Somali refugees in Columbus are spending millions purchasing commercial real estate. Attracted by jobs and cheap rents, Somalis have flocked to Columbus, creating the second largest Somali concentration in the country. With the purchase of 9000 square feet of property along Cleveland Avenue, they’re transforming blighted corridors into economic wonders.

The Ohio Legislature has no direct power over U.S. foreign policy. That did not stop state senators from debating the war in Iraq Tuesday, or at least some of the human fallout from it. The spark for the debate was a resolution about whether Ohio should welcome refugees from the war.