The president of Antioch College criticized Governor Mike DeWine on Monday for signing Senate Bill 104 (SB 104), which prohibits students from using the school bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity.
“Policies like the one just signed into law harm all of us. When we allow discriminatory laws to take root, we all lose,” President Jane Fernandes said in letter to the editor of The Columbus Dispatch.
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More than half of the school districts in Ohio have implemented cell phone policies, a year ahead of a deadline set by a new state law.
Gov. Mike DeWine signed a law in May that requires local school boards to establish local cellphone policies rather than the state limiting use for students during the school day.
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by J.D. Davidson The state of Ohio plans to use donated driving simulators to teach people living in or entering the country illegally in Springfield safe driving skills in hopes of easing ongoing traffic issues throughout the community. Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday the Maria Tiberi Foundation and Virtual Driver Interactive donated 10 new simulators to the Ohio Department of Transportation for use in Springfield and Clark County. They’ve been put in places that serve the Haitian community, which has recently come to the area with little or no driver training. “One of the big issues we’ve seen with migrants in Clark County is that they are not used to driving here,” said Governor DeWine. “With the generous donations from the Maria Tiberi Foundation and Virtual Driver Interactive, this new program will help the Haitian population learn the rules of the road and allow them to practice defensive driving skills that can keep everyone on the roads safe.” It’s part of an ongoing state effort to deal with a growing legal Haitian refugee population, which has grown since 2020 to around 15,000 in the city of nearly 60,000 under the Temporary Protected Status program. The Temporary Protected Status program…
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An Ohio woman received two and a half years in prison after being indicted for killing and eating a cat.
Allexis Ferrell pleaded guilty on Monday to cruelty to companion animals.
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State officials hope Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger’s retirement will not impact the chip manufacturer’s $20 billion plan for central Ohio.
While Gelsinger officially retired after 40 years with the company and stepped down from the board of directors, several national media outlets reported he was forced out by the board as the chipmaker has struggled in the past several months.
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Tom Zawistowski, president of the We the People Convention, stressed that the next U.S. senator appointed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to succeed Vice President-elect JD Vance must be a strong enough candidate to defend the seat in the 2026 special election.
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After delays and lobbying from business groups around the country, the U.S. Department of Commerce and Intel announced a deal Tuesday morning to release nearly $8 billion in direct CHIPS Act funding.
The $7.86 billion directly impacts Intel’s commercial semiconductor manufacturing and advanced manufacturing projects in Ohio, Arizona, New Mexico and Oregon.
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Ohio GOP Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a bill that includes requiring schools and universities to designate bathrooms and other similar public facilities for exclusive same-sex use, based on students’ sex assigned at birth.
The requirement is part a larger Senate bill, according to the news outlet SignalCleveland.com.
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The outgoing president of the Ohio Senate is expected to be the incoming speaker of the House of Representatives for the first time in more than a century.
Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, received unanimous support from House Republicans in a closed-door meeting earlier this week. Huffman could not run for reelection in the Senate due to term limits and won election to the House earlier this month.
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Tom Zawistowski, president of the We the People Convention, is not confident that Ohio Governor Mike DeWine will appoint a MAGA Republican to Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance’s seat once he is sworn in as U.S. Vice President on January 20, 2025.
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Haitians living in Springfield, Ohio appear to be fleeing the city in droves after President-elect Donald Trump was declared the winner of the election, according to reports from locals.
The national spotlight shined on Springfield, a city of roughly 60,000 residents nestled in central Ohio, for weeks following unverified viral online claims that Haitians migrants had been spotted butchering a pet for consumption. The subsequent uproar about Springfield sparked further media debate about mass migration and its consequences, as Springfield has been dealing with an influx of Haitian migrants in a relatively short amount of time.
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Pressure from a Columbus-based policy group has forced five university-based Ohio law schools to stop race-based scholarship or internship programs.
The Buckeye Institute announced law schools at Cleveland State, Ohio State, Akron, Cincinnati and Toledo stopped the programs after it announced an investigation.
