Equality Ohio has unveiled its new strategic plan aimed at addressing the needs of Ohio's LGBTQ+ community.

Why it matters: The statewide advocacy group's "Roadmap Back to Equality" for the next three years arrives during a period of heightened turmoil for LGBTQ+ people driven by the Trump administration's efforts to stymie diversity, equity and inclusion gains.

State of play: Equality Ohio's plan includes passing "equality measures" in 30 municipalities located in counties that do not currently have them on the books by 2029.

• The plan strives for no LGBTQ+ person to be more than 45 minutes from a "queer haven" — a county with at least one nondiscrimination ordinance or equality measure in place.

Between the lines: Another priority is diversifying Equality Ohio's revenue streams.

• Increased revenue would partly go toward growing the organization's Legal Clinic, which provides free services to LGBTQ+ members affected by state laws.

What they're saying: "As we look toward our future, we must become more strategic and even more resourceful," CEO Dwayne Steward said during his 2026 address.

• "We have restructured and built a new strategy that will allow us to weather this ongoing storm."

The big picture: The Trump administration began 2025 by signing an executive order that the federal government would only recognize two sexes, male and female.

• The administration continued targeting LGBTQ+ efforts during Pride Month last June, including having the FBI request public tips on hospitals, clinics or practitioners performing gender-affirming surgeries to youth.

Zoom in: Ohio lawmakers have also introduced several anti-LGBTQ bills, including House Bill 249, which would ban drag performers from performing anywhere other than designated adult entertainment facilities.

• There's also House Bill 196, which would require political candidates (including those who are transgender) to list their former names on candidacy petitions.

The other side: There have also been several pro-LGBTQ+ bills proposed, most notably Senate Bill 70, aka the Ohio Fairness Act, that would expand anti-discrimination laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

• The bill's primary sponsor is Senate Minority Leader Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood), the Ohio Senate's first openly gay minority leader.

Car insurance prices dipped last year after a post-pandemic stretch of skyrocketing costs, a new Insurify report finds.

Zoom in: Ohio's 2025 average annual full-coverage premium of $1,368 was a 6% drop from 2024, matching the national average decline.

• Our premiums are well below the national average of $2,144.

Zoom out: Wyoming (-30%), Iowa (-25%) and Arkansas (-23%) saw the biggest drops.

Reality check: That relief comes after car insurance costs rose 46% from 2022 to 2024, "partially due to risky driving behavior following the pandemic," said Insurify, an insurance-comparison platform.

• Average rates are up big time in some places, including New Jersey (+20%) and Washington, D.C. (+18%).

Between the lines: "Insurers' margins are now high enough to absorb tariff-driven costs without raising prices," Insurify said.

• "Now, many insurers are cutting rates to attract and retain new customers."

What's next: Average full-coverage premiums will rise 1% this year, the report predicted — though U.S. tariff policy poses a "potential wrinkle" in such forecasting.

📉 The Columbus City Schools board voted Tuesday to freeze all administration salaries and cut 62 positions as it attempts to address its budget shortfall. (Dispatch)

A wrongful death lawsuit against Nationwide Children's Hospital alleges that an employee's error led to a 27-day-old baby falling out of her crib and suffering injuries that led to her death. (WCMH-TV)

📊 Ohio's 2026 governor race is projected to be the most expensive in state history based on early fundraising figures for leading candidates Amy Acton and Vivek Ramaswamy. (Ohio Capital Journal)

• Meanwhile, challenger Sherrod Brown is outraising U.S. Sen. Jon Husted in the senate race.

💰 Cannabis tax revenue has finally been distributed to Ohio communities, with Columbus receiving more than $4.7 million. (The Ohio Newsroom)

🐅 Tiger brothers Lewis and Clark made their Columbus Zoo debuts this week. (WSYX-TV)

"I really think our hands are tied on this. I don't know, aside from them backing out, what else can be done at this point."

The Village of Ashville in Pickaway County is doing what it can to keep data centers out, but one is expected to arrive whether critics like it or not.

Driving the news: Ashville's council voted Monday to deny a petition for annexation that would have moved 485 acres of Harrison Township into the village, Columbus Business First reports (🔒).

• The land would have housed two of three buildings in a proposed EdgeConnex data center campus, with the vote halting plans for those two centers.

Context: The village is one of a growing number of Central Ohio communities with moratoriums on new data centers, with some on its council in favor of a permanent ban.

• The facilities face increasing scrutiny over utility usage and lack of job creation, though some see them as economic drivers.

Yes, but: Burke said EdgeConnex applied for the first center on village land "two or three days" before the moratorium took effect, leaving the village with few options to stop it.

What's next: Burke told Business First he hopes nearby communities band together.

• "If we do not stick together in northern Pickaway County, we will get picked off individually."

Many of you correctly guessed the location of yesterday's photo quiz — and those who didn't may recognize it from this angle.

The answer: The Bloch Cancer Survivors' Plaza on Ohio State's campus, at the busy intersection of Lane Avenue and Olentangy River Road.

Zoom in: Eight human sculptures passing through a maze of doorways — symbolizing treatment and recovery from cancer — are located closest to the street.

• The plaza behind it features motivating plaques and a "floating sphere" fountain.

The big picture: The area is one of 24 survivors' parks in the U.S. and Canada, funded by a $1 million gift from Richard and Annette Bloch. Richard is the "R" in H&R Block.

• After overcoming what doctors initially diagnosed as terminal lung cancer, Richard shifted his focus on funding cancer research in the '80s.
• He personally selected the plaza site in the '90s because 70,000 cars pass by it daily.

👏 Congratulations to reader Sue G., today's winner!