The president of Ohio State University has issued a statement saying he “will not compromise” when it comes to enforcing the law and university policy amid pro-Palestine, anti-Israel protests on campus.
Read the full storyCategory: Ohio
Attorney General Dave Yost Files Emergency Motion with Ohio Supreme Court after Judge Blocks Law Protecting Girls Sports from Taking Effect
Attorney General Dave Yost filed an emergency motion with the Ohio Supreme Court on Monday, arguing that Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael J. Holbrook “overstepped his judicial authority by placing on hold the entirety of House Bill 68.”
Read the full storyAuditor Puts Ohio Community College on Notice over Bloated Staff, Underused Buildings
A Cleveland area community college is overstaffed and struggling with debt related to underused buildings all while enrollment continues to fall.
Those issues became more serious following a recent review of the Lakeland Community College’s operations by State Auditor Keith Faber, who raised concerns about whether the school can remain open.
Read the full storyPush Begins to Guarantee Free Speech on Ohio College Campuses
An Ohio lawmaker believes the state’s current political climate creates a negative environment for some speech on college campuses and wants to make sure staff and students are protected.
Rep. Adam Holmes, R-Nashport, said legislation prohibiting colleges and universities from requiring support of specific ideas or political movements is becoming increasingly necessary.
Read the full storyOhio Secretary of State’s Office Launches Initiative to Prepare Election Officials for the November Election
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced a new statewide initiative his office will facilitate to ensure election officials are “trained and prepared” for the November general election.
The Ready for November initiative will “offer a series of collaborative training opportunities between Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections and the Secretary of State’s elections, public integrity and communications staff,” according to LaRose’s office.
Read the full storyOhio BLM Activist Convicted for Stealing Donated Money to Facebook Page
A Toledo man was found guilty of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering by a jury after a six-day trial this week for stealing donated money to his Black Lives Matter (BLM) organization and using it for personal gain, according to the Northern District of Ohio U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Read the full storyOhio Affordable Housing Market Target of New Legislation
A bipartisan group of Ohio lawmakers wants to give taxpayer money to local communities that adopt pro-housing policies they say will create a healthier housing market.
Sponsors say the new bill introduced Tuesday would stabilize both home prices and rents and “revolutionize” how local governments approach housing supply by using state policy and resources to encourage innovation and access.
Read the full storyOhio Taxpayers Losing Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars to Scams
At least 23 government offices throughout Ohio have been affected by scams associated with redirecting payments from public accounts in the past year.
Ohio Auditor Keith Faber said the scams have hit at least 23 government offices in cities, villages, townships and school districts, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses of public funds.
Read the full storyOhio Court Blocks House Bill 68 from Taking Effect Next Week
The Franklin County Court of Common Pleas issued a temporary restraining order on Tuesday to prevent House Bill 68 from taking immediate effect.
House Bill 68, which includes the SAFE Act and the Save Women’s Sports Act, was set to take effect next week on April 24.
Read the full storyOhio Lawmakers Act on DeWine’s Call to Ban Cell Phones in Classroom
Gov. Mike DeWine’s push to ban cell phones in Ohio classrooms is meeting resistance from Republicans and Democrats.
In last week’s State of the State address, DeWine called cell phones a major distraction in state schools and asked lawmakers to develop legislation that would eliminate the usage in most classroom settings.
Read the full storyOhio Secretary of State Frank LaRose Applauds House Speaker Mike Johnson and Former President Trump’s Election Integrity Proposal
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose applauded former President Donald Trump and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson’s (R-LA-04) election integrity proposal to ensure that only U.S. citizens are allowed to register and vote in American elections.
Read the full storyToledo, Lucas County to Buy Back Residents’ Medical Debt
Lucas County and the city of Toledo, along with one of the city’s largest health care providers, reached an agreement to wipe out more than $222 million worth of medical debt for area patients.
State Rep. Michele Grim, D-Toledo, made the announcement that is expected to impact 108,737 residents. ProMedica is the second health care provider in the area to abolish debt.
Read the full storyHouse Speaker Mike Johnson Endorses Kevin Coughlin in Ohio’s 13th Congressional District Race
Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-LA-04) endorsed Kevin Coughlin’s campaign for Ohio’s 13th Congressional District this week.
Read the full storyLawmakers Want to Address Name, Image, Likeness Law for All Ohioans
It’s not just college athletes’ name, image and likeness on the radar of the Ohio House of Representatives.
