UC Rolls Out BearcatGPT

The University of Cincinnati unveiled BearcatGPT, a private artificial intelligence platform available to faculty and staff.

UC plans to expand BearcatGPT access to students during the spring semester. The university said the tool will help with research, planning, administrative tasks, and editing written content.

BearcatGPT runs on UC’s Azure OpenAI infrastructure, ensuring university data is not used to train public artificial intelligence models.

Columbus’ Affordability in Danger

Community leaders in Columbus warn that job growth is outpacing housing construction, putting the state capital’s reputation as an affordable city at risk.

Because of lower state taxes and other factors, many companies view central Ohio as a place to expand. In recent years, the Columbus area has seen the addition of data centers, military drone manufacturing, pharmaceutical investments, and other projects.

Home values have risen 51% since the start of 2020, a gain that ranks among the highest in the Midwest, and apartment construction has begun outpacing single-family home construction.

In June, the average rent for an apartment was $1,405, up 7% from the previous January. As of Dec. 8, the average rent was $1,495.

Nela Park Lights Dimmed

Nela Park’s famed Christmas lights display, which marked its 100th anniversary last year, has dwindled to a single tree and snowflake entrance, leaving no festivities for the season.

General Electric Lighting debuted the display in 1924 and earned the nickname “The University of Light.” GE Lighting was later sold to Savant Systems in 2020, and the Nela property later sold to Phoenix Investors.

Generations of Cleveland families have visited Nela Park’s once-luminous holiday display with its multi-colored light waterfalls. One resident described the tradition’s disappearance as “a bummer.”

The company scaled back decorations to spotlight its 63 years of designing the National Christmas Tree, saying most of the lighting equipment will be donated to local nonprofits and other groups.

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➤ Southern Ohio: Snow is expected to move into southern Ohio late tonight and continue through Friday morning, bringing 3-5 inches of accumulation. (More)

➤ Delaware County: A woman found a dead frog in her unopened Kroger salad kit in Powell, prompting the store to pull similar items and launch an investigation, the company said. (See Frog)

➤ Cleveland: The Greater Cleveland RTA will suspend Green and Blue line service this weekend, while the Red Line will operate partially during signal work. (Details)

➤ Columbus: City Council passed legislation that will require property owners and landlords to charge for utilities at the same rates customers would pay the utility company directly. (More)

➤ Akron: Akron is finalizing union contracts to align firefighter and civil service wage increases with police and to raise employee health insurance contributions. (More)

➤ Columbus: The Central Ohio Transit Authority named Alicia Walker—former chief officer of public transit in Fort Worth, Texas—as its new chief operating officer. (More)

➤ Canfield: Tra’s Gourmet Sandwiches donated more than $2,500 for new Canfield boys basketball uniforms and plans a similar contribution for the Canfield High girls team. (More)

➤ A federal judge allowed Ohio to shift $1.7 billion in long-dormant unclaimed funds into a new account, clearing the path for about $600 million to help finance the Browns’ planned domed stadium. (More)

➤ Anderson four-star junior defensive back Ace Alston, Ohio’s No. 2 recruit in the 2027 class, announced his verbal commitment to Notre Dame. (More)

➤ Cleveland baseball writer Paul Hoynes, who has covered more than 6,000 games in his career, was given the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s Career Excellence Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NBA | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW | Soccer

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➤ Ohio lawmakers advanced SB 56 to tighten hemp and marijuana rules, barring public and in-car marijuana smoking and outlawing out-of-state products as debate continues over criminal penalties and local tax revenue. (More)

➤ Jonah Sandler—who grew Scene75 to six locations before selling the company—is investing in the new Sandler Center at Wright State to connect business students and entrepreneurs with investors. (More)

➤ Lil’ Turtles recalled its Grandma Belle’s Tomato Basil Soup sold in Ohio and 13 other states because milk was not listed as an allergen, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. (More)

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➤ The Cold War Gallery at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force debuted a rare Soviet MiG-25 and a Bill Mauldin art exhibit this month, highlighting Cold War tensions and battlefield storytelling. (Details)

➤ An Ohio Lottery player won $11.4 million with a Classic Lotto ticket bought in Tipp City, while another player in Youngstown claimed $100,000 by matching all five KICKER numbers in the same drawing. (More)

➤ Rocket Arena in Cleveland will keep epinephrine auto-injectors on site through a partnership with the Allison Rose Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes food allergy awareness. (More)

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Do you play the lottery?

1. Often
   
2. Sometimes
   
3. Never
   
4. Used to
   

Yesterday’s Results:

Have you completed your Christmas shopping?

1. Still looking: 27%
2. All done: 26%
3. Haven’t started: 24%
4. Other: 23%

What’s Ohio’s coldest December on record?

Show me the answer