For the first time ever, Ohio will host official Olympic competition, and it’s happening right here in the capital city.

Columbus and the Columbus Crew have been selected to host nine matches during the LA28 Olympic Football (Soccer) Tournament, bringing some of the world’s best players to town in July 2028.

The matches will include eight men’s and women’s group stage games, scheduled for July 10-11, July 13-14, and July 16, along with a men’s quarterfinal on July 20. Kickoff times and competing teams will be announced closer to the event.

Columbus is one of just a handful of cities across the country chosen to host matches, joining destinations like New York, Nashville, St. Louis, San Diego, San José, and Los Angeles.

That kind of company says a lot about where Columbus stands as a sports city right now.

“The Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games selecting Columbus for nine LA28 Olympic Football (Soccer) Tournament matches shows the magnitude of collaboration with civic, state and business leaders to create world-class venues,” said Haslam Sports Group President David Jenkins. “Columbus continues to prove its position as a destination for soccer at the highest levels of competition.”

And if you’ve been to a Crew match lately, that probably doesn’t come as a surprise.

“With nine LA28 Olympic Football (Soccer) Tournament matches, we have a unique opportunity to showcase our incredible soccer venues, Columbus and its passion for men’s and women’s soccer,” said Crew President of Business Operations Mary Shepro. “For nearly two weeks, fans from across the globe will come together through the power of sports while enjoying everything our city has to offer beyond the pitch.”

The tournament itself will actually kick off before the Opening Ceremony, starting on July 10, 2028.

Matches will be played across seven U.S. cities, with teams moving across the country as the competition progresses toward the finals in California.

For Columbus, it’s more than just a few games. It’s a chance to welcome international visitors, show off the city, and cement its reputation as a major destination for soccer.

“Hosting nine LA28 Olympic Football (Soccer) matches is a truly historic moment for Columbus as a city and a sports destination,” said Greater Columbus Sports Commission President and CEO Linda Logan. “We are eagerly looking forward to showing why Columbus is a top tier market for hosting major events.”

If you’re already thinking about snagging tickets, you’re not alone. Ticket sales for Olympic events are expected to begin in April, and fans can register now for a chance to purchase through the LA28 ticket draw.

It may be a couple of years away, but one thing’s for sure. The road to the Olympics is officially running through Columbus.

The post Columbus Is Officially Hosting (Part Of) The Olympics appeared first on Columbus Navigator.

Emma Gatewood, better known as Grandma Gatewood, became the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail alone in 1955. She was 67 years old at the time. She carried almost no gear. And when she left home, she simply told her children she was “going for a walk.”

By the time she reached the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine 146 days later, she had walked more than 2,000 miles and captured the attention of the entire country.

Her story began much earlier, and it’s one of the most remarkable pieces of Ohio history.

A difficult life in rural Ohio

At 19 she married Perry Clayton Gatewood. The marriage quickly became violent and abusive. Over the next several decades, she raised eleven children while enduring repeated beatings and heavy farm labor. She often escaped into nearby woods when things became unbearable, finding quiet and comfort outdoors.

After more than thirty years of marriage, she divorced her husband in 1941. It was a difficult decision in a time when divorce was rare and socially risky.

Once her children were grown, she began rebuilding her life. She worked different jobs, repaired her house, and wrote poetry. She also spent more time walking.

Then she stumbled across an article that would change everything.

A magazine article that sparked a legendary walk

In the early 1950s, Gatewood read a copy of National Geographic that described the Appalachian Trail. The article made the journey sound manageable for anyone in decent health.

That idea stuck with her.

Her first attempt in 1954 ended badly. She got lost in Maine, broke her glasses and ran out of food. Park rangers eventually found her and convinced her to go home. Most people would have stopped there, but not Gatewood.

On May 3, 1955, she began again from Mount Oglethorpe in Georgia, the southern starting point of the trail at the time. She was 67 years old.

Hiking the Appalachian Trail with almost nothing

Modern Appalachian Trail hikers often carry specialized gear and months of preparation. Gatewood traveled very differently.

