Saturday Morning News: Tragedy in East Columbus, Easton Expands, and Buckeyes Take On Michigan

Good morning, this is Columbus Local Pulse for Saturday, November 29th, 2025. We're starting this morning with a tragic update from the Columbus Police Department. A 29-year-old man named Christopher Smith was killed in a shooting on Thanksgiving afternoon around 2:15 in east Columbus. Officers responded to the 700 block of South Broadleigh Road where they found Smith unresponsive with a gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead at 2:47 that afternoon. Police are still investigating and haven't released information about a suspect. If you have any details about this incident, you can reach Detective Yoder at 614-645-2040 or call Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477. On a brighter note, we're seeing some exciting developments around Columbus. Easton Town Center continues its expansion this year with several new additions that are already open. Luxury brands like Todd Snyder and Peter Millar opened their first Ohio locations at Easton, and if you're looking for dining, Mastro's steakhouse, Bar Italia, and Napa wine bar are among the new restaurants that have joined the mix. Over in German Village, a new business is moving into a historic space that's been vacant for years, which is great news for the neighborhood. Speaking of dining, our restaurant scene has been pretty active. We've seen some new spots open up across the city, including award-winning birria in the Hilltop, in-demand sandwiches over in Gahanna, and all-you-can-eat sushi on Bethel Road. Unfortunately, Ray Ray's closed three of its locations, so if you're a fan of that spot, you'll want to check which location nearest you might still be operating. Now let's talk sports because we've got some big action this weekend. Tonight is the game we've all been waiting for. Ohio State is heading up to Michigan Stadium unbeaten and ranked first in the College Football Playoff rankings to take on Michigan at noon. The Wolverines are looking for their fifth straight win over the Buckeyes. Last night, our Columbus Blue Jackets faced the Pittsburgh Penguins in an overtime thriller. The Penguins came away with a 4-3 victory after Kris Letang scored just 58 seconds into overtime. Sidney Crosby had two goals in that game, and it was his 640th career goal, tying him for 15th all-time in NHL history. Looking at today's weather, we're expecting it to be cold and breezy with some flurries moving through Central Ohio. Tomorrow brings more of the same with snow and wintry mix conditions expected for the weekend. Temperatures are hovering in the upper 20s to low 30s, so bundle up if you're heading out. This has been Columbus Local Pulse. Thanks so much for tuning in and please subscribe for more local updates. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out quietplease dot 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.