Matter News

Whitehall citizens will vote on a proposed property tax levy to fund expansions in staffing and facilities for the local police department in the Ohio primary on May 3. The measure is structured as a permanent tax levy with a total request of 2.822 mills, amounting to an estimated annual revenue of $790,000. Mayor Kim Maggard, a co-proposer of the levy, has increased Whitehall’s police spending by 46% since her 2012 election. The levy, alongside this increased spending, comes at a time when many in the .

Discussions about housing affordability tend to focus on two components: cost and availability. Apis Cor, a startup focused on 3D printing buildings, aims to work on both fronts, CEO Anna Cheniuntai said during a live interview with Matter. By using 3D printing, according to Cheniuntai, buildings can be created faster,...

Editor's note: As part of our deep dives into policing and development, we produce in-depth articles and videos. But, while working on those stories, we often hear lots of news that informs our stories but doesn’t necessarily make it to the final product. As such, we wanted to create an avenue to share those smaller bits of news that keep us and you informed. That's where this digests comes in. A couple times a month, we will post round-ups like the one below of the top news for development and policy. Want to share your thoughts on it? Think we missed a story? Let us know at editorial@matternews.org.

Editor's note: As part of our deep dives into policing and development, we produce in-depth articles and videos. But, while working on those stories, we often hear lots of news that informs our stories but doesn’t necessarily make it to the final product. As such, we wanted to create an avenue to share those smaller bits of news that keep us and you informed. That's where this digests comes in. A couple times a month, we will post round-ups like the one below of the top news for development and policy. Want to share your thoughts on it? Think we missed a story? Let us know at editorial@matternews.org.

Mayor Andrew Ginther’s state of the city address painted a rosy picture of Columbus but rather than “opportunity rising” for Columbus residents, too many continue to see their opportunities for success declining. Columbus has an overall poverty rate of 19.54%, with Black residents at 29.69 and our Hispanic neighbors at 28.67%, while white residents are at 12.67%. Good paying jobs continue to be unreachable for too many individuals and families who cannot afford the never-ending escalating housing costs, food on the table and other rising cost of living expenses.

While it was freezing cold outside in Columbus last Thursday evening, it was piping hot inside the debate I moderated between primary candidates for U.S. Senator from Ohio, Democrat Morgan Harper and Republican Josh Mandel. Ohio will have primary elections in May, where each party will vote for their candidate...

In the months following the police killings of Casey Goodson, Jr. and Andre Hill in Columbus — which itself came only months after nationwide Black Lives Matter protests — public officials, advocates and community members showed a renewed interest in reforming the police. A little more than a...

Jobs are the key to the economic and social health of a community. Employers make decisions to locate or expand their workforce using many criteria, including the property taxes they will need to pay. The 86 employers in the City of Columbus that received property tax abatements in 2020 created 3,713 new jobs in 2020, resulting in new annual payroll of $167 million.

On October 29, 2015, Columbus Division of Police Officers Matthew Baase and John Narewski climbed into the back seat of a car parked legally on private property and shot Deaunte Lamar Bell one time in the head and five times in the back. Bell’s mother, Dytania Hudson, said, “They left...

At 3 a.m., a tiny knock on my bedroom door was followed by a whisper, "Mom, you better come out here." I grabbed my robe and glasses and followed my 16-year-old daughter down the dark hallway. We passed her big brother watching reruns of Arrested Development in the family room, who reported, in between bites of chips and salsa, "I told them they couldn't come in."

When Sid Villavicencio lived in downtown Columbus, they didn’t feel safe. But for Villavicencio and their partner, who lived in the North Linden area up until this January, it wasn’t the community that made them worry for their safety. Instead, it was the constant police presence. Villavicencio said they first...

After 15 years in the Patrol Bureau, Gregory Parini transferred to the Police Chief’s office in April as the Organizational Accountability Lieutenant. One of the many responsibilities he inherited is the launched last October by Mayor Andrew Ginther and former Police Chief Thomas Quinlan. The city and police division intended...

We’re a team of journalists, filmmakers, writers, policy innovators, community organizers, artists, and creatives, each bringing unique perspectives on how to evolve local journalism.

The Department of Development has entered 2021 with an almost identical operating budget to 2020, with a focus on increasing the availability of jobs and affordable housing. The Department runs a lean operation with a budget of $32 million — a little more than half of which is spent on the 169 staff that work to fulfill its missions — but serves as a connection to many public and private partners.

When Sundi Corner came home to find a paper pinned to her fence, she was first confused. The paper said she had violated the municipal code for being “parked on incorrect land.” Like all code violations, it included language about what would happen if she didn’t fix the issue, which included a fine and possible jail time.

Columbus Division of Police tried to hand the investigation over to Ohio's Bureau of Criminal Investigations, but BCI declined to take the investigation. Now, it is back in the hands of CDP. 2 min read. BCI declines to take the investigation. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has declined to...

Last October Chief Thomas Quinlan announced an accountability dashboard to keep the public up-to-date on reform recommendations he was supervising. At the same time, he was keeping his own . The dashboard categorizes reform recommendations into four categories based on their progress toward completion, but does not reveal how each...

The Columbus Division of Police launched a new dashboard website, on October 1, 2020, designed to provide accountability and transparency on the progress the former police chief, who was hired for this task, has made toward implementing citizen-led reform. “I think it's very important to maintain transparency with the public,”...

After former Columbus police officer Adam Coy shot Andre Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, he turned on his body camera. Coy’s partner, Officer Amy Detweiler, waited to activate her body camera until after Coy shot Hill, too. Hill’s death was ruled a homicide. That behavior blatantly violated Columbus Division of...

This story was originally published on December 7, 2020. Updates: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Casey Goodson's middle name. It has been updated to reflect his correct middle name. Similarly, a previous heading on this article created confusion around who said the shooting was justified. The heading has been edited to clarify.