She wore simple canvas sneakers and carried a homemade denim shoulder bag. Inside were a few clothes, basic food and a small notebook. For rain protection she brought a plastic shower curtain. She had no tent and no sleeping bag.

When she needed a place to sleep, she sometimes used trail shelters. Other nights she piled up leaves for a bed. If the weather was cold, she warmed flat stones and placed them beneath her blanket.

She foraged berries and edible plants she recognized when food ran low.

News of the “grandmother hiking the Appalachian Trail” began spreading that summer. Newspapers picked up her story, and soon the Associated Press and national magazines were following her progress.

Strangers along the trail began offering help, food and places to sleep. Hikers today call those small acts of kindness “trail magic.”

Gatewood finally reached the summit of Mount Katahdin on September 25, 1955. After signing the trail register, she sang a verse of “America the Beautiful” and declared, “I did it. I said I’d do it and I’ve done it.”

She had become a national celebrity.

The woman who walked it again and again

For many people, finishing the Appalachian Trail once would be the accomplishment of a lifetime.

Gatewood was not finished.

She hiked the entire trail again in 1957. In 1964, at age 76, she completed it a third time in sections. That made her the first person ever to hike the Appalachian Trail three times.

Her walking adventures did not stop there. At 71, she followed the historic Oregon Trail for roughly 2,000 miles from Missouri to Oregon. She averaged about 22 miles a day during the three month trek.

Over the course of her life she logged more than 14,000 miles on foot.

A legacy that helped save the trail

Gatewood’s hikes came at a crucial time for the Appalachian Trail.

When she walked it in 1955, many sections were poorly maintained and difficult to follow. Her widely reported journey sparked new interest in the trail and encouraged volunteer groups to improve it.

By the time she returned in 1957, she noticed better markings and maintenance in several areas. Hiking clubs had stepped in to care for the route.

In Ohio, she also helped build the state’s trail culture. In her later years, she spent long days clearing and marking sections of what would become the Buckeye Trail Association route.

She also led an annual winter hike through Hocking Hills State Park that eventually drew thousands of participants.

Today, a six-mile stretch of trail connecting Old Man’s Cave, Cedar Falls and Ash Cave is known as the Grandma Gatewood Memorial Trail.

Remembering Grandma Gatewood

Emma Gatewood died in 1973 at the age of 85. By then she had inspired generations of hikers and outdoor lovers.

Her story has continued to reach new audiences. The documentary Trail Magic: The Grandma Gatewood Story introduced her life to many viewers, and she was inducted into the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame in 2012.

Visitors still travel to her grave at Ohio Valley Memory Gardens near Gallipolis. There are ongoing efforts to create a bronze statue honoring her life so future hikers can learn about the woman who helped put the Appalachian Trail on the map.

For someone who once said she started walking simply because she wanted to see what was on the other side of the hill, the impact has been enormous.

More than half a century later, Grandma Gatewood remains one of the most beloved figures in American hiking history and one of Ohio’s most remarkable adventurers.

The post Grandma Gatewood: The Ohio Woman Who Conquered the Appalachian Trail at 67 appeared first on Columbus Navigator.

The movie in question is called Forever In My Heart, and the premise sounded promising, so I decided to give it a go.

Jenna and Charlie found love in Ireland, but their dreams drove them apart. Five years later, they reunite and Jenna has to decide where her heart belongs—back home in Ohio or in the Emerald Isle.

I knew I’d be in for some bad Irish accents and a very “Do I follow my dreams or give them up for this simple, salt of the earth man” plotline, but I truly wasn’t prepared. But hey, as the title says, I watched it so you wouldn’t have to, and now I’m going to tell you all about it. So get cozy, kids, we’re about to go on an adventure.

