Pharmacy chain closes, worsening deserts in SE Ohio, West Virginia
Fruth Pharmacy’s shutdown and prescription transfer to Walgreens highlight growing pharmacy deserts in rural Ohio as PBM practices drive independents out of business.
Marty Schladen
at 
Ohio Capital Journal
Ohio Capital JournalArticles by Marty Schladen
Ohio officials: Federal food benefits for November are flowing
After President Trump’s shutdown-related suspension of SNAP payments, Ohio has now restored food benefits to more than 1.4 million residents, easing pressure on food pantries and completing distribution for November.
Ohioans’ federal food benefits should be issued by midweek, administrator says
Ohio officials expect full SNAP benefits to reach 1.4M residents this week after a federal delay, even as major cuts in recent legislation could strip aid from hundreds of thousands.
Ohio’s economic future is hazy, but a recession might be looming, Fed survey indicates
A Cleveland Fed model shows elevated recession odds as tariffs, rising debt, weak hiring, and falling consumer sentiment fuel mounting economic concerns in Ohio and nationwide.
Report shows scandal-plagued Ohio utility made $108 million in errors. It wants customers to pay
A new report shows FirstEnergy wrongly claimed millions in lobbying and political spending as construction costs—and now wants ratepayers to cover the $108M error despite its ongoing corruption fallout.
Ohio food pantries see record demand in food crisis
As President Donald Trump continues to defy court orders to fund SNAP during the government shutdown, Ohio’s food pantries are reaching a breaking point. Nonprofits report record demand and dwindling supplies as millions of residents lose their federal food assistance.
Future of Ohio’s federal energy assistance unclear as government shutdown wears on
As freezing weather grips Ohio, the Trump administration’s shutdown has put federal heating assistance in jeopardy. The state is keeping its crisis program open with leftover funds, but advocates warn they could soon run dry — leaving hundreds of thousands of vulnerable families at risk of losing heat as winter begins.
Ohio is among states where credit card debt is rising most quickly
Ohio now ranks fifth nationally for rising credit card debt, as inflation, job cuts, and Trump’s tariff-driven price hikes squeeze families. Nearly one in three credit card payments in Ohio are overdue — a sign of deepening strain on working households already hit by high utility bills and a slowing job market.
Ohio economists split on nuclear power as AI-driven energy demand drives up prices
As Ohio’s electricity prices climb with growing energy demand from data centers, a panel of economists says expanding nuclear power could help—but opinions are divided. While most believe more supply would lower costs, others warn that high construction costs, safety concerns, and past scandals make nuclear energy a risky bet.
Ohio pantries scramble as food assistance is disrupted
Ohio food pantries report sharp increases in demand as Trump administration cuts SNAP benefits affecting 1.45 million Ohioans. Pantries warn strained resources may not last without federal assistance.
An Ohio writer returned to her hometown to see what she’d missed. It was a lot
Ohio author Beth Macy, known for Dopesick, returns to her hometown of Urbana in her new memoir Paper Girl to explore what hollowed out America’s small towns. Through family stories and community interviews, she reveals how economic decline, misinformation, and lost local journalism fractured working-class life — and what it will take to heal it.
Ohio Supreme Court hears arguments over fat utility hikes
Advocates on both sides stumbled momentarily Wednesday when the Ohio Supreme Court considered whether big increases in certain utility charges…
