Larry Obhof
Senate President: No health concerns with theoretical Trump rally here
Technically speaking, a group of 11 Ohioans may not be able to gather next weekend for an Independence Day barbecue under the state’s public health order, issued to slow down COVID-19 in the state. But Senate President Larry Obhof, R-Medina, thinks Ohio is ready for a much larger gathering: a Donald Trump campaign rally, which […]
Ohio faces second year with no executions
When Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine last week delayed three more executions into 2022 and 2023, it meant that 2020 would be the second consecutive year in which the Buckeye State had engaged in no judicial killings. The delays raise the question: Will the death chamber at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility ever be used again […]
Ohio House passes bill to limit Dr. Acton’s power to issue health orders
A small group of Ohio legislators may be given the chance to put the state’s COVID-19 health orders to a vote. The Ohio House of Representatives has approved a bill that would give that group authority to approve or reject certain orders from Dr. Amy Acton, the director of the Ohio Department of Health. The […]
After confusing primary, advocates and leaders begin planning for fall election
Ohio’s lengthy, unpredictable primary election finally concluded last week. Now the fight is on to determine how the November general election will proceed. That will be an election with a presidential race and other hot ticket items on the ballot, leading to a much larger turnout compared to the election held primarily through the mail […]
Some Republican legislators need to grow up, stop stoking anger and peddling misinformation
This past week we’ve seen Americans at a fever pitch over stay-at-home orders imposed to save lives during the coronavirus pandemic. We’ve seen men armed with semi-automatic rifles in militia cosplay storm the Michigan Statehouse, screaming in the faces of the police officers preventing them from entering the Michigan House of Representatives. We’ve seen unhinged […]
As pandemic rages and uncertainty looms, Ohio legislature takes the backseat
For nearly two months now, Gov. Mike DeWine has pulled the levers of government power via executive orders, announced in real time at televised briefings every afternoon. Ohio’s chief executive and his health director have blocked mass gatherings of people, canceled in-person learning at K-12 schools, and shuttered “non-essential” businesses. The General Assembly, meanwhile, has […]
Jewish leader: response to Brenner part of ‘protocol’ on handling Ohio pols’ Nazi comparisons
When the anti-Semitic comments amplified by state Sen. Andrew Brenner were uncovered Wednesday morning, Howie Beigelman, the son of a Holocaust survivor, knew what to do. He picked up the phone and called Brenner directly to talk about them. This is the third such call the executive director of Ohio Jewish Communities has had to […]
GOP lawmaker says he won’t let Jewish health director turn Ohio into Nazi Germany
Note: State Sen. Andrew Brenner apologized for the comments on Thursday afternoon. Updates are being posted to a new story available here. The original reporting from throughout Wednesday is below. A Republican state senator took to Facebook on Holocaust Remembrance Day to pledge he would not allow the Jewish Ohio Department of Health director to […]
Push for death penalty elimination continues with upcoming legislation
Current and former legislators, religious leaders and advocacy groups came together Wednesday to announce an upcoming bill to eliminate the death penalty in Ohio. State Sen. Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, brought the groups together to promote the concept of life without parole being the highest criminal punishment in the state. The legislator has introduced a bill […]
Proposed term limit amendment clears another hurdle
A proposed constitutional amendment that would institute new term limits on Ohio legislators has cleared another hurdle toward getting it on this year’s General Election ballot. The latest victory for term limit advocates came Monday morning despite opposition from Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof. What the term limit amendment does The proposed “Lifetime General Assembly […]
Ohio House plan a better option for the future of vouchers
Less than a month before deadline, Ohio’s school voucher stalemate seems to be ongoing, with no evidence that either side will budge. The legislature has until April 1 to agree on a plan for the private school voucher program, after it pushed back the EdChoice application deadline date from Feb. 1. In our reporting today, Senate President […]
EdChoice debate: Private schools a beneficial option, students and administrators say
Students and parents from Ohio’s private schools stayed up past their bedtimes in some cases to put their two cents in about the state private school voucher program’s fate. At conference committee hearings to decide on one particular proposal for EdChoice, private school advocates argued the workforce waiting for their students and the competitive nature […]