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The Ohio Chamber of Commerce and nearly 20 business groups from four states want the Biden administration to start handing out money from the CHIPS Act immediately.
In a letter, the groups from Ohio, New York, Oregon and New Mexico want the money distributed now. Intel has said the money is critical to its plan for the ongoing development of its massive manufacturing facility in central Ohio that could lead to 3,000 direct jobs and thousands of other related jobs.
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With thoughts focused on the holiday season, small business owners in Ohio continue to struggle with finding employees.
But that’s not the only issue.
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Ohio plans to spend $17.5 million in taxpayer funds to get people to and from work.
The state announced a series of grants Friday to fund workforce transportation efforts in both rural and urban areas across the state as part of the Ohio Workforce Mobility Partnership Program.
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While Democrats picked up seats in the Ohio House and Senate, Republicans keep their veto-proof super majority in both the House and Senate following Tuesday’s election.
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Ohioans on Tuesday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have replaced the current seven-member redistricting commission with a 15-member, nonpolitical commission to draw the state’s legislative districts.
Multiple news organizations reported that voters rejected Issue 1 54.5%-45.5%, with nearly 70% of the vote reported, following a months-long, expensive battle that saw Republicans pushing to keep the current system and Democrats arguing for change.
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Jack Windsor, president and editor-in-chief at The Ohio Press Network, said the “anticipatory energy” in Ohio for Tuesday’s general election is “different than it was four years ago.”
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For Ohio, Monday is the calm before the Election Day storm.
Early in-person voting ended Sunday, leaving Tuesday as the final day to cast a ballot. Polls open across the state at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.
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Democratic Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown holds a slim lead while outspending his Republican opponent, Bernie Moreno, nearly four-to-one in one of the most expensive Senate races this cycle.
Ohio’s Senate race is currently the most expensive in the country, totaling $425,802,726 including outside spending, according to OpenSecrets data. Brown is currently leading by 1 percentage point at 47.4% to Moreno’s 46.4%, according to polling averages by RealClear Polling.
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Nearly all of explicitly partisan donations from faculty at the Ohio State University appear to have gone to Democratic candidates or aligned causes, according to an analysis by The College Fix.
Professors at Ohio’s largest university gave $302,982.90 to Democratic candidates or groups that primarily support Democrats between January 1, 2023 and October 19, 2024, according to Federal Election Commission data.
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Microsoft plans to spend $1 billion to build three data centers in Central Ohio, and the state is kicking in tax breaks for the project.
Eventually, according to Microsoft, the entire project could create hundreds of full-time jobs at the campuses in Heath, Hebron and New Albany. The Heath and Hebron facilities still need local approval.
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A school district outside Cleveland, Ohio, will have staff read Joe Feldman’s controversial book “Grading for Equity.”
According to a Lakewood City Schools presentation to the school board from earlier this month, the book will be required for teachers in all grade levels. Critics say the book promotes practices that lower students’ standards, while its proponents say it is more fair to students.
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Before a ban on gender reassignment procedures on minors, Ohio was ranked among the top states in the nation for total procedures as well as the number of procedures performed per residents, according to newly released data from a nonprofit.
Earlier this year, the Ohio legislature enacted House Bill 68, which banned the prescription of hormone blockers and hormone replacement therapy, along with gender reassignment surgeries on youth such as mastectomies. The law was first vetoed by Gov. Mike DeWine – which was overridden – and then later upheld in court following a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union.
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A county judge in Ohio ruled Thursday that the state’s six-week abortion ban is unconstitutional, permanently blocking the law from taking effect.
Judge Christian Jenkins blocked Ohio’s “Heartbeat Act,” signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in 2019, arguing last year’s abortion ballot initiative that amended the state constitution should be able to take full effect.
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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost says Boeing has safety issues costing Ohioans.
Yost sued the aerospace giant on behalf of two Ohio pension funds, claiming a pattern of safety and compliance failures have hurt the companies and its investors.
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Six of the nearly 140 people referred to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost by Secretary of State Frank LaRose for illegal voting have been indicted.