The movie kicks off in small town Ireland. Our heroine, Jenna, finds herself on her last day of a year-long internship at O’Hanlons Inn, a mom-and-pop style establishment full of stereotypical Irish charm. Leprechauns are mentioned within the first 5 minutes. Jenna’s Irish boyfriend, Charlie, is a musician, and he’s planned a going-away party that includes an extremely sappy indoor Irish hoe down. It goes on for about 30 seconds longer than it should, but If I’m being honest, it was a catchy song, and I was sort of into it.

We can’t have a Hallmark romance movie without a little conflict, so we soon find out that Charlie’s band will be heading out on tour while Jenna is headed back to Ohio where her dream job awaits. Like all good midwestern girls, Jenna isn’t just some girly girl, she knows how to use a hammer, and she proves her handy skills by hanging one photo on the wall. She’s so modern.

After a weirdly unsentimental goodbye hug to Ireland after Charlie came super close to proposing, we get our first, glorious shot of Columbus.

It’s drone B-Roll, but the Scioto Mile looks fresh, so I’ll allow it. Now, Jenna is working at a hotel I can only assume is fictionally set in the Short North, because it looks super swanky. Jenna somehow knows that a random guest is from Ireland, even though he doesn’t have an Irish accent. Let’s just blame it on movie magic. It tells us that even after all of these years (30 seconds for viewers) Jenna still has Ireland on her mind.

In true Columbus fashion, Jenna leaves her door unlocked at her apartment, which is again shown after a vague sunset shot of the Scioto Mile. At her apartment, her boyfriend/boss tells her that they want her to expand their hotel chain over in Ireland, where she’ll be negotiating the purchase of a property in Dublin.

Her Ohio boyfriend/boss then proposes and tells her that he already bought her plane ticket to Ireland, so it’s a good thing she accepts the job! Nothing paints a more generous portrait of Columbus men than showing that they are super controlling of their female employees.

In the middle of his proposal, he answers his phone, which I feel like pretty much confirms what we already know, that he’s going to get tossed aside like the big city trash he is for her Irish country boy in approximately 30 minutes. Just like that, Jenna is whisked out of her humdrum life in Columbus on a stock footage airplane and now she’s in Ireland.

I’m not going to spoil the entire plot just in case you decide to give it a go, but let’s just say, old romances are rekindled, there’s a good old-fashioned food fight, and Ohio loses to Ireland (duh).

The movie may have played into some major stereotypes, but I have to say, it was rather refreshing to see Columbus portrayed as a corporate mecca instead of some forgotten country town. That’s progress, right?

If you want to check out Forever in my Heart for yourself, you can catch it on the Hallmark Channel, or online through their subscription service.

The post We Watched This Hallmark Movie Set In Columbus So You Wouldn’t Have To appeared first on Columbus Navigator.

After years of rehabilitation at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the gentle sea cows were recently released into Florida waters through the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership. For animals that arrived as tiny, vulnerable orphans, it is a pretty incredible full-circle moment.

Most of these manatees were rescued between 2022 and 2025, many suffering from cold stress syndrome or found alone at just a few dozen pounds.

Agencies like the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission coordinated the rescues, and then a nationwide network of aquariums, zoos, and research institutions stepped in to help with long-term care.

That network includes heavy hitters like SeaWorld Orlando and ZooTampa at Lowry Park, along with Ohio partners like the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

And when we say rehabilitation, we mean serious work.

Once cleared for the wild, the manatees were transported back to warm-water sites in Florida where wild populations gather this time of year. Release locations included Blue Spring State Park, Crystal River, Warm Mineral Springs, and the TECO Apollo Beach power plant.

For younger manatees that are considered “naive,” the transition is closely monitored.

The tracking gear allows experts to step in quickly if a manatee struggles to find warm water or food during its first year back.

If you happen to spot a tagged manatee while boating in Florida, admire from a distance. The tracking equipment is essential to their survival during this phase, and approaching them can disrupt that process.

Manatees remain an iconic Florida species, but they continue to face serious threats from habitat loss, water quality issues, and boat strikes. That is why partnerships like this matter. Rehabilitation does not happen in one facility or even one state. It takes a coordinated effort across the country.

