Ohio Policy Group Says City, State Attempting to Deny Rights

Dave Yost

A Columbus-based policy group is calling the city of Columbus and the state’s attempt to move straight to the Ohio Supreme Court a fight for the rights of Ohio citizens.

In a brief filed with the Supreme Court, The Buckeye Institute wants the court to reject the argument from the city and state that preliminary injunctions can be appealed directly to the court rather than flow through the appeals courts.

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Cincinnati Man Sentenced to over Seven Years in Jail for Robbing Postal Carrier at Gunpoint

Lamarion Gray

A 19-year-old Cincinnati man was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison on Wednesday for robbing a mail carrier with the U.S. Postal Service at gunpoint last year, according to the Southern District of Ohio U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Lamarion Gray, according to court documents, approached the female carrier delivering mail on foot on the afternoon of July 12, 2023, where he brandished a firearm, pointed it at the victims, and demanded that she turn over her keys.

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Ohio Republican Leaders Blast Proposed Constitutional Amendment to Change Redistricting Process

Mike DeWine

The Ohio Republican Party and Governor Mike DeWine both announced opposition on Wednesday to a proposed constitutional amendment that would amend Ohio’s constitution by rewriting redistricting rules.

Every 10 years after the U.S. Census, the Ohio Redistricting Commission – comprised of seven members – is tasked with redrawing Ohio’s 99 House districts and 33 Senate districts to reflect the most recent census results.

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New Ohio Law Requires Schools to Honor Religious Beliefs, Free Speech

Classroom

Ohio school districts must adopt a policy to accommodate students’ sincerely held religious beliefs.

The new law, signed Friday by Gov. Mike DeWine, was introduced more than a year ago. It requires the district to adopt a policy prohibiting the encouraging of students, employees, and applicants to specific beliefs or ideas about political movements or ideology.

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LaRose Wants Democrats to Stop Blaming Ohio for Virtual Roll Call

Frank LaRose

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose wants Democrats to stop blaming Ohio for the party’s plan to use a virtual roll call to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris as its presidential nominee.

In a letter to Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harris released Thursday, LaRose demanded the party stop using the state’s ballot access deadline to justify what he called a nominating scheme.

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Proposed Constitutional Amendment to Change Ohio’s Redistricting Process Will Be Presented to Voters in November

Dave Yost

A proposed constitutional amendment that would amend Ohio’s constitution by rewriting redistricting rules will be presented to voters on the November 5 general election ballot, the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office announced on Tuesday.

The proposed constitutional amendment would create the Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission to ensure an “open and transparent process and fair outcomes that preserve the political power inherent in the people.”

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Former Columbus Zoo CEO Pleads Guilty to 15 Felony Counts

Tom Stalf

A fourth former executive with the Columbus Zoo pleaded guilty to 15 felony counts connected to a scandal that uncovered funds used for vacations, vehicles, concerts, sporting events and other things over a decade.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Tuesday that ex-CEO Tom Stalf pleaded guilty to 15 felonies, including aggravated theft, conspiracy, telecommunications fraud and tampering with records.

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Nearly All Households Opt-In to East Palestine Settlement

East Palestine Train Derailment

According to court-appointed class attorneys, less than 1% of the nearly 200,000 households involved in the East Palestine train derailment settlement opted out of the $600 million deal.

A court filing after the July 1 opt-out and objection deadline showed 0.09% of the 190,887 households in the settlement class opted out of the agreement. The settlement class includes households in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

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Ohio Lawmakers Show Strong Support for President Trump in Wake of Assassination Attempt

Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno (composite image)

Ohio lawmakers expressed universal support for former President Trump following an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. 

The FBI has identified the suspected shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The attack resulted in the death of former fire chief Corey Comperatore and critically injured two others before Crooks was killed by the U.S. Secret Service. Trump suffered a grazed bullet to the ear and was taken offstage after the shooting.

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Senate Candidates Don’t Believe Other has Ohio’s Interests at Heart

Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno

The Ohio U.S. Senate race is heating up, with both candidates saying their opponent doesn’t have the state’s interests at heart.

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown says he is fighting for Ohio workers and businesses. Trump-endorsed Republican challenger Bernie Moreno, a former car salesman born in Colombia, says he’s fighting for the American dream. 

