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Les Wexner's ties to Jeffrey Epstein, explained

Wexner is set to testify as pressure mounts over the Epstein files.

Politics & Policy

Embattled billionaire Les Wexner is scheduled to testify Wednesday about his association with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Jeffrey Epstein" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/epstein-files" data-vars-content-id="e56841ff-1263-428f-853c-f33094fc48c6" data-vars-headline="Les Wexner&#x27;s ties to Jeffrey Epstein, explained" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/epstein-files" target="_self">Jeffrey Epstein</a> as public pressure mounts on the L Brands founder and his many Columbus connections.Why it matters: Wexner permanently shaped Central Ohio. He&#x27;s Ohio&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="richest" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2024/05/03/les-wexner-richest-ohio-billionaire-forbes-list" data-vars-content-id="e56841ff-1263-428f-853c-f33094fc48c6" data-vars-headline="Les Wexner&#x27;s ties to Jeffrey Epstein, explained" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2024/05/03/les-wexner-richest-ohio-billionaire-forbes-list" target="_self">richest</a> person and an international business titan whose influence extends well beyond our state.

Crew ticket prices test fan loyalty

Some Columbus fans say rising costs are changing how often they can attend matches.

News

Since moving to a new Arena District home in 2021, the Crew has <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="built momentum" data-vars-click-url="https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2025/10/23/columbus-crew-2025-attendance.html?csrc=6398&amp;taid=68fc55d456d86e0001708546&amp;utm_campaign=trueAnthemTrendingContent&amp;utm_medium=trueAnthem&amp;utm_source=twitter" data-vars-content-id="299f6024-2780-40b8-802b-421bd9e73bd0" data-vars-headline="Crew ticket prices test fan loyalty" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2025/10/23/columbus-crew-2025-attendance.html?csrc=6398&amp;taid=68fc55d456d86e0001708546&amp;utm_campaign=trueAnthemTrendingContent&amp;utm_medium=trueAnthem&amp;utm_source=twitter" target="_blank">built momentum</a> on packed crowds and good atmosphere — but is it waning?Why it matters: Some fans say they&#x27;re being priced out, while others worry costs are stalling that momentum.

Ohio stars lift U.S. hockey to gold sweep

Zach Werenski and Laila Edwards delivered key assists.

Both U.S. hockey teams brought home the gold from Milan with dramatic 2-1 overtime wins over Canada — and that&#x27;s thanks to some big assists <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="from Ohio" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/02/06/ohio-winter-olympics-representation-milan-2026" data-vars-content-id="3397ff2b-510e-4654-92fb-618d7976bf44" data-vars-headline="Ohio stars lift U.S. hockey to gold sweep" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/02/06/ohio-winter-olympics-representation-milan-2026" target="_self">from Ohio</a>.Why it matters: The men&#x27;s victory ended a 46-year drought, their first gold since the 1980 &quot;Miracle on Ice.&quot;

Poll: Should Les Wexner's name stay on buildings?

Scrutiny is growing over the donor's Jeffrey Epstein ties.

Ohio State&#x27;s new University Hospital welcomed its first patients over the weekend as <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="over 100 protesters" data-vars-click-url="https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2026/02/22/ohio-state-remove-les-wexners-name-jeffrey-epstein-ties/88811310007/?tbref=hp&amp;utm_source=dispatch-extra-credit-strada&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=baseline_greeting&amp;utm_term=newsletter-greeting&amp;utm_content=ncod-columbus-nletter38" data-vars-content-id="f8c0237d-c20c-4d3e-a37b-f2ea01981431" data-vars-headline="Poll: Should Les Wexner&#x27;s name stay on buildings?" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2026/02/22/ohio-state-remove-les-wexners-name-jeffrey-epstein-ties/88811310007/?tbref=hp&amp;utm_source=dispatch-extra-credit-strada&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=baseline_greeting&amp;utm_term=newsletter-greeting&amp;utm_content=ncod-columbus-nletter38" target="_blank">over 100 protesters</a> demanded that Les Wexner&#x27;s name be removed from it.State of play: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="debate" data-vars-click-url="https://www.10tv.com/article/news/local/oust-wexner-banner-ohio-state-connection-to-jeffrey-epstein-investigation/530-57218834-3b7a-4af3-b120-a23c4ff8a7af" data-vars-content-id="f8c0237d-c20c-4d3e-a37b-f2ea01981431" data-vars-headline="Poll: Should Les Wexner&#x27;s name stay on buildings?" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.10tv.com/article/news/local/oust-wexner-banner-ohio-state-connection-to-jeffrey-epstein-investigation/530-57218834-3b7a-4af3-b120-a23c4ff8a7af" target="_blank">debate</a> over the billionaire donor&#x27;s naming rights likely isn&#x27;t going anywhere, amid renewed scrutiny over his <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ties to Jeffrey Epstein" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/02/18/les-wexner-jeffrey-epstein-ties-testimony" data-vars-content-id="f8c0237d-c20c-4d3e-a37b-f2ea01981431" data-vars-headline="Poll: Should Les Wexner&#x27;s name stay on buildings?" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/02/18/les-wexner-jeffrey-epstein-ties-testimony" target="_self">ties to Jeffrey Epstein</a>.

