Nearly all of Ohio’s schools have committed to returning to some form of in-person learning by March 1, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said on Tuesday.
Read MoreAuthor: Jordyn Pair
Ohio Residents Ages 80 and Older Eligible for Coronavirus Vaccine Starting Tuesday
Ohio residents ages 80-years-old and older will be eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccination starting on Tuesday, January 19 as Phase 1B of the Ohio Department of Health’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program begins.
Read MoreNew Coronavirus Strain Found in Ohio, Is Possibly More Contagious
Researchers at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine announced this week that they discovered a new variant of COVID-19 which is potentially more infectious than other variants.
Read MoreOhio Flags to be Flown at Half-Mast to Honor Capitol Police Officer Killed in Riot
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Monday that flags would be flown at half-staff on all public buildings until Wednesday in honor of a U.S. Capitol Police Officer who was killed during riots last week.
Read MoreOhio AG Dave Yost Joins Coalition Asking FDA for Update on Opioid Epidemic
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has joined a coalition of attorneys general across the country in asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to release a progress report on the opioid epidemic.
Read MoreFive Ohio Representatives Among Those Who Objected to Electoral College Certification
Of the 147 Republicans that objected to certifying the results of the Electoral College on Wednesday, five of them were representatives from Ohio.
Read MoreDeWine Says Next Phase of Vaccinations to Start in Two Weeks, Includes Elderly, Teachers
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Tuesday that the next phase of coronavirus vaccinations should begin in two weeks.
Read MoreOhio Rep. Jim Jordan Expected to Receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
President Trump is reportedly set to award a Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rep. Jim Jordan, the U.S. Republican Representative for Ohio from the 4th District.
Read MoreJanuary 2 to Mark One-Year Anniversary of Coronavirus in Ohio
January 2 will mark the one-year anniversary of the novel coronavirus being in Ohio, according to backdated data from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).
Read MoreOhio Gov. DeWine Extends Overnight Curfew Through January 23
Ohio will be extending its overnight curfew until January 23, the second extension the state has seen.
Read MoreColumbus Police Department Fires Officer Who Shot Andre Hill
Officer Adam Coy has been fired from the Columbus Division of Police in Ohio after he fatally shot Andre Hill, a Black man, officials announced on Monday after a disciplinary hearing.
Read MoreOhioans Over 65, Those with Medical Conditions to be Vaccinated Next, DeWine Says
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health announced the second phase of vaccine distribution last week, with those over the age of 65 and those living with medical issues to be next in line to receive the vaccine.
Read MoreOhio Legislators Slam Coronavirus Bill Add-ons, Praise Bipartisan Effort
After months of infighting, Congress passed a coronavirus relief bill late on Monday night, prompting Ohio legislators to praise bipartisan measures to provide relief during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Read MoreOhio Sees Spike in Drug Overdose Deaths as Pandemic Rages
Nineteen counties in Ohio have exceeded or equaled records for the most overdoses in a year as the nation continues to see a spike in drug overdoses during the coronavirus pandemic.
Harm Reduction Ohio, a drug policy advocacy group which says it is the largest distributor of naloxone in the state, says the biggest increases in death caused by overdoses have occurred in central and east Ohio.
Read MoreOhio Begins Administering Vaccines in Nursing Homes
Ohio began administering the coronavirus vaccine in its nursing homes for the first time on Friday as part of a federal program that pairs pharmacies with long-term care facilities.
Read MoreOhio Health Department Claims to Not Know Which Nursing Homes Have Coronavirus Deaths, Investigation Reveals
Ohio health officials have claimed to have no record of which nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have seen deaths caused by the coronavirus, an investigation from local media found.
Read MoreOhio Attorney General Warns Against COVID-19 Vaccination Scams
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is warning residents to watch out for scams related to the coronavirus vaccine distribution that began this week.
Yost has said scammers could potentially impersonate distributors or other health officials to mine for personal information such as a Social Security number with promise of putting them on a list to get vaccinated.
Read MoreFirst Vaccines Arrive in Ohio, Gov. DeWine Announces
Vaccines for the novel coronavirus have arrived and are being administered in Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Monday.
