state
GOP officials and a collegiate political scandal could nix Dem’s ballot slot in SE Ohio
An Athens County Democrat filed a lawsuit last week asking the Ohio Supreme Court to reverse a decision by the Republican Secretary of State and allow her onto the ballot in a southeast Ohio House district. The story of the ballot fight includes a scandal in Ohio University’s Student Senate, a primary election delayed by […]
Appellate court resurrects OSU lawsuit over serial predator it employed
A panel of judges resurrected a lawsuit against Ohio State University brought by sex abuse victims who allege the school knew of and covered up the serial predation of a physician it employed. In a split ruling from the judges on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals released Wednesday, Judge Karen Nelson Moore writing for […]
Ohio State employed a serial sex abuser. Its fight with his victims lives on
As Ohio State University came to publicly acknowledge that a physician it employed abused hundreds of students over two decades, it also waged several high-stakes legal and political fights against some of his victims to narrow their path to financial damages, an Ohio Capital Journal investigation has found. In state and federal courtrooms and behind […]
On appeal, lawyers for Strauss victims say OSU shouldn’t profit off ‘deception’
Lawyers representing the victims of an Ohio State University physician’s decades of sexual abuse asked a federal appellate court Tuesday to overturn a judge’s dismissal of their lawsuit against the school. Last year, U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson dismissed a Title IX lawsuit the victims filed against the university, ruling that the statute of […]
‘Mendacity:’ Ohio State doc’s sex abuse victims mount appeal of lawsuit dismissal
Scores of victims of decades’ worth of sexual abuse from Ohio State University physician Richard Strauss have mounted an appeal of a court ruling that dismissed their lawsuit on the grounds that the statute of limitations has passed. The plaintiffs, led by OSU alum and abuse victim Stephen Snyder-Hill, argued their case never should have […]
Who funded Ohio Statehouse politics in 2021?
Education and construction unions, natural gas utilities, the beer and wine industry, optometrists, car dealers, telecommunications firms, nursing home operators, doctors’ associations and others dumped money into lawmakers’ accounts in 2021. These funds set the stage for the maiden elections on yet-to-be finalized maps setting the district lines. (The Ohio Supreme Court overturned the GOP-passed […]
SNAP “asset tests” removed from state budget
State lawmakers removed two provisions from the state budget that would have made food stamps more difficult to access for poor Ohioans. Senate Republicans earlier this month proposed two changes to how the state administers benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. One would impose an “asset test” on recipients, which eliminates their benefits if […]
State Republicans seek to ban cities from limiting natural gas development
Ohio lawmakers are considering a pair of bills that would block cities and counties from opting out of pipeline projects or limiting the use of natural gas. Lobbyists representing the coal and natural gas industries appeared before the House Energy and Natural Resources committee Wednesday in support. House Bill 192 would prohibit city or county […]
Judge to consider if Ohio woman’s Capitol riot charges are ‘crimes of violence’
A federal judge Tuesday delayed his ruling on whether to allow the pre-trial release of an Ohio woman accused of organizing a paramilitary unit to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta asked an attorney for Jessica Watkins, who commanded a self-described militia, and prosecutors to submit arguments as to […]
Ohio ‘militia’ members planned Capitol violence in November, prosecutors say
Members of an unregulated Ohio militia began plotting a violent attempt to overturn the presidential election just days after cable networks first projected President Joe Biden had won, federal prosecutors say. A grand jury handed up indictments against three people Wednesday, including Jessica Watkins, 38, and Donovan Crowl, 50, two members of the self-described “Ohio […]
As pandemic rages, more infectious ‘Columbus variant’ of coronavirus emerges, researchers say
After nearly 800,000 Ohioans have tested positive for COVID-19 since March, researchers say they’ve identified a homegrown and more infectious mutation of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. While the mutation is similar to a strain recently discovered in the United Kingdom and South Africa, researchers believe the “Columbus variant” originated in the U.S. “We are […]
Ohio ‘militia’ group joined invasion of U.S. Capitol
A self-identified Ohio militia unit stormed the U.S. Capitol last week along with hundreds, if not thousands of others, part of a failed effort to overturn the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. The group, which calls itself the “Ohio State Regular Militia,” strongly resembles a unit that appeared at the Ohio Statehouse under the same name […]