Category: Ohio

Ohio Republican Leader Scott Pullins Announces Exploratory Campaign for House District 98 in 2024

Hannah Poling

Longtime Ohio conservative Republican leader Scott Pullins announced on Thursday he is exploring a second run for Ohio House District 98 in 2024. State Representative Darrell Kick (R-Loudonville), who is currently in that seat, will not be able to run again because of term limits which, in theory, would create an open seat, but new districts will have to be drawn again.

Pullins, from Knox County, ran for election to the Ohio House District 98, which includes all of Knox County and parts of Morrow and Holmes counties, against Kick in the August 2022 Republican primary. He lost to Kick but gained 43 percent of the vote.

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Ohio Republican Lawmaker Introduces State Budget Amendment to Retain March Primary for the 2024 Election

Hannah Poling

As a bipartisan group of Ohio lawmakers push to move Ohio’s presidential primary elections from March to May, a Republican state Representative has introduced an amendment to the state budget to retain Ohio’s March primary for the 2024 election.

Every four years, during the presidential election season, Ohio’s holds their primary election in March. The state generally holds other statewide primaries in May but in 1996, the Ohio Legislature changed the presidential primary to March.

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Ohio to Award Nearly $50 Million for Jail Improvements Across the State

Hannah Poling

Governor Mike DeWine announced on Thursday that Ohio is providing nearly $50 million in new grants to local governments to support construction, renovation, and security improvement projects at nearly a dozen local jails across the state.

According to DeWine, “the funds will help these jails better meet the demands of our modern criminal justice system and keep both staff and inmates safe.”

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Ohio Democratic Ex-Congressman Ryan Backs Liquid Natural Gas Hub in Philadelphia

Bradley Vasoli

Supporters of exporting liquid natural gas (LNG) from Philadelphia got unambivalent backing from Democratic former Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan at a state hearing at the city’s Navy Yard on Thursday.

The liberal ex-lawmaker who unsuccessfully opposed Republican J.D. Vance for the U.S. Senate from Ohio last year is now on the leadership team of the pro-natural-gas Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future. In that capacity, he appeared before the LNG Export Task Force to strongly urge the creation of an LNG terminal at the Port of Philadelphia. 

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Ohio Attorney General Yost Files Amicus Brief Supporting State’s Authority to Remove Local Prosecutors Who Fail to Enforce Laws

Hannah Poling

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed an amicus brief on Wednesday with the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit urging it to affirm states’ authority to remove local prosecutors who refuse to put the law ahead of their personal politics.

Yost claimed in a news release that states have a right to defend their constitutions against local prosecutors who, by pledging not to enforce laws they dislike, essentially wield veto power over lawfully enacted legislation.

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Republican Lawmakers Advance Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment Towards August Election

Hannah Poling

The Ohio Senate advanced a Republican-led resolution on Wednesday that tries to alter how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments and a bill to allow for special elections to be held in August for certain purposes.

Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 2 and Senate Bill (SB) 92 passed along party lines. The resolution passed 26 to 7. The bill passed 25 to 8, with State Senator Nathan Manning (R-North Ridgeville) voting with the Democrats.

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Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw Testifies at Ohio Statehouse

Hannah Poling

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testified to the Ohio Senate Select Committee on Rail Safety on Tuesday, over two months after the February 3rd train derailment in East Palestine.

Ohio Senators questioned Shaw over a wide range of topics related to the derailment and subsequent controlled release of toxic chemicals that negatively impacted the environment and the health and safety of residents, including long-term community assistance programs, two-person crew requirements, and safety requirements for tanker cars.

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Ohio State Republican Senators Amend Resolution to Protect State Constitution

Hannah Poling

On Tuesday, Ohio State Senators amended a piece of legislation 4-1 that aims to alter the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments.

There are currently two pieces of legislation Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate are working to put on the ballot in August that would require 60 percent of voters to approve constitutional amendments.

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Ohio Republican Party Says If U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown Cared About Ohio He Would Not Help Fund Biden’s Radical Agenda

Hannah Poling

The Ohio Republican Party said in a press release Tuesday that if U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) cared about the working people of Ohio, he would cooperate with Republicans on the other side of the political aisle to restrict spending and reduce costs rather than take money out of Ohioans’ pockets to fund President Joe Biden’s radical agenda.

