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

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Whether you're a bodybuilder, a competitive truck driver or a really big Pikachu fan, the Greater Columbus Convention Center is one of the best exhibition spaces for you.

Driving the news: Columbus ranks No. 11 on a new Wall Street Journal list of America's top convention centers.

What they did: WSJ considered the quality and quantity of exhibition space along with each center's surroundings.

Top scores went to those located near an airport and within proximity to restaurants, entertainment venues, hotels and a dry cleaner.

What's next: Summer is the busiest time for major expos, but there are a few more set for 2023:

🔥 Firehouse Expo: training and networking for firefighters, now-Friday.

💅 Premiere Columbus: a beauty industry trade show, Oct. 8-9.

👰 Bridal & Wedding Expo: to help plan your big day, Nov. 5.

🕹 GalaxyCon: a comic-con with celebrity stars and games, Dec. 1-3.

WSJ praises Columbus' Convention Center

The Wall Street Journal praised its location and exhibition space.

The Greater Columbus Convention Center, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, has reason to flex its muscles. Photo: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Whether you&#x27;re <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a bodybuilder" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2022/03/07/scenes-from-the-2022-arnold-sports-festival" data-vars-content-id="03571693-4fd5-45d4-85a3-1a236349a339" data-vars-headline="WSJ praises Columbus&#x27; Convention Center" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2022/03/07/scenes-from-the-2022-arnold-sports-festival" target="_self">a bodybuilder</a>, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a competitive truck driver" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-columbus-68f8632c-dc3b-48f6-b28e-33a4efbb0c6d.html?chunk=3&amp;utm_term=emshare#story3" data-vars-content-id="03571693-4fd5-45d4-85a3-1a236349a339" data-vars-headline="WSJ praises Columbus&#x27; Convention Center" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-columbus-68f8632c-dc3b-48f6-b28e-33a4efbb0c6d.html?chunk=3&amp;utm_term=emshare#story3" target="_self">a competitive truck driver</a> or <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a really big Pikachu fan" data-vars-click-url="https://www.pokemoncenter.com/naic" data-vars-content-id="03571693-4fd5-45d4-85a3-1a236349a339" data-vars-headline="WSJ praises Columbus&#x27; Convention Center" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.pokemoncenter.com/naic" target="_blank">a really big Pikachu fan</a>, the Greater Columbus Convention Center is one of the best exhibition spaces for you.Driving the news: Columbus ranks No. 11 on a new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Wall Street Journal list" data-vars-click-url="https://www.wsj.com/business/hospitality/best-convention-centers-united-states-13867b35" data-vars-content-id="03571693-4fd5-45d4-85a3-1a236349a339" data-vars-headline="WSJ praises Columbus&#x27; Convention Center" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.wsj.com/business/hospitality/best-convention-centers-united-states-13867b35" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal list</a> of America&#x27;s top convention centers.

News

Business

The Ohio Lottery Commission will pursue competitive bids on a new gaming system contract in the near future, Axios Columbus has learned.

Why it matters: The highly coveted contract is currently valued at over $118 million.

State of play: Ohio has contracted with the Greece-based company Intralot since 2009 to provide lottery kiosks at over 10,000 retail locations, plus video lottery terminals inside racinos.

The contract is currently on a two-year renewal and there's an option for one more two-year renewal that would run through June 30, 2027, lottery commission spokesperson Danielle Frizzi-Babb tells Axios.

Between the lines: The hefty contract has drawn scrutiny in the past.

Ohio waived competitive bidding to renew its Intralot contract in 2019, despite objections from business competitors and state lawmakers, AP reported at the time.

The big picture: If Ohio chooses a different vendor, it would take between two to four years to make the full conversion.

There would likely be two concurrent contracts to keep lottery services going amid a transition to new equipment, Frizzi-Babb says.

Intralot has not responded to Axios' inquiry about if it plans to bid again to remain Ohio's lottery vendor.

Of note: Intralot holds a separate, five-year contract to run the Ohio Lottery's sports betting machines.

