Jim Renacci, a former Ohio Republican congressman, on Thursday unveiled a new political action committee in an effort to elect conservative candidates to Ohio’s school boards.
The new Save Our Schools (SOS) Ohio PAC, according to a news release from Renacci, would aid candidates in raising funds and targeting voters to win these important seats and use data capturing and analysis on all races to identify crucial races to flip control of local school boards.
Read the full story
Lynn Maro declared her candidacy on Thursday for the position of Mahoning County’s next prosecutor.
Maro, a Republican, has tried some of the most notable cases in Mahoning County, such as former Youngstown Mayor John McNally’s corruption case, with over 25 years of experience handling criminal and civil cases.
Read the full story
Taking her ceremonial oath of office on Wednesday, Ohio’s new Supreme Court Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy promised “a new day” at the high court and could cast the deciding vote on crucial topics in the state like abortion and redistricting.
Kennedy, who becomes the second female justice to preside over the state’s highest court, said she didn’t initially picture the moment.
Read the full story
The Ohio House approved a new rules package Tuesday despite objections from Republican lawmakers. The provisions set the guidelines for the upcoming session. House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) advanced the House rules to a vote without allowing for any debate or amendments. Republicans who supported state Representative Derek Merrin (R-Monclova) for speaker argued that Stephens excluded them from the process.
Lawmakers controversially elected Stephens as speaker earlier this month to succeed state Representative Bob Cupp (R-Lima). The choice came despite the Republican Caucus‘ previous selection in November of Merrin as the new speaker. Although the GOP caucus voted for Merrin as Speaker of the House in December, Stephen fought in collaboration with the Democrats to collect votes and garner a win.
Read the full story
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted have unveiled a new strategy to streamline the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) by focusing on redundant clauses, out-of-date portions, and pointless mandates.
The strategy, which DeWine is launching with the aid of the Ohio Common Sense Initiative (CSI), makes recommendations for the removal of portions of the OAC using modern AI technologies that it identifies as unnecessary.
Read the full story
Less than a week after parents sued Hilliard City School in federal court because teachers are engaging in “intimate sexual conversations” with pupils as young as 6 years old, school officials are requesting the court to dismiss the lawsuit.
In a motion submitted by Columbus attorney Jessica Philemon in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Ohio on Monday, the district claims that the parents lack standing to launch a lawsuit because they ” have not alleged an actual case or controversy that would invoke the jurisdiction of the federal courts.”
Read the full story
Mason, Ohio residents are speaking out and demanding the dismissal of Mason City Schools Assistant Principal Vivian Alvarez following Accuracy in Media’s undercover investigation that revealed school administrators in Cincinnati, Ohio have admitted to covertly indoctrinating students with Critical Race Theory (CRT) in the classrooms.
According to Alvarez, she wouldn’t be concerned if the legislation prohibiting CRT in schools were to pass as the local government allegedly supports CRT indoctrination.
Read the full story
On Tuesday, state Representative Derek Merrin (R-Monclova) was chosen by the majority of GOP members to serve as the formal chairman of the House Republican Caucus and Vice-Chair of its campaign arm, giving him authority over the group’s spending.
Usually, the majority caucus chair would be the same person chosen to lead the 99-member House, but state Representative Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) was controversially elected as Speaker to succeed state Representative Bob Cupp (R-Lima). The choice came despite the Republican Caucus‘ previous selection in November of Merrin as the new Speaker. Although the GOP caucus voted for Merrin as Speaker of the House in December, Stephen fought in collaboration with the Democrats to collect votes and garner a win.
Read the full story
In a letter to Rittman residents, city officials announced that they overtaxed municipal income tax for the past 15 years, and refunds will not be given for all the years of human error because doing so would “bankrupt” the city.
In particular, Rittman has been collecting municipal income taxes for the past 15 years at a rate of 1.5 percent when the correct, permitted rate was 1 percent.
Read the full story
Ohio will soon receive an influx of federal funding intended to improve kindergarten readiness.
