Nearly 200 fire departments representing 63 counties across Ohio have been awarded a combined total of nearly $4 million.
Ohio Department of Commerce
Posted inBusiness
Ohio’s minimum wage set to increase in 2026
COLUMBUS — Starting Jan. 1, 2026, Ohio’s minimum wage is scheduled to increase to $11 per hour for non-tipped employees and $5.50 per hour for tipped employees. This adjustment represents a 2.8% increase from the current 2025 rates of $10.70 for non-tipped employees and $5.35 for tipped employees. The change reflects the mandate of the Constitutional Amendment (II-34a), […]
Posted inNews
Ohio issues consumer alert regarding PPP loan scam targeting residents
COLUMBUS — The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Financial Institutions has issued a Consumer Alert to Ohio residents regarding an emerging scam that is targeting recipients of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans in the state. The Division has received multiple reports of scammers contacting customers of Ohio banks and impersonating bank personnel in an attempt to gain access to […]
Posted inLife and Culture
Ohio Division of Liquor control issues reminders for event compliance, safety
COLUMBUS — As Ohio nonprofit organizations make preparations for spring and summer events to bring Ohioans together, raise money, and support various causes, the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Liquor Control is highlighting the role temporary liquor permits play in ensuring the safe and legal sale of alcoholic beverages to attendees. In 2024, the division issued temporary […]
Posted inNews
First Mansfield recreational cannabis dispensary may open as soon as May
MANSFIELD — The first recreational cannabis dispensary in the city may open as soon as May, according to officials with Backroad Wellness. The company, based in southeast Ohio, purchased a building at 1099 W. Fourth St. in November for $599,000, according to property records at the Richland County Auditor’s website. Backroad Wellness Vice President Brian […]
Posted inNews
Ohio State Fire Marshal accepting application for 2025 equipment grants
COLUMBUS – The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of State Fire Marshal (SFM) is now accepting applications for the 2025 Fire Department Equipment Grant. Approximately $2 million is available this grant cycle. Applications must be submitted by Jan. 31, 2025, in order to be considered. The Fire Department Equipment Grant is for qualifying fire departments and local government entities, and […]
Posted inNews
Crawford County couple indicted on 19 counts including securities fraud, theft from the elderly
BUCYRUS – Barbara E. Armstrong and her husband Thomas J. Armstrong were indicted by a Crawford County Grand Jury on Sept. 24 on 19 criminal counts, including Securities Fraud, Sale of an Unregistered Security, Theft from the Elderly, and Telecommunications Fraud. The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Securities announced the indictment in a Friday press release. The agency […]
Posted inBusiness
Ohio’s minimum wage is set to increase in 2025
COLUMBUS – Ohio’s minimum wage is scheduled to increase Jan. 1, 2025, to $10.70 per hour for non-tipped employees and $5.35 per hour for tipped employees. The minimum wage will apply to employees of businesses with annual gross receipts of more than $394,000 per year. The current 2024 minimum wage is $10.45 per hour for non-tipped employees […]
Posted inNews
Clearing the Air: Marijuana not permitted on liquor-permit premises, patios
COLUMBUS – As patio season gets in full swing, the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Liquor Control (DOLC) and the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Ohio Investigative Unit (OIU) remind Ohioans that marijuana use remains strictly prohibited in liquor permit premises. After Ohioans voted to legalize the adult use of non-medical marijuana last November, the two […]
Posted inNews
Mansfield City Council approves weed ordinance — but not the marijuana kind
MANSFIELD — Mansfield City Council approved a weed ordinance Tuesday night. But it had nothing to do with a moratorium on potential recreational cannabis dispensaries in the city. On a night council amended city laws regarding the allowable length of noxious weeds growing in Mansfield, it opted to delay until June a vote on legislation […]