Briefs
‘Tennessee three’ praised by Biden in White House meeting
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday met with three Tennessee state Democratic lawmakers, two of whom were expelled by the Republican-controlled state House after they protested for gun safety measures following a mass school shooting. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with Tennessee state Reps. Justin Jones of Nashville, Justin Pearson of Memphis […]
U.S. Interior secretary unveils $125 million for local climate projects
BOISE, Idaho — The U.S. Interior Department will send $125 million from the bipartisan infrastructure law to scores of local climate resiliency and conservation projects, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland told a group of environmental reporters Friday. Speaking at the Society of Environmental Journalists annual conference, Haaland promoted several aspects of the Interior Department’s agenda, including programs […]
U.S. Supreme Court holds off on abortion pill ruling until midnight Friday
WASHINGTON — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito postponed a ruling on access to the abortion pill until Friday as the high court continues considering arguments from anti-abortion organizations and the federal government. Alito’s two-day-long pause, issued Wednesday, keeps a ruling from U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk on […]
95% of Ohio schools offered prevention-focused programs and supports, according to new ODE report
Almost all Ohio schools offered prevention-focused programs and supports during the 2020-21 school year. Ninety-five percent of Ohio schools, to be exact, offered these programs and supports, according to the Ohio Department of Education’s 2020-21 Prevention Services Data Report that was released Tuesday. “Providing students with the tools they need to better cope with life […]
Labor exploitation of unaccompanied migrant children probed at U.S. House hearing
WASHINGTON — U.S. House members in a hearing on Tuesday questioned the head of a federal agency in charge of unaccompanied migrant children about multiple reports of their exploitation as workers in U.S. meatpacking plants and elsewhere. Republicans and Democrats on the House Oversight & Accountability Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs agreed that […]
U.S. House approves bill seeking more information on Chinese airborne surveillance
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House passed a bill Monday that would require U.S. diplomats and intelligence officials to report to Congress their work with allies deterring Chinese surveillance aircraft and to provide a classified briefing on any airborne spying over the U.S. by the rival nation since 2017. The Upholding Sovereignty of Airspace Act, or USA Act, […]
Ohio lawmakers sign on to stop federal judge’s ruling halting FDA approval of abortion drug
More than 200 members of Congress — including six Ohio lawmakers — are trying to prevent a federal judge’s order to stop the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of an abortion drug from going into effect. Ohio’s Democratic U.S. Reps. Joyce Beatty, Emilia Sykes, Greg Landsman, Marcy Kaptur and Shontel Brown, along with Sen. Sherrod […]
‘I’m mad as hell;’ Ohio AG Yost sues scam charity that pocketed donations meant for East Palestine residents
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is suing a scam charity that claimed to be collecting thousands of dollars of donations for East Palestine residents after the Norfolk Southern train derailment on Feb. 3 spilled toxic chemicals, including vinyl chloride. The lawsuit, filed Monday, alleges Ohio Clean Water Fund was acting on behalf of Second Harvest […]
ODE head seems headed for position at Upper Arlington
The Ohio Department of Education’s interim superintendent of public instruction is headed for a district-level position, resigning her state position, as confirmed by the school district and two legislators. Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Siddens resigned on Friday, according to state Sens. Bill Reineke and Andrew Brenner. Siddens is reportedly headed to Upper Arlington City Schools to […]
IRS slated to hire thousands of workers, boost audits of wealthy taxpayers
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service on Thursday detailed its plan to spend $80 billion in additional funding that Democrats approved last year as part of their climate change and health care package. The plan says the agency will boost tax enforcement by increasing its “focus on segments of taxpayers with complex issues and complex […]
Mortgage rates are stabilizing but that may not be enough to help house hunters
Home prices are cooling off and mortgage rates fell last week, but the fallout from recent bank closures could continue to make it hard for some Americans to buy homes, economists say. Mortgage rates fell to 6.32% for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, Freddie Mac data released on Thursday shows. Last fall, the 30-year fixed […]
Ohio BMV will refund disabled veterans after incorrectly charging for license plates
The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles will issue refunds to nearly 2,000 disabled veterans who were wrongly charged for specialty license plates. The BMV recently realized it did not implement a change in Ohio law that went into effect in October 2019 that allows certain disabled veterans to receive up to two free disabled veteran […]