Good morning, this is Columbus Local Pulse for Saturday, January tenth.

We start today with a story that has many of us on edge. Columbus Police are still searching for whoever killed dentist Spencer Tepe and his wife Monique in their home just before New Year’s. Police Chief Elaine Bryant tells WSYX they have released surveillance of a person of interest seen in an alley near the Tepe home between two and five in the morning, and investigators say they are getting many tips but no named suspect yet. Their two young children were found unharmed inside. We keep this family and their neighbors close in our thoughts as detectives work to bring answers.

We also continue to feel the ripple effects of police use of force cases around central Ohio. The Associated Press reports a use of force review board has cleared Blendon Township Officer Connor Grubb in the shooting death of twenty one year old Ta’Kiya Young and her unborn child outside the Kroger near the Columbus suburbs. The board found no policy violations, even as Young’s family and their attorney call the decision deeply troubling and push for changes.

Tensions with federal immigration authorities are also high downtown. WOSU reports that after a vigil at Columbus City Hall on Wednesday, protesters marched again Thursday from the Ohio Statehouse down High and Spring Streets, calling for an end to recent ICE operations in central Ohio. Another protest is planned for this afternoon at four at the Statehouse, so we can expect some street closures and delays around Broad and High.

Now, let’s talk weather, because it shapes our Saturday. We are looking at a gray but seasonable winter day in Columbus, with cold morning temps rising into the thirties, a light breeze along Olentangy River Road, and only a slight chance of flurries. Roads stay mostly dry, so outdoor events and errands should be in good shape, and the next couple of days look similarly cold and quiet.

On the local economy, our job market remains steady. Online postings across the Columbus metro are hovering around the mid sixty thousands, with health care, logistics, and tech hiring strongly, especially around Easton, Polaris, and the Rickenbacker area. In real estate, we are still seeing tight inventory inside I-270 and average home prices holding near the mid three hundreds, with popular neighborhoods like Clintonville, German Village, and Grandview seeing homes move in just a few weeks.

Around City Hall, council members are weighing budget tweaks that would shift more money into neighborhood safety and road repair, including pothole work on Parsons Avenue and Livingston. Those decisions will show up for us in spring as crews hit the streets.

Looking ahead, we have Blue Jackets hockey downtown at Nationwide Arena, college hoops watch parties along High Street, and local music sets tonight in the Short North and on Parsons. High school teams wrapped up a busy week of winter sports, with several Columbus City League basketball squads picking up big wins to stay atop their divisions.

For a feel good note, volunteers along the Scioto Mile are organizing a winter coat drive this weekend, making sure our neighbors have warm gear as temperatures dip.

Before we go, a brief look at public safety. Columbus Police report a relatively typical Friday night into Saturday, with several arrests connected to vehicle break ins on the Near East Side and a pair of non life threatening shootings under investigation on the South Side. No major citywide alerts this morning, but we stay aware, keep our porch lights on, and look out for one another.

Thank you for tuning in, and make sure you subscribe so you never miss our daily check in with what matters here at home. This has been Columbus Local Pulse. We'll see you tomorrow with more local updates. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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