By Chloe Robertson / Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration.

Out of the 186,484 people who applied for a driver’s license in Ohio in 2018, only 47% were under the age of 18 — meaning only those 47% had definitely enrolled in and finished driver training, which is required for drivers get their licenses at 16 or 17.

The state and school districts are now working to help teens access driver’s ed despite the cost.

“First of all, [teens] can’t get in. Second of all, it’s too expensive,” assistant director and training programs administrator of the Ohio Traffic Safety Office, Kimberly Schwind said. “But earlier this year, the Ohio Traffic Safety Office launched a Drive to Succeed Scholarship Program.” 

These scholarships are being provided to local communities of students with higher poverty levels to help pay for their driver training. This program was developed in 2022 to allow eligible teenage drivers to attend driver training classes at no cost to their families. 

“Last spring we awarded 25 of the grants to different entities throughout the state,” Schwind said. “We know the need is really high because we had 72 grant applications and we only had the funding to award 25.” 

Akron Public Schools is also working to help make driver training more accessible to students. Many students struggle to find jobs after high school if they don’t have a driver’s license, APS Director of Special Education Rachel Tecca said. 

“When we started the College and Career Academies of Akron, we really started to kind of engage our business community at a deep level,” said Tecca, who worked to develop that program. College and Career Academies helps high school students prepare for their upcoming careers by providing them with hands-on learning experiences to strengthen their education to employment pipeline. 

“We wanted to make sure our students were college and career ready with their high school diploma,” Tecca said.

APS partnered with Driving Schools of Ohio to set up a scholarship program with driving schools for all APS students. The program offers a discounted tuition rate for driver training and increased accessibility. 

On top of that, APS students are able to take driver training in the comfort of their own school campus. The partnership helped with the expenses of driver’s education, but Tecca says the ability to take the classes in their own school is even better accessibility for students. 

Students could have “the convenience of being able to stay right there in their own school and take classes and do their in-car experiences,” Tecca said. 

Tecca says a driver’s license gets students one step closer to achieving future career goals. With the increased access to driver training programs students can commute to jobs more easily and more safely, while also having the protection of GDL training. 

“It just provides accessibility for students,” Tecca said. “Being able to have your driver’s license provides you a little bit more access to careers.” 

 In 2018, The Ohio Traffic Safety Office worked with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to study teen traffic safety. They found that 18- and 19-year-old untrained but licensed drivers had a higher crash rate than 16- and 17-year-old licensed drivers.

This data shows that licensed drivers with driver training have a lower crash risk than licensed drivers without driver training. 

“Once you turn 18 you’re not required to take driver training, and you’re also not experiencing any of the GDL (Graduated Driver Licensing) protections,” Schwind said. “And so we know that those drivers that are licensed after taking driver training are in a much better position.” 

Ohio is one of the 15 states that requires driver training. Ohio driver training includes 24 hours of course instruction, fifty hours of natural driving practice and eight hours of instructed driving. 

Schools used to provide driver’s ed, but in the 1990s third-party providers took over. Schwind says it’s not cheap for driver training schools to provide that instruction, however. They have to factor in the costs of insurance, vehicles, maintenance facilities, instructors and more. 

“Their margins are very slim,” Schwind said. 

Schwind believes The Ohio Traffic Safety Office is working to increase driver training accessibility, capacity and educational quality. 

“These are the things that no higher traffic safety office is laser focused on working on,” Schwind said.


This collaboration is produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.


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Air travelers could face fewer obstacles in securing a refund if their flight is canceled or changed under new federal rules announced Wednesday.

The moves are being praised by watchdog groups. The Department of Transportation said airlines are now required to promptly provide passengers with automatic cash refunds when they are owed one.

Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, said some carriers have not adhered to standards, leaving passengers in a bind.

"They would drag their feet, and they would say, 'Well, you bought your ticket from a ticket agent, so we don't know where your money is. Or, here, have a voucher,'" Murray explained.

Amid higher complaint volumes, companies will be forced to act quickly. The new rules, which are being phased in, provide clearer definitions for travel disruptions, including delays of at least three hours on a domestic flight and six hours on international flights. A key industry group responded to the announcement by touting transparency efforts among carriers.

Murray acknowledged most people are not frequent flyers, and it is hard for them to keep up on all the least practices and policies among airlines.

"The average person only flies once every 18 months," Murray pointed out. "This will just bring transparency to that process and it kind of evens the playing field."

Murray added it could come in handy for Midwestern customers when a winter storm wreaks havoc on air travel. The new rules also require refunds for baggage fees when a piece of luggage is delayed by 12 hours or more for domestic flights. And there must be upfront disclosure on fees for first and second checked bags and carry-on bags.


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Wisconsin lawmakers recently debated reforms for payday loans. Efforts to protect consumers come amid new research about financial pain associated with cash advances offered through smartphone apps. The Center for Responsible Lending is out with findings that detail how "earned wage advances" from digital platforms come with extra costs disguised as things like tips. Traditional payday lenders are often criticized for charging excessive interest rates on loans that are usually around $500.

Lucia Constantine, a researcher with the Center for Responsible Lending, said customers are usually seeking smaller amounts from the apps, but she warns they can be just as costly.

"They are trapping consumers in a cycle of borrowing that is similar to that of a payday loan, " she said.

The report said after using these financial products, customers are seeing overdrafts on their checking accounts increase by 56% on average. Industry leaders deny they're barraging consumers with hidden fees, stressing that features such as suggested tips are optional. More broadly, a bipartisan payday loan reform bill in the Wisconsin Legislature failed to advance this month.

Constantine said like longstanding payday lenders, these cash advance apps can be hard to regulate. Meanwhile, she urged those in a bind to explore other options.

"[They should] try talking to their friends and family as a first source. The other option which I would recommend is reaching out to their credit union or banking institution to see if they can get some sort of small-dollar loan," she said.

She noted places such as credit unions typically provide more transparency on loan costs. According to the report, three-quarters of consumers took out at least one advance on the same day or day after a re-payment was posted.


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Food prices remain high, in Montana and across the country.

A new report by the Federal Trade Commission says the country's largest grocery companies are gouging consumers, by keeping prices artificially high.

Many grocers, retailers and wholesalers have consolidated to cut costs. Grocers continue to blame supply chain problems, even though regulators have said most of those issues have been resolved.

President of the advocacy group Farm Action, Angela Huffman, said retailers were doing more than making up for lost revenue during the pandemic-era supply chain disruptions - and the FTC report says they continue to do so.

"In 2021, the retailer revenues, they rose to more than 6% higher than their total costs, and that those profits are still going up," said Huffman. "So, in the first nine months of 2023, the profits increased to 7%."

At nearly 6.5%, Montana had the nation's ninth-highest grocery price increase in 2023.

The FTC data show Amazon, Kroger and WalMart each gained market share during and after the pandemic - while profits continued to rise.

Other large retailers and wholesalers have consolidated, which they say gives them more buying power and the ability to pass those savings on to customers.

Huffman said that isn't what's happening, and calls on regulators to fine the grocers, or more.

"This would be kind of the farthest extent of what they could do, but go so far as breaking them up," said Huffman. "In years past, they broke up the telephone companies and the railroads and, you know, that would be the ideal outcome for us, is to take away their excessive power."

Huffman also points to a 150% increase in egg prices in 2023, which producers blamed on the avian flu. The FTC says the disease did not justify the drastic price hike.