State lottery contract could be up for grabs

Companies will vie for a lucrative contract to provide lottery machines.

A neon sign advertising a $154 million payout for the Mega Millions Ohio lottery game. 

The Ohio Lottery might switch gaming companies in the coming years. Photo: Andrew Spear/Getty Images

Ohio

The Ohio Lottery Commission will pursue competitive bids on a new gaming system contract in the near future, Axios Columbus has learned.Why it matters: The highly coveted contract is currently valued at over $118 million.

Politics

Reader Jay T. asks: Is there any more recent news on the project to expand passenger rail in Ohio?

It's been more than 40 years since the last passenger train left Columbus — and work continues to bring trains back, eventually. Riders will just need to be patient.

Why it matters: We're one of America's biggest cities without passenger rail.

Proposals to restore train travel could pay huge dividends for local tourism and workforce development, transit advocates tell us.

Catch up quick: The 2021 bipartisan infrastructure package, signed into law by President Biden, allocates billions of dollars toward expanding rail service.

Since then, states and regional planning commissions have applied for federal funding to study proposed rail corridors across the U.S.

Zoom in: Two such corridors involve Central Ohio.

The state applied for a "3C&D" line that would connect Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton.

The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) applied for a "Midwest Connect" line to link Columbus to Fort Wayne and Chicago to the west and Pittsburgh to the east.

The intrigue: Midwest Connect could someday include stops at John Glenn International Airport and smaller cities like Dublin, Hilliard and Newark, MORPC executive director William Murdock tells us.

These projects would help Central Ohio shed its economic "competitive disadvantage" by attracting a skilled workforce able to travel to work without a car, Murdock argues.

He envisions a stop east of Columbus to serve employees of the new Intel plant in Licking County.

The latest: The Federal Railroad Administration plans to announce corridor selections in either November or December, spokesperson William Wong tells Axios.

What they're saying: Stu Nicholson, executive director of the advocacy group All Aboard Ohio, says he's eager to eventually see some progress made after many years of discussion.

"We've got a half a dozen irons in the fire for passenger rail in Ohio," Nicholson tells us. "Let's stop talking about stuff and get stuff built."

The big picture: This is just an initial step. Projects would still require environmental and engineering reviews, plus the eventual infrastructure work.

Nicholson estimates the best case scenario is for trains to be running through Columbus in about five years, though it could very well take longer.

Ohio still waiting for passenger rail expansion

Columbus hopes to shed its status as major city without rail service.

Illustration of a shrug emoji made out of railroad tracks.

Reader Jay T. asks: Is there any more recent news on <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the project to expand passenger rail" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2022/04/20/passenger-rail-expansion-ohio-2022-infrastructure" data-vars-content-id="447b5e6a-bef3-46b7-8a3e-27c9137d75b6" data-vars-headline="Ohio still waiting for passenger rail expansion" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2022/04/20/passenger-rail-expansion-ohio-2022-infrastructure" target="_self">the project to expand passenger rail</a> in Ohio?It&#x27;s been more than 40 years since the last passenger train left Columbus — and work continues to bring trains back, eventually. Riders will just need to be patient.Why it matters: We&#x27;re one of America&#x27;s biggest cities without passenger rail.

Transit

With Congress' Sept. 30 deadline to fund the federal government fast approaching, Ohio braces for the impact of a potential shutdown.

The big picture: During a government shutdown, federal functions deemed non-essential could be suspended, affecting health programs, government assistance, Food and Drug Administration inspections and small business loans, Axios' Sareen Habeshian writes.

💵 Paychecks would be paused for all federal employees, even those with roles deemed essential.

There are around 52,500 federal civilian workers in Ohio, with thousands more military personnel and contractors.

✈ Commercial air travel would continue with TSA and air traffic controllers working without pay, which could lead to staffing issues.

🌲 National parks services requiring staffs, such as restrooms and visitors' centers, would be paused at places like Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Wayne National Forest.

