Catching Our Eye News Roundup, Oct. 1, 2026

Every morning in the Ohio Capital Journal’s free newsletter, The Eye-Opener, we round up the news and commentary from across Ohio and around the country and world that is catching our attention. We call this feature Catching Our Eye, republished here.

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Catching Our Eye

• SNAP. The Ohio Newsroom’s Kendall Crawford is reporting, “Ohio will lose an estimated $38M to administer SNAP. Metro areas will be hardest hit.”

The federal government will pay less to help Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs run starting on Thursday.

Historically, SNAP administrative costs have been shared by the federal government and the state. But, under the Trump administration’s HR1, or “One Big Beautiful Bill,” the portion the federal government covers will go down.

On Oct. 1, the federal government will cover 25% of administrative costs, rather than 50%.

Around 1.4 million Ohioans are enrolled in the program that provides low-income people monthly funds for groceries.

• Minimum wage. WTOL’s Dave DeNatale is reporting, “Ohio’s minimum wage will increase starting on Jan. 1, 2027.”

The minimum wage in Ohio will increase to $11.40 per hour for non-tipped employees and $5.70 per hour for tipped employees beginning on Jan. 1, 2026.

According to the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Wage and Hour, the minimum wage will apply to employees of businesses with annual gross receipts of more than $420,000 per year, an increase from the current $405,000 threshold.

Currently, Ohio’s minimum wage is $11 per hour for non-tipped employees and $5.50 per hour for tipped employees.

• Paper products. WBNS’ Kristen McFarland is reporting, “Chillicothe paper mill prepares to restart production.”

The former Chillicothe paper mill is back in the spotlight as paper production is set to return just one year after the mill shut down.

The new owners, U.S. Paper Mill LLC, are currently manufacturing and selling nitrile gloves and other personal protective equipment at the site.

The company said it is now hiring employees as it prepares to restart paper production.