The vaccine was first delivered to the Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, where it was administered to healthcare workers. It was also delivered to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Each hospital received 975 doses.
Read MoreOhio Gov. DeWine Extends Overnight Curfew Until January 2
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Thursday that he would be extending the state’s overnight curfew until January 2, 2021, to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Read MoreOhio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation to Pay Out $5 Billion in Dividends to Ohio Employers
Businesses in Ohio can expect to begin receiving state aid, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation said on Wednesday.
Read MoreGov. DeWine Hints at Extended Coronavirus Curfew
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said during a Monday press conference that the curfew currently placed on the state will need to be extended, although he did not reveal more details.
DeWine imposed a 21-day curfew on Ohio from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. running from November 19 to December 10. The curfew was meant as a “slow down” aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus and applied to retail and indoor seating at restaurants. The curfew exempted businesses like restaurants operating on take-out only, pharmacies and grocery stores.
Read MoreOhio Includes Itself on Own Travel Advisory
As confirmed cases of the coronavirus continue to rise in the state, Ohio has warned its residents against traveling — to Ohio.
Read MoreODJFS Announces Return of Job-Search Requirement for Unemployment Benefits
Ohio residents applying for unemployment benefits after December 6 will be required to meet work-search requirements, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) announced on Wednesday.
Although the work-search requirement has been in effect “for decades,” it had been waived starting March 16 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the department said. Individuals who are quarantined or isolated by “order of a medical professional, local health authority or employer” are exempted from the requirement.
Read MoreOhio Department of Health Releases Vaccine Distribution Plan in Anticipation of FDA Approval
The Ohio Department of Health has released its vaccine distribution plan, even as the state waits for final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a vaccine.
Read MoreOhio Launches Grant Program to Improve Air Quality in Long-Term Care Facilities
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced a new indoor air quality program on Tuesday designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus in long-term care facilities.
Read MoreGOP Reps File Impeachment Articles Against Gov. DeWine
Ohio lawmakers officially filed articles of impeachment against Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday, prompting him to slam the move in a press conference the same day.
Read MoreOhio Bill to Increase Access to School Choice Vouchers
The Ohio Senate has passed legislation which increases access to tuition vouchers through Ohio’s Educational Choice Scholarship Program, as well as changes the guidelines for eligible schools.
Ohio’s EdChoice Program allows students from eligible public schools to attend certain private schools and awards up to $4,650 for grades K-8 and $6,000 for grades 9-12, according to the Ohio Department of Education.
Read MoreMichigan Restaurant Owner Loses Franchise with Big Boy for Breaking Pandemic Restrictions
The owner of a restaurant in Sandusky, Michigan, says it is being “forced to terminate” its contract with the Big Boy franchise over its decision to stay open despite pandemic restrictions.
A recent order from the state of Michigan has closed indoor restaurant dining in the state from November 18 to December 8. It also closed in-person learning for college and high schools, movie theaters, bowling alleys and arcades. The order additionally cancels group fitness classes and organized sports.
Read MoreOhio Should Get First Coronavirus Vaccine Batch by Mid-December, DeWine Says
Ohio should start to see the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines by mid-December, according to an announcement from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday.
DeWine said during a press conference on Tuesday that the vaccine will be delivered to Ohio around December 15.
Read MoreOhio AG Yost Files Suspension Proceedings Against Cincinnati Councilman Sittenfeld
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost initiated suspension proceedings against Cincinnati City Councilman P.J. Sittenfeld on Monday amid allegations of corruption.
Sittenfeld has been accused of accepting $40,000 in bribes and was charged with two counts each of honest services wire fraud, bribery and attempted extortion, NBC News reported.
Sittenfeld has denied the claims, saying that he is “innocent” and that the allegations are “simply not true.”
Read MoreOhio AG Dave Yost Files Lawsuit Against Car Dealership Accused of Failing to Provide Car Titles
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has filed a lawsuit against a used car dealership in the state for failing to provide titles to buyers, according to a statement released by the attorney general’s office on Friday. The lawsuit seeks reimbursement for a state fund used to help used car buyers resolve title problems.
Read MoreOhio Gov. DeWine Imposes 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Curfew Beginning Thursday
Ohio will see a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. starting on Thursday in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus, according to an announcement from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday.
