Columbus Thrives: Crime Down, Housing Boom, and OSU Heads to Big Ten Tournament

Good morning, this is Columbus Local Pulse for Thursday, March 12. We start with breaking news from City Hall, where yesterday evening Mayor Andrew Ginther delivered his State of the City address at the Harmony Project Theater in Northland. He highlighted drops in violent crime to the lowest homicide rate since 2007 with just 84 last year, thanks to prevention and community partnerships, and announced 8.8 million dollars for expanded crisis response teams, including a million new for mental health experts. On housing, Ginther touted over 9,000 new building permits citywide last year and plans to invest bond money for 200,000 more units regionally over the next decade, focusing on affordability near places like Lindens Green Line trail project. Shifting to City Council chambers, we saw a packed hearing last night on data center growth. With 18 in Columbus and 130 regionally, plus 70 to 90 more proposed, residents voiced worries over energy, water use, and backyard impacts, while supporters like Vista Site Selections noted each data center job creates about 3 extra ones here in Franklin County. No decisions yet, but President Shannon Hardin says they are balancing both sides. In jobs, we have over 64,000 openings listed on Indeed, from warehouse spots at Costco in Easton and Blacklick paying around 21 to 25 dollars an hour, to loan officers in Victorian Village earning up to 200,000 yearly. Real estate stays hot with 15,000 regional permits last year. Our Ohio State Buckeyes tip off at noon today in Chicago for the Big Ten Tournament against Iowa or Maryland on BTN, riding high after Bruce Thorntons record-breaking Senior Night win over Indiana. Weather today brings mild temps in the low 50s with scattered showers, so grab umbrellas for outdoor plans, but clearer skies tomorrow. New business buzz includes Monterey Square retail advancing in historic Dublin and COhatch coworking opening nearby. Community events ahead feature the Linden Green Line groundbreaking soon. Quick school note: Local teams prepped strong this week. Todays crime report notes no major incidents in the past day, keeping our streets safer. And a feel-good story: Volunteers at Mid-Ohio Foodbank in Grove City filled shelves, helping families amid growth. Thanks for tuning in, listeners, and remember to subscribe. This has been Columbus Local Pulse. Well see you tomorrow with more local updates. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. For more http://www.quietplease.ai Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.