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Joe Burrow gets diplomatic about JD Vance's Bengals visit

Burrow, who's previously caught political flak from both sides, dodged the drama like a true quarterback.

News

Joe Burrow sounded more like a seasoned politician than a quarterback this week when speaking about Vice President JD Vance&#x27;s visit to practice.Why it matters: Burrow dodged potential drama like a defensive lineman breaking through the O-line.

Ohio voters weigh photo ID constitutional amendment

The proposed amendment would put existing photo ID rules into Ohio's constitution.

Politics

Ohio voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to approve photo ID requirements at the polls as a constitutional amendment, making existing voting rules harder to change.Why it matters: Ohio already <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="requires photo ID" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2023/04/07/photo-id-needed-to-vote-polling-sites-ohio" data-vars-content-id="de0c593e-ab99-4321-9378-1215d63fd767" data-vars-headline="Ohio voters weigh photo ID constitutional amendment" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2023/04/07/photo-id-needed-to-vote-polling-sites-ohio" target="_self">requires photo ID</a> to vote in person, but Issue 3 would enshrine that requirement in the state constitution, limiting lawmakers&#x27; ability to eliminate it while leaving some implementation details to state law.

Ohio ranks third in book bans, but Cincinnati tells a different story

Earlier local reporting found most school book challenges didn't lead to removals.

Education

Ohio is among the nation&#x27;s leaders in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="school book bans" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/10/13/ohio-school-book-bans" data-vars-content-id="7cf86a04-7efa-48e4-aac8-81945291ee83" data-vars-headline="Ohio ranks third in book bans, but Cincinnati tells a different story" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/10/13/ohio-school-book-bans" target="_self">school book bans</a>, but challenges to books in Greater Cincinnati schools have rarely resulted in outright removals.By the numbers: PEN America <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="documented" data-vars-click-url="https://pen.org/report/book-bans-spotlight-2026/" data-vars-content-id="7cf86a04-7efa-48e4-aac8-81945291ee83" data-vars-headline="Ohio ranks third in book bans, but Cincinnati tells a different story" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://pen.org/report/book-bans-spotlight-2026/" target="_blank">documented</a> 117 instances of school book bans in Ohio during the 2025-26 school year, the third-highest total nationally.

Cincinnati Zoo livestreams birth for first time

Tessa, a 14-year-old Masai giraffe, is expecting her fifth calf. She could go into labor at any time.

Forget reality TV. The Cincinnati Zoo has a new show worth watching, and the star could go into labor at any moment.Driving the news: Tessa, a 14-year-old Masai giraffe, is expecting her fifth calf, and for the first time in its history, the zoo is livestreaming an animal birth.

Governor race turns personal as Ohio debates fade

The atmosphere raises questions about whether voters can meaningfully evaluate candidates' ideas.

Ohio&#x27;s race for governor has <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="turned intensely personal" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/21/ramaswamy-ad-acton-mother-ohio" data-vars-content-id="587aaa36-5291-4cc2-85fb-7f9d57e87d85" data-vars-headline="Governor race turns personal as Ohio debates fade" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/21/ramaswamy-ad-acton-mother-ohio" target="_self">turned intensely personal</a> and top statewide candidates aren&#x27;t debating as election season hits its final stretch.Why it matters: Political attacks aren&#x27;t new, but the atmosphere raises questions about whether voters can meaningfully evaluate candidates&#x27; ideas, the leader of a local academic center focused on civil politics tells us.

Data centers becoming local election flashpoint

Candidates and voters are weighing data centers' economic benefits and potential costs.

Cincinnati residents got their first in-person chance Monday to weigh in on data center regulations, as the massive facilities powering AI become a flashpoint in elections across the region.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Ohio has become" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/06/02/data-center-opposition-ohio-dewine-tax-breaks" data-vars-content-id="c050b6bb-e5f2-41af-9c27-b971e1c625e4" data-vars-headline="Data centers becoming local election flashpoint" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/06/02/data-center-opposition-ohio-dewine-tax-breaks" target="_self">Ohio has become</a> one of the country&#x27;s hottest spots for data center development, and candidates of both parties are sparring over their economic benefits and potential costs.

What Ohio parents should know about Trump Accounts

The $1,000 investment benefit comes with eligibility rules and data privacy considerations.

