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Health experts speak out against bill prohibiting vaccine mandates
Pediatricians and other infectious disease experts issued clear warnings about a proposed bill to weaken Ohio’s vaccination laws: Doing so would put children’s lives at risk and potentially expose the state to a resurgence of deadly viruses. A half-dozen medical experts implored lawmakers to reconsider approving a new law that would prohibit vaccine mandates for […]
Millions paid out to Ohioans who were wrongfully convicted, imprisoned
The state of Ohio will pay a Cleveland man nearly half a million dollars as compensation for wrongly imprisoning him for nearly two decades. Anthony Lemons will receive $491,000 for the 17 years he spent in prison following a wrongful conviction for murder in 1995. Lemons is among a growing list of exonerated former prisoners […]
Ohio taxpayers again footing the bill for grant project aiding Amazon
The Ohio Senate wants the state to begin “asset testing” for food stamp assistance to ensure government aid only goes to those who truly need it. Meanwhile, Ohio lawmakers agreed Monday to spend $1.5 million in taxpayer funds for an expansion project benefitting one of the most profitable corporations in the world. Lawmakers on the […]
Ohio GOP leaders may have sole power to intervene in gerrymandering cases
A last-second addition to the Ohio Senate’s budget proposal would give Republican leaders sole ability to contest legal challenges to the new legislative maps drawn this year. Ohio voters in 2015 and 2018 approved new redistricting processes for drawing state and congressional districts that will be first implemented this year. The new system encourages greater […]
House leadership weighs political fate of their indicted colleague
Nearly a year since state Rep. Larry Householder was arrested on public corruption charges, four rank-and-file lawmakers argued their case to Ohio House leadership Thursday that it’s the House’s duty to purge Householder from the chamber he once controlled. The lawmakers — two Republicans and two Democrats — introduced separate but similar resolutions last month […]
Former congressman Renacci to challenge Gov. DeWine in GOP primary
If Mike DeWine is going to achieve a second term as governor, he will first have to overcome a primary challenge from a former congressman from northeast Ohio. Jim Renacci, a Republican from Wadsworth, announced a campaign for governor in the 2022 primary election. It is unusual for a sitting governor to face a primary […]
Ohio Senate passes state budget, negotiations with House to follow
The two legislative chambers have approved their respective versions of the two-year state operating budget. Now comes the heavy negotiating. Lawmakers in the Ohio Senate and Ohio House of Representatives have until the end of June to find common ground among their differing spending priorities. The goal is to send a finished version to Gov. […]
The race for Ohio Supreme Court chief justice is on
2022 race could prove complicated for Ohio Democrats At least two justices on the Ohio Supreme Court are eyeing the chief justice position and plan to campaign for the top judicial seat in 2022. Democrat Jennifer Brunner and Republican Patrick DeWine are planning to run for chief justice next year. These two, and potentially another […]
Ohio Budget: Lawmakers’ priorities not quite on target, advocates say
The money invested in a state budget should be fully reflective of the state’s values, public advocates say in arguing the current proposals considered by Ohio lawmakers have a long way to go in reaching that goal. The comprehensive, two-year budget is being negotiated inside the Ohio Statehouse and includes billions of dollars in proposed […]
This rural county in Ohio has a COVID-19 case rate of zero
Vinton County in rural Southeast Ohio was the last county in the state to record a positive case of COVID-19. It also appears to be the first without any cases remaining — at least for the time being. The sparsely-populated Vinton County has not been as hard hit by the pandemic as in other places […]
Parties battle over proposed elections changes in Ohio
The Republican sponsors of a bill proposing numerous changes to Ohio election law say they are open to some compromise with Democratic opponents. But this olive branch comes with a warning. “(Democrats) have so far given the back of their hand to a balanced bill,” said Rep. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati. “And the risk that they […]
States follow Ohio’s lead in announcing their own vaccine lotteries
What some Ohio lawmakers saw as a wasteful gameshow gimmick, other governors saw as an opportunity. It took only a few weeks after Gov. Mike DeWine announced the Vax-A-Million for other states to introduce their own vaccine lottery programs. There are cash prizes in Oregon, music festival tickets awarded in Delaware and even custom rifles […]