Back in August of 2022, the Ohio Supreme Court overturned the state law prohibiting trains from blocking intersections for more than five minutes. Due to federal regulations, local government officials are no longer able to control the movement or the standstill of trains passing through our area.

The ordinance on Portable on Demand Storage Units, also known as PODS, went before the Lima City Council for its third reading Monday evening. The PODS ordinance was defeated Monday evening by a 7 to 0 vote, which would have required residents to purchase a $60 permit effective for 30 days for the use of PODS on their property. While the ordinance was defeated, the focus on PODS regulation will remain for Lima City Council.

On Monday Evening at Lima City Council, legislation was proposed to regulate "Portable on Demand Storage Units" or "PODS," but concerns from proprietors led to council placing the legislation for a second reading.

 Are you looking for something to do with your dad for Father’s Day, how about grabbing your fishing pole and heading out one of the public waterways in the state?   June 18th and 19th has been set as a free fishing weekend in Ohio.   Which means that residents 16-years-old and older do not have to have a fishing license can get their worms wet at one of the hundreds of public locations. All other fishing regulations, size limits, and bag limits apply. Anglers are encouraged to introduce someone new to fishing, especially youth. An estimated 1.3 million Ohioans fish in the Buckeye State every year.   

The legislation approved December 10th mandates that sports betting be available by January 1, 2023. It's expected to take months for the casino control commission to formulate rules and regulations. Operators will pay a 10% tax on their net revenue to the state to help fund K to 12 education and problem gambling programs.

Earlier this month, whistleblower Frances Haugen testified before members of Congress about Facebook and misinformation. She urged the government to get involved with the boards of the social media platforms to give them more teeth overseeing content. Ohio Northern Law Professor Bruce Frohnen says how people look at the information is subjective and what this could lead us to is a bunch of lawsuits.

While the "wait-and-see" travel trend continues, AAA says we can expect a decrease in people traveling for thanksgiving this year.

AAA is projecting a 9 percent drop in people traveling, down from the 2.3 million that traveled in 2019. Although a decrease in travel, there still will be many people on the roadway the whole week. A AAA manager says, we can expect a majority to travel by car because it creates a flexible plan and gas prices are lower than they've been in 15 years. The pandemic definitely has a role to play in the travel and we might see even less if more restrictions are in place.