michael sheehy
Police hiring database measure gets hearing
More than a year after its introduction, a measure establishing a statewide database for police officer hiring got its first committee hearing. Still, the proposal may be a longshot in the GOP-controlled House. For years, reformers have called for such a database. They invoke officers like Timothy Loehmann, who shot and killed Tamir Rice in […]
House agrees to safer buggy traffic standards, again rejects masks
Ohio lawmakers again rejected basic infection control protections for a deadly pandemic on Tuesday, shortly before voting to improve safety standards for animal-drawn vehicles on public roadways. The Ohio House of Representatives voted for the third time against mandating that face masks be worn at the Statehouse. Also on Tuesday afternoon, the state health department […]
FirstEnergy money flowed to Ohio politicians who supported Householder-backed HB6
FirstEnergy Solutions said it needed a government bailout to continue operating. It still had hundreds of thousands of dollars available to donate to Ohio politicians. The Akron-based energy company spent years working toward what would become House Bill 6 — passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature and signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in the summer […]
Many Ohio lawmakers use campaign $$ to subscribe to hometown papers
Dozens of Ohio legislators are choosing to spend their donors’ money in the interest of local journalism. In total, 35 state representatives and senators paid for news subscriptions using campaign funds in 2019, a review from the Ohio Capital Journal has found. And though the president bemoans the alleged problem of “fake news,” it is […]