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Dreamland revisited: County featured in bestselling opioid crisis book lone holdout in settlement
Scioto County featured prominently in the story of the opioid addiction epidemic that has devastated hundreds of cities and towns across the United States. Its Dreamland Pool in Portsmouth was used to illustrate a hinge point in the evolution and depths of the crisis in Sam Quinones’ National Book Critics Award-winning, “Dreamland: The True Tales […]
Opponents of sports betting bill say it won’t protect consumers, will worsen wealth inequality
Opponents of the sports betting bill the Ohio Senate approved earlier this summer said the bill doesn’t include proper consumer protections and stands to worsen Ohio’s wealth inequality. National Director of Stop Predatory Gambling Les Bernal said that the commercialization of sports betting and online gambling would not be in the public interest during a […]
New study finds Vax-a-Million lottery responsible for vaccinating over 100,000 additional Ohioans
A new study in The American Journal of Medicine found that Ohio’s Vax-a-Million lottery incentive program caused more than 100,000 additional Ohioans to get vaccinated at a cost of about $49 per new Ohioan vaccinated. The Harvard study contradicts a Boston University School of Medicine study that made news last month suggesting that the Vax-a-Million […]
Ohio businesses hit with more than $250,000 in fines for health order violations
Thursday’s Lounge in Akron received a $25,000 fine in lieu of a liquor license revocation for violating health orders. Aftermath in Columbus got hit with a $20,000 fine in lieu of license revocation. The Electric Co. in Mansfield received a $10,000 fine in lieu of a 21-day liquor license suspension, and Sky Mediterranian in Parma […]
State school board to ask AG for opinion on anti-racism resolution
In the weeks after the death of George Floyd spurred a nationwide movement against racism and police brutality, members of the Ohio Board of Education passed a resolution to acknowledge racial inequities and urge school officials to drive out racism in the education system. The state school board is now pushing back against the resolution […]
Ohio has recovered $150 million in fraudulent unemployment claims
The director of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services recently announced the department is working with state and federal law enforcement to recover hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent unemployment claims and billions more in overpayments that are not fraudulent in nature. From the beginning of the pandemic through May 2021, Ohio […]
Wealthy state lawmakers to gain from income tax cuts in budget
Some of the wealthiest state lawmakers stand to save thousands of dollars annually on their taxes thanks to changes they enacted in the state budget. Lawmakers lowered tax rates for all income earners and raised the minimum threshold at which Ohioans pay taxes on their income. They also eliminated the top bracket (previously $221,300 and […]
Ohio attorney general gives update on investigations into two high-profile officer-involved shootings
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office announced during a Wednesday press conference that the Bureau of Criminal Investigations has finished its review of two controversial officer-involved shootings in Cleveland and Columbus. BCI reviewed the Nov. 13 killing of 19-year-old Arthur Keith by Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Officer James Griffiths, and the April 20 killing of […]