Winter Weather Alert Issued

A winter weather advisory was posted for most of the state for Monday night into today, with 2 to 4 inches of snow expected by this morning’s commute.

Snow was expected to ramp up around midnight and continue into the daylight hours.

Officials with the state Department of Transportation said the start of the snow season has been relatively smooth and reminded drivers to maintain safe following distances.

Value City to Lay Off Hundreds 

Columbus-based Value City Furniture will lay off 326 employees—including 256 in Ohio—due to declining sales.

Last month, the retailer’s parent company, American Signature Inc. of Columbus, filed for bankruptcy protection and disclosed plans to close more than two dozen Value City and American Signature stores nationwide.

The Value City layoffs in Ohio will occur at its headquarters at 4300 East Fifth Ave. in Columbus, which is set to close. The layoffs will take effect around Jan. 20.

The parent company cited sluggish home sales as a key factor for its financial problems.

List: Must-See Christmas Lights

Travel website Ever After in the Woods listed 11 Christmas light shows in the Buckeye State that “everyone should see once.”

Topping the list are two zoo displays: Lights Before Christmas at the Toledo Zoo and Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo.

Other must-sees include the millions of lights covering historic Clifton Mill over the Little Miami River and Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park‘s combination of Christmas spirit and artwork in Hamilton.

Also recommended are the PNC Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo and Deck the Hall at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens in Akron.

See the full list here.

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➤ Statewide: The state legislature approved adding $40 million to a state fund to support first responders dealing with post-traumatic stress. (More)

➤ Cuyahoga County: A power outage caused by an animal on Monday morning affected more than 8,000 FirstEnergy customers, including 7,538 in North Royalton. (More)

➤ Cincinnati: Select highway ramps on Interstates 71 and 75 in downtown will close overnight today and Wednesday while crews conduct surveys for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project. (See Closures)

➤ New Albany: Husband-and-wife actors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick will headline the 2025 Remarkable Evening event on Wednesday, marking the 30th anniversary of the New Albany Community Foundation. (Details)

➤ Canton: The city opened a warming shelter at St. Paul AME Church at 1800 Tuscarawas St., which operates from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. (More)

➤ High school football state championship games kick off Thursday with Division II’s Avon facing Anderson. Title games for divisions I, III, and IV are set for Friday, with divisions V through VII on Saturday. (Pairings)

➤ Former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer won a state championship in his first year as head coach of his California high school alma mater, Santa Margarita Catholic. (More)

➤ Cleveland City Council approved a $100 million deal between the city and Haslam Sports Group regarding the Browns’ lease of Huntington Bank Field. (More)

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

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➤ At least 500 restaurants have closed statewide this year, with many citing rising food costs in recent years, according to the Ohio Restaurant Hospitality Alliance. (More)

➤ Mercy Health will open an occupational health services center and a family medicine center in Fairborn this week, following its purchase of two existing healthcare sites. (More)

➤ Columbus placed No. 7 on Condé Nast Traveler’s rankings of best food cities in the U.S., beating out New York City, Boston, and Las Vegas. (More)

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Your donation — matched dollar for dollar up to the challenge total — delivers twice the impact:

Following Hurricane Melissa, Convoy of Hope has provided meals, clean water, and supplies such as generators, tarps, and tents to families recovering from the storm.

But the need is still great.

Please give by Dec. 31 to double your impact in helping disaster survivors. Your gift also provides nutritious meals for children, agricultural training, empowerment for women, and aid for Convoy’s response to the African hunger crisis. 

➤ The state Department of Natural Resources will staff drop-off sites this month to assist hunters donating white-tailed deer to local food pantries. (Details)

➤ A group of volunteers in Middletown, known as the Grandpa Gang, set up a drive-through Christmas display featuring more than 1 million lights. The display is open to the public through New Year’s Eve. (More)

➤ A state trooper at the Bucyrus Post rescued a lost dog named Rufus along State Route 98. (Watch Video)

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Do you put up a natural or artificial Christmas tree?

1. Natural
   
2. Artificial
   
3. I don’t put up a tree
   

Yesterday’s Results:

Did you shop in person on Black Friday?

1. No: 55%
2. Yes: 45%

Which right does Article I, Section 4 of the Ohio Constitution guarantee?

Show me the answer