For the Columbus Zoo, caring for manatees is about more than the animals in their pools.

Millions of visitors pass through the Zoo each year, and for many of them, this is their first time seeing a manatee up close. Watching one return to Florida healthy and strong makes that experience feel a little more real.

It is easy to forget, especially in the middle of winter in Ohio, that conservation work here can ripple outward in meaningful ways. But somewhere in the warm waters of Florida right now, a few former Columbus residents are figuring out how to be wild again. And that feels worth celebrating.

The post After Years In Ohio, These Manatees Are Finally Swimming Free appeared first on Columbus Navigator.

It was 1891, and Lambert had built himself a gas-powered buggy, known as the Buckeye Gasoline Buggy, because, well, Ohio pride. It was one of the first gasoline automobiles in the U.S., and Lambert, ever the innovator, decided to take it for a spin through Ohio City. That’s when things took a turn, quite literally.

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Lambert and his passenger, James Swoveland, were cruising along when the car’s wheel hit a tree root.

Thankfully, both Lambert and Swoveland walked away with nothing more than a bruised ego. The car, however, didn’t fare as well. Though it survived the crash, it later met a fiery end in Lambert’s barn, burning up on October 1, 1891. Tough year for the Buckeye Gasoline Buggy.

This wasn’t the end of Lambert’s automotive journey.

He went on to establish the Buckeye Manufacturing Company and refined his designs into four-wheel automobiles with a gearless transmission, eventually mass-producing cars, trucks, and even fire engines. But despite his contributions to the industry, Lambert will always be remembered for his bumpy introduction to car culture.

A century later, Ohio City honored his historic mishap with a plaque marking the spot of the world’s first automobile accident. And while modern Ohio drivers may still struggle with potholes, at least they don’t have to worry about rogue tree roots taking them down. Well, most of the time.

The post The World’s First Car Accident Happened Here In Ohio appeared first on Columbus Navigator.

In 1803, Jonas Seaman traveled from New Jersey to Ohio, specifically the newly-founded village of Lebanon, where he spent $4 to purchase a license to operate a house of Public Entertainment. The rest, as they say, is history.

Over 200 years later, his establishment is still serving food and offering weary travelers a place to lay their heads. Over the centuries, twelve presidents have visited the Golden Lamb, from as far back as John Quincy Adams to as recently as George W. Bush. The longest-serving innkeeper at The Golden Lamb was Robert Jones, who purchased the property in 1926 and whose family still operates the inn today.

Originally a log cabin built by Seaman, it’s not clear when exactly the inn got the name The Golden Lamb. The inn may have started with humble beginnings, but it quickly grew to be a staple in the Lebanon community.

Jonas Seaman and his wife mysteriously left the property sometime before 1819, and the cabin was replaced with the grand, brick inn shortly thereafter. The inn was further expanded in the 1840s and by the 1860s, guests could board at the hotel for $2.50-$5.00 per week.

Each room at The Golden Lamb is named after a famous guest who graced the hallowed halls, from Charles Dickens and Ulysses S. Grant to Ronald Regan and William Howard Taft.

Like all good historic buildings, the Golden Lamb has its own ghost story. Visitors and staff throughout the years have reported paranormal encounters while working or visiting The Golden Lamb. Some believe it is the spirit of Sarah Stubbs, who lived at the Golden Lamb when she was a child. Her old room has been recreated at the inn, complete with a rocking chair gifted to Sarah by her aunt.

The history of the Golden Lamb has been beautifully preserved, but the inn has also seen some stunning renovations. From the high-end guest rooms to the beautifully decorated dining room, you’ll feel enveloped by the old and embraced by the new all at the same time.

Thanks to the ambition of Jonas Seaman all those years ago, the Golden Lamb is recognized as the oldest continually operating business in the state of Ohio. The Golden Lamb is located at 27 S. Broadway in Lebanon. To make reservations at the inn, please click here.

All photos via The Golden Lamb

The post The Oldest Restaurant In Ohio Has Served 12 Presidents Over The Course Of Two Centuries appeared first on Columbus Navigator.

