Alecia Kitts drove an hour and a half from Marietta to Logan, Ohio to watch her son’s seventh grade football game.
In the first quarter she was approached by an officer from the Logan Police Department because she was not wearing a mask.
The video below shows the three-minute encounter between Kitts and the officer.
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Nineteen state representatives signed on to support law that would effectively put an end to COVID restrictions, the bill’s author, State Representative Diane Grendell (R-Chesterland) told The Ohio Star Wednesday.
“Government cannot protect us from every single one of life’s risks,” Grendell said.
The Star reported that the Representative-crafted a bill that would immediately cancel Governor Mike DeWine’s Executive Order declaring a state of emergency in Ohio.
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Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine enjoyed an 81% approval rating in April for his handling of COVID – the top rating in the country.
By the end of August, DeWine’s rating saw the sixth biggest drop in the U.S. according to The State of the Nation – a 50-State COVID-19 Survey.
The report was created by a consortium of contributors from American colleges – Northeastern, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Kennedy School, Rutgers, Northwestern.
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Ohio Department of Health Interim Director Lance Himes signed an order on July 2 that went into effect on July 20. The mandate permits outdoor visitations at senior homes around the state and prohibits indoor visits.
“If you have a loved one and you cannot get into a nursing home, that is the nursing home that is stopping you from going in – it is not the health department” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on September 17 during a semiweekly COVID press conference.
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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said during a press conference on September 17 he would not support a bill drafted by Ohio state Representative Diane Grendell (R-Chesterland). The legislation, “Restore Ohio Now”, seeks to cancel the state of emergency declared on March 9 – consequently making impotent COVID orders made enforceable because of the emergency.
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Ohio State Representative Diane Grendell (R-Chesterland) announced Wednesday the introduction of a bill to “terminate the COVID-19 state of emergency in Ohio.”
The representative lauded Governor Mike DeWine for his swift response to COVID saying that he “responded appropriately.” However, Grendell said the administration “continues to use the state of emergency to restrict businesses and all Ohioans.”
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Tuesday, a federal court in Pennsylvania issued a declaratory judgement, citing violations of the U.S. Constitution to strike down Democratic Governor Tom Wolf’s authority to close businesses, issue stay-at-home orders and limit gatherings.
Although the decision is not binding in Ohio it sets precedent that other judges may reference.
Gyms, restaurants, sports businesses, water parks and dance studios are some of the businesses that have filed lawsuits against the Ohio Department of Health and Governor Mike DeWine.
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Delaware, Ohio City Council met Monday, September 14 at 7:00 p.m. to consider a resolution requesting past-due information from the Ohio Department of Health.
Resolution 20-53 requests the total number of tests administered in the city, as well as the total number of tests in the county to be released to the Delaware General Health District from the Ohio Department of Health.
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The doctor named by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to be the state’s new health director has withdrawn her name from consideration.
The move came just hours after DeWine announced that he’d chosen Dr. Joan Duwve to take the position. The governor announced the decision on Twitter stating that Duwve cited “personal reasons” for the decision and that his office would continue searching for a full-time replacement.
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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s Press Secretary Dan Tierney clarified the governor’s remarks made on September 8 regarding internet rumors about Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) camps and kids being pulled from home to stay overnight at school being “garbage.”
Tierney said in an interview with The Ohio Star that messages the governor received over the weekend preceding the Tuesday press briefing came from concerned Ohioans who were commenting on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) infographic that showed up on social media over the weekend.
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This is part four in an eight-part series on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System (OPHAS) – the color-coded system designed to give a county-by-county threat assessment of COVID spread in Ohio.
This article will further examine indicator three (of seven) in the OPHAS: the proportion of cases not in congregate settings.
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On Tuesday during a press conference to address Ohioans on COVID updates in the state, Governor Mike DeWine was asked about conflicting expert opinions on masking children – which he requires for K-12.
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Governor Mike DeWine announced on Saturday his grant of a spectator variance for the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals. Both NFL clubs received exceptions to the current state order limiting spectators to the lesser of 1,500 people or 15 percent of the fixed, seated capacity. The variance allows 1,500 people to sit at each end of the stadium – north, south, east and west – for a maximum capacity of 6,000 during the following games: September 17: Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns September 27: Washington [insert politically correct name] at Cleveland Browns October 4: Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals October 25: Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals The variance comes two days after DeWine said in a COVID press conference “… people have to make choices. Inside or outside? This time of year, you need to be outside.” The consistency regarding orders seems to be distance – Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio amusement park) can have up to 25,000 people on the grounds during a weekend. That capacity limit seems to be due to the expansive site on which the park sits versus the area of a football stadium. “These very thorough plans and safety precautions warrant a two-game trial to…
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Ohioan Vanessa Treft is a political grassroots consultant who has worked in multiple states – Treft is a Trump supporter.
Treft has been outspoken about Ohio’s COVID response – from her grandmother’s inability to receive hydroxychloroquine immediately following a COVID diagnosis, to her calling out Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine’s refusal to adequately address senior living situations.
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The Ohio Star reported on September 3 that Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Interim Director Lance Himes released an order on August 31 – an order creating Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shelters and legalizing their use for people who “are unable to safely self-quarantine in their place of residence and to isolate those diagnosed with or showing symptoms of COVID-19.”