According to the Ohio Republican Party’s Communication Director Dan Lusheck, tax day is the Democrats’ “favorite day of the year.”

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Ohio Narcotic Intelligence Center Warns People of Varying Forms of Fentanyl Found in State

Hannah Poling

The Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center (ONIC) has released a public safety notice in order to warn Ohioans of the various forms of fentanyl being found across the state.

According to ONIC Executive Director Cynthia Peterma, ONIC has found fentanyl in six different physical forms in Ohio, including powder, tablets, chalk, rocks, black tar, and gum. The various forms reported in Ohio contained fentanyl primarily mixed with other substances.

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Former Vice President Mike Pence to Headline Ohio Christian Fundraiser

Hannah Poling

Republican former Vice President Mike Pence, who is reportedly considering a 2024 presidential bid, will deliver the keynote address at a gala fundraiser thrown by the Center for Christian Virtue (CCV) in Cincinnati, Ohio next month.

The Cincinnati Celebration Gala for the Center for Christian Virtue, Ohio’s largest Christian public policy organization, will take place at the Duke Energy Convention Center on Tuesday, May 9th, 2023. According to the Center for Christian Virtue, it will be an evening of music, inspiration, and fellowship. They highlight that Pence will be speaking on the pro-life battle facing both Ohio and the nation.

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Ohio Ballot Board Certifies Amendment to Raise the State Minimum Wage

Hannah Poling

On Monday, The Ohio Ballot Board unanimously certified that the proposed constitutional amendment that would raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour called “Raise the Wage Ohio Amendment” incorporates only one constitutional amendment and therefore advances.

The Committee to Represent the Petitioners including Prentiss Haney, Taneisha Latoya Head, Kandiss Bondurant, Mary Jo Ivan, Diane Morgan, and Andrew Ritterman must now gather over 413,000 signatures from registered voters in at least 44 counties, which equals 10 percent of the votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election before July 5th. The number of signatures must equal at least 5 percent of the votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial race in each county.

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Bowling Green Pregnancy Center Vandalized by Abortion Extremist Group

Hannah Poling

An abortion activist extremist group vandalized a free reproductive healthcare facility in Bowling Green, Ohio on April 15th threatening that “if abortions aren’t safe, you’re not either.”

This vandalism comes at a time when Ohio Pro-life advocates are working tirelessly to stop a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize abortion throughout the state

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Biden Still Hasn’t Visited Derailment Area; Pennsylvania Legislators Wish He Would

Bradley Vasoli

Well over two months have passed since a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, less than a mile from Pennsylvania’s border, and President Joe Biden hasn’t visited affected communities in either state. Pennsylvania lawmakers are urging him to do so. 

Six weeks ago Biden said he would “be out there at some point.” The White House did not respond to a request for comment on whether he has yet scheduled a visit. (Biden’s Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg first went to the site more than two weeks after the derailment.)

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Ohio Governor Appoints Prosecuting Attorney Jason Given to the Coshocton County Court of Common Pleas

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has announced the appointment of Republican Prosecuting Attorney Jason Given to the Coshocton County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile and Probate Division.

Given, of Coshocton, Ohio will be taking the seat held by Judge Van Blanchard who is retiring form the bench after being appointed in November 2011 upon the death of Judge David Burns. In order to retain the seat, Given must win the general election in November 2024. Given will assume office on May 1st, 2023.

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Ohio Attorney General Says Cigna Group’s New Transparency Efforts Will Not Stop His Lawsuit Against Them

Hannah Poling

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said this week that a move by the Cigna Group, the parent company of Express Scripts, touting their further advancement of transparency and affordability for consumers and clients will not stop his lawsuit against them.

The Cigna Group announced on Thursday several actions to further evolve its pharmacy benefit management (PBM) model including driving down costs for consumers, offering clients a new level of transparency, and enhancing disclosures and clarity.

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Protect Women Ohio Launches Ads to Defeat Amendment Ending Parental Consent for Abortions, Gender Transition Surgeries

Susan Berry, PhD

A pro-woman parental rights coalition is launching two 60-second ads this week aimed at defeating Ohio’s pro-abortion, anti-parent amendment, a product of the leftist American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and one that would eliminate parental notification and consent requirements for minors obtaining abortions or gender transition interventions and surgeries.

