journal
Ohio Republicans up and down the ballot claimed fraud in 2020 election
Ohio’s upcoming elections are flush with Republicans who denied the reality of the last one. In races for Congress, statewide offices, and seats in the state legislature, Republicans up and down the ballot have alleged voter fraud in 2020. In some cases, they baselessly claimed the scale of the fraud was enough to tip the […]
Supreme Court overrules LaRose; says he must place Democrat on ballot
The Ohio Supreme Court overruled GOP Secretary of State Frank LaRose once again Tuesday, finding that a Democratic House candidate had a “clear legal right” to the ballot that he denied. A 4-3 majority, comprised of the court’s three liberals and its conservative chief justice, ordered LaRose to place Athens County Democrat Tanya Conrath on […]
Does Ohio’s Black legislative caucus have room for Republicans?
On Saturday, the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus held a meet-the-candidates event in Toledo, featuring three Democrats running for seats in the Ohio House. Missing from the program was Joshua Williams, a Black Republican who’s running in the district and says he has been wholly “slighted” by the OLBC. He said the organization never contacted his […]
At kids’ forum, DeWine talks budgets; Whaley attacks
After Gov. Mike DeWine finished his piece on how he’d help Ohio’s kids if re-elected, he quietly slipped out through a rear door without taking questions from the press. An hour later Nan Whaley, his Democratic challenger, made a similar case, albeit a feistier one sharply critical of the incumbent, who she depicted as kowtowing […]
FirstEnergy fights to keep records tied to bribery scheme from the public
Akron-based utility FirstEnergy Corp., which has admitted to spending tens of millions bribing top government officials, asked state regulators to shield documents about its bribes from release to the public. The company’s request will soon be decided by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, whose former chairman Sam Randazzo allegedly accepted a $4.3 million bribe […]
Dayton-based payday lender continues to bury customers in debt
Dozens of consumer complaints and a recent court ruling show how a Dayton-based payday lender continues to bury low-income customers in debt through predatory loans. The complaints detail customers who borrowed a few hundred dollars for short periods from NCP Finance, only to wind up owing thousands to pay them off. They range in time […]
COVID deniers take vandalism case to Ohio Supreme Court
The Plain City Public Library asked her to leave in January 2021 for repeatedly refusing to wear her mask, as was state policy at the time. Court records indicate Julie Dean’s “unruly behavior had been a continual issue for the library.” Two months later she came back with her husband and some hard-to-remove stickers. “THERE […]
Judge orders unfreezing of assets of regulator accused of taking bribe
An appellate judge ordered Wednesday that the government must unfreeze the millions of dollars in bank accounts of Sam Randazzo, a former state utility regulator who was implicated in a public corruption scandal. Last summer, a civil suit led by Attorney General Dave Yost won a judgement freezing up to $8 million from several accounts […]
Weaker concealed carry laws linked to increase in gun crimes, study shows
Weakened concealed carry laws are associated with an estimated 9.5% increase in rates of criminal assaults with firearms, according to research published last week. That relationship is most pronounced in places that allow people convicted of violent misdemeanor crimes to carry a concealed firearm. Those states are associated with an estimated 24% increase in assaults […]
2021 saw record fatal ODs, gun deaths, car crashes in Ohio over 15 years, data shows
Last year saw the highest numbers of fatal overdoses, gun deaths, homicides, and motor vehicle fatalities among Ohioans over the last 15 years, according to data from the state health department. It was also the third-worst year on record for suicide deaths of Ohioans, just off the high mark set in 2018. Taken together, the […]
‘Incredibly disappointing:’ Gov. DeWine, Vance say no to debates
Republicans running for the U.S. senate and governor’s office in Ohio declined to face their opponents in a debate, organizers announced Wednesday. Both incumbent Gov. Mike DeWine and U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance will not appear at the planned October forums hosted by the Ohio Debate Commission, an independent outfit with ties to media around […]
GOP officials and a collegiate political scandal could nix Dem’s ballot slot in SE Ohio
An Athens County Democrat filed a lawsuit last week asking the Ohio Supreme Court to reverse a decision by the Republican Secretary of State and allow her onto the ballot in a southeast Ohio House district. The story of the ballot fight includes a scandal in Ohio University’s Student Senate, a primary election delayed by […]