Normal Ohioans could receive protection from unauthorized use of their identities under a new bill that addresses the growing use of artificial intelligence.
Read the full storyU.S. Senate Candidate Bernie Moreno Says Sherrod Brown and Joe Biden’s Economic Policies are ‘Crushing Ohio Workers’
Bernie Moreno, the Republican nominee in the Ohio U.S. Senate race, used Wednesday’s inflation report to call out his opponent, incumbent U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and President Joe Biden for their economic policies that are “crushing Ohio workers.”
Read the full storyHigher Ohio Minimum Wage Could Be on November Ballot
A year after language was approved for a constitutional amendment to raise the minimum wage in Ohio, organizers are still collecting signatures to get the issue on the ballot.
A coalition, Raise the Wage Ohio, received approval for the proposed amendment nearly a year ago from the Ohio Ballot Board and has been collecting the more than 413,000 signatures since.
Read the full storyOhio Governor Mike DeWine Delivers State of the State Address
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine delivered his 2024 State of the State Address to a joint State House and Senate session on Wednesday.
The governor laid out his agenda, which focused on Ohio’s youth, specifically improving access to child care and children’s health care.
Read the full storyIndicted, Powerful Former Ohio Utilities Chairman Dead; Suicide Suspected
Ohio’s former chairman of the Public Utilities Commissioner, facing charges in the state’s biggest corruption case, has been found dead. The body of Sam Randazzo was discovered late Tuesday morning in a building he owned in Columbus. He was 74.
Read the full storyLawmakers React After Norfolk Southern Agrees to $600 Million Settlement to Resolve Lawsuits from East Palestine Train Derailment
Norfolk Southern Corporation announced Tuesday that it reached a $600 million settlement in a class action lawsuit in response to the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, last year.
The railroad company said in a press release that if the court approves the settlement, all class action lawsuits within a 20-mile radius of the derailment and all personal injury claims within a 10-mile radius of the derailment will be resolved.
Read the full storyNorfolk Southern Reaches $600 Million Settlement over East Palestine Train Derailment
Norfolk Southern Corporation on Tuesday announced it reached a $600 million settlement in a class action lawsuit brought in response to the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
Read the full storyBiden in Jeopardy of Not Making Ohio’s November Ballot
Ohio law and the planned date for the Democratic National Convention could keep President Joe Biden off the state’s November ballot.
Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s chief legal counsel wrote Ohio Democratic Party Chairwoman Liz Walters over the weekend, explaining the deadline to certify a presidential candidate in Ohio is Aug. 7.
Read the full storySenator Tom Cotton Endorses Bernie Moreno in Ohio U.S. Senate Race
Arkansas U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) recently endorsed Republican nominee Bernie Moreno in the Ohio U.S. Senate race.
Read the full storyBill Would Ensure Patriotic Groups Can Appear in Ohio Schools
Two Ohio lawmakers want to make sure state schools follow federal law and allow groups like the Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts to be present during the school year.
Proposed legislation in the House of Representatives requires schools to allow U.S. Title 36, which permits patriotic organizations to provide information to students. Those organizations could be the Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, 4-H, Future Farmers of America, Civil Air Patrol, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and many other groups.
Read the full storyOhio Auditor Takes over School District Facing $11 Million Deficit
State Auditor Keith Faber placed a southwest Ohio school district in fiscal emergency Friday after it projected an operating fund deficit of nearly $11 million.
A fiscal analysis by the Auditor of State’s Local Government Services Section certified a projected operating deficit of $10.8 million for the Mt. Health City School District in Hamilton County, near Cincinnati. The figure represents 26% of the district’s general revenue funds for the fiscal year that ends June 30.
Read the full storyCybersecurity, Voter Eligibility Focus of New Ohio Legislation
A plan to more stringently scrutinize voter registration data and citizenship verification during Ohio’s elections sits before the Ohio House of Representatives.
The proposed legislation, which has yet to be assigned to a committee, also focuses on security of individual voting machines and would require the state’s board of voting system examiners to contain a person with cybersecurity expertise and credentials.
Read the full storyYost Agrees Six-Week Abortion Ban Unconstitutional, Other Provisions Not
A Hamilton County judge now must decide on parts of Ohio’s heartbeat law after Attorney General Dave Yost agreed the law banning nearly all abortions is unconstitutional.
