Millions of Ohioans living in an emerging "extreme heat belt" are expected to face sweltering temperatures over the coming decades, Axios' Andrew Freedman writes.

Why it matters: Ohio has largely been spared from serious climate-related disasters like droughts and wildfires, but new data projects the Buckeye State and its neighbors will eventually be impacted.

The big picture: The belt features areas where the heat index could reach 125°F at least one day per year by 2053, according to the nonprofit First Street Foundation.

• The number of Americans living in these extreme heat conditions is projected to balloon from 8 million to over 100 million in the next 30 years.

Zoom in: That includes metros like Cincinnati and Dayton, though Columbus and northern Ohio may avoid the worst of it.

Yes, but: Many Ohioans are already reckoning with the effects of climate change, while mitigation will cost billions of dollars in infrastructure improvements, environmental groups estimate.

• Columbus' annual average temperature has risen nearly 4 degrees since 1970, and we suffered heat waves, extreme storms and power outages earlier this summer.

What we're watching: The warmer temperatures are expected to set off a perilous cycle.

• First Street Foundation estimates all Ohioans will spend millions more in the years ahead to cool their homes, resulting in more CO2 production, which makes it tough to meet goals for limiting the carbon emissions causing temperatures to rise in the first place.
• So while Columbus' green energy goal is to be carbon neutral by 2050, Ohioans should prepare for things to get warmer.

Jarrod Young's mission of earning $100 per day via odd jobs began with pulling fence posts from a south side yard. Day two involved hauling away railroad ties, a mini fridge and a set of bar stools.

Young's goal: Pocket a Benjamin each day for 100 days to save up for a trip to Thailand with his wife.

• After a week of mowing lawns, moving furniture and digging a hole in Clintonville to make room for a backyard gazebo, so far he's been able to keep pace.

State of play: Young's overnight work at UPS and afternoon shifts for a mattress company paid for his wife to immigrate here from Thailand.

• In the hours between jobs, he's now seeking more work cleaning homes and clearing out gutters to pay for a visit back to her native country.
• Young is equipped with a ladder, simple tools and an inexhaustible work ethic, but it was a video shared to Reddit and Facebook that netted him a handful of gigs to start.

What he's saying: "[My friends] think there's something wrong with me. Maybe they're right," Young jokes.

• He tells Axios that he's always being resourceful, with an entrepreneurial streak.
• "I love having a little more freedom and earning what I have."

🛠️ Want to hire Jarrod? Reach him at [email protected].

🎓 Only a third of Ohio's graduating high school seniors earned free college credits last year, with students who could benefit most from the statewide program the least likely to enroll. (Columbus Dispatch)

💬 Columbus health leaders will hold a Q&A session about monkeypox on Instagram Live at 2pm today. (ABC6)

🧾 A fake barcode scam led to a string of Lego thefts at area stores. (614 Magazine)

🍔 Dublin-based Wendy's will introduce a new restaurant look in New Albany next year, having tested the idea in a simulation store near its headquarters. (Columbus Business First)

🎾 Serena Williams lost her opening match at the Western & Southern Open in Mason on Tuesday, possibly her last-ever match played in Ohio. (AP)

​​👋 Alissa here. Nothing tastes better on a warm summer day than soft serve ice cream from a mom-and-pop shop.

Driving the news: I was shocked when I moved to Columbus and couldn't find any local hotspots. My hometown of just 25,000 people spoiled me with three.

• I worked at one of them, Dairy Frost, every summer of high school, serving up deep-fryer food and crafting the art of the perfect spiral cone.

Yes, but: I finally found my fix this week in Hilltop Dairy Twist, a carbon copy of my hometown favorites down to the boxy, red-trimmed building, paper menus taped to the windows and dirt-cheap prices.

What I ate: A hot dog with a pile of chili-cheese fries, washed down with a Pepsi.

• The main event: a large twist cone covered in rainbow sprinkles.
• All delicious. All for just $10.35.

The bottom line: Sure, chains like Graeter's and Jeni's have their place in the ice cream rotation, but nothing compares to a nostalgic Ohio summertime tradition.

If you go: 2860 Sullivant Ave., 2-9pm daily, except Sundays, with a drive-thru. Cash only. Open through Oct. 31.

👀 Check out who’s hiring on our Job Board.

1. Marketing CRM Manager at Ohio Health.
2. Sr. Corporate Communications Manager at Aha!
3. Salesforce/CRM Management Consulting Consultant - Manager at Accenture.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Post a job.

It's hard to believe these welcome-to-Ohio signs have already been around for three years.

• They're somehow still just as confusing as when they were installed.

Driving the news: A colleague from Axios Charlotte sent us this TikTok that sums it up: "We're from Ohio and we don't even know what 'it' is."

Our response: True. We question "it" every time we cross state lines.

• Some suggestions from the comments: Skyline Chili? Cedar Point? The "Hell is Real" sign? … Pennywise?

🔥 One hot take: "If you have to ask, you'll never know." That's deep.

📬 We want to know: What is the infamous "it?" Hit reply and help us solve the mystery.