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Raw, unpasteurized goat milk can be bought in Ohio for use as pet food. But between the teat and the street, farmers have to do a lot of work to make the milk safe for human consumption.

In this installment of WKSU’s “OH Really?,” we try to help a listener who wants to “drink local” and buy fresh, raw goat milk right from the farm.

Goats are everywhere at Ferrum Moraine Farm in Kent. Owner Gwenn Volkert has used raw goat milk to make goat cheese and even goat soap. But she’s never sold raw milk.

The fate of Ohio's new energy law could be up to the state's Supreme Court with parties arguing over two potential cases. One group is asking for more time to hold a referendum on the nuclear bailout law, and another case argues that the bill cannot be subject to a referendum in the first place. 

An informal survey shows a majority of Cuyahoga County residents support a plastic bag ban that takes effect in a little over a month. The survey was sent out to 500 residents by the county’s department of sustainability and councilwoman Sunny Simon, who sponsored the legislation to ban plastic bags.

It shows more than 70% of residents are in favor of the ban. Simon says they’ve had local retailers sit in on their recent discussions surrounding the ban.

Some Barberton residents who live in a flood-prone area of 14th street will have the opportunity to relocate thanks to a $595,000 federal grant.

The grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be used to acquire and demolish 15 homes in the low-lying area next to Wolf Creek. Mayor William Judge said that area will be turned into greenspace.

A new bill that would ban abortion in Ohio has been introduced by Statehouse Republicans.  A similar bill calling for a total ban was introduced last year but didn’t pass. So why is this bill being introduced now?

Residents in Portage County – some of whom who are still struggling to recover from the 2008 recession -- got free money advice over the weekend at the treasurer’s third annual Financial Wellness Fair.

Treasurer Brad Cromes says the fair is a way to help educate people about topics like student loan and credit card debt, especially as those combine with a weaker-than-expected economic recovery.

High School football fans spent the weekend taking in playoff games in Northeast Ohio.  And at the one at Nordonia’s Boliantz Stadium, people were also talking about the violent end of the Browns-Steelers game – and its possible impact on the game and student athletes.

In an unexpected move, the board of the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce has decided to bring back its former CEO. And it won’t renew the contract of current Chamber President James Dignan, an Air Force veteran who took the helm in January, 2018.

Ohio farmers say they’re on board with the state’s plans to slow down agricultural runoff into Lake Erie. And they’re joining environmental activists and conservationists in embracing how Gov. Mik DeWine says he’ll spend $172 million in the newly created H2Ohio fund.

The group pushing for expanded background checks through a citizens initiative is attempting to collect enough signatures by the end of the year. Organizers say they have volunteers in dozens of counties around the state to gather support for stronger rules.

Ohioans for Gun Safety’s Dennis Willard says they are gaining volunteers and says the plan has even received support from gun owners. He notes that other states with universal background checks have seen improvement.

State lawmakers are looking at a proposal to eliminate sales taxes on college textbooks. Efforts to remove those taxes have not gone anywhere before but the lawmakers sponsoring it hope this time will be different.

Republican Representative Niraj Antani and Democratic Representative Bride Rose Sweeney don’t agree on much politically, but they say college students in Ohio often struggle to pay for textbooks. 

“College textbooks are a necessary educational item,” said Antani. “It adds up substantially,” Sweeney said.

Editor's Note:  This story was originally published on December 20, 2017

Ohio’s 4th Congressional District isn’t the longest in the state. Nor the most convoluted. Nor does it have the most disenfranchised voters. But it has the distinction of being near the top in all three categories -- and of being home to one of the most liberal communities in the country represented by one of the most conservative members of Congress. In the third part of our series “Gerrymandering: Shading the lines,” WKSU’s M.L. Schultze travels the 4th – a study of contrasts from south to north.

Suicide rates are increasing in Ohio. The Ohio Department of Health says they’re trying to understand why.  

The Ohio Department of Health says five people die by suicide in Ohio every day, and the suicide rate has soared 45 percent in the past decade. The rate for adults over 65 is up nearly 50 percent, and for children up to age 24 it’s increased by 64 percent. Suicide is the leading cause of death among kids 10-to-14. And agency Medical Director Dr. Mark Hurst says authorities don’t know why.

Community Legal Aid is honoring two Akron attorneys for their pro bono work in Summit County.

One of the Ohio House’s top agenda items known as priority bills was passed in the Senate on Wednesday, but Speaker Larry Householder says he’s still frustrated with the pace of legislation moving from his chamber through to the other one. 

Householder says there’s not tension with fellow Republican leaders in the Senate, but frustration. He says the budget included many Senate priorities with the understanding that Senators would move on House priority bills.

“If there’s a problem, we need to work it out. If there’s not a problem, let’s start passing some bills.”

There are more than 7,000 diseases that are considered “rare” – meaning that fewer than 200,000 people have them. But 10 percent of Americans have one of those “rare” diseases, including 1.1 million Ohioans. But now two lawmakers have come up with on a proposal that seeks to help them.

From Atari to Xbox, the world of video games has grown from arcade subculture into a multi-billion dollar industry. An exhibition of video game artwork—both inspired by and created in virtual worlds—is now on display at the Akron Art Museum. On this week's State of the Arts, we delve into the landscape of "Open World: Video Games and Contemporary Art."

Gov. Mike DeWine has released details of his plan to improve water quality in Ohio, starting with preventing toxic algae blooms in Lake Erie. DeWine says the program will start in the Maumee River watershed near Toledo but he wants to eventually broaden it to the rest of the state. 

"If we find life on another planet, it's likely going to be microbial," said Ashley Manning-Berg, assistant professor in geology at The University of Tennessee in Chattanooga. 

"So a lot of the focus for evidence for life is not just to learn about the ecosystems on early Earth,  it's a way of telling us that if life evolved and then died on Mars, what do we look for?

Manning-Berg is studying how billion-year-old fossils of microorganisms were preserved on Earth, so we can know what to look for on other planets.  

The Ohio Department of Health has granted a license to Dayton’s only abortion clinic, allowing it to perform surgical abortions. 

The Dayton clinic has not been providing surgical abortions for the past couple of weeks because it lacked a required transfer agreement with a local hospital. It had obtained an agreement with area doctors who offered to treat clinic patients if necessary. 

The Lorain Academic Distress Commission (ADC) is moving ahead with plans to replace CEO David Hardy Jr. A statement issued after an ADC meeting Wednesday said, "On account of CEO Hardy's vision, and a difference in priorities by the Academic Distress Commission, both parties are working towards an agreement to mutually part ways." (read the full statement below)

Hardy will leave the district by year's end. 

Mark Ballard, president of the Lorain School Board, had been a vocal critic of Hardy, calling him a “self-appointed king.”