In court filings, Yost said Ohio’s 2019 law that banned most abortions in the state was unconstitutional after voters guaranteed the right to an abortion in the state’s constitution in November.
Read the full storyOhio Legislation Would Allow Some Criminal Records to Be Sealed
Two Ohio Republican lawmakers want to make it easier for criminals to have records sealed to help the state’s workforce participation.
Sponsors say the plan – Getting Rehabilitated Ohioans Working or Grow Act – could also reduce revictimization and create an environment of safer and healthier communities and families.
Read the full storyIndependent Challenger Dennis Kucinich Garners Enough Signatures to be on the Ballot for Ohio’s 7th Congressional District
Dennis Kucinich, former Cleveland mayor and longtime Democrat U.S. representative, has garnered enough signatures to be on the ballot for Ohio’s 7th Congressional District as an independent candidate.
Read the full storyOhio’s Tornado-Ravaged Counties Await Federal Disaster Declaration
State and federal officials are awaiting President Joe Biden’s disaster declaration to help recovery from tornadoes and severe storms that impacted 11 counties in mid-March.
Gov. Mike DeWine, along with Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and Republican Sen. J.D. Vance, wrote asking for a FEMA presidential disaster declaration to open federal aid for those impacted not already reimbursed by other government programs or private insurance.
Read the full storyLegislation Would Allow Some Criminal Records to Be Sealed
Two Ohio Republican lawmakers want to make it easier for criminals to have records sealed to help the state’s workforce participation.
Sponsors say the plan – Getting Rehabilitated Ohioans Working, or “Grow Act” – could also reduce revictimization and create an environment of safer and healthier communities and families.
Read the full storyACLU Sues Ohio over 24-Hour Waiting Period for Abortions
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio announced Friday it filed a lawsuit on behalf of abortion providers across the Buckeye State challenging state law that says women must wait a minimum of 24 hours after an in-person medical consultation before getting an abortion performed.
Read the full storyOhio’s Unemployment Rate Holds Steady in February
Ohio’s job market remained neutral in February, better than falling like the national figures, according to analysts.
The new numbers from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services bucked a trend of rising unemployment in the state that covered six months.
Read the full storyReport: Ohio Spent $1 Billion on Medicaid for People Enrolled in Dual States
More than 124,000 people enrolled in Ohio’s Medicaid program were also enrolled in Medicaid programs in other states, a new report from state Auditor Keith Faber said.
The audit that examined four years’ worth of data also showed the state paid more than $1 billion to medical providers for services to people enrolled in multiple states.
Read the full storyACLU of Ohio Files Lawsuit Against House Bill 68’s Ban of Gender-Affirming Care for Minors
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio announced Tuesday it has filed a lawsuit on behalf of two families challenging the Saving Ohio Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, which is included in House Bill 68.
Read the full storyFormer Ohio Speaker of the House Indicted on 10 New Felony Charges
Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder has been indicted on ten new state felony charges alleging misuse of campaign money and ethics violations, Attorney General Dave Yost announced on Tuesday.
Read the full storyReport: Ohio Taxpayer Return of Investment One of Nation’s Best
Despite the likely feeling most Ohioans have about taxes, they could feel better knowing they have one of the nation’s highest returns on their tax dollars, according to a new report.
The personal finance website WalletHub ranked the Buckeye State fifth in the country in terms of taxpayer return on investment after analyzing state and local tax collections with the quality of services residents receive in each state using 29 different metrics.
Read the full storyOhio State Rep. Beth Lear Explains Why Bill to Close Primaries Will Make Elections Fairer
Ohio State Representative Beth Lear (R-Galena) said her bill that would modify the timeframe for voters and candidates to declare a political party is a “simple” piece of legislation that would work to make elections fairer in the Buckeye State.
Read the full storyUniversity of Dayton Professor Suggests Bible Says Men Breastfed and Gender is a ‘Colorful Spectrum’
A professor at the University of Dayton suggested in an op-ed that the Bible paints gender as a spectrum.
University of Dayton Professor of Hebrew Bible Esther Brownsmith wrote a piece in January for the Dayton Daily News in which she argued that scripture “portrays gender as a colorful spectrum.”
Read the full storyOhio Legislation Would Close State Primaries in ‘Great Step Forward’ for Election Integrity
Ohio State Representatives Beth Lear (R-Galena) and Brian Lorenz (R-Powell) are championing legislation that would close primary elections in the Buckeye State, requiring voters to cast ballots to nominate candidates corresponding to their registered political party.
