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Received today β€” 16 December 2025 Local News | NBC4 WCMH-TV

St. Stephen’s Community House will split from Columbus Catholic diocese in 2026

16 December 2025 at 13:25
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A partnership built on helping the community is set to enter a new phase after more than 100 years of service. In a statement released Tuesday, the Diocese of Columbus and St. Stephen’s Community House announced that St. Stephen’s will launch as an independent nonprofit organization, no longer serving as a [...]

Man receives $3 million bond after being arrested in wife's September death

16 December 2025 at 10:24
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) β€” A 39-year-old man made his initial court appearance Tuesday morning after being arrested Monday in connection to his wife's death in September. Austen Medek has been charged with murder and received a $3 million cash surety bond in Franklin County Municipal Court. He is accused of killing his wife Michaela Medek, [...]

Bill requiring free feminine hygiene products in Ohio prisons awaits governor's signature

16 December 2025 at 10:00
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A bipartisan Ohio bill that would require correctional institutions to provide free feminine hygiene products to incarcerated women awaits Gov. Mike DeWine’s signature. Lawmakers sent House Bill 29 to the governor’s desk on Dec. 9, after the legislation passed unanimously in both the House and the Senate. DeWine has 10 days, [...]

Ohio 2026 film celebration unveils full slate of movie screenings

16 December 2025 at 09:30
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio is getting ready for a statewide cinematic celebration next year as part of the U.S.'s 250th anniversary, with hundreds of free movie screenings planned across all 88 counties. The initiative, Ohio Goes to the Movies, kicks off Feb. 11 and runs through October, highlighting films connected to Ohio through actors, [...]

Federal funding abruptly canceled for key Ohio manufacturing program

16 December 2025 at 07:00
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Department of Commerce abruptly suspended millions in funding intended to support Ohio's manufactures, citing a federal review of the program that could take years to resolve. The Department of Commerce said the funding is paused due to an ongoing Office of Inspector General review of Ohio's Manufacturing Extension Partnership. The [...]

When you can and can’t legally use your phone behind the wheel in Ohio

16 December 2025 at 05:30
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Ohio Revised Code lays out specific rules for using a mobile device behind the wheel, including addressing whether it is legal to scroll while stopped at a red light or talk on the phone while driving. Ohio implemented a distracted driving law in October 2023, generally banning motorists from using, [...]

Whitehall council to vote on removing member accused of sexual misconduct

16 December 2025 at 04:30
WHITEHALL, Ohio (WCMH) -- Whitehall City Council is scheduled to meet Tuesday night to consider the removal of a councilmember accused of underage sexual misconduct. Councilmember Gerald Dixon was arrested the evening of Dec. 8 on allegations of decades of grooming underage boys. The next morning, he appeared in Franklin County Municipal Court and was [...]

Woman killed, another injured in east Columbus head-on crash

16 December 2025 at 04:19
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A woman is dead and another is injured after a head-on collision Monday evening in east Columbus. Columbus police said that at 7:24 p.m., a vehicle pulled from a parking lot to go west on East 17th Avenue near Rarig Avenue. A woman driving a Ford was going west at the [...]

Central Ohio Jewish community remains alert after Australian shooting

15 December 2025 at 22:18
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The central Ohio Jewish community remains on edge after the terror attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Australia over the weekend.Β  "You have the shock and then the mourning and then the worry of where else is this going to happen," Katie Rotenberg said. According to JewishColumbus President Julie Tilson Stanley, [...]

How Columbus aims to protect resident information online

15 December 2025 at 20:00
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The City of Columbus said it is strengthening its IT infrastructure to ensure that its policies align with state standards to protect residents' data. This comes more than a year after the city was hit with a ransomware attack that led to half a million people’s sensitive information being posted on [...]

Ohio attorney general reflects on 2025, plans for 2026

15 December 2025 at 19:30
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- As the year comes to a close, NBC4 sat down with Ohio's top law enforcement agent to discuss what happened in 2025 and look forward to next year, the final year of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's term. He said he is not focused on the end but rather on the [...]

Warrant Watch: Suspect pulls gun on store clerk; new face takes over Ohio FBI office

15 December 2025 at 19:30
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The U.S. Marshals Service and the Columbus Division of Police are teaming up to find a suspect wanted for pulling a gun on a store clerk in November. According to the Marshals Service, Ian Crum, 35, allegedly walked into the Tractor Supply Company store on West Broad Street last month, loaded [...]

What can Ashville do to stop data center? Nothing, city official says

15 December 2025 at 19:00
ASHVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) -- There is nothing that can be done to stop a data center from coming to northern Pickaway County, according to Ashville Village Administrator Bert Cline. This comes as neighbors in the community are protesting the development. Traveling through the main streets in the village of Ashville this time last year, you’d [...]

Husband facing murder charge after wife's death in September

15 December 2025 at 18:49
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A Columbus man accused of killing his wife in September was arrested Monday and charged with murder. Austen A. Medek, 39, was arrested without incident by a Columbus Police SWAT Team. He is being held at Franklin County Jail. According to police, officers responded to a home on the 5500 block [...]

Leaders from dozens of states in Ohio to fight federal overreach

15 December 2025 at 18:00
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Ohio Statehouse hosted a historic gathering of legislative leaders from across the country Monday, discussing concerns about the increasing power of the federal government. Senate presidents and House speakers from about 40 states met in the chambers of the Ohio House of Representatives, unanimously adopting a nonbinding declaration for the [...]

Columbus creates LGBTQ+ commission

15 December 2025 at 17:30
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- For the first time, Columbus has a specific commission to uplift and support the voices of LGBTQ+ people in Columbus. Columbus City Council approved the appointment of 13 members of the LGBTQ+ Affairs Commission, a diverse group with members coming from different backgrounds, races and gender identities. "We will codify that [...]

Central Ohio school delays and closings for Tuesday, December 16, 2025

15 December 2025 at 17:29
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The cleanup from this past weekend's winter storm continues, prompting several central Ohio school districts to either delay or cancel classes on Tuesday. Up to seven inches of snow blanketed parts of the region on Saturday, accompanied by sub-freezing temperatures. Storm Team 4 forecasts call for temperatures to gradually climb through [...]

Ohio school cellphone ban goes into effect Jan. 1

15 December 2025 at 17:00
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- As part of the state budget passed over the summer, school districts across Ohio must ban the use of cellphones and smart devices in schools statewide on Jan. 1. Students have a few days of school left before they go on winter break, and when they come back in 2026, the [...]

Received yesterday β€” 15 December 2025 Local News | NBC4 WCMH-TV

Man charged in deadly shooting near southeast Columbus apartment complex gets life in prison

15 December 2025 at 13:30
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) β€” One of four suspects arrested in the shooting of an unarmed man in southeast Columbus received a life sentence in court Monday afternoon. According to the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, Caleb Johnson was found guilty in the murder of 25-year-old Jahaan Harris, who was gunned down on June 14, 2024 in [...]

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