State Sen. Matt Huffman (R-OH-12) is calling for the reopening of business activity in West Central Ohio, telling Gov. Mike DeWine that it makes sense from “population density.”
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President Donald Trump spoke Wednesday to a crowd gathered at Ohio’s Joint Systems Manufacturing Center, the last remaining manufacturer of the U.S. Army’s main battle tank. The facility, based in Lima, Ohio, nearly shut its doors five years ago, but was saved in January when the Trump administration reinvigorated the plant with a $714 million order for 174 M1 Abrams tanks. “Well, you better love me. I kept this place open,” Trump began his address Wednesday to chants of “USA” from the audience. “And now, you’re doing record business. The job you do is incredible and I’m thrilled to be here in Ohio.” “This is some tank plant. There’s nothing like it in the world. You make the finest equipment in the world. You really know what you’re doing,” he continued, joking that he wanted to get into one of the tanks, but then “remembered when a man named Dukakis got into a tank.” According to the White House, the Lima plant has added more than 150 workers since the last year of President Barack Obama’s second term, and plans to hire 400 more workers over the next year and a half. “We’re here today to celebrate a resounding victory…
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Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) made a surprise appearance Wednesday at an Ohio Democratic Party event organized in response to President Donald Trump’s visits to Lima and Canton. Trump spoke Wednesday afternoon to a crowd gathered at Lima’s Joint Systems Manufacturing Center, which nearly closed down five years ago but turned around in January after the Trump administration ordered 174 M1 Abrams tanks at a cost of $714 million. The president then flew to Canton, Ohio for a closed-door fundraising event at Brookside Country Club. Prior to his stops in Canton and Lima, the state Democratic Party hosted two “We Stand With Ohio Workers” events in response to what it called “an attack on those fighting to save thousands of Ohio jobs.” As The Ohio Star reported, Trump tore into United Auto Workers Local 1112 President David Green in a recent tweet, saying he “ought to get his act together and produce” to save the General Motors plant in Lordstown. During Wednesday’s rally in Canton, Congressman Ryan called the criticisms “shameful,” “mean-spirited,” and “one more opportunity for him to distract from what’s going on.” “The man in the middle of this entire sh– storm, and I intentionally said that,” Ryan said.…
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2018 was one of the best economic years for America in decades. The coup de grâce came in December with a jobs report that shattered the most generous expectations by more than double. 312,000 new jobs were added to the US economy. While unemployment rose slightly, this was primarily due to more people getting back into the job market after giving up hope of finding work. In total, more than 2.6 million jobs were added in 2018; the fastest job growth in decades. So how did Ohio fare? Not great. Ohio undoubtedly had some noteworthy achievements. 2018 was Ohio’s ninth consecutive year of record-breaking new business filings with 125,000 new businesses created. In July, Ohio’s jobs growth pace actually exceeded the national pace. Overall, Ohio added jobs and employment grew. Sadly, in some of the most key indicators, Ohio continued to lag behind the nation. In November, while the national unemployment rate rested at 3.7% (its lowest rate in 2018), Ohio’s unemployment rate was 4.6%. Ohio’s best month for unemployment (4.3%) didn’t even beat the nation’s worst month (4.1%). From January to November of 2018, Ohio’s total number of unemployed went from 271,269 to 263,197, a net employment of only 8,072 jobs. While some…
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