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Riley Gaines testifies in support of Ohio bill blocking trans athletes and gender-affirming care
A former University of Kentucky swimmer who has been very outspoken against competing and sharing a locker room with transgender athlete Lia Thomas testified in support of a bill that would prevent trans athletes from participating in Ohio women’s sports. Riley Gaines told the Ohio Senate Government Oversight Committee how her and Thomas both had […]
Bill banning drag shows outside of adult venues would “protect Ohio children,” sponsor says
A bill that would ban drag performers from performing anywhere that isn’t a designated adult entertainment facility had its first hearing last week in the Ohio House Criminal Justice Committee. House Bill 245 would prevent “adult cabaret performance in a location other than an adult cabaret.” It also expands the definition of adult cabaret performances […]
Ohio GOP U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson selected as the next president of Youngstown State University
An Ohio Republican U.S. Congressman and Donald Trump ally is going to be the tenth president of Youngstown State University. Bill Johnson, who represents 11 Eastern Ohio counties in the sixth congressional district, was named the next president during Tuesday’s special meeting of the Youngstown State Board of Trustees. The vote was 8-1. Johnson’s first […]
Ohio House passes bill that GOP says promotes free speech in classrooms. Educators disagree
The Ohio House passed a bill that Republicans say supports free speech in the classroom, but Democrats and educators disagree. House Bill 214 would mandate school districts to establish policies that ban teachers, students and those applying for jobs from adhering to a certain political or ideological belief. The policies would be publicly available. State […]
Lawmaker behind bill blocking gender-affirming care believes care is ‘child abuse’
A Republican lawmaker who introduced a bill that would prevent doctors from providing gender-affirming care to trans youth said he believes that type of care is child abuse. “(Gender-affirming care) is not best medical practice,” Rep. Gary Click, R-Vickery, said to the Senate Government Oversight Committee Wednesday morning. “I do believe it is child abuse.” Click […]
Ohio’s State Board of Education sets new timeline to pick state superintendent
Ohio’s State Board of Education hopes to pick a new superintendent by Christmas. After pausing their search due to last month’s litigation, the search firm Ray & Associates will reopen their superintendent application search on Wednesday. State board of education members voted to approve a new timeline for the superintendent search during Tuesday’s meeting. Here […]
Gov. DeWine calls on legislators to modify recreational marijuana law before it goes into effect
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says he accepts that Ohioans have voted to legalize recreational marijuana, but is calling on legislators to make changes to the law before it goes into effect on Dec. 7. “My recommendation to the General Assembly is that they take action to make sure that both rights are protected,” DeWine said […]
Gov. DeWine taps Steve Dackin as head of Ohio K-12 education, despite previous ethics investigation
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine nominated Steve Dackin to lead the new Department of Education and Workforce — despite Dackin’s previous ethics investigation during his less than two-week stint as state superintendent. Dackin previously served as the vice president of the Ohio State Board of Education and had access to the job applications for the state […]
Cannabis advocates remain hopeful about legalization as Ohio Republicans look to make changes
Don Wirtshafter can’t wait for Dec. 7 — the day marijuana becomes legal in Ohio with the passage of Issue 2. He is going to celebrate by throwing a party at the Cannabis Museum in Athens, where he is the founder and curator. “This is a big step forward for Ohio,” said Wirtshafter, who is […]
Ohioans vote to legalize recreational marijuana by passing Issue 2 law
Recreational marijuana will soon be legal in Ohio after voters passed Issue 2 on Tuesday. The Associated Press called the election on Issue 2 shortly after 9:30 p.m. With nearly 99% of precincts reporting early Wednesday, the proposed law was passing with 56.79% of the vote, or 2.144 million voters out of nearly 3.8 million […]
Republican Senator faces many questions over new version of Ohio higher education overhaul bill
A proposal to massively overhaul higher education in Ohio has gotten a rewrite. An anti-striking provision is out, but a new retrenchment provision was added, and tenure evaluation based on if an educator allegedly showed bias remains in the new version of the bill. State Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland, introduced another substitute bill for Senate […]
66% of Ohio cannabis users plan to buy recreational marijuana legally if Issue 2 passes
A majority of cannabis users in Ohio plan to buy recreational marijuana legally, even if it’s more expensive than the black market, according to a new poll. Sixty-six percent of Ohio cannabis users surveyed said they buy in the legal market, regardless of price, while 10% of those surveyed said they still buy in the […]