Superman heads back to Ohio, Clintonville's deer debate goes official, and Nine Inch Nails hits the Schott.

🌧️ Good morning, Columbus. It's a soggy one — we're starting at 50° and climbing to 63° under light rain with a 100% chance of precipitation. Leave the umbrella by the door so you don't forget it.

📍 Superman sequel returns to Ohio with $1.9M tax credit

James Gunn is bringing the Man of Steel back to Ohio. The Ohio Department of Development awarded $1.99 million in tax credits to "Exodus" — a code name that appears to be the sequel to 2025's "Superman," scheduled for release in July 2027. The biblical naming pattern continues: the first film shot here under the code name "Genesis," and now comes "Exodus," the second book of the Bible.

The production starts preproduction in Ohio on June 15, running through August 21 with five days of actual shooting mixed in during that window. That's a notably smaller footprint than the first film, which spent 201 days in the state, hired more than 3,000 Ohio residents, and received $11 million in tax credits. This time around, the tax credit application lists at least seven Ohio residents and about a dozen non-Ohio workers in preliminary hiring estimates. The application lists Ohio-related spending at $330 million.

Director James Gunn and stars David Corenswet (Clark Kent) and Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane) are all listed in the tax credit application. The first film shot in Cleveland and Cincinnati, with crews spotted at Public Square, Progressive Field, and Cincinnati's Union Terminal — which inspired the Justice League's headquarters in the 1970s "Super Friends" series. Gunn praised Cleveland at the time for being a natural fit, given Superman was created there in 1933 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Bottom line: Five shooting days and $2 million doesn't scream "major economic impact," but it's another Hollywood nod to Ohio as a viable production hub — and good timing with House Bill 270 trying to make Superman our official state superhero.

📍 City tackles Clintonville's deer problem — finally

After years of complaints, the city of Columbus held a community conversation Wednesday night about what to do with the growing deer population. The event followed a citywide deer management survey that found more than 70% of respondents want the deer population to decrease. Nearly 4,000 people responded, with Clintonville residents making up the majority — the neighborhood has been a focal point of deer complaints and more than six in ten Clintonville respondents reported seeing deer daily.

The concerns are real. Residents talked about property damage, sick and hungry deer, and safety issues tied to coyotes following the herds into neighborhoods. "They travel in packs," Clintonville resident Karen Vaeth said. "They have so much food that the does are having twins, if not triplets, every year. And then those babies go on to have more babies."

Wednesday's conversation broke residents into small groups with experts to discuss potential solutions — culling, hunting, and no-feed ordinances, all of which are legal options used elsewhere in Ohio. Councilmember Nancy Day-Achauer said the city wanted to learn from Worthington, which jumped into deer management before Columbus and faced backlash despite community input. "We saw by the response that it wasn't" fully approved by the community, Day-Achauer said.

Bottom line: The deer debate has been escalating for years, and Wednesday's workshop was a step forward. But wildlife management requires tough decisions, and eventually the city will need to pick a strategy and defend it — because the deer population isn't going to solve itself.

📍 Crossing guard hit, fined $48 — Ohio lawmakers want tougher penalties

A Warren County crossing guard was struck by a car in January 2025 while helping students cross the street. The driver received a $48 fine. Now state legislators are pushing House Bill 690, which would make it a first-degree misdemeanor to disobey a crossing guard and double fines for violations in school zones during school hours.

The bill was announced Tuesday at a Statehouse press conference where Becky Evans, the Franklin City Schools volunteer crossing guard who was hit, said the fine felt like "a slap in the face." Reps. Tom Young (R-Washington Twp.) and Andrea White (R-Kettering) introduced the measure, citing a news investigation that found more than 225 crossing guards nationwide have been struck by cars in the past decade — many with drivers facing minor citations or no penalty at all.

The bill would clarify crossing guards' legal authority to stop traffic. Kettering Police Chief Chip Protsman spoke at the news conference, calling the measure "an important bill to protect our crossing guards," who he said "go to work every day to ensure the safety of our children."

Bottom line: It's wild that hitting a crossing guard in a school zone carries the same financial consequence as a parking ticket. This bill should be a slam dunk.

⚡ Quick Hits

• Pickerington's new junior high opens Monday. The brand-new Pickerington Central Junior High School opened its doors Wednesday after three years of planning. Built with 2022 bond money, the facility features limited access points, section-by-section lockdown capability, a robotics lab, and touchscreens in every classroom. Community members can tour the building Thursday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 457 Lockville Rd.

• Les Wexner's testimony isn't adding up. House Democrats said they found inconsistencies between Les Wexner's six-hour congressional deposition Wednesday and previously released Epstein files. Wexner testified he cut ties with Jeffrey Epstein in 2007 and never spoke to him again, but emails and financial documents suggest contact may have continued — including a 2008 email from Wexner to Epstein (contents not disclosed) and a trust listing Abigail Wexner as a trustee through 2012.

• Woman sentenced to at least 60 years for serial overdose killings. Rebecca Auborn, who pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and one count of felonious assault, was sentenced Thursday to consecutive 15-years-to-life terms for each murder — totaling at least 60 years in prison. Auborn admitted to causing four men to fatally overdose in the North Linden area in 2023 and attempting to cause another man to overdose.

• STRS board members removed for scheming with outside firm. A Franklin County judge ruled Thursday that State Teachers Retirement System board chairman Rudy Fichtenbaum and former member Wade Steen violated their fiduciary duties by making backroom deals with investment firm QED. Both men are permanently barred from serving on the STRS board again.

• Meet Mr. Dr. Professor. No, really — that's his name. The eight-month-old pup is available for adoption at the Franklin County Dog Shelter.

🎟️ Out & About

NEEDTOBREATHE: The Barely Elegant Acoustic Tour | Tonight, 7:30 PM | Mershon Auditorium — Acoustic show with opener Philip Bowen. $1 per ticket goes to the band's FOR OTHERS foundation. From $35.

Disney On Ice: Mickey's Search Party | Tonight, 7 PM | Nationwide Arena — Mickey and friends search for Tinker Bell in an interactive ice show. Runs through Sunday with multiple showtimes. From $45.

Treaty Oak Revival: West Texas Degenerate Tour | Tonight, 7 PM | Value City Arena at the Schottenstein Center — Texas country with William Clark Green and Gannon Fremin opening. From $57.

Nine Inch Nails: Peel It Back Tour | Tomorrow, 8 PM | Value City Arena at the Schottenstein Center — Trent Reznor brings NIN back to Columbus with Boys Noize opening. From $78.

📜 On This Day

On this day in 1803, President Jefferson signed the act approving Ohio's boundaries and constitution. Congress wouldn't officially make Ohio a state until 1953 — a clerical oversight discovered during preparations for the state's 150th anniversary, when historians realized no formal resolution had ever been passed. Very on-brand for government paperwork.

Grab that umbrella on your way out. Superman's coming back, the deer debate is heating up, and Trent Reznor's waiting for you tomorrow night if you're into industrial rock on a Thursday.

See you tomorrow.