According to a statement from Governor Mike DeWine’s Office, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services will receive a total of $48 million over three years to support and increase access to quality early childhood care and education as part of the Preschool Development Grant Birth to Five from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families.
Read the full story
New Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) has released his list of committee chairs and vice chairs with about 50 percent of those positions going to 20 of the 22 Republicans who supported him for speaker including most of the major committees, such as finance.
Earlier this month, lawmakers elected moderate Republican Stephens as the new Speaker of the Ohio House to succeed state Representative Bob Cupp (R-Lima). The choice came despite the Republican Caucus‘ previous selection in November of state Representative Derek Merrin (R-Moncolva) as the new Speaker. Although the GOP caucus voted for Merrin as Speaker of the House in December, Stephen fought in collaboration with the Democrats to collect votes and garner a win.
Read the full story
Ohio’s plea for a preliminary injunction to stop the city of Columbus’ most recent gun control measures was denied by a court in Fairfield County.
According to Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein, the restrictions are now in place as of midnight on January 21st.
Read the full story
Despite Republican State Senator Sandra O’Brien (R-Ashtabula) re-introducing the Parental Education Freedom Act to empower parents to be the primary decision-makers regarding where and what type of education their children receive, an undercover investigation has revealed that school administrators in Cincinnati, Ohio have admitted to covertly indoctrinating students with Critical Race Theory (CRT) in the classrooms.
As part of Accuracy in Media’s investigation, numerous school administrators admitted that teachers are sneakily and covertly introducing CRT to their students unbeknownst to their parents and that they don’t plan to stop even if lawmakers pass legislation prohibiting this.
Read the full story
Republicans from Hamilton County have begun to emerge as potential party leaders to replace former chairman Alex Triantafilou. Former Judge Russell Mock announced his candidacy for Hamilton County GOP Chairman on Tuesday.
The previous chairman for the last 14 years, Triantafilou, resigned to become the chairman of the Ohio Republican Party.
Read the full story
Two Republican state lawmakers in Ohio have introduced a bill to change the state’s medical marijuana regulations, which would allow more people to use cannabis for medicinal purposes and establish a new state agency to manage the program.
Senate Bill (SB) 9, sponsored by State Senators Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City) and Kirk Schuring (R-Canton), is similar to another proposal from the previous legislative session, SB 261, which was passed by the Ohio Senate in December 2021 but was defeated in the Ohio House of Representatives.
Read the full story
State lawmakers are considering a bill that would transfer the conflict over state licenses that have been suspended or repealed to local county courts as opposed to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.
Senate Bill (SB) 21 sponsored by state Senators Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) and Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester) would provide legal challenges to licenses issued by the Ohio Casino Control Commission, the State Medical Board, the State Chiropractic Board, the Board of Nursing, and the Liquor Control Commission to take place in the county where that person or company is based.
Read the full story
In Lake County, a discussion about raising the sales tax is ongoing. The county’s 7.75 percent sales tax rate, which is now the third-highest in the state, was approved earlier this month by the county Board of Commissioners after a 0.5 percent hike.
On January 12th, the commissioners passed the sales tax increase by a vote of 2 to 1, with John R. Hamercheck and Richard J. Regovich voting in favor and John Plecnik opposed.
Read the full story
Melissa Powers, a former juvenile court judge, has been chosen by the Hamilton County Republican Party to serve as the county’s next prosecutor.
The Hamilton County Republican Party’s central committee met late Thursday afternoon at Clovernook Country Club in North College Hill to choose Joe Deters’ successor after his appointment to the Ohio Supreme Court. Powers, who did not seek re-election to the juvenile court bench last year, received a resounding majority of the vote.
Read the full story
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is suing a “home warranty” firm and its administrator due to misleading and unethical business tactics.
Since 2018, more than 1,200 consumers combined have filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office about Amazon Home Warranty, a Wyoming company based in New Jersey that uses a Columbus customer-service address, and Amazon Warranty Administrators, which lists a Dublin address but is not, as required by state law, registered with the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office.
Read the full story
According to its executive director, the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) may examine the prospect of banning Ohio sports gamblers who harass college athletes over gambling losses on social media.
