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Akron organizers turn to the ballot box for civilian oversight of police
The Akron NAACP and other local organizers are leading the push for a city charter amendment establishing civilian oversight for the police department. The ballot measure comes on the heels of the police killing of Jayland Walker, a Black man shot nearly 50 times by Akron officers after fleeing a traffic stop. Walker was unarmed […]
Gov. Mike DeWine’s shifting record on debating
In about two months Ohioans will decide on their next governor. But so far, Gov. Mike DeWine has refused to debate his Democratic challenger, former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley. “Throughout the fall, Governor DeWine and his opponent will have ample opportunity to outline their very different records and visions for Ohio,” a DeWine campaign spokeswoman […]
Family of Donovan Lewis demand accountability after police killing
A stream of Donovan Lewis’ family members and friends filed into a hotel meeting room in downtown Columbus Thursday. His mother Rebecca Duran sobbed quietly as the family’s attorney replayed the video of a Columbus police officer shooting Lewis while serving a warrant early Tuesday morning. Doctors pronounced him dead at Grant Hospital less than […]
Fans frustrated Crew owners hosting fundraiser for J.D. Vance
Republican U.S. Senate nominee J.D. Vance will visit Columbus in three weeks for a campaign fundraiser hosted by owners of the Columbus Crew professional soccer team. Team supporters are unhappy and see it as a reversal from previous decisions to avoid politics. Morgan Hughes co-founded Save The Crew and remains active in the community of […]
Ohio Debate Commission announces gubernatorial, U.S. Senate and Chief Justice debates
The Ohio Debate Commission announced its plans Monday for the U.S. Senate, governor, and chief justice of the state supreme court races. The Democrats in all three contests plan to attend. The Republicans haven’t signed on yet. The commission’s schedule includes a gubernatorial debate Oct. 10 and a U.S. Senate debate Oct. 12. They plan […]
Ohio’s U.S. Senate nominees trade debate plans
The Republican and Democratic nominees for Ohio’s open U.S. Senate seat are wrangling over participating in televised debates. As of Friday, it appears they will hold (at least) two. First out of the gate, Democrat Tim Ryan announced his commitment to three debates — two in or near his Youngstown-area congressional district and one in […]
Foreign entities buying U.S. farmland: threat or hyperbole?
During his visit to Ohio last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis praised Republican U.S. Senate nominee J.D. Vance’s forceful opposition of the “Chinese communist party.” He said Vance would be “tough” on them in the Senate. DeSantis described how, in Florida, he’s signed legislation banning Confucius Institutes — programs funded by the Chinese government to […]
Tim Ryan plays offense, defense in Central Ohio campaign swing
In a pair of Central Ohio campaign stops Tuesday, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Tim Ryan drew distinctions with his Republican opponent and tried to mend fences with skeptical supporters. At Zanesville Treatment Services Ryan got a look behind the scenes at an outpatient addiction treatment clinic. Executive director Brad Hess gave Ryan a tour […]
Fear and grievance in the Mahoning Valley
More than a thousand chairs were lined up in long neat rows, in a Girard, Ohio ballroom Friday. Organizers had laid out placards reading “Unite & Win” on each one, alternating in navy blue and red. A disco ball hung above the lectern. People began lining up early Friday afternoon outside the Metroplex Expo Center […]
Democrats criticize DeWine administration’s ethics, demand fixes
Democrats are hammering the administration of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine for a rash of stories over the last few months they say raise serious ethical questions that highlight the need for changes to Ohio law. In late May, Ohioans learned that Lt. Gov. Jon Husted quietly took a seat on a bank’s board a few […]
After sluggish summer, some Ohio Republicans predict Vance comeback while others have doubts
The dog days of summer are usually the time when political campaigns lay low, biding their time for a post-Labor Day blitz. Tim Ryan didn’t get the message. Ryan poured more than $7.5 million into advertising since winning the Democratic U.S. Senate primary in May. Spending at that clip is a recognition of the challenge […]
State health officials preach prevention as Monkeypox, COVID-19 continue spread
Ohio Department of Health officials emphasized calm and caution during an update Thursday. Cases of Monkeypox are on the rise nationally, and COVID-19 continues to spread as children prepare to return to school. Both present challenges, health officials explained, but the state is well-positioned to respond. Monkeypox cases so far have come primarily from to […]