Articles by Ohio Capital Journal

About Ohio Capital Journal

The Ohio Capital Journal is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to connecting Ohioans to their state government and its impact on their lives. The Capital Journal combines Ohio state government coverage with incisive investigative journalism, reporting on the consequences of policy, political insight and principled commentary.

NTSB: Norfolk Southern Controlled Burn of Toxic Chemicals in E. Palestine Derailment Unnecessary

Norfolk Southern and its contractors erred when they made the call to release and burn toxic chemicals leaking from rail cars following the 2023 derailment of a train in East Palestine, Ohio, the National Transportation Safety Board said during a Tuesday hearing.

What Norfolk Southern’s Accident Reports Say About the Company and Industry

Derailments litter the past five years of Norfolk Southern’s accident reports. To be fair, most of those incidents are relatively benign: Nothing spills, nobody gets hurt.

A Norfolk Southern Policy Lets Officials Order Crews to Ignore Safety Alerts

Norfolk Southern allows a monitoring team to instruct crews to ignore alerts from train track sensors designed to flag potential mechanical problems.

ODNR Chief: Signs of Life Now Present in Waters Near Train Derailment

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said Thursday they are encouraged by the signs of life reemerging in waterways near the East Palestine chemical spill, even after further observations showed more than 40,000 fish lost as a result of the spill.