OCCC Executive Director Matt Schuler said he would ask the commission to look into adding any Ohio sports bettor to a sports betting exclusion list if they harass college athletes based on the outcome of a sports bet.
Read the full story
Republicans in the Ohio House are pushing to modify the state’s ethics laws to, among other things, limit elected officials’ ability to serve on corporate boards and require more transparency from lobbyists and utility board applicants.
Representative Derek Merrin (R-Monclova Township), flanked by 11 of the 43 Republicans who backed him for speaker, unveiled proposed legislation, called the “Ohio Ethics and Financial Disclosure Reform Act,” which would make lobbyists disclose all of the money they receive from each client and forbid elected officials from serving on corporate boards of directors after being elected.
Read the full story
The removal of staff-worn LGBTQ badges is being demanded by a number of parents from central Ohio who are suing Hilliard City Schools in federal court because teachers are engaging in “intimate sexual conversations” with pupils as young as 6 years old.
In the case, Ohio Republican Council of Clubs’ attorney Joshua Brown said he represents parents who claim activist instructors are conducting private conversations with their children about sexuality and mental health while keeping those conversations hidden from parents.
Read the full story
In a letter dated Monday, state Representative Derek Merrin (R-Monclova Township) and his leadership team urged new House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) to rethink hiring Megan Fitzmartin as the taxpayer-funded position of the House GOP policy and communications director because she was “a chief campaign operative” of former Speaker Larry Householder, whose corruption trial is set to begin next week.
The letter claims that Fitzmartin’s appointment is “extraordinarily ill-advised and demonstrates questionable judgment” and that a “sizable number” of House Republicans are unlikely to cooperate with her.
Read the full story
Wednesday, U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) and Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) wrote a bicameral letter to Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, requesting an explanation of the Department’s careless decision to drastically expand immigration parole programs in the face of a historic border crisis.
According to Vance, the American people have a right to know the reasoning behind the Biden Administration’s decision, as well as, more significantly, the legal basis for it.
Read the full story
Mere days after Republican State Senator Sandra O’Brien (R-Ashtabula) reintroduced the Parental Education Freedom Act to empower parents to be the primary decision-makers regarding where and what type of education their children receive. An undercover investigation has revealed that school administrators in Columbus Ohio are sneaking Critical Race Theory (CRT) into the classroom.
As part of Accuracy in Media’s investigation, numerous school administrators admitted that teachers are sneakily and covertly introducing critical race theory to their students unbeknownst to their parents and that they don’t plan to stop even if lawmakers pass legislation prohibiting this.
Read the full story
Republican State Senator Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) has announced he’s running for U.S. Senate against Ohio Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in 2024.
“I am unapologetically committed to putting the needs of Ohio first and delivering results as our next U.S. Senator. With the courage of my convictions, clarity of purpose, and a resolute focus on the challenges and opportunities facing our beloved state, I am ready to lead,” Dolan said in a statement.
Read the full story
Following the notice of resignation of Executive Committee Chairman Henry F Curtis, the Republican Party of Cuyahoga County announced two changes in committee leadership.
On January 5th, Curtis submitted his resignation to the party citing the need for fresh leadership.
Read the full story
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s decision to briefly “retire” prior to taking the oath for a second term in the same position has renewed discussion among public officials over pension “double dipping.”
The practice of retiring in order to trigger the collection of a pension while simultaneously drawing a public paycheck is legal.
Read the full story
Republican State Senator Sandra O’Brien (R-Ashtabula) has reintroduced the Parental Education Freedom Act. The measure would make each student in the state eligible for an Educational Choice (EdChoice) Scholarship to be used at a private school of their choice, or an increased tax credit for expenses related to homeschooling.
O’Brien introduced this legislation during the lame-duck session last month as SB 368 however, the legislation did not progress before the start of the 135th General Assembly so she had to reintroduce it.
Read the full story
If a new bill presented by an eastern Ohio Senator were to become law, Ohioans could lawfully produce as much as 200 gallons of homemade liquor a year without a government permit as long as they don’t sell it.