Yost announced Tuesday seven cases were presented to grand juries last week, resulting in six indictments for illegal voting. A grand jury refused to indict the seventh.
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by J.D. Davidson Ohio’s September labor statistics continued to lag the rest of the nation, but analysts see positive signs. According to figures released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the state’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.5% for the second consecutive month. However, the labor force participation rate rose slightly to 62.4% from 62.3%. Both of those numbers were below the national average. The national unemployment rate continues to fall, finishing September at 4.1%, while the labor force participation rate closed at 62.7%. “September’s report contained good news, with 9,500 new private-sector jobs erasing August’s job loss,” said Rea S. Hederman Jr., executive director of the Economic Research Center and vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute. “Although private-sector job growth has continued throughout 2024, growth remains slow, with some down months slowing the overall upward trend.” The job growth has other analysts optimistic about the labor market’s concerns. “Strong job gains in September mirror national employment trends, which exceeded expectations last month,” said Molly Bryden, researcher with Policy Matters Ohio. “Recent growth alleviates broad concerns around a weakening labor market, and as the Fed continues to lower interest rates, Ohioans can remain hopeful…
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The Cleveland Browns plan to move to a new $2.4 billion stadium in Brook Park, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb said in a news conference Thursday.
Bibb had been pushing for the Browns to stay in Cleveland and revamp the team’s current stadium. But Bibb says he was told Wednesday night by the leaders of the Haslam Sports Group that the team had decided to move to Brook Park, which Bibb said made him “deeply, deeply disappointed.”
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The Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the secretary of state’s directive preventing ballot harvesting, ruling that its challengers filed their suit too late.
In August, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) issued a directive stating that ballot drop boxes outside county boards of elections can only be used by voters dropping off their own ballots, Dayton Daily News reported. Anyone returning a ballot for a family member or disabled voter is required to enter county boards of elections offices and fill out an attestation form stating that they are following the law.
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Certain Senate seats in swing states are in play for Republicans as the election gets closer, according to internal polling numbers from the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
An NRSC memo exclusively obtained by Politico, shows that Senate contests in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan are competitive for the GOP. Republican Senate candidates are trailing in Maryland, Arizona, and Nevada. Montana leans towards the GOP. In order to obtain a majority in the Senate, Republicans must flip two seats.
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More than 100 people were charged for trying to buy sex in a statewide human-trafficking operation conducted last week in Ohio.
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Ohio voters could be asked to renew for the fourth time a state bond program that grants taxpayer funds to local communities for infrastructure projects.
Reps. Daniel Troy, D-Willowick, and Scott Oelslager, R-North Canton, plan to introduce legislation to continue funding what they call vital public works projects.
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Despite slight easing, finding employees continues to be a major issue for small businesses in Ohio.
The National Federation of Independent Business showed in its September jobs report that 34% of small business owners nationally continue to report job openings they can’t fill.
That’s a better number than in previous months, but NFIB Ohio State Director Chris Ferruso thinks business owners are still working to end the year strong.
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Ohio’s average mortgage rate is the 12th highest in the nation, according to a new report.
Personal finance website WalletHub, a for-profit business, also says a Federal Reserve interest rate cut in September will have little impact on rates in the coming months because markets had previously accounted for it.
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A federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled that Ohio could ban foreign nationals and green card holders from donating to ballot campaigns in a 2-1 decision.
Ohio enacted a law earlier this year that banned foreign nationals from donating to state ballot issue campaigns, including before the measures secured their place on the ballot.
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Tom Zawistowski, president of the We the People Convention, said Bernie Moreno, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Ohio, continues to lead incumbent U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) leading up to the November 5 general election as a “huge” effort is underway on the ground in the Buckeye State to get out the vote for Republicans.
Zawistowski said Moreno is up by 3 percentage points over Brown. Both candidates have launched a combined $260 million in television ads to persuade voters before Election Day.
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Incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown continues to hold a slim lead over Republican challenger Bernie Moreno, according to a new poll.
