News

Beneath the Surface — Transgender Oberlin College diver speaks out on trans athlete bans

BY: - October 2, 2023

The anatomy of a dive is equal parts art form and anguish. “It’s simultaneously terrifying and freeing,” said former Oberlin College diver Lucas Draper. “In the moment, if I mess this up, I might hurt myself. You want to be as pretty as you can, but also, eventually, you’re going to hit the water.” It’s […]

A CVS store. Photo by Lynne Terry, Oregon Capital Chronicle, States Newsroom.

Ohio regulator’s proposed pharmacy rules draw mixed response

BY: - October 2, 2023

After first saying the Ohio Board of Pharmacy didn’t have the authority to impose sweeping new regulations, pharmacy giant CVS now says it’s OK with much of what the agency wants to do. Meanwhile, the group that represents small chains and independent pharmacists supports the effort, but fears that the proposed rules would place more […]

Slightly more than half of Ohio students proficient in math, according to state report cards

BY: - October 2, 2023

The math isn’t adding up for nearly half of Ohio’s students.  Fifty-three percent of Ohio students were proficient in math last school year, according to the new state report cards, a slight bump from 2021-22, but still lagging behind pre-pandemic scores when 61% of students were proficient in 2018-19.  “Unfortunately, we live in a society […]

Ohio lawmakers move to block Cleveland citizen budgeting proposal ahead of election

BY: - October 2, 2023

Ohio senators passed a bill last week to block Cleveland from allowing citizens to have a say in their city government’s budget. This comes ahead of the November election in which residents are set to vote on an amendment that proposes exactly that. The People’s Budget initiative is aiming to let Clevelanders have more say in their […]

During the first U.S. House impeachment inquiry hearing, House Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer of Kentucky alleged that Republicans will show evidence of how President Joe Biden “abused his public office for his family’s financial gain.” (Screenshot from committee webcast)

GOP witnesses at Biden impeachment hearing see insufficient evidence of wrongdoing so far

BY: - October 2, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans held their first impeachment inquiry hearing Thursday over unproven allegations that President Joe Biden benefited from his son’s business dealings overseas. Witnesses tapped by Republicans for the House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing acknowledged that there was no evidence showing that the president profited from his son Hunter Biden’s business […]

Activists protest outside of The White House to “Cancel Student Debt” on March 15, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court’s decision that the Biden administration didn’t have the authority to cancel student debt helped sow confusion that scammers are using to their advantage. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for We The 45 Million)

Student debt relief scams on the rise. Here’s what borrowers need to know.

BY: - October 2, 2023

Complaints about student debt relief scams are increasing as the date approaches for borrowers to restart payment on their student loans after more than a three-year pause. Consumer protection advocates say that the Biden administration’s student debt relief efforts, the subsequent halting of those policies by the courts, and the restart of student loan payments […]

Tracy Anthony, site lead for Depcom, an Entergy contractor, stands in front of a row of solar panels at Entergy Arkansas’ 100 megawatt solar and storage plant in Searcy, Arkansas. Anthony said renewable power, coupled with battery storage, will “play an important part in power generation in the near future.” (Robert Zullo/ States Newsroom)

Battery storage seen as ‘backbone’ of reliable electric grid but adoption uneven across US

BY: - October 2, 2023

SEARCY, Ark. — In the decarbonized future envisioned by many states, utilities and the federal government, expect more power plants like Entergy Arkansas’ facility here, where thousands of gleaming panels and banks of batteries spread across 800 acres about 50 miles northeast of Little Rock. The Searcy Solar Energy Center, a 100-megawatt solar and storage […]

Congress clears bill to avert shutdown, with vote promised later on Ukraine aid

BY: - October 1, 2023

WASHINGTON — Congress approved a bill Saturday night that would stave off a government shutdown until at least mid-November, though the measure doesn’t include Ukraine aid backed by both Republicans and Democrats. The bipartisan 88-9 vote in the U.S. Senate, just hours before a midnight deadline, took place after the U.S. House earlier in the […]

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy takes questions from reporters on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023 at the U.S. Capitol. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

Government shutdown nears: U.S. House GOP fails to pass one-month spending plan

BY: , , and - September 29, 2023

WASHINGTON — A sweeping government shutdown appeared inevitable on Friday, with the U.S. Senate stuck in a procedural holding pattern on its bipartisan stopgap bill and divided U.S. House Republicans unable to pass their short-term spending bill. Both chambers of Congress must approve and President Joe Biden must sign government funding legislation before midnight on […]

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on judicial nominations on Capitol Hill on Sept. 6, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California dies at 90

BY: - September 29, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein died Thursday night in her home in Washington, D.C. The California Democrat was 90 and had announced in February she would not run for reelection in 2024. “She left a legacy that is undeniable and extraordinary,” her chief of staff, James Sauls, said in a statement. “Senator Feinstein was a force […]

Ohio bill to raise minimum wage to $15, eliminate tipped worker distinction has sponsor testimony

BY: - September 29, 2023

A bill that would raise Ohio’s minimum wage was rolled out for the first time to the Senate Workforce and Higher Education Committee Wednesday afternoon during sponsor testimony. Ohio Sens. Kent Smith, D-Euclid, and Hearcel Craig, D-Columbus, introduced Senate Bill 146, which would gradually increase the state’s minimum wage $1 each year until it was […]

Ohio Redistricting Commission co-chair defends Dem teamwork, despite process issues, criticism

BY: - September 29, 2023

Redistricting concluded on Tuesday with the adoption of new Statehouse maps that had unanimous approval from all members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission. The vote represents the first bipartisan agreement on maps, though the bipartisan agreement was lopsided, with only two Democrats on the current seven-member commission. The maps give the GOP 61 of 99 […]