Axios Columbus

October 05, 2023
Happy Thursday, everybody!
โ๏ธ Today's weather: Cloudy with rain overnight. High near 82.
๐ต Sounds like: "Fly Like an Eagle" by Steve Miller Band.
๐ Happy birthday to our Axios Columbus members Junkerema Ilhere and John MacGregor!
๐ Situational awareness: Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan announced yesterday that he's running for House speaker following Kevin McCarthy's removal on Tuesday.
Today's newsletter is 908 words โ a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: ๐ซ Where you can fly from Columbus

๐ Alissa and Tyler here. We're headed to North Carolina this morning for a retreat with fellow Axios Local reporters, so we thought it would be an opportune time to update you on local flights.
What's happening: Our two airports are offering more nonstop destinations than ever before, with about 50 routes served on 11 airlines.
Why it matters: As our region has grown in recent decades, so have options for air travelers โ but the pandemic put some expansions on hold and led to some existing routes being canceled.
Yes, but: Things are looking up this year, thanks to recent flight additions at John Glenn International Airport (CMH) and an anticipated record number of travelers.
Flying the news: Much of the recent boost is attributable to Breeze Airways, a low-cost airline that launched here in summer 2021 and has since expanded to serve 10 nonstop destinations.
- And the growth continues, with Delta announcing last month that nonstop flights to Salt Lake City are returning June 7, 2024.
What's next: Planning continues on a new, larger and modernized terminal for CMH to accommodate the increase in air travel.
- Construction could start as early as next year on the $2 billion project, aiming for completion in 2029 for the airport's 100th anniversary, the Dispatch reports.
Meanwhile, the Columbus Regional Airport Authority is working to secure service to unserved in-demand destinations โ particularly Portland, San Antonio and San Diego, spokesperson Sarah McQuaide tells Axios.
- Destinations that need more flights, such as Los Angeles, are also being targeted, along with more international destinations, such as Europe, she says.
- Currently, local travelers' only international nonstop options are Toronto and Cancรบn, Mexico.
Of note: The authority also oversees Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) in southern Franklin County. It's primarily a cargo airport but offers several flights to the south on Allegiant Airlines, though nothing new has been recently added.
2. What city should CMH add next?
Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios
We couldn't help but notice that the destinations the airport is eyeing are all Axios Local cities, so we asked reporters there to make their case with a brief pitch.
What they're saying:
โฐ๏ธ Axios Portland: Portland is an easy gateway to the great outdoors โ ancient forests, bountiful rivers and even two nearby volcanoes you can climb and ski down.
- But what makes it the best is its lively daily life, with diverse food carts aplenty, art at every turn and eccentric locals.
๐ Axios San Diego: Sixty years ago, San Diego journalist Neil Morgan wrote of his home, "we put living first." He's still right โ whether you're traveling here for beaches, Balboa Park or business, you'll see San Diego has earned its laid-back reputation.
๐ Axios San Antonio: Catch Columbus' own Malaki Branham in his second season with the Spurs, playing alongside Victor Wembanyama, the most buzzworthy draft pick since LeBron James (y'all might have heard of him).
- Not a sports fan? That's OK, there's a plate of the finest Tex-Mex waiting for you.
โ๏ธ Where do you want to fly? Hit reply and tell us what routes you think our airport should add.
3. Recommendations from Axios SLC
Photo: Found Image Press/Corbis via Getty Images
With flights to Salt Lake City returning next year, we also asked our friends at Axios SLC why Columbusites should book a trip.
What they're saying: Reporter Kim Bojรณrquez tells us the proximity to the outdoors and stunning mountain views are worth the flight.
Zoom in: The Utah state capital, home to more than 200,000 people, is one of America's fastest-growing cities.
- It's known for hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics, being home to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and features pro basketball (Utah Jazz) and soccer (Real Salt Lake) teams.
If you go: Check out these underrated parks, recommended by Axios SLC readers, and some other local travel suggestions.
4. ๐ฑ Attention drivers: Put your phones away
An anti-distracted driving billboard in Minnesota. Ohio will start issuing citations for distracted driving today. Photo: Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
If you haven't been following Ohio's new distracted driving laws, now's the time to start.
Driving the news: The law's temporary grace period is now over and police will start issuing citations.
- Fines start at $150 and get higher for each successive citation.
State of play: Drivers are banned from texting, scrolling and manually inputting GPS directions while moving.
Yes, but: You can still hold a phone to your ear during calls.
- Texting is allowed while parked or stopped at a red light.
On the job hunt?
๐ผ Check out who's hiring on our Job Board.
- Vice President Global Quality & Regulatory at Safecor Health.
- Director of Accounting (P&C Insurance) at Branch.
- Treasury Manager at Quantum Health.
Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.
Hiring? Use code FIRST50 for $50 off your first job post.
5. Throwback Thursday: UNESCO World Heritage events
The Hopewell Mound City Group earthworks in Chillicothe. Photo: Edwin Remsberg/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Ohioans are invited to help commemorate the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks' new designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Why it matters: This is only the 25th World Heritage Site in the U.S. and the first in Ohio.
The big picture: The Earthworks are a network of mounds built near Newark and across Southern Ohio.
- They were built between 1,600 and 2,000 years ago by the Hopewell Culture.
- The National Park Service and Ohio History Connection now maintain the sites.
What they're saying: "Their scale and complexity are evidenced in precise geometric figures as well as hilltops sculpted to enclose vast, level plazas," reads a description on the UNESCO website.
- "There are alignments with the cycles of the sun and the far more complex cycles of the moon."
What's happening: Free events are planned at four sites.
- Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve, Oregonia: Programs and tours 9am-6pm Saturday and Sunday. Commemoration begins at 11am Saturday.
- Tremont Library, Upper Arlington: Ohio History Connection presentation 6:30pm Wednesday. Registration required.
- Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Chillicothe: Tours 9am-noon Saturday, Oct. 14. Commemoration begins at 1pm.
- Great Circle Earthworks in Heath and Octagon Earthworks, Newark: Tours and programs 9am-4:30pm Oct. 15. Commemoration begins at 1pm at Great Circle.
This newsletter was edited by Lindsey Erdody and copy edited by Kate Sommers-Dawes and Keely Bastow.
Our picks:
โ๏ธ Tyler and Alissa are thankful that the airport offers nonstop flights to Charlotte, North Carolina!
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