Both ads by Protect Women Ohio feature Ohio mothers who express fear and concern at the proposal to amend Ohio’s state constitution to guarantee abortion, particularly how it undermines parental rights and allows for gender transition surgeries and abortions for minors without any requirement for parental notification or consent.

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Eight Toledo Financial Managers Indicted for Defrauding $72 Million from over 200 Clients

Hannah Poling

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Ohio Department of Commerce Director Sherry Maxfield announced on Tuesday that the managers of a Lucas County investment firm have been indicted on multiple felony charges in a decade-long scheme to defraud at least 200 clients out of $72 million.

Eight managers from Northwest Capital were charged with 204 felony counts in all, most of which were related to misleading and defrauding investors of tens of millions of dollars.

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Ohio Attorney General Yost Sues ‘Sham’ Charity for Stealing Thousands Intended for East Palestine Residents

Hannah Poling

According to a new lawsuit filed by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost in the Columbiana County Court of Common Pleas, a sham charity stole thousands of dollars after pretending to raise money for East Palestine residents in the wake of the disastrous February 3rd train derailment.

Yost announced on Tuesday that he is suing Mike Peppel, a resident of Leetonia, for allegedly running a fraudulent charity fund that he promoted to help East Palestine. The February 3rd Norfolk Southern train derailment due to an overheated wheel bearing, which resulted in the release of poisonous chemicals into the environment, drastically changed the lives of locals.

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Ohio Republican JR Majewski Announces Candidacy to Unseat Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur

Hannah Poling

Ohio Republican JR Majewski announced on Wednesday his candidacy to run for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District in 2024. U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09) is currently in that seat and is serving her 21st term in Congress.

Majewski, from Port Clinton, ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Ohio’s 9th Congressional District against Kaptur in the general election in November 2022. He lost to Kaptur but gained 43 percent of the vote.

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Senate Republicans Renew Push to Reform Ohio Education System After Interim Superintendent’s Resignation

Hannah Poling

Two Republican Ohio State Senators said that the recent resignation of the interim superintendent of Public Instruction is an opportunity to overhaul the state education system and the Board of Education.

On Friday, Ohio’s interim state superintendent, Stephanie Siddens, announced that she is leaving her job after nearly two years and is set to take a job as deputy superintendent of the Upper Arlington City School District.

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Permanent Health Clinic Opens Two Months After Toxic East Palestine Train Derailment

Hannah Poling

Residents of East Palestine and the surrounding areas now have a permanent location to go in the village for medical attention as worries about short- and long-term health continue to grow in the wake of February’s Norfolk Southern train catastrophe.

On Monday, the East Palestine Health Clinic formally opened its doors in collaboration with East Liverpool City Hospital and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).

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Truck Carrying 40K Pounds of Toxic Soil From East Palestine Overturns Spilling in Columbiana County

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s office said on Monday that a truck carrying toxic soil from the East Palestine train derailment overturned, spilling roughly half of its contents onto a roadway in Columbiana County.

The tractor-trailer had an open top and was hauling 40,000 pounds of contaminated soil away from the East Palestine derailment site.

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Ohio House Republicans Come to Agreement on Who Controls the House GOP’s Campaign Funds

Hannah Poling

After months of contention, the factions supporting Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) and State Representative Derek Merrin (R-Monclova) have come to an agreement on who controls the House GOP’s campaign funds.

On Monday, the Ohio House Republican Alliance (OHRA) announced that one supporter of Merrin, State Representative Phil Plummer (R-Dayton), and one supporter of Stephens, State Representative Jeff LaRe (R-Violet Twp.), are to serve as co-chairs leading the campaign arm of the Republican House caucus.

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Taking Back America’s Children Ohio Summit Calls Patriots to Act on Educational Change

Hannah Poling

A national Christian non-profit organization is holding a summit in Hudson, Ohio to educate, motivate and activate parents, grandparents and concerned Americans across the nation to fight anti-Semitic falsehood infiltrating the textbooks and curriculum of U.S. classrooms.