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Ohio City Faces ‘Significant Housing Crisis’ Due to Migrant Flux

Home Construction

Large numbers of people entering or living in America illegally are exacerbating the housing crisis, including in areas like Ohio far from the border.

City Manager Bryan Heck of Springfield sent an urgent letter requesting federal aid to U.S. Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. Despite the city’s ongoing advancements in housing projects, the sheer number of migrants arriving and residing in the area has strained resources to their limits.

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Ohio Representatives Vote to Save U.S. Attorney General Garland from Inherent Contempt of Congress

Dave Joyce and Mike Turner in front of US Capitol building (composite image)

Two House of Representatives from Ohio voted against a bill that would have imposed a $10,000 daily fine on Attorney General Merrick Garland for his refusal to provide audio recordings of President Joe Biden’s interviews with Special Counsel Robert Hur.

Representatives Dave Joyce (R-OH-14) and Mike Turner (R-OH-10), along with Tom McClintock (R-CA-05 ) and John Duarte (R-CA-13), voted against this bill.

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House Freedom Caucus Boots Rep. Warren Davidson After He Endorsed Bob Good Challenger: Report

Warren Davidson and Bob Good

The House Freedom Caucus reportedly voted to remove Ohio GOP Rep. Warren Davidson after he endorsed a challenger to the caucus’ chairman, Virginia GOP Rep. Bob Good, according to The Hill, citing an unnamed member and a “source familiar.”

The move follows a difficult and as-yet-unresolved primary for Good, who has vowed to request a recount after the Virginia Board of Elections certified the race in favor of challenger John McGuire.

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Raise the Wage Ohio Toes Deadline for Petition Signature Submissions

Minimum Wage Protest

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said Wednesday he expects Raise the Wage Ohio to turn in petition signatures for a proposed constitutional amendment that would raise the minimum wage, joining two other filings for the November ballot this week.

The Raise the Wage Ohio campaign, made up mostly of volunteers, needs 413,487 valid petition signatures for the amendment to reach the ballot.

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Cleveland Browns One of Next NFL Teams in Line with Large Taxpayer Stadium Subsidy Request

Cleveland Browns Stadium

Cleveland is one of the next cities asking for public funding for a renovation or new NFL stadium after the city councils of Charlotte and Jacksonville each approved more than $600 million in public funding.

Browns’ ownership, the Haslam Sports Group, has reportedly pitched Cleveland and Ohio state leadership on funding half of a potential $1.2 billion renovation of Cleveland Browns stadium or having state and local governments each pay $600 million of taxpayer funds – a total of $1.2 billion – toward building a new stadium in Brook Park.

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Ohio Senators Call for Rail Reform After NTSB East Palestine Report

Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance

Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance are using the National Transportation and Safety Board’s findings on East Palestine’s train derailment to continue their push for national rail standards.

At a public hearing earlier this week in East Palestine, Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy called Norfolk Southern’s attempts to sway the investigation unprecedented and reprehensible.

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Ad Campaign Says Ohio State Hospital Expansion will Mean Higher Costs

Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

A coalition of health insurers and employer groups is using a targeted ad campaign to call attention to private-public hospital expansions it says leads to higher premiums and out-of-pocket expenses.

The campaign comes as the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center continues to move forward with a $1.9 billion, 1.9-million-square-foot inpatient hospital expected to open in 2026.

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Ohio Proposal Needs $2 Billion to Fix 23 Miles of Congested Columbus Highway

Traffic Jam

The Ohio Department of Transportation says it needs nearly $2 billion to slow the growth of commute times and make a stretch of highway in one of the state’s fastest-growing counties safer.

Delaware County’s population has more than doubled in more than 20 years and increased by more than 15,000 people in the last three years. That growth has pushed a 23-mile area of U.S. Highway 23 north of Columbus to 30% over its capacity.

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Ohio Closer to Requiring Medical Pricing Transparency

A concurrence from the House of Representatives is all that stands in the way of reinforcing Ohio hospital requirements to provide transparency in pricing.

Both the Senate and House passed slightly different versions of House Bill 49, which requires hospitals to comply with the federal price transparency law. This includes maintaining and making a public list of standard charges for services a patient can schedule in advance.

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