The Bowling Green State University and Public Policy Research Network poll of 1,000 likely voters shows Brown leads Moreno 49%-45%. Brown has won each of his last six campaigns by at least 6 points.
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Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst told President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday that their Middle East policy has been “catastrophic,” one year after the October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel and the subsequent war that broke out in the region.
Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7 last year, killing roughly 1,200 people, sparking a broader regional war and dragging in other bad actors such as the Houthis, Hezbollah and Iran. Ernst told Biden and Harris that their response to the conflict — including criticizing Israel’s actions in the conflict, delisting the Houthis as a terrorist organization and appeasing Iran — has only contributed to the ongoing chaos in the region and gave their policy an “F” grade, according to a letter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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Tuesday, October 8 is the first day of early in-person voting and absentee voting by mail for the November 5 general election in Ohio.
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A substantial majority of Ohio voters want to change the way the state draws political districts based on a new poll.
The Bowling Green State University and Public Policy Research Network poll of 1,000 likely voters shows 60 percent favor Issue 1, a proposed constitutional amendment that would remove the redistricting process from political leaders and replace them with a 15-member independent commission.
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Ohio’s largest school district will resume busing more than 100 charter and private school students next week as a lawsuit continues over its transportation changes.
Columbus City Schools sent a letter to those parents who rejected payment instead of busing and requested mediation, saying new routes will be added and transportation will resume while the mediation process is ongoing.
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Ohio would need $1,600 from every taxpayer in the state to pay off all of its bills, a figure worse than a year ago, according to a new report released Thursday.
Ohio ranked 28th and was given a “C” grade with a $1,600 burden per taxpayer in Truth in Accounting’s Financial State of the States report.
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by J.D. Davidson Three of four bills targeting rising property taxes in Ohio have been sitting in committees for more than a year without a vote or public opposition. And Ohio lawmakers have no plans to return to work until mid-November. That has Democratic leaders at the Statehouse pushing for immediate action. “House Democrats and local leaders have been fighting to lower property taxes and create a fairer system that doesn’t constantly rely on property owners to pick up the tab,” said House Minority Leader Allison Russo (pictured above), D-Upper Arlington. “We can lower our property taxes, reduce costs, and still support essential services by ensuring the state pays its fair share and returns more of our tax dollars to our community. It’s time for the state legislature to take action; Ohioans need help now.” Three of the four bills have bipartisan sponsorship, including the most recent – House Bill 645 that would give a $1,000 property tax rebate and $1 billion in tax relief to more than 1.3 million homeowners and renters after their tax payments exceed 5% of their income. That bill was recently introduced and has not been assigned to a committee. Three others, however, have…
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More federal taxpayer dollars are being funneled through the state of Ohio to help Springfield schools deal with a growing number of Haitian immigrants.
Two other western Ohio communities will receive money to help with similar issues.
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A directive that limits who can use ballot drop boxes in Ohio is under fire.
Two voters filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Frank LaRose, saying the new rule sent to boards of election last month that bars family members of disabled voters from utilizing a drop box violates Ohio law.
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Ohio launched the first-ever statewide human trafficking hotline on Monday, marking the first statewide hotline to exist in the U.S. aside from the national human trafficking hotline.
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Ohio’s prohibition on foreign money supporting statewide issue campaigns is back after being put on hold in a nearly month-long delay.
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Ohio continues to buck a national trend of job gains after the latest numbers from the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services showed the state lost jobs in August.
According to figures released from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the state’s unemployment rate was unchanged from July to August at 4.5%. The labor force participation rate was also steady at 62.3%.
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An Ohio police chief says his access to Springfield’s police radio frequency was cut off after the beleaguered city became a political lightening rod over its Haitian immigrant crisis.
Tremont City Police Chief Chad Duncan told Blaze News’ Julio Rosas that Springfield has fallen into “absolute turmoil” since being inundated with up to 20,000 Haitian nationals, and said the lawlessness is spreading to nearby towns, including his own. Tremont City is located approximately eight miles north of Springfield.
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