Emma G. Wozniak

Columbus-based journalist with a firm belief we all have a story to tell — and a passion for being the mouthpiece through which those stories can be shared with the world.

The Columbus Dispatch •

Upper Arlington Schools reveals how community wants to handle aged school buildings

If the majority of randomly selected Upper Arlington residents have their way, the school district could spend roughly $176.5 million on updating three of its aging school buildings.

Upper Arlington Schools recently shared the results of its 2025 Community Survey, which aimed to gauge how residents prefer to handle some of the district's old middle school buildings and an early childhood school. The results centered around responses from nearly 500 randomly selected households within the school d...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Nationwide's 18-story Downtown office tower could become apartments

One of Nationwide's three Downtown office towers could be in for a new look and function if the company gets its way.

The insurance and financial services firm's commercial real estate arm, Nationwide Realty Investors, wants to renovate its 18-story office building to include apartments and amenity spaces, according to plans filed with the city of Columbus on Jan. 28. Changes to the building – located at 280 N. High St. and previously called Two Nationwide Plaza – could include balconies, a low...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Ring Super Bowl ad sets off privacy concerns over Search Party feature

Viral commercials are nothing new for the Super Bowl, but one advertisement for a popular security system has taken the internet by storm, sparking outrage from the masses.

Ring, the Amazon-owned home security company known for its motion-activated video doorbells, aired a commercial on Feb. 8's Super Bowl broadcast promoting a camera feature that incited backlash over perceived privacy violations and overreaching surveillance. The feature, titled "Search Party," was advertised as a way for dog o...
The Columbus Dispatch •

How did Columbus' homebuying market fare in 2025? Sales, prices, trends

Columbus' housing market is a nuanced one, and that's one fact that likely won't be changing with a new year underway.

Amid an often-referenced housing crisis, the city manages to remain one of the United States' Top 10 housing hot spots, boasting more sales, denser inventory and stabilizing mortgage rates across 2025. But while the rest of the country sees the residential market shift back toward buyers, with national home prices discounted at the highest rate seen in years, Columbus Realtors...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Saks Fifth Avenue to close Polaris store, 7 others amid bankruptcy

Less than two weeks after sharing its widespread closure of discount stores and following a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, luxury retailer Saks Global announced it's also shuttering a series of its Fifth Avenue stores.

Parent company Saks Global will shut down one Neiman Marcus and eight Saks Fifth Avenue stores, including its Columbus location in Polaris Fashion Place, according to a Feb. 10 press release. The majority of the company's standalone Fifth Avenue Club personal styling suites will als...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Upper Arlington weighs 3 options for Five Points intersection makeover

On any given day, up to 35,000 vehicles drive through one of the busiest and perhaps most notorious intersections in the city of Upper Arlington.

Located at the crossroads of Fishinger Road, Tremont Road and Northwest Boulevard, the Five Points intersection is one of Upper Arlington's most critical connection points, city leaders say. But it's also one of its most congested and dangerous. Between 2021 and 2024, the intersection saw 39 vehicle crashes, five of which resulted in injury, according t...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Not into candy hearts? Try these offbeat Valentine's Day ideas in central Ohio

While some view Valentine's Day as the crown jewel of holidays, others aren't so head over heels.

Lucky for the Cupid scrooges of the world, central Ohio has no shortage of festivities that take on a more unconventional approach to the holiday. From love-themed haunted houses to paying for your ex's name to get on the wrong side of nature's call, many local businesses host alternative activities for those who still wish to celebrate Valentine's Day, but maybe aren't in the mood for candlelit di...
The Columbus Dispatch •

One dead after Pataskala house fire, firefighter released from hospital

One person died after a house fire in Pataskala over the weekend, the coroner's office confirmed.

Franklin McKnight, 84, was pronounced dead at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center on the afternoon of Feb. 8, the day after a residential fire broke out in the 4800 block of Columbia Road SW. The two-alarm fire was called in around 5 p.m. on Feb. 7, prompting a response from over 25 different fire vehicles, according to Dispatch news partner NBC4/WMCH-TV.

The civilian taken from the ho...
The Columbus Dispatch •

JD Vance represents nation at Olympics. Why is Trump not there?

Those tuned into this year's Winter Olympics may have noted the attendance of Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha, marked most recently by what many outlets reported as boos from the crowd when the American leaders were shown on camera.

Vance, an Ohio native, and the second lady were briefly displayed on screen at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony, moments after Team USA entered the San Siro Stadium for the Parade of Nations on Feb. 6. Though cheers rang for the American...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Burlington adds sixth central Ohio location with new Grove City store

As various discount stores shutter across the country, a national off-price retailer is expanding its Columbus footprint.

