AI & Power Infrastructure: OpenAI is reportedly in advanced talks to lease a proposed 10-gigawatt data center campus on federal land in Ohio, with a possible Nvidia-backed plan and first phase targeted for 2028—raising the stakes for grid upgrades as demand surges. Workforce Development: Gov. DeWine and Lt. Gov. Tressel announced $5.07M for 22 Ohio Industry Sector Partnership grants to build talent pipelines in manufacturing, construction, skilled trades, IT, transportation, insurance, and healthcare. Energy & Permitting: The Ohio Supreme Court ruled an agrivoltaic solar farm must provide more visual-impact information before approval, tightening standards for how projects are presented to local communities. Local Water Projects: East Liverpool secured $2.2M in Ohio Development Authority loans for engineering and planning work to improve drinking and wastewater systems. Education Integrity: Ohio lawmakers advanced a Senate bill that would impose civil penalties on businesses that sell academic work to students, aiming to curb “contract cheating” while protecting legitimate tutoring. Prediction Markets Legal Fight: Ohio’s Kalshi dispute continues to draw national attention as New Mexico joins the CFTC court battle over whether sports event contracts are federally regulated commodities or state gambling. Storm Impacts: Northeast Ohio reported widespread outages after strong storms and winds snapped trees and damaged homes. Food & Retail: Downtown Columbus is seeing a fresh grocery push with new stores opening or planned, including a nonprofit grocery model in King-Lincoln Bronzeville. Business Earnings: Advanced Drainage Systems posted strong Q4 results and forecast growth for 2027, highlighting stormwater momentum and integration progress.