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

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Ohio's first mountain coaster is coming to Hocking Hills

It's expected to open in 2027, offering a scenic 5-minute trip.

News

Construction is starting soon on Ohio&#x27;s first mountain coaster, just a short trip away in the Hocking Hills.For the unfamiliar: They&#x27;re scenic, gravity-driven <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="rides" data-vars-click-url="https://anakeesta.com/blog/what-is-a-mountain-coaster/?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=sendto_localnewslettertest&amp;stream=top" data-vars-content-id="74f11562-b424-4d53-8212-b832212e1c20" data-vars-headline="Ohio&#x27;s first mountain coaster is coming to Hocking Hills" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://anakeesta.com/blog/what-is-a-mountain-coaster/?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=sendto_localnewslettertest&amp;stream=top" target="_blank">rides</a> on tracks built into mountainsides, with single-car riders using hand brakes to control the speed.

Exploring the empty, iconic Longaberger basket building

The unique Newark landmark is up for sale again.

Real Estate

As a Central Ohio native, I have been fascinated by the Longaberger Basket Building for decades. I finally got a tour inside, and it felt like a pilgrimage. Why it matters: Long vacant and recently for sale once more, the basket is perhaps Ohio&#x27;s most <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="well-known" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/realestate/ohio-basket-building-for-sale.html" data-vars-content-id="c0a7793e-d3fa-479d-bd04-6c0665460ff9" data-vars-headline="Exploring the empty, iconic Longaberger basket building" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/realestate/ohio-basket-building-for-sale.html" target="_blank">well-known</a> oddity.

The Longaberger Basket Building's history and future

After a decade sitting vacant, what comes next for the basket with it up for sale?

History

The Longaberger Basket Building opened as the company&#x27;s Newark headquarters in 1997, welcoming hundreds of employees.Flashback: The $30 million building was the crown jewel of founder Dave Longaberger&#x27;s empire, founded in 1973 in nearby Dresden.

Photos: A closer look inside the Longaberger basket building

A few extra looks inside the massive, fascinating basket.

The people are demanding more basket photos. The intrigue: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="I wrote" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/07/10/longaberger-basket-building-newark-ohio-building-inside-photos" data-vars-content-id="c2dec018-51f7-44df-9d09-4a9137149fad" data-vars-headline="Photos: A closer look inside the Longaberger basket building" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/07/10/longaberger-basket-building-newark-ohio-building-inside-photos" target="_self">I wrote</a> about my recent exploration of the Longaberger basket building and a few readers asked to see more pictures from the trip.

Local bike infrastructure lacking, but progress underway

While some suburbs score well, Columbus lags behind most of Ohio in new study.

Columbus&#x27; biking infrastructure is average at best and below average in Ohio, per a bicycle advocacy group&#x27;s new study.Why it matters: The city and region are at a mobility inflection point — <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="spending tens of millions" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2024/08/22/ohio-linkus-walkability-bikeability-proposal" data-vars-content-id="f2d9c777-0531-45af-9976-d0fe13e7ed3c" data-vars-headline="Local bike infrastructure lacking, but progress underway" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2024/08/22/ohio-linkus-walkability-bikeability-proposal" target="_self">spending tens of millions</a> to improve and expand <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="paths" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2024/07/01/ohio-state-capital-budget-projects-statehouse" data-vars-content-id="f2d9c777-0531-45af-9976-d0fe13e7ed3c" data-vars-headline="Local bike infrastructure lacking, but progress underway" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2024/07/01/ohio-state-capital-budget-projects-statehouse" target="_self">paths</a>, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="changing bike-share vendors" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/02/19/veo-spin-ohio-report-bike-scooter" data-vars-content-id="f2d9c777-0531-45af-9976-d0fe13e7ed3c" data-vars-headline="Local bike infrastructure lacking, but progress underway" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/02/19/veo-spin-ohio-report-bike-scooter" target="_self">changing bike-share vendors</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="trying to incentivize" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2024/05/14/ebike-rebate-program-subsidy-ohio-2024-bicycle" data-vars-content-id="f2d9c777-0531-45af-9976-d0fe13e7ed3c" data-vars-headline="Local bike infrastructure lacking, but progress underway" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2024/05/14/ebike-rebate-program-subsidy-ohio-2024-bicycle" target="_self">trying to incentivize</a> ridership.

Helping older people avoid costly scams in a digital world

AI, cryptocurrency and digital communication are making scams harder to prevent, spot and track.

JPMorgan Chase is recognizing this <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Elder Abuse Awareness Month" data-vars-click-url="https://aging.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/aging/see-news-and-events/news/ohio-recognizes-world-elder-abuse-awareness-month-day" data-vars-content-id="eeb81a0a-89b5-4f8d-a613-014914e7dc4b" data-vars-headline="Helping older people avoid costly scams in a digital world" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://aging.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/aging/see-news-and-events/news/ohio-recognizes-world-elder-abuse-awareness-month-day" target="_blank">Elder Abuse Awareness Month</a> by trying to help seniors avoid devastating and increasingly common phone and online scams.Why it matters: Older adults are losing billions of dollars a year to scammers.

As curfews rise and hangouts disappear, where do teens go?

Youth advocates say teens need places to gather, not just restrictions.

