Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: Which Columbus holiday light shows are still open this week?

Coming up on the Columbus Patch calendar: New Year's Eve Party

Patch AM Team's profile picture
Patch AM Team, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
Sunday December 28th Patch AM
Sunday December 28th Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Hey hey Columbus! Your one-stop source for local news is here. Continue reading for all the updates. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • Which Columbus holiday light shows are still open this week?
  • How one North Linden church will keep neighbors powered during outages
  • Which Columbus cafe sold a $1 million Powerball ticket?

Also on today's calendar: New Year's Eve Party and 9 more events.

Find out what's happening in Columbusfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: I’m trying to think of a new cloud joke. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Columbusfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Sunday: Periods of rain, with a high of 65 and low of 26 degrees.
  • Monday: A snow shower in the morning, temps: high: 32, low: 20.
  • Tuesday: Mostly cloudy; windy, chilly, with a high of 29 and low of 23 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Here's some things left to do in Columbus before the holidays are over (abc6onyourside.com) — If you’re looking for last-minute holiday fun in Columbus, several big attractions are still going strong, from Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo to Wanderlights downtown and COSI’s Season of Celebrations. You can also catch Butch Bando’s Fantasy of Lights, the Huntington Holiday Train at the Main Library, and more, with many events running into early January.
   

2. ‘Resilience hub' opening in North Linden (nbc4i.com) — A North Linden church in Columbus is transforming into a city-backed “resilience hub,” adding solar panels and a battery-powered microgrid so neighbors can keep medicine cold, charge phones, and stay safe during power outages and extreme weather. Pastor Ryan Grace’s Maize Manor United Methodist Church already grows thousands of pounds of food on-site and is piloting this Climate Action Plan project to help inspire similar hubs across Columbus.
   

3. Columbus man wins $1M Powerball prize with near miss (shorenewsnetwork.com) — A Columbus resident just scored a $1 million Powerball prize after buying a ticket at Players Cafe on West 5th Avenue and matching five numbers in the December 22 drawing. The winner will take home about $728,750 after taxes, while the Ohio Lottery notes its long-running contributions to state education.
   

4. Marriage equality, school policies: These Ohio bills could shape LGBTQ+ rights in 2026 (fox8.com) — From the Statehouse in Columbus, lawmakers are weighing a slate of LGBTQ+-related bills that could reshape marriage equality, school policies, health care access, and even how families are officially celebrated in Ohio. Proposals range from banning conversion therapy for minors to tightening rules on drag performances and student pronouns, with many measures stalled in committee but poised to resurface in 2026.
   

5. Ohio auditor finds companies don't uphold their promises after state tax credit awards (wowktv.com) — From Columbus, state auditors report that most companies receiving Ohio tax credits or loans have failed to meet promised job and payroll targets, yet often kept their incentives anyway. The review found dozens of noncompliant firms facing little or no penalty, raising questions about how well Ohio safeguards public money meant to spur economic growth.
   

📸 Around Columbus

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Columbus

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

📣 Columbus Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Columbus PatchAM possible:

  • Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
    Teach your kids they can achieve the impossible!

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Walkin’ With Nikon - #753
    Two images from the fog today. Which one do YOU like? (Nextdoor Central Gahanna)
  • LOST INDOOR ONLY CAT
    Please scroll through all photos. We are still searching for Rio. She got out of the house on November 30th, 2025 when we were loading the moving… (Nextdoor Fairmoor)
  • Cameron Mitchell posted a job opening for GUEST SERVICES (Part-time with weekend availability) -BUTCHER & ROSE in Columbus. Apply here.
  • McLane Company, Inc. posted a job opening for Coordinator, Shipping and Receiving in Columbus. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Columbus here.

Ok Columbus! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I haven’t the foggiest.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what’s happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Columbus