Burlington Stores, formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory, is slated to open a new Grove City location this spring. The discount apparel, home decor and footwear brand has over 1,200 stores nationwide, five of which are in central Ohio – situated in Easton, Reynoldsburg, Dublin, Hilliard and Polaris, respectively. The new store will be located at 1739 Stringtown Road in the...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Early childhood learning franchise plans to double Columbus presence with 4 new centers

A national daycare franchise is preparing to bring four new locations to central Ohio in the next two years, each of which is expected to serve over 180 kids.

The Learning Experience, an early childhood education academy that works with children between 6 weeks and 6 years old, is doubling its Columbus-area presence through new centers in Pickerington, Westerville, Lewis Center and the Preserve South neighborhood, just north of Gahanna.The new facilities, all of which aim to be open in the next c...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Developer wants to raze OSU-apartments for 7-story mixed-use complex

Plans to demolish a decades-old apartment complex near Ohio State University and build a 7-story, mixed-use building in its place were submitted to the city of Columbus.

The site, situated at 2060 N. High St., is currently home to the Ohio Stater Apartments – a complex owned by long-time off-campus landlord Inn-Town Homes and geared toward Ohio State students, sitting only across the street from the university's campus. Plans submitted by Austin-based developer RPM Living on Jan. 2 call for red...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Ohio homeowners get one chance to null MV Realty's contracts after suit

Over 900 Ohio homeowners who signed 40-year contracts with MV Realty of Ohio now have the ability to cancel those agreements, following a lawsuit filed by the state accusing the company of deceiving homeowners.

Over 900 Ohio homeowners who signed 40-year contracts with MV Realty of Ohio now have the ability to cancel those agreements, following a lawsuit filed by the state accusing the company of deceiving homeowners.
The Columbus Dispatch •

Ohio State changes water leak protocol after Taylor Tower dorm flood

Ohio State University says it is changing how it handles reports of water leaks in residence halls, as records obtained by The Dispatch show a related service request was filed the night before a pipe burst in Taylor Tower – displacing over 700 students and staff.

Sixty-year-old residence hall Taylor Tower was evacuated and deemed an inviable housing option for the spring semester after it flooded around 5 a.m. Jan. 10, forcing hundreds of students to secure alternate living arrangements. Recor...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Meet Dispatch trending business, real estate reporter Emma Wozniak

(Editor's note: This article is part of an occassional series featuring new Columbus Dispatch journalists and their work in our community.)

Long before I learned to read, I loved words.

As my mom loves to recount, 2-year-old me had quite the peculiar knack for memorizing books. My personal favorite inexplicably being "Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream," a picture book written by the legendary athlete's mother about how he overcame self-doubt as a young boy so he could go...
The Columbus Dispatch •

These Saks Off 5th, Last Call stores will close amid bankruptcy

The world's largest multi-brand luxury retailer is closing most of its discount stores, including one in Columbus.

Saks Global – the parent company of high-end brands like Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman – is closing the majority of its discount Saks Off 5th and Last Call retail locations in what it called a "strategic decision" to focus on luxury customers and brand partners.

This news comes a couple of weeks after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection,...
The Columbus Dispatch •

One dead after fatal one-car crash on State Route 37 in Fairfield County

One person is dead following a one-car crash in Fairfield County the morning of Jan. 30.

At 10:11 a.m., the Ohio State Highway Patrol Lancaster Post responded to a report of a one-car crash on State Route 37 near mile marker 14, according to a highway patrol news release.

Frank Acton, 75, of Lancaster, was driving a 2018 Chevrolet pickup truck south on Route 37. The car drove off the right side of the road, hitting an embankment, the release states.

EMS personnel took Acton to Fairfield Medic...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Who's responsible for snow, ice removal at home rental properties?

As Columbus and central Ohio grapples with how to function in this record-breaking snow, the city's apartment, condo and townhouse tenants may be facing a quandary of their own.

For home renters, it's not always clear on whom the responsibility for landscaping, repairs and other aspects of property maintenance falls, and snow and ice removal is no exception. But as Franklin County continues to cope with the aftermath of about a food of snow in many places, tenants should know what to expect – or...
The Columbus Dispatch •

Had to abandon your car in the winter storm? Here's how to find it

As Columbus-area residents navigate that gray area between staying off the roads and seeing city streets fully cleared of snow, it's likely that drivers pass the occasional abandoned car.

Whether stranded on the shoulder of a highway or snowbound on the side of a road, drivers who find themselves caught in the throes of severe winter weather sometimes opt to leave their car behind. But how long can those vehicles remain marooned before they're removed? And how can owners recover their lost cars i...
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