As Columbus leaders consider expanding youth curfew rules later this month, they&#x27;re also confronting a broader question communities face nationwide: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Where do teenagers go?" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/06/05/teens-takeovers-curfew-public-spaces" data-vars-content-id="73f00adb-6e1c-49eb-94dd-0163286d58d5" data-vars-headline="As curfews rise and hangouts disappear, where do teens go?" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/06/05/teens-takeovers-curfew-public-spaces" target="_self">Where do teenagers go?</a>Why it matters: The decline of malls, cheap hangout spots and welcoming public spaces has left teens with few safe places to gather without money or access to a car, urban designers and youth researchers say.

What reckless homicide means in the Jason Meade verdict

The jury's verdict reflects key legal differences around intent.

A reckless homicide verdict in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Jason Meade&#x27;s retrial" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/04/16/jason-meade-retrial-casey-goodson-jr-jury-selection" data-vars-content-id="24e2983a-17aa-4da9-86eb-57352f446ba6" data-vars-headline="What reckless homicide means in the Jason Meade verdict" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2026/04/16/jason-meade-retrial-casey-goodson-jr-jury-selection" target="_self">Jason Meade&#x27;s retrial</a> underscores the high legal bar prosecutors face in securing murder convictions against law enforcement officers.Why it matters: Reckless homicide will bring a lesser punishment than murder when the former Franklin County deputy is sentenced this summer.

Columbus Zoo evacuates again amid nationwide trend of hoax threats

Zoos across Ohio and the country have evacuated over false threats of bombs and shooters.

Columbus Zoo visitors have had their trips interrupted twice in the last four days amid a national wave of violent threats.Catch up quick: The zoo closed for the day on May 2 when it <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="received false threats" data-vars-click-url="https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2026/05/02/columbus-zoo-evacuated-closed-as-sheriff-investigates-swatting-call/89910347007/" data-vars-content-id="4d3c2e89-ba10-47bd-9411-89ef597e4469" data-vars-headline="Columbus Zoo evacuates again amid nationwide trend of hoax threats" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2026/05/02/columbus-zoo-evacuated-closed-as-sheriff-investigates-swatting-call/89910347007/" target="_blank">received false threats</a> of a bomb and an active shooter.

Murder retrial begins for Casey Goodson Jr. case

Jason Meade is getting another day in court after a 2024 mistrial.

Jury selection should start Thursday for the retrial of Jason Meade, the former Franklin County deputy charged with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="murder" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2021/12/02/ohio-casey-goodson-shooting-deputy-meade" data-vars-content-id="8778f793-03dd-43d9-862c-6ad9cb7e1b84" data-vars-headline="Murder retrial begins for Casey Goodson Jr. case" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2021/12/02/ohio-casey-goodson-shooting-deputy-meade" target="_self">murder</a> in Casey Goodson Jr.&#x27;s 2020 shooting death.Why it matters: The case is among Central Ohio&#x27;s most prominent, drawing national attention during a time of civil unrest and racial reckoning.

Columbus voters could create police-free 911 options

A May 5 ballot measure would also expand crisis teams to 24/7.

When Columbus residents in crisis dial 911 in a few years, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="their options" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2025/03/25/police-alternatives-november-ballot-proposal-ohio" data-vars-content-id="8b0d4e32-8108-4c99-b966-df01b62f179c" data-vars-headline="Columbus voters could create police-free 911 options" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2025/03/25/police-alternatives-november-ballot-proposal-ohio" target="_self">their options</a> for help will look different if a ballot measure passes in May.Why it matters: The city charter amendment would establish a 24/7 program connecting some callers to resources beyond police, such as social workers and experts in mental and behavioral health.

Controversial school tradition Senior Tag is back

Police, parents and businesses hate it. Seniors love it.

Springtime at Central Ohio high schools means the return of traditions like prom, senior skip day and, surprisingly to some, students running around in their underwear with water guns.Why it matters: Depending on who you ask, &quot;Senior Tag&quot; is a beloved tradition and silly spectacle or a public nuisance and serious accident in the making. Either way, it&#x27;s likely coming to a suburban neighborhood near you this month.

Columbus women feel safer than men, survey finds

Researchers say Columbus stands out, but don't have an explanation.

Women feel less safe than men in most major cities <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="across the country" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/11/women-men-cities-safety" data-vars-content-id="44ff519f-d1f0-471f-a3b3-bce0f6a1c8ae" data-vars-headline="Columbus women feel safer than men, survey finds" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/11/women-men-cities-safety" target="_self">across the country</a> — but not in Columbus.Why it matters: We&#x27;re a glaring outlier among 27 select cities, and researchers aren&#x27;t sure why.

Ranking the safety of Columbus streets

Vision Zero leaders say lowering speeds is key to safer streets.

Columbus streets are relatively safe compared to other large cities, but still have room for improvement, a new study finds.Why it matters: Dozens are killed in local traffic crashes annually, and Columbus&#x27; <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Vision Zero plan" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2023/06/16/columbus-safer-streets-bicycling-2023" data-vars-content-id="3b4d8b33-f3bb-41e2-aab3-faa418b755c3" data-vars-headline="Ranking the safety of Columbus streets" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2023/06/16/columbus-safer-streets-bicycling-2023" target="_self">Vision Zero plan</a> seeks to eliminate those deaths completely.

Public Safety

Jason Meade could face third murder trial

Local bike infrastructure lacking, but progress underway

Helping older people avoid costly scams in a digital world

As curfews rise and hangouts disappear, where do teens go?

What reckless homicide means in the Jason Meade verdict