The first set of measures from the current legislative session, which started earlier this month, was introduced by the Ohio Senate on Thursday. Senate Bill (SB) 13 sponsored by state Senator Frank Hoagland (R-Mingo Junction) allowing for the distilling, serving, and shipping of homemade liquor without a permit was one of them.
Read the full story
A coalition of abortionists and pro-choice activists have announced their intent to file a ballot initiative to insert legalized abortion in the Ohio Constitution.
The group called Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom is a group formed by the left-leaning organizations the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio, Abortion Fund of Ohio, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, and others.
Read the full story
Following a closed-door meeting at the Ohio Statehouse held by State Representative Derek Merrin (R-Monclova), a group of over thirty lawmakers filed a new version of their proposal to increase the threshold for citizen-led ballot initiatives.
47 Republicans who adhered to the Republican caucus’s decision to abstain from voting for state Representative Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) for speaker of the house, were invited by Merrin to a meeting on Wednesday. The meeting included discussing house rules, redistricting, and progressing the proposed constitutional amendment to require support from at least 60 percent of voters rather than a simple majority to pass future proposed amendments that was introduced last legislative session.
Read the full story
Ohio Senate Republicans are making another attempt to overhaul the state education system and the Board of Education by introducing a bill Wednesday afternoon that reconsiders a proposition that fell short of approval last month.
The 2,000-page bill, Senate Bill (SB) 1, sponsored by state Senator Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin), would “restructure” the Ohio Department of Education, create a new administrative division under the governor’s office, and reduce the duties of the State Board of Education. This was the first introduced bill of 2023.
Read the full story
In what the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is describing as one of their biggest arrests in years, authorities recovered eight pounds of methamphetamine from a Columbus apartment and detained two people.
DEA agents in collaboration with officers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol raided the Columbus apartment on Wednesday. Inside, more meth was discovered than the DEA had ever found in a single arrest in Central Ohio.
Read the full story
An activist-led petition for marijuana legalization in Ohio has been formally resubmitted to the legislature by the Ohio Secretary of State, giving legislators four months to evaluate the change. Advocates may then gather more signatures to get the issue on the November ballot if legislators do not take action.
In a letter to legislative leaders, Secretary of State Frank LaRose stated that he had fulfilled his duty to introduce the reform proposal to the legislature on the first day of the new session and to begin the four-month timeframe for lawmakers to consider it.
Read the full story
Attorney General Dave Yost is requesting that the Ohio Supreme Court reinstates the heartbeat law as readily as possible, which blocks the majority of abortions once a fetal heartbeat is found.
In accordance with the 2019 Ohio law, doctors are not permitted to perform abortions once heart activity has been identified, or around six weeks into a pregnancy. The law went into effect the same day the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24th, 2022.
Read the full story
About a week after 22 Republicans sided with the Democrats to elect moderate State Representative Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) as Speaker of the Ohio House, State Representative Derek Merrin (R-Monclova) invited his 45 supporters to a closed-door meeting Wednesday at the Ohio Statehouse to discuss their next steps.
This follows Merrin losing the vote for speaker over Stephens, who won with 22 Republicans and all 32 Democrats voting for him despite the Republican Caucus‘ previous selection in November of Merrin as the new speaker.
Read the full story
State Representative Marilyn John (R-Shelby) voiced her outrage at the recent selection of the Ohio Speaker of the House of Representatives at a meeting of the Richland County Ohio Republican Party on Monday.
Earlier this month, lawmakers elected moderate Republican Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) as the new Speaker of the Ohio House to succeed state Representative Bob Cupp (R-Lima). The choice came despite the Republican Caucus‘ previous selection in November of state Representative Derek Merrin (R-Moncolva) as the new Speaker.
Read the full story
Later this month, ThisWeek Community News, a network of publications covering more than a dozen Columbus suburbs, will cease publication.
Gannett which also owns the Columbus Dispatch announced last week that ThisWeek’s final publication date for both print and online will be January 26th.
