At the start of the year, economist Bill LaFayette and the Columbus Metropolitan Club predict what Columbus’ economic forecast may be.

Will jobs grow, will housing stay affordable, and will new industries make moves in Ohio?

With big changes on the national scale, such as immigration crackdowns, tariffs and more, how will central Ohio be affected?

How will these changes affect the average Ohioan and the big businesses that work here?

We’ll find out more in Columbus’ economic forecast during this hour of All Sides.

Guests:

• Bill LaFayette, owner and economist, Regionomics, LLC
• Benjamin Ayers, senior economist, Nationwide
• Doug Buchanan, editor in chief, Columbus Business First

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation you can request an alternative format.

Jeffrey Epstein once lived in New Albany, forging strong personal and financial ties to Ohio billionaire Les Wexner, as well as connections to others in the state.

Wexner, named in the Epstein files as a potential “co-conspirator,” is set to be deposed at his home Wednesday by members of Congress. That’s in place of testifying in Washington.

Meanwhile, several statewide and local politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, have received campaign contributions over the years from Wexner and his wife.

Should they keep the money or return it? What’s the political calculus?

State lawmakers are back at work and are considering a mix of new and unfinished legislation.

We're talking about all of it on this week's Reporter Roundtable.

Guests:

• George Shillcock, reporter, WOSU Public Media
• Jessie Balmert, state government and politics reporter, The Columbus Dispatch
• Morgan Trau, Columbus bureau reporter, NEWS 5 Cleveland

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation you can request an alternative format.

(Photo: Jay LaPrete / AP)

Gracehaven serves youth and families by providing sex trafficking prevention services.

Their mission involves empowering youth rescued from sex trafficking and helping them to thrive with dignity in a renewed life.

We will meet with Gracehaven’s community outreach director and learn how she is working to build awareness.

We will meet a videographer who is making her mark on Columbus as she makes videos with a focus on inclusive storytelling.

There are many organizations in the central Ohio area that promote the arts. Some are hidden in smaller pockets of local communities, yet their local impacts are anything but small.

Community Arts Network is an art network with a unique mission to empower students in pursuing the arts. The network has even accomplished tying in local history to create an informative play about the history of where they are based in Delaware.

Guests:

• Hannah Swift, director of community outreach and training, Gracehaven - (00:00)
• Anita Kwan, videographer and owner, Reel Hoot - (16:22)
• Mark Butler, co-creator, Community Arts Network - (34:27)
• Francine Butler, dance instructor/co-creator, Community Arts Network
• Edwardo Carino, narrator, Camp Delaware
• Imber Solis, songwriter, Camp Delaware

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation, you can request an alternative format.

Ohio State University is getting ready to open its new 26-story, nearly two million square-foot hospital tower.

Meanwhile, the OSU Wexner Medical Center’s namesake is being subpoenaed to Capitol Hill to testify about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. That deposition is scheduled to take place on Feb. 18.

The most recent release of Epstein files by the Department of Justice shows that Les Wexner was named as a co-conspirator in 2019.

Plus, there are several new programs aimed at making college more accessible and affordable, and Ohio State athletics saw some record-breaking revenue.

We will talk about the latest news at Ohio State, the future of higher education and more with Ohio State University President Ted Carter during this hour of All Sides.

Guest:

• Ted Carter, Ohio State University President

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation you can request an alternative format.

ICE activity continues to be a part of American life. Photo documentation of ICE activity has occurred since the beginning of ICE encounters. But ICE has its own techniques it uses to track down immigrants and protesters.

Consumer Reports recently released its 2026 best cars list. For the first time, every car on the list can be purchased as an electric or hybrid model. We will be talking about electric vehicles and car safety features to inform consumers’ buying decisions.

And then Apple has a new photo clean-up tool that’s pretty easy to use. And the thermometer of the future is here, and it’s pretty expensive.

Guests:

• Lily Hay Newman, senior writer for WIRED
• Keith Barry, senior autos reporter for Consumer Reports
• Russell Holly, director of commerce content for CNET

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation, you can request an alternative format.

(Photo: Alex Brandon / AP)

COSI and the Ohio History Connection are two local nonprofits experiencing layoffs.

These layoffs, combined with eroding federal funding, are contributing to an invisible job crisis in America’s nonprofit sector.

This hour of All Sides will address the challenges facing nonprofits and what it means for the communities they’re serving.

Guests:

• Rick Cohen, chief operating officer of the National Council of Nonprofits
• Michael Corey, executive director of the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation, you can request an alternative format.

The way music has been stored and listened to has changed so much in the past few decades. But many people keep coming back to one of the original mediums of storing musical data: vinyl records.

Used Kids Records is a staple of the music scene in Columbus. We’ll talk with the owner.

We'll meet an artist who was born in Taiwan, raised in Belize and attended college in Canada. Now living in Columbus, she puts the rhythm of her worldly movement into her art.

One entrepreneur has single-handedly brought the tastes of the world to the Midwest. We will meet the franchise owner of multiple restaurants and cafes that are bringing different international-inspired menus from Palestinian bread and Yemeni coffee to shawarma and desserts to central Ohio.

It's all part of this week's Fascinating Ohio.

Guests:

• Greg Hall, owner, Used Kids Records - (00:00)
• Yani Sheng, artist - (17:57)
• Ibrahim Al Mahaireh, owner, Juice Time, Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co., Al Manakeesh, Farooj Abo Al Abed Ohio - (35:18)

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation, you can request an alternative format.

The Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Haitian families living in Ohio has been temporarily extended. Previously, a federal judge stepped in at the last minute and blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to end the TPS agreement.

With their protected status still in effect, many Haitians in Ohio can breathe a sigh of relief– for now.But a court battle over the issue will continue. And the temporary stay does not take away the worries about immigration enforcement activity.

We’re talking about the status of the Haitian community in Ohio and the impact they have on the Buckeye state.

Guests:

• Emily Brown, director, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law's Immigration Clinic - (00:00)
• Sophia Pierrelus, entrepreneur/former secretary of the Mouvement Patriotique des Haïtiens Conscients - (17:01)
• Viles Dorsainvil, executive director, Haitian Community Help and Support Center - (36:17)

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation, you can request an alternative format.

(Photo Credit: Jessie Wardarski / AP)