Axios Columbus

April 02, 2026
It's Thursday — we're safe from April Fools' "jokes" now, right?
🌡️ Today's weather: Gusty and warm, with highs approaching 80 and a chance for storms.
🎧 Sounds like: "Please Don't Go" by KC & The Sunshine Band.
Situational awareness: A group of women who say they were victims of Jeffrey Epstein are suing Les Wexner and the Wexner Foundation, alleging the Ohio billionaire "enabled" Epstein's crimes. Read more
Today's newsletter is 929 words — a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Save The Crew goes national
The movement that saved the Columbus Crew has inspired national legislation to help other cities do the same.
Why it matters: The Home Team Act, newly introduced in the U.S. House, would require owners of professional sports teams to give their community a chance to buy the team before relocating — a move inspired by Save The Crew and an Ohio law.
Catch up quick: Former Crew owner Anthony Precourt attempted to move the soccer team to Austin in 2017.
- Fans rallied around the Save The Crew cause, while Ohio attorneys and politicians supported the movement via a 1996 law designed in the wake of the Browns' relocation to Baltimore.
- That law required owners who accepted public funds to provide six months' notice for a move and to allow locals to purchase the team.
- The result was Haslam Sports Group's 2018 acquisition of the Crew. Precourt was given an expansion franchise in Austin.
Driving the news: Last week, U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Austin) and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) introduced the Home Team Act, designed "to keep professional sports franchises in their home communities."
- Like Ohio's legislation, the act would require owners to give local buyers the chance to purchase the team for "a fair and reasonable price, as assessed by a team of appraisers" before moving it.
The intrigue: Casar was a member of the Austin City Council during the Save The Crew saga, an experience that inspired this bill, he told The New Yorker.
- "Casar viewed the [Columbus] outcome as not only good but just," the New Yorker writes.
Flashback: Sanders' involvement with the bill is partially inspired by the demoralizing experience of losing the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles at 16.
What they're saying: Morgan Hughes, a Save The Crew founder and regular spokesperson, is heartened by the movement's impact reaching beyond Ohio, and tells Axios he's happy to see Casar "on the right side of history."
- "No city should be held hostage by billionaires," he says. "In a just world, this commonsense bill would pass both houses and be signed into law tomorrow."
Yes, but: In a Republican-majority House, a bill introduced by progressive Democrats is unlikely to progress — for now.
The bottom line: Save The Crew is one of the only successful movements to keep a team from relocating in modern history.
- Now, Washington will decide if the nation will follow Columbus' example.
2. 🛠️ How to do it yourself on National DIY Day
It's National DIY Day — a good time to consider resources available to Central Ohioans who want to get their hands dirty.
Why it matters: Costs are increasing for housing, goods and services. Doing some projects yourself could save you some significant cash.
Friction point: DIY is often easier said than done.
- Tools are expensive, space is at a premium and YouTube can't teach you everything.
Yes, but: A variety of Central Ohio entities offer help.
Case in point: Housing nonprofit Modcon Living offers an affordable tool library that provides access to everything from reciprocating saws to lawnmowers.
- Individual memberships start at $15 for 30 days of access for a special project or $50 for a year.
- Annual memberships for students, seniors and veterans cost just $25.
Area libraries offer a shocking variety of resources that go far beyond books.
- Delaware County libraries have their own maker spaces.
- You can find a shovel, birding kits and a VHS converter in Bexley.
- Westerville lends tool kits for jobs like bike repair or plumbing.
- Borrow car code readers, air compressors and more at Worthington Libraries.
Thinking of an artsier project? Check out Makers Social, where you can have a drink and a snack while you pour concrete for a planter.
- Or stop by other creative spaces for a class.
Zoom in: For those with something bigger in mind, the Idea Foundry offers space and lessons in woodworking, welding and a variety of other heavy duty projects.
The bottom line: You don't need to own the tools — or even know how to use them — to tackle that DIY project this weekend.
3. 🌰 Nutshells: Your local news roundup
✈️ New airport CEO Daren Griffin says terminal and parking garage construction is on track and leaders are in talks for the first nonstop flights to Europe. (Dispatch)
🔍 After 20 years, investigators are still working on the notorious disappearance of Brian Shaffer. (WCMH-TV)
🐐 Ohio is investing $30 million into an OSU program aimed at bringing veterinarians to rural towns that desperately need them. (The Ohio Newsroom)
4. 📈 Gas is still going up


As war continues in Iran, gas prices are still climbing, and Columbus is nearing the $4 mark.
The latest: When we checked in last week, local prices were at $3.46 per gallon.
- Just over a week later, we're up nearly 11%.
- Local and state prices remain below the national average.
Stunning stat: If gas prices reach $4 in Columbus, it would be the first time we've hit that milestone since July 2022.
- At the time, prices were plummeting from their local peak of just over $5 per gallon that June.
Thanks to Tyler Buchanan for editing today's newsletter.
Our picks:
👋 Alissa is back soon!
🔨 Andrew is not the most handy... but should probably take his own DIY advice.
😬 Tyler is getting worried about the Blue Jackets.
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