The Hilliard Beacon Podcast

Ohio’s rapid expansion of data centers is building stress around electric reliability, rising utility costs and who ultimately bears the burden of responsibility for billions of dollars in new infrastructure. Those issues were the focus of our conversation with State Rep. Tristan Rader who serves as (among other assignments) the ranking minority member on the Ohio House Energy Committee. Rader has...

A HOT hello to you all! We interview a quadruplet of guests this week, starting off with returning brothers Sam and Charlie Owsley who join us to hype the second annual Food for the Fourth donation event benefiting Hilliard Food Pantry . Every donation helps local families, and just $1 donated allows the Hilliard Food Pantry to purchase about $6 worth of food from the Mid-Ohio Food Collective. How...

Join us for a night of stargazing and Stellar Conversation , won’t you? If you like what you see and hear in this episode then take the plunge and explore the skies with the Columbus Astronomical Society , spend a Friday evening at historic Perkins Observatory or travel to some of the darkest skies in the state at the John Glenn Astronomy Park. Images and accompanying text by Jason . Twilight appr...

We open the latest episode of the Audio Companion by welcoming Sam Swank , a longtime member of 4-H , who discussed his experiences with the organization and his current project studying yeast breads. Sam, who joined 4-H at age six, described the program as a place where you learn about nature, practical skills and career interests while pursuing projects that match your passions. His own interest...

We were recently joined in studio by Austin Rutherford and Megan Miracle as they promoted Hilliard’s upcoming short film festival. Both Austin and Megan are former students in Hilliard and we’re very pleased to see them developing their passion into local opportunities for fellow creators. 0:00 - 17:34 Intro with the guys… 17:35 - 19:21 Meet Austin and Megan! 19:21 - 21:56 Origins and structure of...

It was a real treat to host old friend Nate Grenier for a chat about our shared history and the business he, his wife and family have grown in Hilliard. 0:00-5:30 - In the beginning...two ‘wild and crazy’ guys . 5:30-10:30 - Building a local coffee culture 10:30-16:30 - Family, marriage, and entrepreneurship 16:30-20:30 - Expansion and COVID’s hard lessons 20:30-23:30 - The economics of Main Stree...

Thanks for listening, everyone! In this episode: * We review our recent interview with Chief Woods. * We spend a good portion of the episode discussing expanding surveillance technology in Hilliard, including the prevalence of residential cameras and growing police use of Flock license plate reader systems . * The growing resistance to the data center buildout at local, state, national levels * At...

With the latest episode of the HBAC the guys welcome Hilliard Police Chief Michael Woods to the program for a focused conversation on our burgeoning suburb. Community Policing Woods described community policing as a core operational philosophy beginning at the hiring stage. Officers, he said, are expected to be visible and approachable whether that means walking neighborhood events, interacting wi...

All jokes aside… * Milestone episode (No. 150) and recap of recent studio activity, including filming a documentary segment with Nicolette Jaworski on our Data Center reporting. Her team recently produced a documentary short on another Ohio story. * We then kick off the episode proper with the return of local super guest Jake Trubiano! Gold Path Solar * Performance and visibility impact of the Wes...

We welcome back Council President Emily Cole this episode for a great conversation on the realities of local governance in our rapidly growing city. Cole, now roughly two and a half years into her first term, described a role full of rewards and demands where meeting preparation alone can range from several hours to well over a dozen depending on the agenda. That workload, she said, is necessary t...

Last Week, The Audio Companion sat down with our second congressional interview of the cycle as we spoke to former state representative Adam Miller on his way to the May 5th primary against Don Leonard. https://www.adammillerforamerica.com Still no interest from the Republican side of the conversation as sitting Rep Mike Carey awaits his own primary challenge from the unconventional conservative S...

On the latest episode of the Audio Companion Jordan and Tim sit down with guests Katie Bondy and Jeff Sanderson for a conversation that (pardon my dad joke) moved well beyond the touchlines. Centered on the Greater Ohio Amputee Soccer Team, the discussion arrives during Limb Loss Awareness Month and offered us a timely look at a sport and community on the rise. Bondy, a teacher at Hilliard Darby i...

«This Episode was recorded March 20th - The day after Hilliard’s punishing windstorm and the afternoon of the public Ohio EPA meeting at The Well» Welcome everyone! Our show opens with a look at the aftermath of high winds ripping across Hilliard leaving behind scattered damage but a quick community response. Tim shares what he’s seeing on the ground in the roofing and siding business, with homeow...

