Today from The Ohio Newsroom

The Joy Valley Nature Preserve is the result of one of the largest private land protection initiatives in state history.

From music venues to bars, spiritual-turned-secular spaces are cropping up as Christianity in the U.S. declines.

The statewide water conservation program H2Ohio funded wetlands restoration projects across northwest Ohio. But with less funds, some conservationists worry progress will stall.

The Hubbard House in northeast Ohio's Ashtabula County was an important stop on the Underground Railroad. After surviving a demolition threat, it has a unique strategy to ensure its future.

School bus drivers have been steadily leaving the profession for nearly two decades. As school districts contend with the intensifying labor shortage, one unconventional event celebrates the people who have chosen to stay behind the wheel.

About a quarter of Ohio high schoolers take at least one career and technical education course, according to a recent report from the Fordham Institute.

Of a thousand residents surveyed, more than half had at least one physical health concern in the months following the train disaster. Many reported mental health effects too.

These shaggy creatures are making themselves at home on Ohio's farm scene.

The Frederick Douglass Project for Justice brings those inside and outside of prisons together to build community and break stereotypes.

The inclusion of universal changing tables in the state's new rest stop areas will allow Ohioans with developmental disabilities to engage more with their communities.

About a quarter of Ohio counties have bans on renewable energy projects. In northwest Ohio, Paulding County has embraced them.

The Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen recently announced plans to open the state's first river maritime academy in eastern Ohio's Monroe County. It's an effort to address a need for tug boat operators and deckhands.

‘Big Muskie', once the world's largest walking dragline excavator, is being honored with a new historical marker.

As local governments across the country receive opioid settlement money, a new crowdsourced database is tracking instances of alleged misuse.

In Northwest Ohio's Williams County, it isn't hard to find a job. But it is hard to find a house. A grassroots effort aims to change that.

The Supreme Court of Ohio has ruled that Cincinnati can't delete old, dismissed eviction records from its municipal website. Other Ohio cities won't have to follow suit.

Alejandra Martinez will compete for the title of Miss Wheelchair America this week.

The National Tractor Pulling Championships are held in Bowling Green each year. It draws fans of farm machinery from across the country.

A state appeals court ruled in July that Athens' ban on plastic bags violates the Ohio constitution. The case raises questions about the tension between state law and home rule.

In the wake of federal legislation meant to improve the foster care system, county children's services agencies are struggling with soaring placement costs.

A national report shows that mayors across the U.S. are prioritizing economic development, housing and infrastructure. Athens mayor Steve Patterson says that mirrors the local picture in Ohio.

Pixelle Specialty Solutions ended paper mill production. The closure will have ripple effects on Ohio's logging industry.

The Akron Art Museum spotlights how Myrlande Constant tells stories through beads and innovates in a traditionally-male art form.

Jack Corbett, NPR producer and Planet Money visual host, is branching out from his viral TikToks to a star-studded animated movie

The Peace Resource Center at Wilmington College has been preserving the stories of survivors of nuclear war for half a century.

Riicara Janelle Dior is a transgender woman currently serving time at the Grafton Correctional Facility — a men's prison in Northeast Ohio's Lorain County.

Cincinnati's Urban Appalachian Community Coalition works to support people with Appalachian roots living in southwest Ohio. An oral historian with the organization interviewed dozens of Appalachian women to understand the impact of their migration to the city.

County engineers in north central Ohio are re-surveying the line created by the Treaty of Greenville. It divided what's now the state of Ohio in two: claiming the south for westward-bound American settlers and the north for a dozen indigenous nations.

A new program funded through opioid settlement dollars supports moms in recovery by giving them a space to heal together.

After his mom ran a stop sign in Darke County, a three-year-old Ohioan was put in foster care for months.

Lorain and Mansfield city leaders have recently mulled ordinances to allow residents to own chickens on residential lots, joining other Ohio cities.

Every year, gunslinging girls in Darke County prove their sharpshooting skills at the annual Annie Oakley Festival.

Reports of black bears are increasing in Ohio. The state's division of wildlife says the species is expanding its range.

Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News released a new report analyzing the number of local journalists in every U.S. county.

The Ohio State Fair hopes new additions to the event can ensure Ohioans of all abilities are able to attend.

The southern Ohio city of Portsmouth is known for its floodwall murals. Now, a nonprofit is painting sidewalks, basketball courts and brick walls too. But federal funding cuts threaten the bigger picture.

Many of Ohio's rural hospitals are barely breaking even. Now, new Medicaid changes could mean a major loss of income.

Each Summer, the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds in Berea, Ohio, host the Ohio Scottish Games and Celtic Festival, bringing sports, history, music, food and culture together.

The Trump administration has ended a specialized option for LGBTQ+ youth within the nation's suicide crisis line. Ohio support orgs say the cut could be detrimental for the high-risk group.

Swimming pools across Ohio are in the depths of a lifeguard shortage. But the Northside Pool in Youngstown is well-staffed and helping its youth thrive, thanks to a local lifeguard academy there.

Researchers with the University of Toledo say carbonized corncobs can help clean drinking water contaminated from harmful algal blooms.

The Trump administration terminated hundreds of millions of dollars in AmeriCorps grants in April. Ohio nonprofits are still grappling with the fallout.

The Mid-Ohio Valley Entertainment Commission aims to provide filmmakers with the resources they need to shoot in southeast Ohio.

An Ohio think hub explored the small and big ways that changing weather patterns impact Ohio's economy.

Millions of people visit Hocking Hills every year. The region's economy is growing, but so are challenges like traffic and a housing shortage.

Congress is considering taking back funding for public media. would hurt the budgets of public radio news outlets across the state.

Millions of people visit Hocking Hills every year. The region's economy is growing, but so are challenges like traffic and a housing shortage.

More Ohioans are growing their own food in an effort towards self sufficiency.

The Ohio History Connection is mapping patriots' gravesites, in hope of better preserving them across the state.

Ohio's higher ed institutions are facing many changings under the legislative overhaul.

A small but mighty crew of volunteer "tinkerers" shows up twice a month to refurbish trashed appliances in the hopes of giving them a second life.