Akron Plane Crash Kills 2

A 1963 Piper Cherokee crashed Thursday afternoon into a home in south Akron’s Coventry Crossing neighborhood, killing both people aboard.

The aircraft struck a residence in the 2200 block of Canterbury Circle around 3:45 p.m., sparking a fire from which a man was able to escape with his children. Akron firefighters responded and evacuated neighboring homes; no ground injuries were reported.

Ohio State Highway Patrol took over the scene from Akron Police. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are expected to investigate the cause of the crash.

Both victims were found inside the aircraft. No identities had been released as of Friday night.

Ohio’s Execution Moratorium Reaches 8 Years

Ohio has not carried out an execution since 2018, and a new policy brief from the Institute for Civics and Public Policy at Ohio Northern University underscores how the de facto pause has quietly stretched into its eighth year.

Gov. Mike DeWine halted lethal injections after calling the method “impossible from a practical point of view.” State Attorney General Dave Yost has called the stalled executions a “mockery of the justice system.”

The General Assembly has not adopted a replacement execution method, leaving more than 100 inmates on Ohio’s death row in legal limbo.

Nitrogen hypoxia has been discussed as an alternative. Execution warrants have been issued for dates through 2029, though DeWine has indicated none will proceed without legislative action.

Browns, Bengals 2026 Slates Revealed

Ohio’s two NFL teams released their full 2026 regular-season schedules Thursday, with Cincinnati set for an international matchup and Cleveland drawing a schedule largely centered on 1 p.m. kickoffs.

The Browns will open with two road games before hosting Carolina in Week 3. Cleveland’s only prime-time game is scheduled for Week 4, a Thursday Night Football matchup against AFC North rival Pittsburgh. See the Browns’ full schedule here.

The Bengals will travel to Madrid on Nov. 8 to face the Atlanta Falcons and are scheduled for prime-time games against Pittsburgh, Washington, and Baltimore. You can view the Bengals’ schedule here.

The Browns and Bengals will meet for the first time in Cleveland on Dec. 6 before Cleveland travels to Cincinnati for the Week 18 regular-season finale.

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Homeowners Are Quietly Tapping Record Equity

Here’s a number most homeowners haven’t checked lately: their equity.

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➤ Toledo: Nordstrom Rack will open a new location in the Toledo market in summer 2027, adding a national fashion anchor to northwest Ohio’s retail landscape. (More)

➤ Statewide: Two Montgomery County state representatives are pushing to overhaul Ohio’s single-family housing development tax credit, arguing the program has been chronically underutilized and needs restructuring to actually spur new home construction statewide. (More)

➤ Columbus: Organizers behind proposed constitutional amendments protecting same-sex marriage and expanding anti-discrimination protections are weighing whether to pursue 2026 ballot placement, according to reports. (More)

➤ Strongsville: Netflix is premiering a documentary on a high-profile 2022 Ohio crash that left two teenagers dead after Mackenzie Shirilla drove a car into a building at 100 mph. (More) 

➤ Cleveland: Gov. Mike DeWine received the 2026 Charles Eisenman Award from the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, recognizing his family’s connection to Holocaust history. DeWine’s father’s unit arrived at Dachau just days after liberation. (More)

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➤ The Cleveland Cavaliers lost Game 6 to the Detroit Pistons, 115-94, as Detroit’s bench scored 48 points and forced a Game 7 on Sunday in Detroit. (More)

➤ Ohio State will install new turf at Ohio Stadium before the 2026 football season, replacing slit-film turf that has been phased out of NFL stadiums amid player-safety concerns. (More)

➤ The Cleveland Guardians honored their 2016 American League pennant-winning team Friday as former manager Terry Francona returned to Cleveland with the Cincinnati Reds. (More)

➤ Third-seeded Ohio State men’s tennis lost 4-3 to TCU in the NCAA quarterfinals Thursday. The Buckeyes rallied to tie the match at 3-3 before TCU took the deciding singles match. (More)

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

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➤ Ohio’s new driving law does not ban aimless driving, despite a viral claim that House Bill 626 made it illegal to drive without a destination. State law experts confirmed the widespread social media story is false. (More)

➤ The Cleveland Guardians are leaning hard into the classic “Cincinnati isn’t in Ohio” rivalry bit on social media ahead of this weekend’s Ohio Cup series, and fans on both sides are eating it up. (More)

➤ Three Columbus Blue Jackets players are representing their countries at the 2026 IIHF World Championship, which opened today in Switzerland and runs through May 31. (More)

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Which Ohio NFL team are you rooting for this fall?

1. Cleveland Browns
2. Cincinnati Bengals
3. Neither
4. I prefer college football

Yesterday’s Results:

Does your town have any Revolutionary War burial sites?

1. I’m not sure: 40%
2. Yes: 33%
3. No: 27%

The Cincinnati Reds are the oldest professional baseball franchise in the United States. In what year did the Cincinnati Red Stockings become the first all-professional baseball team?

Show me the answer