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First presidential debate moved to Cleveland
The first presidential debate of the season will now be held on the campus of Case Western Reserve University. In a Monday announcement, the Commission on Presidential Debates said the September 29 event will be moved from the University of Notre Dame’s campus to the Health Education Campus. The event will be hosted by CWRU […]
In visit with DeVos, Ohio Senate leadership promotes school choice during pandemic
During a town hall at one of Columbus’ private Christian schools, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and two state senate leaders promoted the option of private schools as educators decide on a COVID-19 plan. Senate President Larry Obhof went so far as to say parents should have the choice to change schools in the […]
Ohio Supreme Court: Juror regret doesn’t warrant new trial
A juror’s regret about her decision in a trial does not warrant a new trial, the Ohio Supreme Court unanimously ruled recently. The state’s highest court heard the appeal of Madora Jones, who had filed a civil lawsuit against the Cleveland Clinic Foundation claiming medical malpractice. An 8th District Court of Appeals previously ordered a […]
Speaker Householder is ‘absent.’ What now?
Update 7/25 2:50 p.m. – Ohio House Majority Floor Leader Bill Seitz told the Ohio Capital Journal that Speaker Larry Householder should not be considered “absent or incapacitated,” so how the House moves forward is still up in the air. “Questions about the authority of the Speaker Pro Tempore (Jim Butler, R-Oakwood) to act in his […]
Columbus State union calls for Borges resignation from board
The faculty union for Columbus State Community College has asked for the resignation of a board member after he was charged in the federal investigation also charging Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder. The executive Committee of the Columbus State Education Association announced in a Thursday statement the call for Matthew Borges’ resignation from the college’s […]
Voter referendum on nuclear bailout had signature collection targeted, criminal complaint says
The criminal complaint against Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four political operatives lays out alleged bribes made to signature collectors for a voter referendum on a nuclear bailout, along with a comprehensive campaign to hire signature collection companies, just so those companies couldn’t work against the bailout effort, House Bill 6. Householder is charged […]
Bill on arming teachers could include “school marshal program”
An Ohio Senate bill meant to reduce the amount of training needed for school personnel to be armed could be amended to create a “school marshal program” in those schools. The state Senate committee on Government Oversight and Reform met Tuesday to discuss Senate Bill 317, a bill that was written to exempt school personnel […]
Ohio cities desperate for federal funding to save jobs, local economies
City officials from across the state say federal funding is the only way their previously thriving municipalities can survive the pandemic and its accompanying recession. City mayors and city council members are trying to push U.S. Sen. Rob Portman to support funding through the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES Act), saying […]
Governor vetoes bill limiting health order penalties
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine officially vetoed a bill Friday that included an amendment reducing the penalties for violating COVID-19 health orders. DeWine said he agreed with the original intent of the bill, to enhance drug trafficking laws around state rehabilitation centers, but couldn’t sign the bill with the amendments to take away the chance of […]
As campaign staffers unionize, legislators seek protections for their staffers
Democrats in the Ohio House are encouraging their staffers to unionize as they deal with what they deem a lack of communication on health and safety protocols in the Statehouse. House Democratic Caucus campaign staff joined the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 75, according to a recent announcement by the union and caucus. “Even […]
Supreme Court: Even non-criminal probation violations can mean prison time
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that probation violations can lead to more prison time, even if the violation wasn’t a criminal offense. The state’s highest court ruled in a 5-2 decision that a Champaign County man’s defiance of a probation officer’s rule that he not be in contact with a certain person could warrant […]
More Medicaid funding needed to survive the recession, advocates say
After cuts to the state’s health care assistance program, Medicaid advocates are hoping a temporary federal funding increase will continue. In May, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced cuts to many state agencies, but the biggest cuts hit Medicaid and education. The budget for Medicaid was chopped by $210 million. Much of that original cut represented […]