But according to a new study called the Alien Abduction Odds Index 2026, people in Ohio do report alien abduction–style experiences often enough that the state landed squarely in the middle of the national rankings. That’s right. Ohio ranks 21st in the U.S. for alien abduction odds, which somehow feels exactly right for us.

The study, published by Canada Sports Betting, analyzed UFO and abduction-related reports across the U.S. and Canada between 2019 and 2024. Instead of predicting alien encounters, it looked at patterns. Where do people consistently report strange lights, missing time, or close encounters year after year?

And yes, Ohio made the list.

What the Study Actually Measured

Despite the dramatic name, this index is less X-Files and more data spreadsheet.

Researchers pulled reports from the National UFO Reporting Center and the Canadian UFO Survey, then adjusted them based on population. That way, heavily populated states like California didn’t automatically rise to the top just because more people live there.

The end result was an “implied probability” ranking that shows where abduction-style reports show up more often compared to other places. Ohio’s implied probability came out to 1.13 percent, which the study translates to roughly one reported abduction-style experience for every 11,300 residents.

Important note: the study does not claim these experiences are real alien encounters. It tracks reports, not proof.

In other words, this is about where people say strange things happened, not whether they actually did.

How Ohio Compares to Other States

If you’re wondering where the real hotspots are, they’re not where most people expect.

New Hampshire topped the list, followed by states like Idaho, Vermont, and Maine. These places report UFO sightings at much higher rates per capita, and a surprising number of those reports include claims of missing time or close encounters.

Ohio didn’t crack the top 20, but researchers noted something interesting. Reports here are consistent. They show up across cities, suburbs, and rural areas rather than clustering in one specific region.

That consistency is what keeps Ohio on the radar.

As one analyst put it, when you map these reports out year after year, the same states keep appearing. Ohio is one of them.

Ohio’s Long, Strange UFO History

If all of this feels oddly familiar, there’s a reason.

Ohio has deep roots in UFO lore, largely thanks to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton. From 1947 to 1969, the U.S. Air Force ran Project Blue Book out of Wright-Patt, investigating thousands of UFO reports across the country.

According to declassified National Security Agency documents, Project Blue Book ultimately found no evidence that UFOs posed a national security threat or were linked to extraterrestrial life. Many sightings were chalked up to aircraft, weather phenomena, or misidentified objects.

Still, the fact that Ohio was at the center of the country’s most famous UFO investigation helped cement its place in American UFO culture.

Even today, reports continue. The National UFO Reporting Center logged multiple Ohio sightings in January alone, including reports from Toledo, Hilliard, and Chillicothe. Most had plausible explanations, like lanterns or aircraft, but not all came with a clear answer.

Why People Report These Experiences at All

One of the more interesting parts of the study isn’t about aliens at all. It’s about people.

Researchers looked at factors like sleep patterns, fatigue, and public awareness. The idea is that exhaustion, stress, and heightened curiosity can all influence how people perceive and report unusual experiences.

Add in social media, decades of UFO pop culture, and a general sense that “something weird is always happening,” and it’s not hard to see why stories like these persist.

NASA even launched its own study of unidentified anomalous phenomena in 2022. Their conclusion so far? There isn’t enough high-quality data to make definitive claims, and many sightings likely have ordinary explanations.

Which brings us back to Ohio.

So… Are Aliens Targeting Columbus?

Probably not.

But Ohio does sit at a crossroads of military history, aviation, rural darkness, and densely populated metro areas. It’s a place where planes, satellites, drones, and weather phenomena cross paths constantly. It’s also a place where people pay attention and talk about what they see.

That combination makes Ohio fertile ground for reports, stories, and speculation.

And honestly, that might be the most Ohio thing of all.

Whether you see this study as entertaining, unsettling, or just another weird statistic to file away, it adds one more chapter to the state’s long relationship with the unexplained. If nothing else, it’s a reminder that even in the Midwest, things can get a little strange.