The “Taking Back America’s Children Ohio Summit” (TBAC) held by Proclaiming Justice To The Nations (PJRN) aims to answer the call to the need for change in education and to give parents and patriots the opportunity to learn from experts on how to fight the “woke culture” indoctrination and false narratives taking over American classrooms.

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Ohio Governor DeWine Calls on Lawmakers to Consider Strengthening ‘Heartbeat Law’ Ahead of Potential Vote on Abortion Amendment

Hannah Poling

In advance of a potential November referendum on an proposed constitutional amendment aiming to legalize abortion throughout the state, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said he wants the General Assembly to consider strengthening Ohio’s “heartbeat law.”

According to DeWine, to avoid passage of the abortion amendment, Ohio needs to revisit the heartbeat law and ensure that Ohio has sustainable legislation that voters will not overturn at the polls.

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Environmental Groups Sue to Block Ohio Law to Accept Private Petitions for Oil and Gas Drilling in State Parks

Hannah Poling
Oil Rig

Four environmental groups have filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block a new law requiring Ohio to accept private petitions to drill for oil and gas beneath state parks.

House Bill (HB) 507 which Republicans passed at the end of the 134th General Assembly modified Ohio’s code so that state agencies must lease the properties they hold for oil and gas extraction, as opposed to just allowing them to. The legislation also instructed the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission to create a set of guidelines for applications.

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Ohio Republican Files to Challenge Sen. Sherrod Brown in 2024

Just the News

Ohio Republican businessman Bernie Moreno has filed to run for Senate in 2024 and will challenge Democratic incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown.

“Today, Bernie filed paperwork with the FEC [Federal Election Commission] as he continues to explore a run for U.S. Senate,” a source told NBC News. “Over the past few weeks, Bernie has talked with voters, business leaders, conservative activists and donors throughout the state and has received overwhelming encouragement to run.”

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Ohio Governor DeWine Signs Executive Order Launching Ohio Adoption Grant Program

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed an executive order on Friday to launch the Ohio Adoption Grant Program, which provides up to $20,000 to parents adopting a child.

DeWine signed the Ohio Adoption Grant Program as part of House Bill (HB) 45 into law in January. It gives parents a grant who adopt children under the age of 18. It includes adoptions that are privately planned as well as adoptions made through a public children services agency, including adoptions made by foster parents and family members. It excludes adoptions conducted by a stepparent.

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Ohio House Republicans Introduce Legislation to Ban TikTok from Government Devices

Hannah Poling

Two Republican Ohio House Representatives have introduced legislation that would ban TikTok from government devices.

The introduction of this legislation follows a state executive order issued by Governor Mike DeWine in January 2023, forbidding the use of TikTok or other platforms and applications held by an entity located in China from state devices citing that the Chinese Communist Party employs the apps as an “intelligence gathering mechanism.”

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Ohio Attorney General Yost Files Amicus Brief Pushing Back on Federal Education Overreach

Hannah Poling

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed an amicus brief on Thursday with the United States Supreme Court pushing back on federal education overreach.

Yost claimed that the most recent plan by the United States Secretary of Education to eliminate billions of dollars of student debt “is nothing more than an egregious power grab that tramples all over the separation-of-powers doctrine.”

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Ohio Governor Appoints Civil Attorney Jeffrey Ruple to Lake County Court of Common Pleas

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced this week the appointment of Republican civil litigator Jeffrey Ruple to the general division of the Lake County Court of Common Pleas.

Ruple, of Kirtland, Ohio will be taking the seat formerly held by Republican Judge Eugene Lucci. In order to retain the seat he must win the general election in November 2024. Lucci was elected to the Eleventh District Court of Appeals leaving his seat on the Lake County Court of Common Pleas vacant. Judge-designee Rupe will assume office on April 24th.

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Ohio U.S. Lawmakers Demand Norfolk Southern Pay for Damages in Last Year’s Sandusky Train Derailment

Hannah Poling

Three Ohio U.S. lawmakers are demanding that Norfolk Southern, the same company that caused the toxic train disaster in East Palestine earlier this year, pay for damages caused by a train derailment that occurred in Sandusky, Ohio last October.

Ohio U.S. Senators JD Vance (R-OH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) as well as U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09) sent a letter to Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw on Wednesday demanding that the railroad “take responsibility and pay immediately for costs to repair the damage” by the Sandusky wreck.

