Axios Columbus

June 30, 2022
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Today's newsletter is 906 words โ a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: OB-GYNs' post-Roe fears
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
Ohio has just enough OB-GYNs to meet demand at the moment.
- But after the state's severe abortion restrictions went into effect last week, doctors worry it could be more difficult to recruit new talent to stave off a shortage as more pregnancies are carried to term.
By the numbers: Ohio had 1,770 women's health care providers in 2018 but needed 1,820, per a 2021 federal analysis.
- The state already has swaths of maternity care deserts, particularly in rural areas, according to March of Dimes.
Driving the news: Ohio doctors who perform abortions after fetal cardiac activity is detected, at about six weeks of pregnancy, can now be found guilty of a fifth-degree felony.
- The law allows exceptions to prevent a mother's death or "substantial and irreversible impairment."
What they're saying: "The fear of going to jail is certainly one of the things that will potentially inhibit people from wanting to come to the state," David Hackney, chair of the Ohio section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, tells Axios.
- "But probably the biggest driver is having to watch your patients suffer when you know there are ways in which you could give them the care they need."
For example, the law makes no exceptions for fatal defects such as anencephaly, when a fetus is missing parts of the brain and skull.
- "It's one of the things I'm dreading the most โฆ having to break this horrible news to patients," Hackney says. "It's an unequivocal nightmare: going through an entire pregnancy to term against their will for a fetus that is going to die."
Between the lines: Medical residencies are one of the most reliable pipelines for states to recruit doctors, as most physicians stay where they trained.
- Ohio OB-GYN students who support abortion rights will now have limited opportunities to train and likely need to travel to fulfill educational requirements, a potential deterrent, physicians warn.
What we're watching: Lawmakers are poised to pursue a ban that outlaws abortion from the moment of conception when they reconvene this fall.
Meanwhile, Ohio's abortion providers filed a lawsuit yesterday to block the current ban.
2. ๐ How to fake it: Red, White & Boom
Fireworks explode over the Scioto River during Red, White & Boom in 2019. Photo: Brooke LaValley/Columbus Dispatch/USA Today Network
The Midwest's biggest and brightest fireworks display finally returns tomorrow after two years.
- Never been to Red, White & Boom? Here's how to hide your first-timer status.
Ice breaker: There's nothing more patriotic than waking up at the crack of dawn to claim a spectating spot at a public park. It's tradition.
- So when you see the hard-core folks sitting on the Scioto River banks inside a square of yellow caution tape, that's the perfect time to make a snarky comment.
- "They're in their Boom boxes." Yeah. That's a good one.
Pro tip: We call it "Boom." It just sounds better.
Fun facts: Impress your friends with some trivia on Boom's 40th anniversary: It brings in 400,000 annual spectators and is the city's largest single-day event.
Be prepared: Wear sunscreen. Bring water. Pack a snack โ or patience for food lines.
Travel tip: Take the $4 round-trip on COTA to avoid the second round of fireworks โ angry drivers in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Where to watch: Anywhere, really. You can't miss it. Squeeze in at the Main Street bridge or a parking garage roof and get ready to "ooh" and "aah."
If you go: The festival opens on the riverfront at 11am, with fireworks launching from Genoa Park starting at 10pm. Free!
Bonus: Reader picks
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
๐ฅ Amanda S. watches from a garage near Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center.
- "They close off the top two stories for regular traffic so there is a lot of space, and the bonus is you can go into the hospital for bathrooms! It's close enough you get a pretty nice view. Be warned, though: Tents tend to blow away if MedFlight makes a visit!"
๐ Mark H. picks the garage next to LeVeque Tower but notes: "Donโt come there unless you like it LOUD!"
3. Nutshells: You ain't nuttin' but a hound dog
Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
๐ถ In this archival deep dive, come for recaps of Elvis' Columbus concerts, stay for the story about his Toledo bar fight with a fan's husband. (Columbus Dispatch)
๐ A record number of Ohioans are expected to hit the road this holiday weekend, but fewer will travel by air than last year. (AAA Ohio)
๐ A Columbus Zoo tiger died Sunday due to COVID-19 complications. (Zoo)
4. Ohio's first settlers
Shrum Mound, built by Adena settlers around 2,000 years ago and named after the family whose farmland once includedย it. Photos: Tyler Buchanan/Axios
๐ Tyler here. For the latest installment of the Franklin County Historical Marker tour, we're taking you way back.
The marker: Campbell Memorial Park/The Adena Culture at 3141 McKinley Ave., Columbus.
The intrigue: This hidden-in-plain-sight landmark features an Adena burial mound standing 20 feet high and 100 feet around.
Flashback: Native Americans of the Adena culture lived here between 800 B.C. and 100 A.D., per the Ohio History Center, and chose this spot because of its proximity to the Scioto River.
- The land was eventually donated to the state historical society and named in honor of history-loving Gov. James Campbell, who served from 1890-92.
1๏ธโฃ9๏ธโฃ down, 105 to go.

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5. Photo quiz: Dublin's Davis log cabin
This log cabin is at 700 Shawan Falls Drive, Dublin. Photo: Alissa Widman Neese/Axios
Yesterday we invited you to identify the location of this historic log cabin dating back to the 1800s.
โ Many correctly answered that it's near the entrance to Indian Run Falls in Dublin.
Catch up quick: Alexander Davis, one of the suburb's original settlers, built the cabin. Previously situated on private property, it was later dismantled, then given to the city and rebuilt in 2007.
๐ Congrats to Paul F. for answering correctly and being randomly chosen as today's winner!
๐ฆ Tyler is back tomorrow.
๐บ Alissa is on a quest to find her favorite sour beer, Rhinegeist's Peach Dodo, which just made a comeback.
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