Kevin Corvo leads the first segment with an update on the Norwich Township trustee appointment process. The position drew 13 candidates and was very fast moving. Looking forward and back this conversation took place a few days before the interviews and we now know their outcome . Corvo highlights the importance of the appointment, since (Barker) will serve for nearly two years. He also notes that...

Editor- Just so readers are aware, we are reaching out to all candidates for the seat and offering equal time In a first for us, a Democratic primary challenger for Ohio’s 15th Congressional District, Don Leonard , joined the Hilliard Beacon Audio Companion for a wide-ranging discussion of economic inequality, foreign policy, and the motivations behind his campaign for Congress. Leonard, who taugh...

Trustee Rick Tidd Resigns; Appointment Process Underway * View the full application / guidelines page HERE Big Darby Accord Revision Enters Public Phase * View the full Draft of the updated Accord HERE Ridgewood Parking Restrictions Rescinded * Decision came after improper public meeting rules. Read our original 2024 story HERE and read the latest HERE Beacon Elementary Construction - Early Impact...

As we experience the shifting pace of life here in Hilliard we give consideration to the pressing issues of the day and the pacing issues that will determine our shared future. The last few weeks have provided example after example of that kaleidoscopic effect; whether it be another historic snowfall for Ohioans, a new school groundbreaking or iterating a twenty-five year housing plan. This week J...

On the latest edition of the HBAC we were really pleased to welcome Exec. Director and lifelong Hilliard resident Samantha Brill for a long overdue visit to the studio! Destination Hilliard , the nonprofit organization charged with promoting tourism, is increasingly positioning its work not only around attracting visitors but also around helping existing residents engage more fully with the city’s...

As Hilliard faces fast-approaching deadlines tied to state and federal permitting for the proposed Amazon data center along Scioto-Darby Road, local advocates Paul Lambert and Cathy Cowan-Becker joined the us to outline the rapidly escalating number of changes affecting community interests, state-level legislation, and the energy demands of hyperscale data infrastructure. The immediate concern cen...

For our first fresh Audio Companion of the new year we featured an in-depth conversation with Annette Singh, a Hilliard resident who has emerged as a leading local advocate around the environmental and governance implications of Amazon’s expanding data center footprint on Scioto Darby Road. Singh described how a neighbor-to-neighbor conversation in October quickly escalated into sustained civic en...

We pass the torch to 2026 and recommit to our mission: keeping you reliably informed about the dynamic city of Hilliard! David Letterman Style…here are our TOP 10 stories of the year by view count! Number 10 https://hilliardbeacon.substack.com/p/new-shared-use-path-on-dublin-road Number 9 Number 8 Number 7 Number 6 https://hilliardbeacon.substack.com/p/hilliard-city-council-will-appeal Number 5 ht...

(Music and Production by Tim Hofmann for Franklin Street Creative) Folks, we’re back. Been a minute…sorry about it! In the latest episode of the Hilliard Beacon Audio Companion we opened with a community-wide call to action centered on Hilliard Food Pantry Plus . Hosts Jordan, Tim, and Kevin Corvo highlighted a now concluded December drive at the UALC Mill Run Campus and emphasized that ongoing mo...

In the latest episode of the HBAC , the hosts sat down to unpack the results of Hilliard’s most consequential local election in years, discuss the future of city leadership, and close out another election season of community coverage. A Historic Sweep for Hilliard Democrats Corvo opened with final election results confirming a clean sweep for Democratic candidates in the Hilliard City Council race...

City Updates and Meeting Highlights We opened this episode with an update on several city developments discussed in the latest Hilliard Happening newsletter and recent council meetings. * Local Heroes Recognized: Four Darby High School and Tolles Career Center students (Future potential first responders Dylan Shields, Luke Self, Logan Faulkner, and Seth French) were honored by City Council for pro...

Hilliard City Council Democratic candidate Nadia Rasul returned to the Beacon studio to reflect on a campaign she described as humbling and energetic. Rasul, who previously ran in the spring primary, shared stories from the campaign trail, her focus on community inclusion, and her views on Hilliard’s growth and governance. Listening at the Door Rasul said most residents express overall satisfactio...