- Ohio's school bus safety task force findings coming in January - A state task force assembled by Gov. Mike DeWine to assess school bus safety met for its sixth, and likely final, time Friday morning. The conversation largely focused on reunification preparedness following crises, like those crashes in Clark and Licking counties, and the mental health ramifications of traumatic incidents. Statehouse correspondent Sarah Donaldson reports the committee will release its findings in January, as schools get back from winter break
- New position created to reduce violent crimes in Springfield - Community leaders in Springfield have committed to reducing gun and group violence among teens and young adults. To do so, the city is creating its first Violence Prevention Coordinator in the city. Reporter Shay Frank has more on what this position will do.
- Local aircraft maintenance company to stop operations - An aircraft maintenance company will close one of its facilities in Southwest Ohio. Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems says its Vandalia location will close at the end of January.
- First petition signatures inked on Ohio legislative redistricting proposal - Volunteers are gathering signatures for an anti-gerrymandering proposal. The constitutional amendment would create a 15-member commission to oversee redistricting. A clerical error put them back a few weeks. But a spokesperson for the group Citizens Not Politicians says the campaign still has plenty of time to meet the threshold for the November 2024 ballot — and as statehouse correspondent Sarah Donaldson reports, the first signatures are now inked.
- Book challenges have skyrocketed in Ohio. One bookstore is pushing back - School districts across the state are debating what books are appropriate for their students. A new bookstore in southwest Ohio is providing access to controversial literature. The Ohio Newsroom’s Kendall Crawford has more.