Governor Mike DeWine
State says Medicaid director complied with ethics law, won’t share documents
The Ohio Department of Medicaid and the governor’s office last week insisted that Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran complied with state ethics laws as her department entered into massive contracts earlier this year. However, they so far have refused to produce copies of affidavits that seem to be required by state law, and Corcoran is refusing […]
Medicaid department mum on contacts with DeWine-connected lobbyist
A close, long-standing friend of Gov. Mike DeWine registered early this year to lobby on behalf of a giant Medicaid provider — just before Attorney General Dave Yost accused the company of ripping off tens of millions of taxpayer dollars. The company, St. Louis-based Centene, later agreed to pay out $88 million to Ohio and […]
Ohio gov thinks a law is making kids sick and says it’s unconstitutional. He won’t challenge it
Some are questioning Gov. Mike DeWine’s sincerity when he says he’s doing all he can to fight the spread of coronavirus among children. DeWine and the leaders of children’s hospitals are in a panic over the lack of masking in Ohio schools. Hospital admissions of children with covid are up 536% since July and the […]
Long-time DeWine friend lobbied for corporation accused of fraud
Many Ohioans were scratching their heads earlier this month. The administration of Gov. Mike DeWine had just restarted a massive contract with Centene Corp. Only six months earlier, Attorney General Dave Yost agreed to accept $88.3 million from the company to settle claims that it had defrauded the state’s Medicaid program of tens of millions […]
Ohio economists say state’s pandemic spending cuts won’t help the economy
In May 2020, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced $775 million in state spending cuts in the face of what he expected to be lower tax revenues due to economic dislocation caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The cuts included $300 million whacked from K-12 education and $210 million from Medicaid, the health program for the poor. […]
After scandal broke, FirstEnergy lobbyist pushed DeWine on “covid response”
On Sept. 23, 2020, McKenzie K. Davis, a lobbyist with the Success Group, registered to lobby the administration of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on “covid response.” The timing is curious because only six weeks earlier, federal authorities announced they’d arrested then-Speaker Larry Householder and four associates in what they said was “likely the largest bribery […]
Ohio governor won’t say he regrets picking regulator now at the center of historic utility scandal
A huge Ohio utility paid Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s pick to be the state’s top utility regulator millions and the regulator, Sam Randazzo, proceeded to do favors for the utility that were worth at least hundreds of millions, the utility and federal prosecutors have said. But more than a year into one of the biggest […]
No, undocumented immigrants don’t commit more crime. Research shows they commit a lot less
It’s an article of faith in some corners of politics and the media: All those undocumented immigrants crossing the southern border are making crime much worse in the United States. But new research gives the lie to that assertion. And, some border officials say, continuing to promote it will only lead to another racist massacre […]
DeWine reaffirms support for aides, despite their roles in scandal-tainted legislation
One staffer waited weeks — and until after an FBI raid — to inform Gov. Mike DeWine that FirstEnergy had paid Sam Randazzo a massive sum just weeks before DeWine nominated Randazzo to be Ohio’s top utility regulator. Another staffer, while still a FirstEnergy lobbyist, founded a dark-money group that would funnel tens of millions […]
Ohio’s unvaccinated might be in as much danger now as they were in February. But state officials can’t directly track them
More than 5 million Ohioans have started getting vaccinated against the coronavirus — and a few lucky ones will win a million bucks or a free ride to college for doing so. That has overall disease, hospitalization and death numbers plummeting as Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine ends covid restrictions on Wednesday. But the 64% of […]
For hundreds of thousands of Ohioans, the pandemic isn’t over. Is anybody thinking about them?
For hundreds of thousands of Ohioans, the pandemic isn't over. Is anybody thinking about them?
Consumer protection? New DeWine regulatory chief says most overcharges can’t be refunded
Gov. Mike DeWine’s latest appointee to lead Ohio’s scandal-plagued utility regulator last week raised concerns among some lawmakers and consumer watchdogs. She claimed that her agency has only a very limited ability to make electric companies refund billions in improper charges to ratepayers. There was always going to be scrutiny when Jenifer French made her […]