Money

Ohio families are among the nation&#x27;s earliest participants in Trump Accounts, a new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="federal investment program" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/02/trump-accounts-savings-etf" data-vars-content-id="7b91ea80-21d5-4400-95e2-7f681601354f" data-vars-headline="What Ohio parents should know about Trump Accounts" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/02/trump-accounts-savings-etf" target="_self">federal investment program</a> offering $1,000 to eligible babies.Why it matters: The money is meant to give children a financial head start, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="telling Axios" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/02/trump-accounts-bessent-axios-show" data-vars-content-id="7b91ea80-21d5-4400-95e2-7f681601354f" data-vars-headline="What Ohio parents should know about Trump Accounts" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/02/trump-accounts-bessent-axios-show" target="_self">telling Axios</a> it&#x27;s &quot;the most important benefit for young people since the GI Bill.&quot;

Why some Ohio voters are seeing double at the mailbox

Election officials are looking to reduce confusion ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Election

It&#x27;s &quot;Groundhog Day&quot; in some Ohio mailboxes. Voters are getting absentee ballot applications — then sometimes getting them again and again.Why it matters: Elections officials are looking to reduce confusion over the duplicate forms as the Trump administration seeks to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="restrict mail-in voting" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/24/trump-usps-federal-power-state-elections-mail-voting" data-vars-content-id="d304692b-1ab9-4d8c-b64a-92803b3339fe" data-vars-headline="Why some Ohio voters are seeing double at the mailbox" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/24/trump-usps-federal-power-state-elections-mail-voting" target="_self">restrict mail-in voting</a>.

10 years and 7.5 million trips later, Cincinnati's streetcar rolls on

The Connector is drawing more riders as it marks a decade on Cincinnati streets.

Transit

Love it or hate it, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Cincinnati&#x27;s streetcar" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/cincinnati/2026/09/09/cincinnati-connector-streetcar-history-project" data-vars-content-id="7f5ef4f2-87ee-46d7-96b0-dba1fc7b9e4d" data-vars-headline="10 years and 7.5 million trips later, Cincinnati&#x27;s streetcar rolls on" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/cincinnati/2026/09/09/cincinnati-connector-streetcar-history-project" target="_self">Cincinnati&#x27;s streetcar</a> has put in the miles. The Connector has logged over 7.5 million trips in its first decade — short of early ambitions, but picking up steam.Why it matters: The once-controversial streetcar has evolved from a fare-charging transit experiment into a free fixture of downtown and Over-the-Rhine.

Poll: Was building Cincinnati's streetcar worth it? 

The Connector is 10 years old. Tell us whether Cincinnati's investment was worth it.

The streetcar has gone from controversial experiment to part of Cincinnati&#x27;s daily landscape. The big question: Was building the streetcar worth it?

The Brent Spence saga spans a new legal speed bump

Critics say the $4 billion-plus project needed a more extensive environmental review.

After decades of debate and years of planning, the $4.05 billion <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Brent Spence Bridge Corridor" data-vars-click-url="https://brentspencebridgecorridor.com/" data-vars-content-id="016c1556-47ee-4968-a8bf-5430ff19875d" data-vars-headline="The Brent Spence saga spans a new legal speed bump" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://brentspencebridgecorridor.com/" target="_blank">Brent Spence Bridge Corridor</a> is finally being built — but the fight over it rolls on.

Cincinnati maps downtown's next era

A new plan will guide housing, transit, development and public spaces downtown.

Development

Cincinnati&#x27;s first comprehensive downtown plan in roughly 40 years aims to create a roadmap for the urban core&#x27;s next era of growth.Why it matters: Major investments are already <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="reshaping downtown" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/cincinnati/2026/08/28/mayor-aftab-pureval-axios-cincinnati-growth-downtown-plan" data-vars-content-id="69c02665-fb3e-4006-90cb-0150fc7ac77a" data-vars-headline="Cincinnati maps downtown&#x27;s next era" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/cincinnati/2026/08/28/mayor-aftab-pureval-axios-cincinnati-growth-downtown-plan" target="_self">reshaping downtown</a>, from the Convention District to The Banks and transit. City leaders want those projects working toward a shared vision.

Politics 🇺🇸

Joe Burrow gets diplomatic about JD Vance's Bengals visit

Governor race turns personal as Ohio debates fade

Data centers becoming local election flashpoint

Husted and Brown battle for high-profile Senate seat

Amy Acton and Vivek Ramaswamy battle for Ohio governor