This Week In The Westerville News – May 18-23, 2026
Here’s a day-by-day look at the stories published in The Westerville News over the past week. You’ll find local government, public safety, community updates, and other Westerville news below.
- Rehearsal and Performance on Sunday Afternoon
Young performers rehearsed “Dare to Dream” at Alum Creek Park North, while the 7th Annual Vine Street Art Walk brought music, front-yard galleries, crafts, activities, and neighborhood art to Vine Street. - Westerville Council To Consider Walnut Street Sale As Residents Push Back On Redevelopment Plan
Westerville City Council prepared to review a proposed $2.5 million sale of 64 E. Walnut St. for a mixed-use project with apartments, a boutique hotel, a restaurant, and parking garage as resident opposition grew over scale, density, traffic, and the city’s developer-selection process. - 64 East Walnut Vote Delayed Until September
After hundreds of residents packed the meeting in opposition, City Council unanimously delayed further consideration of the 64 E. Walnut redevelopment proposal until Sept. 15 and called for two more public open houses. - Park PROS Planning Thursday Night – Contempt Charge For Closed Healthcare Center
Residents were invited to help shape Westerville’s next Parks, Recreation and Open Space plan, while city officials welcomed a contempt ruling against the owner of the former nursing-home property at 140 Old County Line Road. - Westerville’s Delayed Walnut Street Vote Echoes Growth Fights Across Central Ohio
The delayed 64 E. Walnut St. vote was placed in a broader Central Ohio context, comparing Westerville’s redevelopment debate with similar growth, density, and character disputes in communities such as Powell, Dublin, Grandview Heights, Upper Arlington, Bexley, Gahanna, Hilliard, Sunbury, and Galena. - EMWTTSFM – Eating My Way through The Saturday Farmers Market – Pioneer Cemetery Revolutionary War Soldier Tour
The first Saturday Farmers Market of the season inspired a strawberry salad built from Ohio Bibb lettuce and Rhoads Farm strawberries, while the Westerville Historical Society prepared a Pioneer Cemetery walk featuring local veterans and early Westerville history.
Also included in each week’s Sunday edition is a roundup of news from cities around Westerville, recent obituaries, and a calendar for the upcoming week. Subscribers get this in their email each Sunday evening.
The Westerville News is a reader-supported publication by Gary Gardiner, a lifelong journalist who believes hyper-local reporting is the future of news. This publication focuses exclusively on Westerville—its local news, influence on Central Ohio, and how surrounding areas shape the community.
Reader funding, including subscribers, protects editorial independence, so coverage is guided by journalists rather than owners or corporate profit goals. It also reduces pressure to chase clicks, letting the newsroom focus on stories worth readers’ time. And it helps keep the site accessible to everyone, including people who can’t pay or live in places where a free press is under threat.