Just maybe keep an eye on the sky.
You know. For research.

The post A New Study Says Ohio Has Alien Abduction Reports. So… Should We Be Concerned? appeared first on Columbus Navigator.

From Italy to the American Dream

Ettore Boiardi was born in Piacenza, Italy, in 1897. By age 11, he was already working in a local restaurant called La Croce Bianca, peeling potatoes and taking out the trash instead of spending his days playing outside.

That early start set him on a path that would eventually bring him across the Atlantic and into American kitchens.

A Culinary Star Is Born

By 16, Boiardi had followed his brother to New York City and landed a job in the kitchen at the Plaza Hotel. He worked his way up to head chef and later cooked for 2,001 World War I soldiers at a White House banquet hosted by President Woodrow Wilson.

His big break came in 1924, when he opened Il Giardino d’Italia in Cleveland. The restaurant quickly became popular, and customers loved his spaghetti sauce so much that he started bottling it for them to take home.

The Birth of a Brand

As word spread, demand for the sauce grew beyond what the restaurant could handle. With help from grocery store owners Maurice and Eva Weiner, Boiardi began canning it for wider sale, marking the beginning of the Chef Boyardee brand.

The name “Chef Boyardee” came about because many Americans struggled to pronounce “Boiardi.” His canned meals, including an early spaghetti kit, quickly became staples in households across the country.

A Legacy Beyond the Kitchen

During World War II, Boiardi’s company produced food for U.S. troops, earning him a Gold Star from the United States War Department. Despite his success, family disputes and financial challenges eventually led to the sale of the brand.

Even after selling it, Boiardi continued appearing in advertisements well into the 1970s.

An Ohioan at Heart

Ettore Boiardi died in 1985 in Parma, Ohio, and is buried at All Souls Cemetery in Chardon Township. It’s an unexpected detail for someone most people know from a pantry shelf, but it’s part of what makes his story so tied to this state.

Ettore Boiardi was not just a character on a label but a culinary pioneer whose legacy is still enjoyed by millions today.

The post Chef Boyardee Was A Real Person And He’s Buried Right Here In Ohio appeared first on Columbus Navigator.

If you’ve looked at the forecast even once this week, you already know central Ohio (along with a large portion of the U.S.) is staring down a wintry weekend. Several local stations are tracking the same storm system, but with slightly different details on timing, totals, and what could make things tricky.

Here’s a rundown of what Columbus-area meteorologists are saying right now, and what that means if you’re trying to plan your weekend.

A winter storm watch is already in place

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for many Ohio counties, starting Saturday morning. The storm is expected to impact a large swath of the country, but forecasters agree that Ohio sits right in a zone where snow totals could add up quickly.

The broad consensus is this. Snow arrives sometime Saturday afternoon or evening and sticks around through Sunday night.

How much snow could Columbus see?

This is where things start to vary slightly, though the overall message is consistent.

According to 10TV’s Weather Impact Team, much of the Columbus metro could see between 8 and 12 inches of snow by the time the storm winds down early Monday. Their latest forecast pushes heavier snow a bit farther north, with some of the highest totals expected south of I-70.

NBC4 is calling for a similar setup, though their forecast range is a bit wider depending on location. They currently have:

• • Northern parts of the viewing area: 4 to 8 inches
• • Columbus and much of central Ohio: 6 to 10 inches
• • Southern counties: 6 to 12 inches, with more uncertainty due to a possible mix

ABC6 is also forecasting 6 to 10 inches for Columbus, with higher totals south of the city. They note that locally higher amounts are still possible as the storm track becomes clearer.

Timing and travel impacts

Local meteorologists agree that Friday will likely stay dry but cold. Snow chances increase late Saturday, with the heaviest snowfall likely Saturday night into Sunday.

With the bulk of the snow arriving Sunday, heavy snow will rapidly worsen travel conditions. Officials are encouraging people to avoid traveling on Sunday if possible, citing fast accumulation and low visibility.

