Cracks and potholes are inevitable on Ohio streets, but cities like Columbus and Hilliard are turning to state-of-the-art technology to keep up with local road repairs.

Why it matters: It's another way communities are using high-tech means to make transportation safer and more accessible.

How it works: Contractors outfit human-driven vehicles with cameras and other tracking equipment to review streets while driving around town, similar to Google Maps cars.

• The vehicles then provide cities with a "Pavement Condition Index" rating of every street, mapping out defects like cracked pavement.

What they're saying: StreetScan, the company used by Hilliard, says its work produces "repeatable results and strengthens budgetary decisions with indisputable data."

Zoom in: Hilliard is spending around $28,000 for a review of its 139 miles of roadway, transportation asset manager Roberta Barkhimer tells Axios.

• StreetScan previously used similar technology on scooters to survey Hilliard's sidewalks and bike trails.

Meanwhile, Columbus is paying local company Roadway Asset Services over $1.4 million to review its nearly 6,400 lane miles.

• The city conducts these pavement condition surveys every three years and just began the most recent cycle, Department of Public Services spokesperson Debbie Briner tells us.
• The company is also collecting data on nearby sidewalks, ADA curb ramps and road signs.

The bottom line: Both cities concede this technology is cheaper, faster and more reliable than the old way of having city workers manually review streets.

• But there's still some room for human expertise.
• Columbus' city engineers still perform "field condition verifications," Briner says, as it's "helpful to eyeball street conditions as needed."

The school year is officially in full swing, with a new superintendent in charge of Columbus City Schools.

Driving the news: Angela Chapman took over the role full-time July 1 following the retirement of Talisa Dixon.

• For our latest Best Day Ever, we asked Chapman how she spends her time outside of leading the state's largest school district:

🎵 Music to start your day: While I am a huge fan of '90s R&B music, it would be a toss-up between "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers or "Happy Feelings" by Maze.

🥞 Breakfast: On the weekends, I prefer brunch instead of breakfast. One of my favorite places is the Drunch Eatery and I would most likely have the Drunch Stack of pancakes.

🙏 Morning activity: I tend to start my days with prayer and meditation. Next I would review my schedule for the day, prepare my son for school, pack lunches, recite our affirmations and get him off to the bus stop.

🥗 Lunch: Typically, I try to pack my lunch each day, which usually includes a salad, fruit and plenty of snacks to get me through the day.

• If I can get away for lunch, I love to have lunch meetings at Degrees at Columbus State, which is staffed by students from the culinary program.

🌳 Afternoon activity: Spending time with family and friends at home or in the park.

• On Sunday afternoons, my heart smiles most while watching my son play flag football or reading a favorite book with him.

Go deeper: The superintendent's evening plans

"This is a tough team right here. We're proud to be from Ohio. It's always been Ohio against the world. It'll continue to be Ohio against the world."

👋 Alissa here, sharing some well-deserved recognition for one of my favorite local restaurants.

Dining the news: National news site 24/7 Tempo recently named Martini Modern Italian Ohio's best Italian restaurant, after compiling rankings from several websites in every state.

Context: Martini is one of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants' two Italian spots in the Short North.

• It has been around longer, dating back to the mid-'90s — but compared to Marcella's and its giant veal meatballs, this upscale classic seems to fly more under the radar these days.

What I ate: The pennette alla vodka in a tomato and vodka cream sauce ($27) is my go-to dish, with grilled chicken added.

• It offers a sweet, yet acidic flavor and well-sized portions.
• The chicken parmesan ($30) and fettuccine and clams ($32) are also popular dishes.

Yes, but: Save room for dessert. The tiramisu ($11), served with a dab of vanilla ice cream, is encased in a picturesque tea cup made of hardened chocolate.

If you go: 4-10pm Monday-Saturday and 4-9pm Sunday. 445 N. High St.

Welcome to Mug Shots, a new series highlighting the stories behind our favorite coffee mugs — and yours.

Driving the news: We're taking some inspiration from our creative friends at Axios Des Moines who kicked off this series last month.

• As they wrote, "We like to read Axios newsletters while sipping coffee from our own mugs, so we figured we'd like to see yours, too!"

Zoom in: Tyler's mug is a recreation of "American Gothic," drawn by one or more artists at Passion Works Studio in Athens, the city where he previously worked as a newspaper reporter and editor.

• It's an inclusive workshop featuring artists with and without developmental disabilities that is best known for its brightly colored "passion flowers."
• Located in NFL star Joe Burrow's hometown, the studio also makes tiger-themed passion flowers, with a percentage of proceeds going to his Hunger Relief Fund.

📬 Do you have a favorite coffee mug with a special backstory? Hit reply and send us a picture.