National News
Urban, rural hospitals closing at similar rates, study finds
Harvard researchers found 432 hospitals closed since 2010, mostly for-profit or safety-net facilities serving high-poverty counties with limited transportation.
Poverty
Local
How is Ohio doing amid safety-net cuts? Trump hasn’t released the data
Advocates say the Census Bureau's delayed poverty data and USDA's scrapped food-insecurity survey mask fallout from SNAP and ACA cuts that hit Ohio hardest.
Local
Husted blamed government benefits for ‘out-of-wedlock birth,’ said they ‘drive the father out of the household’
The 2025 podcast remarks preceded Husted's January bill to overhaul federal benefits, part of a pattern of comments on poverty dating back to 2016.
Local
69% of Ohioans struggle to afford at least one basic need, new report says
Families are finding it difficult to pay for food, housing, healthcare, and childcare, the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality analysis says.
Local
Ohio’s work to lower infant mortality rate shows progress, but certain communities still struggle
Black infants in Ohio die at more than double the rate of white infants, as state funding for maternal programs shrinks and a paid leave bill stalls in committee.
National News
Grants coming to Head Start programs in Ohio, other states after years of funding struggles
The $2.05 million for 17 Ohio programs follows a government shutdown that closed sites and a GAO finding that Trump officials illegally withheld Head Start funds.
Local
Childcare affordability among the top issues for Ohio voters
A GOP bill offering free childcare to workers in the industry has sat in committee for a year, with lame-duck session the last chance to pass it in 2025.
National News
Households face higher heating bills this winter amid rising electricity and oil costs
Home heating costs are anticipated to rise by almost 9% this winter, according to a recent analysis.
Local
Report accuses Ohio-based grocery giant Kroger of frequent overpricing
The Center for Responsible Food Business found overcharges outnumbered undercharges nearly 3-to-1 across 389 Ohio inspections, hitting minority and senior shoppers hardest.
National News
As gap between CEO and worker pay yawns, employers do little to defend the most vulnerable
Institute for Policy Studies finds Low Wage 100 CEOs earn 614 times worker pay while their lobby groups stayed silent on Medicaid, SNAP and ICE crackdowns.
Local
Ohio delays SNAP ban on sugary drinks
Ohio was one of nearly two dozen states working to implement bans on SNAP sales for non-nutritious items such as soda or candy that were encouraged by the Trump administration.
Local
Nearly half of households using Ohio food banks have had to choose between paying for rent or food
The survey also found 63% chose between transportation or food and 52% skipped meals, as SNAP cuts strip benefits from over 100,000 Ohioans.
