journal
Ohio’s prison workforce is 28% vaccinated, per state data; lowest rate among all state agencies
Ohio’s prison authority, the largest government agency in the state tasked with overseeing the 43,000 inmates in its custody, is the least vaccinated entity in Ohio’s government, according to state data based on employee-submitted records. About 28% of employees within the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction are vaccinated against COVID-19 and have submitted proof […]
Senate passes bill blocking cities from limiting concealed knife carry
Last year, lawmakers passed legislation allowing Ohioans to carry of an array of concealed, non-firearm weapons like butterfly knives, switchblades, springblades and billy clubs. On Wednesday, the Senate passed legislation ensuring that Ohio’s cities don’t try to pass legislation on the local level that would limit this newfound right. Current law, enacted earlier this year, […]
Ohio senator joined anti-vaccine panel hyping debunked, ‘alternative’ COVID treatments
An Ohio senator joined a conference of anti-vaccine advocates hyping “alternative” COVID-19 treatments, several of which like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine are explicitly warned against by regulators, public health officials and medical associations. State Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware, was introduced as a “surprise special guest” amid a panel that included an anti-vaccination advocate who was indicted […]
As Ohio House’s war on vaccine mandates fades, Speaker reticent on what’s next
Despite a political dead cat bounce late last week, the Ohio House’s war on vaccine mandates ended in stalemate, if not a humble retreat. After eight hearings on two versions of legislation to ban vaccine mandates, the requisite support failed to materialize and Ohio House Speaker Bob Cupp, R-Ohio, said Wednesday it’s time to move […]
Ohio Republicans push to waive training, permit requirements to carry concealed guns
Both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly are plodding forward on legislation to waive training requirements to carry a concealed weapon. While current law allows state residents to openly carry a weapon, it only allows those 21-and-up to obtain a concealed carry permit after completing an 8-hour training course and passing a background check. House […]
Once again, Ohio House ices vaccine mandate bill: ‘We don’t have the votes’
For the second time in three months, House Speaker Bob Cupp halted legislation Wednesday aimed to limit the ability of employers, colleges, hospitals and others to impose vaccine mandates. Cupp’s announcement came amid a flurry of private caucus meetings, unseen proposed amendments, aggressive lobbying tactics and tense rhetoric from members on a heated issue focused […]
House Republicans propose legalizing marijuana for 21+ recreational use
Two Ohio House Republicans on Tuesday proposed legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Ohio. In legislation that has not yet been formally introduced, Reps. Jamie Callender and Ron Ferguson pitched a program that would allow Ohioans 21 and older to purchase marijuana from licensed distributors or grow up to six plants in their home. “Adults […]
Anti-vaxxers rally outside residence of House Health Chairman
A cohort of roughly 15 anti-vaccine activists gathered around an apartment in Gahanna where they believed Ohio House Health Chairman Scott Lipps, R-Franklin, resides — one of three similarly sized protests at residences Friday where they figured he might be. They gathered to protest the Health Committee’s failure to pass sweeping legislation to ban vaccine […]
In officer’s ‘false’ rape case, prosecutors want previous allegations against suspect withheld
A former Put-In-Bay police officer could face up to 18 months in prison after she was accused last summer of submitting a false accusation of rape against a “volunteer” police officer. Last week, a special prosecutor with the office of the Ohio Attorney General asked a judge to exclude evidence from the trial showing the […]
Ohio House restarts efforts to ban vaccine mandates; Dem calls it ‘pandering’
It’s déjà vu all over again, but with longer hearings this time. An Ohio House committee is meeting twice this week to take a scheduled 14 hours of testimony on legislation to ban vaccine mandates — the eighth and ninth such legislative hearings, now occurring under a second House committee. An initial, expansive version of […]
Man whose wife sued hospital to force it to administer ivermectin dies of COVID-19
An Ohio man whose wife sued a Cincinnati area hospital for refusing to provide him ivermectin as he was intubated due to COVID-19 has died, according to one of her attorneys. Jeffrey Smith, 51, died Sept. 25, according to the family’s attorney, Jonathan Davidson. While he was on a ventilator, Julie Smith filed a lawsuit […]
State regulators made ‘utility-friendly’ edits to audit of coal plant bailout, emails show
Documents show state utility regulators sought edits to draft versions of an audit they commissioned, prompting the removal of declarations that a ratepayer-funded bailout of two uneconomic coal plants was a bad deal for Ohio electric customers. Staff at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, which sets customers’ water and electric rates, asked an auditor […]