Read the full story
The “Abortion Pill,” also known as RU-486, could previously only be prescribed by medical professionals in the United States. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has officially authorized pharmacy distribution of RU-486, but an Ohio law passed in 2004 forbids pharmacies from distributing these harmful pills.
The drug, commonly known as Mifepristone, has recently received FDA approval, and retailers like Walgreens and CVS across the U.S. have already declared they will stock it. In Ohio however, only doctors with specific training and certification can offer, sell, dispense, or administer the drugs.
Read the full story
The Republican State Central and Executive Committee of Ohio passed a resolution during their January meeting to reject proposed changes to broaden the definition of sex-based harassment and discrimination to include gender identity and sexual orientation for LGBTQ students.
The committee resoundingly passed the resolution to “support parents, schools, and districts in rejecting harmful, coercive, and burdensome gender identity policies and to protect federal funding subject to Title IX.”
Read the full story
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Monday that all 88 county sheriffs in the state received new cameras to improve the routine registration procedure for convicted sexual offenders.
“Ohio’s sex offender registration system plays a critical role in holding convicted offenders accountable, and in the hands of our county sheriffs, these tools ensure that photographs are clear and uniform across the state. Our job is to support local law enforcement, and that’s exactly what we’re doing with this grant,” Yost said.
Read the full story
Following the signing of five new executive orders by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on Sunday night, TikTok is now prohibited on all state-owned or leased devices.
Just moments after taking the formal oath of office for his second term, Governor Mike DeWine issued five executive orders.
Read the full story
The Ohio Republican Party State Central Committee elected five new officers and filled four vacant committee seats at their January meeting.
The longtime leader of the Hamilton County Republican Party Alex Triantafilou was selected to replace Bob Paduchik as the Ohio Republican Party’s next chairman.
Read the full story
The state of Ohio is facing a lawsuit over a recent law that requires voters to show picture identification at the polls and shorten the time allotted for mail-in ballots.
House Bill (HB) 458 is a piece of legislation that Governor Mike DeWine signed on Friday that will drastically alter the state’s election laws, including the requirement for a photo ID. Additionally, the legislation limits the number of ballot drop boxes that voters can use and substitutes a four-day deadline for the previous law’s 10-day deadline for mail-in ballot delivery.
Read the full story
The mother of an 8th grader has filed a federal lawsuit in the Northern District of Ohio Federal Court against the Willoughby-Eastlake School district claiming a violation of her daughter’s constitutional rights, failure to train school employees, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
On September 27th, a nurse’s aide allegedly strip-searched an unnamed middle schooler in search of a purported vape pen.
Read the full story
COLUMBUS, Ohio- The Ohio Republican Party has named Alex Triantafilou, longtime leader of the Hamilton County Republican Party, as its next chairman.
Following a vote Friday by the Ohio Republican Party’s Central Committee Triantafilou will replace Bob Paduchik who has led the state party since February 2021.
Read the full story
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Republicans censured 22 lawmakers on Friday for voting with Democrats to choose the new Speaker of the Ohio House, saying they had disregarded their obligations to the party and the public.
Earlier this week, a number of Republican lawmakers joined forces with Democrats to choose State Representative Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) as speaker. The choice comes despite the Republican Caucus‘ previous selection in November of State Representative Derek Merrin (R-Moncolva) as the new speaker.
Read the full story
Mere days after Governor Mike DeWine cited concerns with Ohio’s new sports betting setup, the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) issued three more warnings for infractions on Thursday.
According to the OCCC, BetMGM, LLC (BetMGM); American Wagering, Inc. (Caesars), and Crown OH Gaming, LLC (DraftKings) violated state law and administrative rules regarding advertising.
Read the full story
Governor Mike DeWine vetoed a bill on Thursday, that would prohibit local governments in Ohio from enacting any laws regarding tobacco or vaping products that are more strict than state law.
DeWine scheduled a press conference with health authorities to discuss the legislation rather than just vetoing it, calling youth smoking an “epidemic” made worse by commercially available flavored tobacco products.
Read the full story