Flashback: Ohio's initial COVID-19 response was 5 years ago

Friday marks 5 years since one of the first Ohio COVID-19 press conferences.

COVID

On this date five years ago, state leaders held one of the first <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="COVID-19 press conferences" data-vars-click-url="https://ohiochannel.org/video/governor-mike-dewine-update-on-state-response-to-coronavirus" data-vars-content-id="9f50f6e2-c1e4-436c-8603-29d2ca96560f" data-vars-headline="Flashback: Ohio&#x27;s initial COVID-19 response was 5 years ago" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://ohiochannel.org/video/governor-mike-dewine-update-on-state-response-to-coronavirus" target="_blank">COVID-19 press conferences</a> at the Ohio Statehouse.Flashback: Sans masks and social distancing, Gov. Mike DeWine, then-health director Amy Acton and others spoke mainly of new virus testing capabilities.

Acton announces run for Ohio governor

She led the Ohio Dept. of Health during the initial COVID-19 response.

Politics

Amy Acton, the former <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="state health director" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2021/01/27/democrats-fauci-ohio-senate-race" data-vars-content-id="de11fa8a-8125-425c-9238-791e40ce1d00" data-vars-headline="Acton announces run for Ohio governor" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2021/01/27/democrats-fauci-ohio-senate-race" target="_self">state health director</a> who led Ohio&#x27;s initial COVID-19 response, has announced a campaign for governor, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="per AP" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/election-2026-governor-ohio-democrats-amy-acton-1c3c315b8534d3ac677fce3f77abca56" data-vars-content-id="de11fa8a-8125-425c-9238-791e40ce1d00" data-vars-headline="Acton announces run for Ohio governor" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2026-governor-ohio-democrats-amy-acton-1c3c315b8534d3ac677fce3f77abca56" target="_blank">per AP</a> and other reports.Why it matters: The Democrat hopes to leverage her pandemic popularity and name recognition to flip the governor&#x27;s seat in 2026 after four terms of Republican control.

The cure for long COVID may come from Ohio

OSU researchers are using a $15 million grant to find it.

Ohio State researchers are working toward a cure for <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="long COVID" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/03/16/long-covid-test-treatment-vaccine" data-vars-content-id="8338aaad-6760-46d2-8d1a-20d4192961ab" data-vars-headline="The cure for long COVID may come from Ohio" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/03/16/long-covid-test-treatment-vaccine" target="_self">long COVID</a>, supported by the school&#x27;s largest grant ever received for an infectious diseases study.Why it matters: Long COVID is a complex condition <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="disabling" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/10/06/long-covid-cdc-data-disabling" data-vars-content-id="8338aaad-6760-46d2-8d1a-20d4192961ab" data-vars-headline="The cure for long COVID may come from Ohio" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/10/06/long-covid-cdc-data-disabling" target="_self">disabling</a> millions of Americans that scientists have struggled to understand.

The Midwest’s worsening food insecurity

Ohio ranks high among our neighbors and nationwide.

Food insecurity is worsening most drastically in the Midwest post-pandemic, according to a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/06/06/food-insecurity-united-states" data-vars-content-id="70d4c0e1-22c5-45a7-b27b-b6bd6243769d" data-vars-headline="The Midwest’s worsening food insecurity" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/06/06/food-insecurity-united-states" target="_self">new report</a> from Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks.Why it matters: Ohio ranked third among our Midwestern neighbors for food insecurity in 2022 and 14th overall nationwide.

Franklin County still spending pandemic funding

Federal funding is paying for infrastructure needs and other projects.

Franklin County still has millions of dollars in pandemic relief money to spend in the coming three years, Axios has learned.Why it matters: Years after the final pandemic lockdown, local governments are still using relief funds to support public services and make infrastructure improvements.