Lear and Lorenz filed HB 437 in early March to require voters be registered as a member of a political party for 90 days in order to cast primary election ballots to select that party’s candidates. The legislation would prevent voters registered to the Democratic and Republican parties from casting primary election ballots in the other party’s contests.
Read the full storyJust Four of 17 Ohio’s Congressional Delegation Say ‘No’ to $1.2 Trillion Spending Plan
Just four of 17 members in Congress from Ohio opposed the $1.2 trillion spending bill given to taxpayers as law early Saturday.
Republican Sen. J.D. Vance and Republican Reps. Troy Balderson, Warren Davidson and Jim Jordan all said no in votes cast over Friday and early Saturday morning. Six House Republicans from Ohio cast a vote for the legislation.
Read the full storyNew Ohio Law Enforcement Certifications Established
Law enforcement agencies in Ohio can now be certified in the state’s new standards for professional excellence by meeting nearly three dozen standards established to entrust public confidence, accountability and integrity.
Gov. Mike DeWine recently signed an executive order for the new Law Enforcement Accreditation Program established by the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board.
Read the full storyCHIPS Act Sends $8.5 Billion to Intel for Production in Ohio and Other States
The U.S. Department of Commerce and Intel Corporation reached a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms to offer up to $8.5 billion in direct funding via the CHIPS and Science Act to the company in hopes of creating jobs and logic chips in four states.
Intel plans to invest over $100 billion in the United States over the next five years. It also plans to expand its operations in Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio, and Oregon, which it estimates will create over 10,000 manufacturing jobs and nearly 20,000 construction jobs, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Read the full storyOhio Republican Party Calls on Voters to ‘Unite’ Behind GOP Primary Victors Ahead of General Election
Alex Triantafilou, the chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, is calling on voters across the state to unite behind the Republican candidates who won their primary races on Tuesday ahead of the November general election.
Read the full storyOhio U.S. Senator JD Vance Recognized as Top Defender of Liberty by the Republican Liberty Caucus
Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) has been recognized by the Republican Liberty Caucus as one of the Top Defenders of Liberty in 2023.
Read the full storyKroger Employee Files Charges to Labor Board over Union Membership, Dues
An Ohio Kroger employee says union officials threatened his job if he didn’t sign a union membership form, and the company illegally took union dues from his paycheck.
James Carroll, who works for Kroger in Fairfield, submitted charges against the union and Kroger to the National Labor Relations Board in Cincinnati with help from the National Right to Work Foundation, according to the foundation.
Read the full storyYost and Other AGs Want Presidential Immunity Test
Three state attorneys general want the U.S. Supreme Court to establish a legal test for the limits of presidential immunity.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor, and Wyoming Attorney General Bridget Hill filed an amicus brief in former President Donald Trump’s immunity appeal on federal criminal charges.
Read the full storyIntel Issues First Ohio Progress Report on $1.5 Billion Facilities
Intel’s first required progress report shows a $1.5 billion expenditure and another $3 billion committed to what Ohio officials call the largest single private-sector investment in state history.
The report, submitted to the Ohio Department of Development, is part of $2 billion in incentives for the two planned microchip manufacturing facilities in Licking County, including taxpayer-funded grants and tax incentives.
Read the full storyOhio U.S. Senator JD Vance Introduces Bill to Prohibit Universities from Hiring Illegal Aliens
Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) and Indiana U.S. Representative Jim Banks (R-IN-03) have introduced a bill that would prohibit universities that receive federal funding from hiring illegal aliens.
Read the full storyBryan Quigley: Ohio U.S. Senate GOP Primary Is a ‘Flip the Coin Election’ Where ‘Every Vote is Going to Count’
Political pundit Bryan Quigley said Tuesday’s GOP U.S. Senate primary in Ohio will be a toss-up race where “every vote is going to count.”
Three Republican candidates – businessman Bernie Moreno, Ohio State Senator Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls), and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose – are competing for the GOP nomination on Tuesday to face off with incumbent Democrat U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown in the November general election.
Read the full storyBernie Moreno Has Last-Minute Lead in Ohio U.S. Senate GOP Primary Race, Poll Shows
A final poll conducted by Emerson College Polling revealing how likely voters in Ohio would vote in the 2024 U.S. Senate race shows businessman Bernie Moreno in the lead over challengers State Senator Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) and Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
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