🍅 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) funding would continue through October, but a federal program supporting low-income mothers and children would be reduced immediately.

Nearly 180,000 Ohioans rely on the latter, known as WIC, to purchase groceries.

How a government shutdown would impact Ohio

Paychecks, assistance programs and air travel could all be affected.

Illustration of the Capitol dome opening up to reveal an emergency button with a hand hovering above about to press it. 

With Congress&#x27; Sept. 30 deadline to fund the federal government fast approaching, Ohio braces for the impact of a potential shutdown.The big picture: During a government shutdown, federal functions deemed non-essential could be suspended, affecting health programs, government assistance, Food and Drug Administration inspections and small business loans, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Axios&#x27; Sareen Habeshian writes" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/27/government-shutdown-effects-food-stamps-benefits" data-vars-content-id="467c1de9-67b3-4222-986b-c5312b2775af" data-vars-headline="How a government shutdown would impact Ohio" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/27/government-shutdown-effects-food-stamps-benefits" target="_self">Axios&#x27; Sareen Habeshian writes</a>.

Ohio is rejecting activists' efforts to block former President Donald Trump from being on next year's ballot over his alleged responsibility in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Why it matters: The decision helps Trump dodge an early campaign threat and allows him to remain eligible to compete for a state he won comfortably in the 2016 and 2020 general elections.

Driving the news: Groups urged elections officials in at least eight swing states to disqualify Trump based on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bans anyone who's taken part in a rebellion against the government from holding a state or federal office, Axios' Erin Doherty reports.

They've filed lawsuits in Colorado and Minnesota while sending letters elsewhere to states' chief elections officials.

Zoom in: Free Speech For People wrote to Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) on Aug. 30 and argued he should declare Trump ineligible for the state ballot.

"Ultimately, Ohio law leaves you no neutral position … Allowing a known insurrectionist to appear on the ballot is inconsistent with your prior commitments and your oath of office to support the U.S. Constitution."

The other side: LaRose's office says it has no right to take such action.

"This is a fringe legal theory that's been widely rejected outside of the wishful thinking of some partisan activists," spokesperson Mary Cianciolo tells Axios in a statement.

"Secretary LaRose has no legal authority to keep a candidate off the ballot who legally qualifies under Ohio law, and he has no expectation that a rational court will order him to do otherwise based on this ridiculous attempt at election interference."

What they're saying: LaRose is not alone. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) and others have been similarly reluctant to take action.

"If we become political actors instead of election administrators, then we risk being a part of, even innocently a part of, the deterioration of democracy in our country," Benson told Axios.

Meanwhile, Trump has pleaded not guilty to felony charges that he tried to overturn the 2020 election and obstruct the certification of election results on Jan. 6.

His campaign has said the lawsuits aimed at keeping him off 2024 ballots reflect an "absurd conspiracy theory."

What we're watching: Presidential candidates have until Dec. 20 to file paperwork to appear on the March 19, 2024 Ohio primary election ballot.

Former Gov. John Kasich defeated Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary here.

Trump is expected to face another Ohioan this time around, Upper Arlington's Vivek Ramaswamy.

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Ohio won't bar Trump from presidential ballot

Activists had urged the secretary of state to disqualify the former president.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. Photo: Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Ohio is rejecting activists&#x27; efforts to block <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="former President Donald Trump " data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" data-vars-content-id="91876752-f67e-4055-9f99-e4e351b0b7a6" data-vars-headline="Ohio won&#x27;t bar Trump from presidential ballot" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_self">former President Donald Trump </a>from being on next year&#x27;s ballot over his alleged responsibility in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.Why it matters: The decision helps Trump dodge an early campaign threat and allows him to remain eligible to compete for a state he won comfortably in the 2016 and 2020 general elections.

Tyler Buchanan

Featured stories

How a government shutdown would impact Ohio

Ohio still waiting for passenger rail expansion

State lottery contract could be up for grabs

WSJ praises Columbus' Convention Center

Ohio won't bar Trump from presidential ballot