Ohioans ‘Cut Footloose’ on DeWine and His Order Limiting Private Gatherings

An Ohio mom organized a rally within earshot of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s home in Cedarville, Ohio to protest his recent orders. 

Over 300 Ohioans showed up between 8pm and midnight on Friday, November 20.  People came “from Canton, Portsmouth, Cincinnati and Dayton,” said the event organizer, Misty Murphy.

On November 11, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced not only a revamped masking order, but also a social distancing order.  The social distancing order prohibited people congregating in open areas. The order outlawed dancing.

“After all of his absolutely nonsensical orders, when he said ‘no dancing’ at his Wednesday night presser and took it to that level of stupidity, moms were done,” wrote Murphy, an Ohio mother of two.

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Buckeye Institute Sues Over Law Allowing Columbus to Collect Income Taxes From Commuters Despite Emergency Order Preventing Them from Working in the City

The Buckeye Institute said that it and three employees filed a lawsuit over the taxing of workers’ income in Columbus since they do not live in the city and were not allowed to work there during Ohio’s Stay-at-Home order.

The lawsuit, which is available here, was filed in the Court of Common Pleas in Franklin County.

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Industry Leaders Warn Hundreds of Businesses Won’t Survive Reopening Plan, Extended Stay-Home Order

Michigan business leaders are concerned some businesses won’t survive Michigan’s mandated closures by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, which she extended yesterday through at least May 28.

Whitmer announced a plan to reopen the economy Thursday but provided no dates, other than for manufacturing, for when additional businesses could reopen.

Michigan Chamber President and CEO Rich Studley said the order “may be a foreclosure notice” for many small and seasonal businesses.

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Two More Rural Minnesota Cities Ask Walz to Reopen

Two more rural Minnesota cities passed resolutions last week asking Gov. Tim Walz to allow all businesses to reopen.

According to the Grand Forks Herald, the Roseau City Council unanimously approved of a resolution during its Monday meeting that asks the governor to lift restrictions on small businesses. Roseau Mayor Jeff Pelowski said in a letter to Walz that his city is “dealing with several inequities that need to be addressed.”

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Commentary: The Tyrannical Soul of Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer

When Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation he was criticized by abolitionists for not issuing a more sweeping order. He refused to do so, asking “If I take the step, must I not do so . . . without any argument, except the one that I think the measure politically expedient, and morally right? Would I not thus give up all footing upon constitution or law? Would I not thus be in the boundless field of absolutism? Could this pass unnoticed, or unresisted?”

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Senator Kerry Roberts Weighs in on What Tennessee’s April Revenues Will Look Like While Davidson County Remains Closed Under Mayor Cooper Rule

Live from Music Row Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined on the line during the program’s second hour by Tennessee state Senator Kerry Roberts.

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State Representatives Martin Daniel and Bruce Griffey Urged Governor Bill Lee to Reopen Tennessee

At least two State Representatives, Martin Daniel (R-Knoxville) and Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) wrote formal letters to Governor Bill Lee, urging him to reopen Tennessee immediately.

Representative Daniel, who will have served three terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives, announced last month that he will not seek reelection in 2020.  Representative Griffey is currently serving his first term.

The Representatives wrote their letters based on the input of their constituents and in response to last week’s extension of Governor Lee’s stay-at-home order through April 30.

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Ohio’s Warren Police Department Asks for Informants to Identify Mourners in Vigil for Murder Victim So They May Be Punished

The mayor and police of Warren, Ohio, have decided it is illegal to hold vigils to mourn for murder victims, and they have been encouraging citizens to become informants to help them punish the participants.

Last week, the Warren Police Department posted pictures of mourners on its Facebook page and asking people to identify them.

We are asking for your assistance in identifying the following individuals that were involved in a gathering in the 1000 block of Kenmore SE on Saturday-April 11th, 2020. If anyone has any additional information and/or video that may be of assistance, please forward it to the Warren Police Department

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#FreeTN Event Draws Hundreds to State Capitol in Nashville Over Stay-At-Home Order Extension

An estimated 750 people participated in the #FreeTN event held at the State Capitol in Nashville Sunday in response to the extension of the statewide stay-at-home order.

While #FreeTN organizer Kim Edwards of Nashville and others were not happy with the governor’s initial stay-at-home order, the extension from April 14 to April 30 moved them to action.

A Nashville mom of three, who with her husband open their home for Airbnb rentals, Edwards told The Tennessee Star that the message of the stay-at-home order is that their entire future is no longer essential, while the truth is “Everyone is essential.”

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Amash to Whitmer: ‘Immediately Reassess’ Restrictive Order; Other Resistance Grows

U.S. Rep. Justin Amash says Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s recent executive order “goes too far and will erode confidence in her leadership.”

The libertarian is referencing Whitmer’s extended and expanded executive order that banned Michiganders from traveling to a second residence inside the state through April 30, operating a motorized boat and buying furniture, paint and plants from stores larger than 50,000 square feet.

That includes the “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” pillows in one Lansing Walmart.

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DeWine: No Flip of the Switch Will Restore Ohio to Pre-COVID Conditions

Returning Ohio to normal following the COVID-19 outbreak will take some time, Gov. Mike DeWine said, even as it appears Ohio’s economy hasn’t yet seen the full impact of the pandemic.

 It’s “not going to happen overnight. That’s not going to happen … like flipping a switch, and everything’s going to be back to normal,” DeWine said. “I wish I could do that. I wish the reality of life was that,” he said.

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Commentary: Constitution-Respecting Sheriffs Refuse to Enforce Lockdowns

Across the country governors, county commissioners and executives, and city and town officials have announced “lockdowns” or stay-at-home orders of dubious constitutional validity. The result of these orders is the bizarre situation in which jails are being emptied of criminals while individuals engaged in their ordinary business at appropriate social distance have been arrested for the crime of being outside their home.

One of the most high-profile examples of this inverted constitutional order happened in California, where a paddle boarder was arrested near the Malibu Pier for ignoring orders from lifeguards to get out of the water. CBS News Los Angeles reports the unidentified man spent 30 to 40 minutes paddling in the ocean waters off Malibu Beach after refusing to heed orders from L.A. County lifeguards to go ashore. LASD Harbor Patrol brought in a boat, at which point the paddleboarder voluntarily swam in and was taken into custody.

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Ohio Governor DeWine Orders State Hiring Freeze, Dodges Abortion Questions

In his daily press briefing Monday, Governor Mike DeWine declared a hiring freeze for State of Ohio employees to, in part, deal with the revenues shortfall caused by the statewide “Stay at Home” shutdown due to the Chinese Virus outbreak.

“State revenue will continue to go down dramatically and it’s important as governor that we take action now and not wait,” DeWine said.

In addition to new hires, the governor halted pay increases and promotions for state of Ohio unclassified and exempt staff and a freeze on new contract services for the state of Ohio – with the exception for those services that are necessary for the emergency response.

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Governor DeWine Issues Statewide ‘Stay At Home’ Order to Combat COVID-19

Governor Mike DeWine – through Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton – announced Sunday that a two-week, statewide ‘Stay at Home’ order will be in effect beginning 11:59 p.m. Monday, March 23 and will last through April 6 at 11:59pm:

On Sunday, March 22th, under the direction of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton, M.D., MPH issued a director’s order to require all Ohioans to stay in their homes to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 beginning at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, March 23, 2020 until 11:59 p.m. on April 6, 2020. This order prohibits holding gatherings of any size and closes all nonessential businesses. It does NOT prohibit essential activities like going to the grocery store, receiving medical care, or taking your pet for a walk. Residents can return home from out of state and can leave the state.

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