Youngstown
Judge puts federal redistricting discrimination suit on hold
A U.S. district court judge put a federal redistricting lawsuit on hold Wednesday, treating a pause for a pair of Mahoning County residents’ discrimination lawsuit as “the most efficient use of judicial resources.” Judge John R. Adams, of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio Eastern Division, said the lawsuit relies on […]
Public calls for fair districts in first redistricting commission meetings
A week of double-header public hearings on redistricting began Monday in Cleveland and Youngstown, with members of the public calling for more fair districts. Ohioans shared with the Ohio Redistricting Commission stories of unrepresentative and oddly-drawn districts (including the “snake on the lake” of Ohio’s 9th district, so-called because of it’s long, skinny appearance on […]
U.S. Senate hears from Ohio on the need for economic relief, minimum wage boost
WASHINGTON — In anticipation of U.S. House votes on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, Sen. Sherrod Brown held a Thursday hearing heavy on Ohio witnesses who stressed the urgent need for help at the grassroots. Brown, an Ohio Democrat who chairs the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, said that the […]
Sen. Brown, local officials want direct payments for COVID-19 relief
City officials are begging for help from the federal government to cover losses in every sector brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ohio Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown says he plans to bring legislation that would align with President Joe Biden’s comprehensive funding plan, and drive direct payments to municipalities across the state. In a […]
Elected leaders must protect Ohio workers, not corporations that close factories and cut jobs
Most people living in the Mahoning Valley believe what we do for work is more than just how we make money. Our jobs can give us purpose and build our communities. For decades, that’s what good union manufacturing jobs did for people of all races and backgrounds who made their lives in the Valley. But […]
Mailbag: I requested an absentee ballot. Can I change my mind?
Unlike Chris Wallace, our brilliant Ohio Capital Journal readers get the privilege of having a mute button. Just don’t use it on me. It’s time for another edition of the Mailbag: Got a question about Ohio politics? Send them to [email protected] or tweet them to @tylerjoelb. If you request a mail-in ballot, can you change […]
School officials, legislators seek way forward without Academic Distress Commissions
Groups from the three Ohio school districts under academic distress commissions met in a virtual town hall calling for the elimination of those commissions Tuesday. Parents, school board members, and state legislators decried the work of House Bill 70, which laid out the role of academic distress commissions (ACD) in taking over school districts considered […]
Double-digit cuts a sure thing for Ohio cities, mayors say, full coronavirus impact unknown
Mayors of many cities in Ohio agree that the steps taken to stem the spread of coronavirus were necessary, but the impacts of the stay-at-home orders and the business closures will be on their minds for the foreseeable future. Municipalities already anticipate drops in income taxes — one of the main revenue sources for the […]
Ohio is flat, rural, red and boring. Except that it’s not.
Ohio is flatland corn country. It’s rural and red and full of white people who drink mass-produced American lager and like football. Oh, and it’s boring, painfully boring. It’s not that these statements are entirely inaccurate, but the massive generalizations they represent are wildly off base. In reality, while Ohio boasts plenty of flat corn […]