Catching Our Eye News Roundup, Oct. 6, 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

• Healthcare in Ohio. The Statehouse News Bureau’s Karen Kasler is reporting, “$2.2B Bayer plant will be Ohio’s largest-ever international healthcare project.”

A historic $2.2 billion investment is coming to central Ohio from the German pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Bayer.

The processing and manufacturing plant will make drugs to treat cancer, heart disease and other conditions. It’s the state’s largest ever international healthcare project and the largest German direct investment in Ohio history, said Gov. Mike DeWine.

“This was a big investment by New Albany, but also JobsOhio. I think JobsOhio has put $30 million in this, and you’re going to see people trained right here and there will come out and go right into Bayer,” DeWine told reporters at the company’s announcement.

Bayer is also expected to get an incentive from the Ohio Tax Credit Authority at a later date.

• Trump and data centers. The Associated Press’ Seung Min Kim is reporting, “Trump defends data centers in Ohio as he rallies to boost Jon Husted in a tight Senate race.”

President Donald Trump on Saturday defended data centers that power artificial intelligence projects but have become a contentious campaign issue nationwide, as he took his midterm tour to Ohio to insist his party will keep its majorities in Congress despite steep political headwinds.

Trump took several minutes during his campaign rally in southwestern Ohio to promote his administration’s action on data centers, saying he was seeking to ensure they “benefit local communities” and praising Republican Sen. Jon Husted for an ill-fated attempt to push forward legislation on the issue.

“Look, there’s so much money to be made for Ohio. You can’t just turn them off. They’ll go to China,” Trump said, repeating his defense of data centers that he had made before. The crowd, which had reacted enthusiastically as the president talked about other policies, was far more muted during the data centers remark.

• Education. Ideastream’s Conor Morris is reporting, “How Ohio’s educational service centers can help schools navigate tough budget times.”

With more schools dealing with financial challenges in Ohio due to rising costs, school leaders are facing a conundrum: how to provide the same, or better, education services with fewer resources.

Despite the tough times, leaders with Ohio’s Educational Service Centers, or ESCs, say they are here to help. But what is an ESC, and what is their role in Ohio education?

ESCs are regional public education agencies that are spread out across Ohio. There are 51 in total. Their main goal is to provide support services to schools.