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Ohio Attorney General Yost Accepts Petition to Amend State Constitution Raising Minimum Wage

Hannah Poling

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost accepted a petition on Wednesday which aims to amend a portion of the Ohio Constitution and raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour.

The proposal called “Raise the Wage Ohio Amendment” aims to amend Article II, Section 34a of Ohio’s Constitution in order to raise the minimum wage to $12.75 per hour beginning January 1st, 2025 and then in equal yearly increments until it gets to $15 per hour on January 1st, 2026.

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Ohio Ballot Board Requests State Supreme Court to Dismiss Abortion Amendment Lawsuit

Hannah Poling

The Ohio Ballot Board requested that the Ohio Supreme Court dismiss a lawsuit claiming that it erred in a decision to advance a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize abortion throughout the state.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost wrote a brief on behalf of the ballot board saying that the relators “fail to state a claim upon which relief can be granted” and the relators “do not have a clear legal right to the relief sought.” Additionally, the Ohio Ballot Board requested that the judge dismiss the relators’ claims.

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Ohio State Representative Calls on House Speaker Stephens to Move the Ohio Constitutional Protection Amendment to the House Floor

Hannah Poling

State Representative Scott Wiggam (R- Wayne County) sent a letter on Tuesday to moderate Republican House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) urging him to move the Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment to the House floor as soon as it passes out of committee for an August election.

This follows Stephens removing Wiggam from his position as chair of the House Constitutional Resolutions Committee and the committee all together due to Wiggam signing a discharge petition last week to accelerate the Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment, also known as House Joint Resolution (HJR) 1, which aims to alter the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments.

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U.S. Senator JD Vance Wants National Institutes of Health to Look into Health Effects of East Palestine Train Derailment

Hannah Poling

U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) wants the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to look into how residents of East Palestine and nearby towns are affected by the chemicals that were released during the February 3rd Norfolk Southern train derailment.

On Monday, Vance along with U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), and John Fetterman (D-PA) sent a letter to NIH Director Lawrence Tabak and NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Director Rick Woychik urging them to “help assess and mobilize existing assets and resources to respond to the community’s biomedical research needs.”

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Ohio Republican Politicians Announce Candidacy to Unseat Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur

Hannah Poling

Two Ohio Republican candidates have announced their candidacy to run for Ohio’s 9th Congressional district in 2024. U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09), who is currently in that seat, is serving her 21st term in Congress.

Former Republican Mayor of Walbridge Dan Wilczynski was the first contender to enter the running last week, announcing his candidacy with the focus of finally defeating America’s longest tenured Congresswoman Kaptur.

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Ohio Governor DeWine Signs $13.5 Billion Transportation Budget Including New Rail Safety Measures

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a nearly $13.5 billion state transportation budget on Friday, including rail safety measures that lawmakers added in reaction to the February 3rd train derailment and toxic chemical spill in East Palestine.

With oversight from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), among other provisions, the railway safety measures call for two-person crews for freight trains and requires the installation of wayside detectors at shorter distances, every 10 to 15 miles, to help identify issues. The Federal Railroad Administration currently permits the placement of some wayside devices up to 25 miles apart from one another.

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U.S. Senator J.D. Vance Introduces Legislation to Establish English as the Official Language of the U.S.

Hannah Poling

U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) has introduced legislation that aims to establish English as the official language of the United States.

The English Language Unity Act, sponsored by Vance and U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) would require require government functions to be conducted in English, and adjust requirements for naturalization by introducing a universal English language testing standard.

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Nearly Half of Fed Investigators at East Palestine Train Derailment Briefly Fell Ill: CDC

Just the News

Seven of the 15 government investigators who studied the possible health effects of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment briefly fell ill while at the site, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The investigators, who were part of a team from the agency’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, experienced sore throats, coughing, nausea and headaches in early March, CNN reported Friday.

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Bipartisan Lawmakers Introduce Legislation to End the Death Penalty in Ohio

Hannah Poling

A bipartisan group of lawmakers have introduced legislation to end the death penalty in Ohio.

Senate Bill (SB) 101 sponsored by state Senators Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester), Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus), and Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) aims to remove the death penalty in Ohio and instead pursue life without parole for capital crimes.

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