Speaker Larry Householder
Medicaid department mum on contacts with DeWine-connected lobbyist
A close, long-standing friend of Gov. Mike DeWine registered early this year to lobby on behalf of a giant Medicaid provider — just before Attorney General Dave Yost accused the company of ripping off tens of millions of taxpayer dollars. The company, St. Louis-based Centene, later agreed to pay out $88 million to Ohio and […]
Social media satirist known as ‘Reflog_18’ wants Householder’s open seat
Eligibility in question, but McNeil says he’s ‘less corrupt than the last guy’ A Licking County resident known widely online for his Ohio sports commentary and having once organized the Cleveland Browns 0-16 parade is vying for the Statehouse seat left open by the expulsion of Rep. Larry Householder. Chris McNeil, a Granville native who […]
Three Ohio energy giants haven’t paid federal income taxes in three years
They're making billions and they've gotten hefty subsidies from ratepayers. Yet three big energy companies doing business in Ohio haven't paid federal income tax since the 2017 Trump tax cuts, according to a new report.
Lack of sunshine in political money fuels corruption. Here’s proof
A historic nuclear bailout scandal in Ohio has already led to six indictments — including that of a House speaker — three guilty pleas and, unfortunately, one death. Still more indictments are possible next month when a federal grand jury is expected to again take up the matter. The whole sorry episode illustrates the desperate […]
Critics take aim at HB 6 coal subsidies
A 2019 energy bill at the heart of a historic Ohio scandal has plenty of critics and it contains plenty of provisions of which they’re critical. There’s more than $1 billion to prop up two nuclear reactors that supposedly can’t compete on their own. And there’s $102 million in annual revenue guarantees for FirstEnergy, a […]
FirstEnergy touts openness, critic questions it
The Ohio power company at the heart of a historic scandal has taken steps in recent months to move on from it. Akron-based FirstEnergy conducted an internal investigation that resulted in the firing of its CEO and other top executives. It agreed to forgo revenue guarantees that resulted from the corrupt legislation, House Bill 6, […]
Never needed? Senate president predicts little opposition to nuclear bailout repeal
A billion-dollar nuclear subsidy was the subject of an intense fight in 2019 and great controversy since. But the president of the Ohio Senate this week predicted that a repeal will make it through the House, Senate and that Gov. Mike DeWine will sign it. The reason: The company that owns the nuclear reactors no […]
DeWine aide’s organization was link to now-guilty dark money group
Dan McCarthy, a top aide to Gov. Mike DeWine, hasn’t explained what he thought the point was of the millions funneling through a dark money group he founded and into another at the heart of a huge corruption scandal that has rocked Ohio. He did say, however, that he had no reason to believe it […]
DeWine won’t commit to putting consumer advocate on utility commission
Last week, as he rejected a list of four possible nominees to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine said he might still consider some of the individuals on the list — which included a consumer advocate. However, the governor’s office wouldn’t commit to appointing someone who has no ties to the industry […]
Investigation of $460M in FirstEnergy charges back on, but why was it stopped in the first place?
The Public Utility Commission of Ohio has restarted an audit of $465 million that Akron-based FirstEnergy collected from ratepayers in 2017 and 2018, supposedly to modernize the utility grid. The state’s official watchdog, the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, wants to know whether any of the money was used in a $61 million bribery […]
Many bailout-repeal bills were filed, only a half-measure appears to have a chance
There were many calls to repeal scandal-plagued HB 6, but with the legislative session wrapping up on Tuesday at the latest, only one appears to have a chance of making it across the finish line. And that one is at best a half-measure.
Ohio utility poised to keep scandal-tainted bailout money even if it’s repealed
When it comes to billions of ratepayer dollars for bailouts and other add-ons, Ohio utilities are in a no-lose situation. In the case of the scandal-plagued, billion-dollar bailout of two Northern Ohio nuclear reactors, their owner is poised to keep any money they collect even if the legislature repeals the bailout. State Rep. Mark Romanchuk, […]