Larry Obhof
Mailbag: What’s with all the ‘Ohio is for Leaders’ ads on TV?
Welcome back to another installment of the Ohio Capital Journal Mailbag. Sports betting is not yet legal here, but the odds are good you will find this political column enlightening. (I hope.) Let’s get to it: Got a question about Ohio politics/government? Send them by email to [email protected] or tweet them to @tylerjoelb. Who keeps […]
House Speaker’s office requests resolution be drafted to expel member
The office of Ohio House Speaker Bob Cupp has sought a resolution be drafted to expel a member of the state legislature. Though the request does not identify the member in question, this may mark the first step taken to remove from office Rep. Larry Householder, R-Glenford, the former House speaker who was arrested last […]
Ohio coronavirus picture darkens rapidly
By many measures, the Ohio coronavirus pandemic is quickly worsening — and that’s before any of the effects of holiday travel and visiting are factored in. Thursday saw almost 9,000 new cases in the state, with almost 400 new hospitalizations due to COVID-19 and 82 more dead, bringing the toll throughout the pandemic to 6,753. […]
DeWine announces new curfew to try to slow covid spread
Desperate to slow the spread of coronavirus, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday announced a new curfew intended to decrease person-to-person contacts and new infections. The move was greeted with skepticism in some quarters. DeWine said that starting at 10 p.m. on Thursday, there will be a 21-day statewide curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 […]
Coronavirus is surging, and a bipartisan state Senate wants to lift the bar curfew
With a pandemic worsening at an accelerating clip, a bipartisan group of state Senators is trying to lift restrictions cutting off bar sales at 10 p.m. statewide. On July 31, the Ohio Liquor Control Commission — at the behest of Gov. Mike DeWine — issued an emergency rule prohibiting liquor permit holders from selling alcohol […]
As pandemic worsens, legislature still refuses mask mandate at the Capitol
The new coronavirus has killed more than 209,000 Americans — including 4,925 Ohioans — and infected the leader of the free world and the quarterback of the New England Patriots alike. Yet still, Ohio’s legislative leaders have rebuffed any requirement that members and their staff wear masks at the Capitol. Facial coverings are among the […]
Bill seeks to improve Holocaust understanding in Ohio
Most young Americans believe anti-Semitism exists in the United States today. Yet a striking number have little to no knowledge about the Holocaust. That is a problem Ohio legislators hope to resolve through a proposed commission to better educate people about the atrocities of genocides. Around 1-in-8 Millennials and members of Generation Z have never […]
Ohio Senate passes bill to prohibit widespread stay-at-home orders
The Ohio Senate has approved a bill that would restrict the state health director from issuing broad quarantine and stay-at-home orders in battling a pandemic. Senate Bill 311 is one in a string of bills introduced by Republican legislators this year seeking to rein in power of the Ohio Department of Health, all while the […]
DeWine breaks with GOP lawmakers on prepaid mail ballots
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday said he did not agree with a decision by the legislature, which is controlled by his fellow Republicans, not to pay for postage on mail-in ballots.
‘Operation Grant’ looks to turn Republican voters against Trump
One speaker after another offered a scathing rebuke of Donald Trump. The president is an “incompetent sociopath.” He uses “vile and despicable language.” And he’s the wrong leader in these “dangerous times.” These comments did not come from Democrats and liberals, but rather from a group of lifelong Republicans who are straying from the party […]
In visit with DeVos, Ohio Senate leadership promotes school choice during pandemic
During a town hall at one of Columbus’ private Christian schools, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and two state senate leaders promoted the option of private schools as educators decide on a COVID-19 plan. Senate President Larry Obhof went so far as to say parents should have the choice to change schools in the […]
DeWine issues mask orders as Ohio coronavirus cases surge
Gov. Mike Dewine on Tuesday ordered people to wear masks in the hardest-hit Ohio counties as cases of coronavirus surged across the state. The order mirrors a statewide order issued by DeWine on April 27, only to pull it back a day later. The 948 new COVID-19 cases reported between Monday and Tuesday was an […]