The non-congregate FEMA sheltering will be utilized throughout the state for people, according to the examples given by Himes, who “test positive for COVID-19 who do not require hospitalization but need isolation (including those exiting from hospitals); those who have been exposed to COVID-19 who do not require hospitalization; and asymptomatic high-risk individuals needing social distancing as a precautionary measure.”
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Facebook buzzed on September 1 as many Ohioans received absentee ballot applications – the state’s primary step in equipping voters who want to vote absentee with the needed paperwork.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Weekly Index disclosed “[F]or 6% of deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned.”
That means of the 183,000 U.S. deaths attributed to COVID as of the release of this article that 10,980 people died from COVID. The remaining 172,000-plus deaths occurred with COVID.
In a text exchange with Dan Tierney, Press Secretary for Governor Mike DeWine, The Ohio Star asked Tierney if Ohio distinguishes “between someone who dies from the virus and someone who dies with the virus.”
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On Monday morning, Representative Nino Vitale (R-Urbana) began the week with a bang – he announced on Facebook the release and his co-sponsorship of articles of impeachment levied against Republican Governor Mike DeWine.
Vitale and three other representatives co-sponsored the articles that outlined 10 offenses the foursome listed as reasons for DeWine to be removed from the state’s top post.
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During a Tuesday COVID press conference Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine was asked by WMFD-TV:
“Governor, Five Texas Republicans sued Texas Republican Governor Abbott over a $295 million contact tracing deal signed during the early months of Coronavirus pandemic. Legislators say the Governor skirted separation of powers , agreeing to a contract without following state statutes.
As you know, I’ve been waiting for months now for information on our contract with the company assisting Ohio with contact tracing – Partners in Health. I have to assume that is a multimillion dollar contract and our audience is interested in understanding the length and value of the deal.
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Speaker of the House Bob Cupp (R-Lima) was voted into the Speaker role by the Republican Caucus.
The Speaker seat was open after former Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) was relieved of his role following an FBI criminal complaint.
Before Speaker Cupp ascended to the top role in the House, he had to battle Representative Jim Butler (R-Dayton) for the spot.
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On the morning of Monday August 24, members of the Ohio House of Representatives released the draft of their articles of impeachment exhibiting charges levied against Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R).
Representatives supporting the filing are John Becker (R-Union Township, Clermont County), Nino Vitale (R-Urbana), Candice Keller (R-Middletown), and Paul Zeltwanger (R-Mason).
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President Donald J. Trump announced the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for convalescent plasma as a therapeutic treatment in COVID patients Sunday.
Convalescent plasma is the liquid part of the blood that contains COVID antibodies. Convalescent plasma given to COVID patients during research conducted since April by the Mayo Clinic has resulted in a 35% decrease in the incidence of death in the patients receiving the plasma, according to FDA Director Stephen Hahn.
The announcement is significant in Ohio where Republican Governor Mike DeWine has hinted for months at his hesitation to allow Ohioans to return to normal life until there is a vaccine.
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Representative Jena Powell (R-Arcanum) is a freshman legislator from Ohio’s 80th District with the tenacity of a rookie and the strategic thinking of a veteran. During a Friday afternoon phone call with The Ohio Star, Powell said “everyone can speak on things, but it takes a plan to get there. I am not the kind of person that says ‘open Ohio’ and doesn’t have a plan – you have to have a plan to get to the endpoint.”
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On July 2, Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine introduced the Ohio Public Health Advisory System (OPHAS). The color-coded map assigns a color to each of Ohio’s 88 counties that is supposed to be indicative of each county’s COVID spread.
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Warren County, Ohio Sheriff Larry Sims agreed to talk with The Ohio Star about Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine’s COVID policies.
Sims was very respectful in his tone toward the governor and quick to point out sitting down for an interview on such a sensitive topic is outside the norm.
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Millicent F. Weaver, 29, known in digital circles and on social feeds as Millennial Millie was arrested in a Diamond, Ohio home on Friday August 14.
Weaver’s boyfriend, Gavin Wince, 46, and brother Charles Weaver, 26, were also arrested. A Portage County Grand Jury issued secret arrest warrants for all three charging them with robbery, tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice and domestic violence.
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This is the second story in an eight-part series on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System
Early in the battle with COVID Ohioans were implored to heed recommended measures from Republican Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton to “flatten the curve and ramp hospital capacity.”
Experts displayed epidemiological curves showing as many as 62,000 new cases a day, while county and local health departments received epidemiological reports highlighting the projected death toll on each age group within the locale or county.
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This is the first story in an eight-part series on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System
On July 2, Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine introduced the Ohio Public Health Advisory System (OPHAS). The color-coded map assigns a color to each of Ohio’s 88 counties that is supposed to be indicative of each county’s COVID spread.
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Although Governor Mike DeWine chose to accept the $300 per week per out-of-work Ohioan offered by President Donald Trump in enhanced unemployment benefits, the Ohio Republican has decided to decline to add an additional $100 per week suggested by the White House.
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John Zeiger is a partner at Zeiger, Tigges & Little LLP, the law firm the Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office hired to defend the State of Ohio in litigation popping up around the state as a consequence of Ohio’s COVID orders, mandates and policies – lawsuits naming as defendants Governor Michael DeWine, Ohio Department of Health Interim Director Lance Himes, former Director of Health Amy Acton, and certain health districts.
John Zeiger is also Leslie Wexner’s family lawyer. Leslie Wexner is a billionaire business titan, founder and chairman emeritus of L Brands, the parent company of, among other notable brands, Victoria’s Secret.
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