Columbus

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Disc golf, an outdoor sport with little barrier to entry and plenty of distance between players, has experienced a popularity surge during the pandemic.

Want to give it a try? Here are Central Ohio's top three courses, per discgolfscene.com's online reviews. All are free to play.

1 course with 18 holes that's reservable for private competitions.

Simsburg Park, 625 E. Columbus St., Pickerington

2 courses, 45 holes, with a waterfront view!

Hoover Reservoir Park, 4151 Central College Rd., Westerville

1 course, 18 holes, for players seeking a challenge.

Charles Alley Nature Park, 2805 Old Logan Rd. SE, Lancaster

Zoom out: In the mood for a road trip? The Columbus Dispatch compiled the state's top 30 courses. 

Central Ohio's top 3 disc golf courses

Try these spots in Pickerington, Westerville and Lancaster.

Photo: Aram Boghosian/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Sports

Disc golf, an outdoor sport with little barrier to entry and plenty of distance between players, has experienced a popularity surge during the pandemic.<ul><li>Want to give it a try? Here are Central Ohio&#x27;s top three courses, per <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="discgolfscene.com" data-vars-click-url="https://www.discgolfscene.com/courses/Ohio/top-rated" data-vars-content-id="23561e40-1174-4da2-83d0-374603a5d9fc" data-vars-headline="Central Ohio&#x27;s top 3 disc golf courses" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.discgolfscene.com/courses/Ohio/top-rated" target="_blank">discgolfscene.com</a>&#x27;s online reviews. All are free to play.</li></ul>

Things to Do

🔥 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>

Data: New York Times; Cartogram: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

👋 Alissa here. While I'd much rather offer you a happy Axios retreat recap or a tasty food review, today I'm here with a plea — please take COVID-19's Omicron subvariants seriously.

Driving the news: My D.C. retreat experience was over before it began, after daily on-site testing provided by Axios detected I had the virus shortly after arriving. 

I quarantined in a hotel room and eventually drove a rental car back to Ohio. Sigh.

Of note: I've had three Pfizer vaccines, most recently in November.

My take: They don't call it "stealth Omicron" for nothing. It's highly contagious and sneaky, first resembling seasonal allergies or a mild cold. 

Serial testing: Test daily if you're symptomatic. At-home rapid tests often miss early Omicron infections. After two negative tests, I just naively thought my allergies were acting up.

Weird symptoms: Former tell-tale signs like a loss of taste and smell aren't common with Omicron. But it can cause skin rashes, itchy eyes and ear issues.

Be informed: My husband and I suspect he brought it home from a health care job but was misdiagnosed with an ear infection and eczema flare-up. After a negative rapid test, we let our guard down.

State of play: We're all fatigued, but the pandemic isn't over. 

COVID cases are rising in almost every state, Axios' Tina Reed and Kavya Beheraj report.

The bottom line: Since I'm healthy and vaccinated, my infection feels like a bad cold. But I'm grateful I was able to take precautions to prevent spreading the virus to more vulnerable people.

Tips to detect "stealth Omicron," COVID's latest wave

Reporter Alissa Widman Neese shares a firsthand experience.

COVID-19

👋 Alissa here. While I&#x27;d much rather offer you a happy Axios retreat recap or a tasty food review, today I&#x27;m here with a plea — please take COVID-19&#x27;s Omicron subvariants seriously.Driving the news: My D.C. retreat experience was over before it began, after daily on-site testing provided by Axios detected I had the virus shortly after arriving.

COVID

Cat lovers, we've got the purr-fect news for you — a cat cafe is coming to Central Ohio!

What's happening: Owner Ivy Hou tells Axios she aims to open Kitty Bubble Cafe & Bar in late August at 5568 N. High St., just south of Worthington.

The business will offer bubble tea, coffee, beer and wine.

An entry fee grants access to the cat lounge for kitty cuddling. Monthly and yearly passes will be available.

The intrigue: The store will have two separate HVAC systems so that guests with cat allergies can still kitty-watch from the cafe and bar side, Hou says.

The latest: The cafe’s new Facebook page just launched, with concept art and an announcement that it will house adoptable cats from Colony Cats (& dogs) rescue group. 

💭 Alissa's thought bubble: After Eat Purr Love in Clintonville closed in 2020, I can't be the only cat lady who was hoping another cafe would debut in our area.

I'm excited to check it out this fall and hope it helps lots of feline friends find fur-ever homes.

Coming soon: Cat cafe with coffee, tea and alcohol

Sip wine, cuddle adoptable cats at Kitty Bubble Cafe & Bar.

A rendering of a cat cafe with light pink and blue interior

Artist's rendering courtesy of Kitty Bubble Cafe & Bar

Small businesses

Cat lovers, we&#x27;ve got the purr-fect news for you — a cat cafe is coming to Central Ohio!What&#x27;s happening: Owner Ivy Hou tells Axios she aims to open Kitty Bubble Cafe &amp; Bar in late August at 5568 N. High St., just south of Worthington.

Food and Drink

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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Alissa Widman Neese

Stories

Coming soon: Cat cafe with coffee, tea and alcohol

Central Ohio's top 3 disc golf courses

Tips to detect "stealth Omicron," COVID's latest wave

What to do in Columbus this weekend

Formula flexibility coming for Ohio parents on WIC