Homelessness on the rise in Ohio, per report

The 2023 figure includes hundreds of homeless minors and veterans.

Ohio&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="homelessness" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/12/15/homelessness-increase-rent-crisis-2023" data-vars-content-id="5322688e-f612-4500-aeee-3f519010bc45" data-vars-headline="Homelessness on the rise in Ohio, per report" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/12/15/homelessness-increase-rent-crisis-2023" target="_self">homelessness</a> rate has been on the rise since 2017, reversing a yearslong trend of declining numbers, per federal data.Why it matters: U.S. homelessness reached a record high in 2023, Axios&#x27; April Rubin writes, as Americans grapple with an escalating <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="housing crisis" data-vars-click-url="https://kenaninstitute.unc.edu/commentary/the-affordable-housing-crisis-in-2023-where-do-we-stand-and-what-are-the-solutions/?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=sendto_localnewslettertest&amp;stream=top" data-vars-content-id="5322688e-f612-4500-aeee-3f519010bc45" data-vars-headline="Homelessness on the rise in Ohio, per report" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://kenaninstitute.unc.edu/commentary/the-affordable-housing-crisis-in-2023-where-do-we-stand-and-what-are-the-solutions/?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=sendto_localnewslettertest&amp;stream=top" target="_blank">housing crisis</a> and the expiration of COVID-era <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="safety nets" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/13/poverty-income-inflation-health-insurance-pandemic-biden" data-vars-content-id="5322688e-f612-4500-aeee-3f519010bc45" data-vars-headline="Homelessness on the rise in Ohio, per report" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/13/poverty-income-inflation-health-insurance-pandemic-biden" target="_self">safety nets</a>.

Flu season is here — plus COVID and RSV, too

Pre-pandemic winter virus patterns appear to be returning, the CDC says.

Odds are you know somebody who&#x27;s recently felt under the weather, with a post-holidays spike in respiratory viruses sweeping across the country.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="This year&#x27;s virus season" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/whats-new/get-vaccinated.html" data-vars-content-id="b3c37c95-91f7-4529-9aa2-99ece754ca79" data-vars-headline="Flu season is here — plus COVID and RSV, too" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/whats-new/get-vaccinated.html" target="_blank">This year&#x27;s virus season</a> appears to be returning to patterns typically seen before the pandemic — which means a peak may be a little while away yet.

Where to get a new COVID-19 shot in Columbus

The CDC recommends the shots for anyone over 6 months old.

The latest COVID-19 vaccines are slowly rolling out to Central Ohio health care providers — and while the situation isn&#x27;t as hectic as the early pandemic, you may need to search a bit for availability.Why it matters: COVID-related hospitalizations have continued rising throughout September as new variants of the virus emerge.

COVID hospitalizations are up in Ohio

A new variant, EG.5, may be causing the nationwide wave.

COVID-19 hospitalization rates across Ohio are ticking up amid a late-summer wave sweeping the country.Why it matters: Most Americans have put the virus in their rearview mirrors, leaving the nation both mentally and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="practically ill-prepared" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/08/04/covid-uptick-cases-hospitalization-future" data-vars-content-id="e0ce1093-3f0e-40d6-8e36-7ae776692ade" data-vars-headline="COVID hospitalizations are up in Ohio" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/08/04/covid-uptick-cases-hospitalization-future" target="_self">practically ill-prepared</a> for another surge of cases.

How politics impacted Ohio's COVID-19 deaths

Researchers found a gap in excess deaths between Ohio Republicans and Democrats.

Registered Republicans in Ohio experienced a &quot;significantly higher&quot; rate of excess deaths than Democrats in the months after COVID-19 vaccines were made widely available, new research has found.Why it matters: The study builds on growing evidence suggesting that a person&#x27;s political leanings could have been a COVID risk factor, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Axios&#x27; Rebecca Falconer writes" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/07/25/covid-vaccine-death-rates-republicans-democrats-study" data-vars-content-id="872bd5f7-7621-4627-9f57-d461ab6d27cd" data-vars-headline="How politics impacted Ohio&#x27;s COVID-19 deaths" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/07/25/covid-vaccine-death-rates-republicans-democrats-study" target="_self">Axios&#x27; Rebecca Falconer writes</a>.

COVID 🦠

Flashback: Ohio's initial COVID-19 response was 5 years ago

Acton announces run for Ohio governor

Life expectancy in Ohio is shorter than most states

The cure for long COVID may come from Ohio

The Midwest’s worsening food insecurity