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Ohio lawmaker says baby born of rape, incest ‘still has the right to life’
The sponsor of legislation that would ban nearly all abortions in Ohio said babies conceived via rape or incest still have a right to life. Rep. Jean Schmidt, a Cincinnati area Republican, said on conservative talk radio earlier this week that her bill is likely to pass in the legislative session after the November elections. […]
Ohio Supreme Court finds backpack marijuana search unconstitutional
At first, the officers said they searched her backpack looking for weapons. In the end, they found only marijuana-infused cereal and some of the drug in flower and concentrate form. Officers went on to charge Kennedy Burroughs with felony possession of marijuana. The Ohio Supreme Court unanimously overturned her conviction Tuesday. The justices ruled that […]
Millions of Ohioans facing home gas and electric rate hikes
Ohio utility companies have asked state regulators for permission to raise home gas, electric and water costs on more than 2.75 million Ohio customers. Those charges could be spread between customers of Columbia Gas, AES Ohio, Duke Energy, and Aqua Ohio. The utilities, all investor-owned, are collectively asking for another $400 million in annual charges. […]
FirstEnergy fired its CEO amid bribery scandal but let him keep millions, documents show
As its starring role in a political bribery scandal became clearer and two alleged conspirators pleaded guilty, FirstEnergy Corp. fired its CEO Charles “Chuck” Jones, who was later outed as an architect of the operation. New documents show, however, that FirstEnergy’s board of directors declined to invoke a provision in Jones’ contract that would have […]
State health department fires employee over abortion drug reference in newsletter
Two Ohio Department of Health employees lost their jobs after the publication of a newsletter with notice of a training program for a drug used in medical abortions. One was fired, another resigned. Jessica Warner, who worked in the sexually transmitted infections unit of the Bureau of Infectious Diseases, authored the department’s STI prevention training […]
DeWine signs legislation buttressing knife carrying expansion
After previously approving legislation that allows Ohioans to carry an array of different knives on their persons, Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation Tuesday that preemptively blocks cities from intervening. Senate Bill 156, which passed on party lines with Republicans in support and Democrats in opposition, prohibits cities from passing laws blocking citizens from carrying knives. […]
Deaths among working-age Ohioans jump over last 15 years, report says
Working-age Ohioans — between 15 and 64 years old — are dying at a 51% higher rate than they were 15 years ago, according to analysis released this month. In a bleak sign, most leading causes of death are increasing, rather than decreasing among the age group. For instance, unintentional injuries like fatal overdoses and […]
DeWine signs bill allowing for armed teachers: ‘This is a local choice’
Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation Monday that could allow teachers to carry firearms in the classroom. House Bill 99 grants local boards of education authority to decide whether to allow their teachers and school workers to carry firearms. Whether the bill establishes a quantitative legal minimum has been disputed. However, it says local school boards […]
She’s Ohio’s only trans female playing varsity sports; lawmakers want her out
Ember had only just made varsity when she learned about the state legislation that would block her from playing softball. To say she made varsity is something of a stretch. Her northeast Ohio high school team is short on players. It has no junior varsity counterpart. There aren’t even enough athletes to keep up a […]
Columbus mulls new strategy to limit gun violence. Could it work?
In defiance of a gun loving state legislature, the city of Columbus is mulling a novel legal strategy: treating gun violence as a public nuisance. Rather than passing a local law restricting gun access that would likely be struck down in court, Columbus officials indicated they want to instead invoke a state law that says […]
Survey: Small business owners worry over inflation, labor shortfalls, supply chain
Ohio’s small business owners counted economic inflation, labor shortages and supply chain disruptions as the issue most concerning to their business, according to a recent survey. Some combination of these currents have caused roughly eight in 10 Ohio business owners to raise prices, according to a survey conducted by the National Federation of Independent Businesses. […]
Ohio’s response to Uvalde? Armed teachers and $117 million
Responding to a spate of gun violence in American schools and communities, Ohio Republicans have offered a two-pronged approach: guns and money. Last week, Republican state lawmakers passed legislation that will allow local boards of education to allow teachers to carry a firearm. Up to 24 hours of training must be required, but a board […]