Bitter cold adds another layer

Unfortunately, it’s not just about snow totals. Cold is a major part of this forecast.

Temperatures are expected remain below freezing through the weekend and possibly through the rest of January. With wind chills dropping below zero late Friday into early Saturday, this storm is potentially shaping up as the coldest of the season so far.

Could there be a wintry mix?

One wildcard to watch is the potential for warmer air above the surface on Sunday.

According to NBC4, if that warmer layer pushes far enough north, parts of southern Ohio could see a mix of snow, sleet, or freezing rain. That would lower snow totals in those areas but could introduce slick conditions. For now, most forecasters expect snow to dominate, especially at the start of the storm.

What should you do now?

It’s time for preparation over panic.

That means keeping an eye on forecast updates, planning ahead if you need to travel, and making sure you’re ready for cold temperatures that could linger well into next week. With fresh snowpack on the ground, several meteorologists are warning that below-zero mornings may be possible after the storm moves out.

Bottom line. This is shaping up to be the most impactful winter weather we’ve seen so far this season, but there’s still room for changes. If you’re making weekend plans, flexibility is your friend.

So, Columbus, here’s our suggested game plan.

Stock up on groceries, locate all your coziest sweaters, and keep an eye on your neighbors, especially anyone who might need a little extra help staying warm and shoveling snow. Winter is coming in fast, and it’s not playing around. Stay safe and stay warm!

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Where to Find Warming Shelters in Columbus This Winter

Featured image via Zach Vessels on Unsplash

The post A Huge Winter Storm Is Lining Up For Central Ohio This Weekend appeared first on Columbus Navigator.

A dark-colored SUV drove into the side of Village Animal Clinic, located at 5303 W. Broad St., according to posts shared by the business on social media. Photos shared by the clinic show extensive interior damage, with debris scattered throughout the space.

In a Facebook post, Village Animal Clinic thanked clients for their patience as staff work through the aftermath of the crash. “For those of you wondering what the inside looks like… hoping these next few days start to bring a little more clarity on this crazy journey,” the post reads. The clinic also confirmed that appointments for the week were canceled due to the damage.

According to a clinic employee, the business is not fully open, but staff members are on site to assist clients with medication pickups. Medications are being provided curbside, similar to procedures used during the COVID-19 pandemic. Power was restored to the building earlier this week, and while the clinic may be able to reopen in some capacity by next week, a full reopening timeline has not yet been determined.

In a separate post, the clinic reassured clients that no one was injured in the incident. “Everyone is okay (driver and critters included),” the business wrote. However, the clinic sustained significant structural damage and will not be able to safely operate with normal hours for at least the next week or two.

Car-Into-Building Crashes Are Becoming Alarmingly Common in Columbus

While the crash at Village Animal Clinic was jarring, it is far from an isolated incident in Columbus. According to a recent NBC4 report, cars crashing into buildings has become a frequent and growing issue across central Ohio.

Paul Meara, the creator of the Instagram account Columbus Carikaze, told NBC4 that he documented 71 car-into-building crashes in 2025, noting that the true number is likely much higher. “No one actually knows how many vehicle crashes with buildings have happened in Columbus this year, last year, or ever,” Meara wrote, explaining that many incidents go unreported or lack sufficient details to track.

In a June 2025 interview with NBC4, Columbus Police Sgt. James Fuqua said there had already been 67 cars that crashed into buildings in Columbus, and pointed to distracted driving as a major contributing factor. “We know that people are addicted to their phones,” Fuqua said. “In some cases, we’ve caught people watching video while they’re driving their actual car.”

Meara also noted a shift in recent years, with more crashes involving businesses and commercial properties, often in unusually severe or improbable scenarios. Some storefronts have taken months to repair after being struck, underscoring the long-lasting impact these crashes can have on small businesses and the people who rely on them.

Village Animal Clinic said it will continue to update clients as repairs move forward and thanked the community for its understanding and support during the recovery process.

The post Car Crashes Into Village Animal Clinic on Columbus’ West Side appeared first on Columbus Navigator.