Marion Watch

FLOCK OFF: MARION CITY COUNCIL WEIGHS BANNING A 2,000-AGENCY SURVEILLANCE NETWORK

Tomorrow, August 3, 2026, the Marion City Council convenes for the second reading of a proposed ban on Flock automated license plate readers (ALPRs). This isn’t just a vote on a piece of technology. It is a critical showdown forcing the city to confront exactly how a sprawling, 45-camera surveillance network was quietly entrenched in […]

The Crossroads of Shadows in Marion, Ohio Part I: An Investigative History of Organized Crime (1900–1960s)

The Geography of Illicit Enterprise Marion, Ohio, sits at a pivotal juncture in the American Midwest, a city defined not merely by its industrial output or its claim as the “Popcorn Capital of the World,” but by its enduring role as a logistical hub for the nation’s shadow economy. For over a century, the same […]