DeWine Pauses Ohio Data Center Tax Breaks

Gov. Mike DeWine has directed state officials to freeze new data center sales tax exemption requests after the program saddled taxpayers with more than $1 billion beyond what lawmakers had anticipated.

The Department of Taxation had projected $136 million in lost sales tax revenue in 2025, yet the actual cost ballooned past $1.5 billion. The Ohio Tax Credit Authority will halt new applications while the Joint Data Center Committee reviews the exemption program.

The freeze affects neither existing data center agreements nor the construction of new facilities.

The pause comes as a group pushes to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would ban large data centers.

Record Storms Soak Central Ohio, Threaten Crops

Central Ohio broke its May 27 single-day rainfall record Wednesday as severe storms triggered flash flood warnings across the region. More than 2 inches of rain drenched John Glenn Columbus International Airport, eclipsing the previous record of 1.44 inches set in 1991.

Flash floods stranded motorists on several major roads around Columbus and its inner suburbs, forcing rescuers to pull some drivers from their vehicles.

The flooding also threatened Ohio farmers, whose waterlogged fields could jeopardize yields, as agriculture experts warned of prolonged saturated soil conditions.

Tecumseh Theater Reopens After 66 Years

The Tecumseh Theater in Shawnee will reopen its long-shuttered second floor on June 6, ending a 66-year closure at the Perry County landmark built in 1908.

The grand reopening also debuts Live From Tuesday Creek, a monthly variety show built around a fictional coal company town inspired by southern Perry County.

“We see it is a place not just for the people of Shawnee, but for people around the region to engage in community-building activities that strengthen the quality of life here,” said John Winnenberg, former director of Sunday Creek Associates.

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➤ Statewide: A bill introduced in the Ohio House would secure the right of college students to carry pepper spray and tasers on campus to defend themselves. (More)

➤ Statewide: An Oregon teenager has been charged after a series of threatening phone calls forced several Ohio school districts into lockdown. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. (More)

➤ Cincinnati: About 1,800 gallons of diesel fuel leaked from a power generator at Jewish Hospital in Sycamore Township on May 23, seeping into a nearby creek that reportedly still smelled of fuel four days later. (More)

➤ Gallipolis: Some residents evacuated near the Gallia County water treatment plant were cleared to return home Wednesday as fire and hazmat crews continued their work. (More)

➤ Moscow: Residents near the Zimmer landfill in Clermont County say a persistent stench that has caused severe headaches and breathing problems continues to worsen, and they’ve gotten little relief from local officials despite repeated complaints. (More)

➤ Columbus: Columbus police unveiled two new helicopters, bought for $6 million and outfitted with upgraded cameras, searchlights, and computer systems intended to bolster the department’s aerial law enforcement. (More)

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➤ Ohio State football announced kickoff times for its 2026 season opener against Ball State—12:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network—and its Week 3 matchup with Kent State—noon on Fox. The Oct. 10 homecoming game against Maryland will start sometime between 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. (More)

➤ Firestone Country Club will host its final PGA Tour Champions event this summer, as organizers announced the tournament will leave Akron for Newport Beach, California, after decades of professional golf at Firestone. (More)

➤ Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward held his annual free youth football camp Wednesday at Nordonia High School. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NBA | MLB | Soccer | NCAASB | WNBA | Golf

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➤ The Ohio Supreme Court overturned the permit for Oak Run Solar—a 6,000-acre project in Madison County built partly on land owned by Bill Gates—ruling that the Ohio Power Siting Board must “more thoroughly address” the facility’s visual impact. (More)

➤ Wawa is selling gasoline for $3.95 a gallon at its Montgomery Road location in Silverton as a grand-opening promotion, drawing drivers from miles around. (More)

➤ Dutch Bros. Coffee plans to open its first central Ohio location on Broad Street in Columbus, bringing the Oregon-based chain’s drive-through coffee-and-energy-drink concept to the region with a target opening of winter 2026. (More)

➤ A salmonella recall has widened to cover several products sold at Kroger, Walmart, and Aldi stores across Ohio and the rest of the nation. (More)

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➤ Six Flags issued a lifetime ban to social media influencer Allen Ferrell, who flouted Cedar Point park safety rules to film himself eating a 10-piece order of McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets, dipping sauce included, aboard the Millennium Force roller coaster. (More)

➤ The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking public input on a plan to clear World War II-era explosives and munitions buried near Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus, a former military airfield. (More)

➤ Responding to Pope Leo XIV’s warning about artificial intelligence in his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, Ohio-born Vice President JD Vance said it “sounds very profound, and the sort of thing that you would expect and hope from a leader of the church.” (More)

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Did you encounter flooding during this week’s storms?

1. Yes
2. No
   

Yesterday’s Results:

How often do you shop at Kroger?

1. Regularly: 34%
2. Never: 25%
3. Rarely: 21%
4. Sometimes: 20%

What does the design of Ohio’s flag represent?

Show me the answer