏘️ Developer diversity investment

🦠 Preventable tragedies

🍹 A bar without booze