The curfew will run for 21 days and apply to retail and indoor seating for restaurants, according to Fox8. It does not apply to restaurants open for takeout or delivery, pharmacies or grocery stores. It also does not apply to those who are seeking medical care, have an emergency or those who need to be at work.
Read MoreDeWine Says He Does Not Want Second Lockdown, Calls for ‘Slow Down’
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said during a press conference on Monday that he is not planning to impose a second full lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus, instead calling for a “slow down” in the state.
Ohio is currently seeing thousands of new cases of COVID-19 each day, with nearly 8,000 new cases added on Monday, according to data from the Covid Tracking Project.
“Instead of shutting down, we have to slow down,” DeWine said at a conference from the Tri-State Airport in West Virginia, according to Fox8. “We have to slow down in our individual lives and our decisions in what we are doing.”
Read MoreDeWine Names New Chief Medical Officer, Director of Health Department
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced several new additions to the Ohio Department of Health on Twitter on Thursday, citing the pandemic as the reason for the new appointees.
DeWine named Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff as the Chief Medical Officer for the Ohio Department of Health. Vanderhoff had previously served as senior vice president and chief medical officer for OhioHealth, a healthcare outreach for the United Methodist Church, since December 2008.
Read MoreGreenwald Pushes Back on Claims He Left The Intercept For Money
Glenn Greenwald is pushing back against the idea that he resigned from The Intercept as a marketing ploy, saying he gave up a huge salary, as well as a team of lawyers and a security detail for a legal fight currently ongoing in Brazil.
Greenwald, the co-founder of The Intercept who resigned on Thursday, said he gave up his job in response to censorship by the outlet’s editorial staff about a story critical of Hunter and Joe Biden. In the piece, Greenwald went after both the Biden family and the media, saying the latter refused to ask important questions and seek the truth due an affinity for the Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Read MoreGlenn Greenwald Resigns from The Intercept Over Censoring of Biden Piece
Shortly after resigning from The Intercept on Thursday, Glenn Greenwald published the article whose censoring he said caused him to step down in the first place.
Greenwald announced on Thursday that he would be leaving The Intercept, the publication that he co-founded in 2014, due to censorship from editorial staff over a piece critical of Joe and Hunter Biden.
Read MoreOhio House Introduces Bill to Bring Back Bar Hours
Ohio representatives introduced a bill on Tuesday seeking to reinstate normal business hours for bars and restaurants with liquor licenses in order to boost business.
The bill would remove the sanctions placed on Ohio bars, which currently bans alcohol sales past 10 p.m. and consumption past 11 p.m. Regulations would instead return to the Ohio Revised Code, which allows sales until 2:30 p.m. It also waives any disciplinary action taken against a bar or restaurant for breaking the restricted hours on or after July 31, when it went into effect.
Read MoreJudge Dismisses All Charges Against Investigative Journalist Millie Weaver
Charges against former InfoWars correspondent Millicent “Millennial Millie” Weaver were dropped on Wednesday, Weaver announced on her Twitter.
Weaver, 29, was originally arrested in August on charges of robbery, a second-degree felony, tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, obstructing justice, a fifth-degree felony and domestic violence, according to the indictment filed on July 20 in Portage County Court of Common Pleas, News 5 Cleveland reported.
Read MoreOhioans Voting Early in-Person at Nearly Triple the Rate of 2016
Ohio residents are voting at massive rates, nearly tripling the amount of early in-person voting compared to 2016, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced on Tuesday.
Nearly 1.1 million Ohio residents have already cast their ballot for the presidential election, 119% the rate seen in 2016. Nearly triple the amount of people are voting early in-person compared to 2016, the Secretary of State’s office said.
Read MoreBowling Green Parents Protest, Petition Against School Board Decision to Remain Online
A group of parents in Bowling Green, Ohio, protested on Monday night against a recent school board decision to keep local students in online learning, despite the school system being designated as safe to reopen. The protest was sponsored by the group BG VOICE, a Facebook group boasting more…
Read MoreGov. DeWine Signs into Law Expanded Tax Exemption for Spouses of Fallen First Responders
A new law signed by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will increase tax exemptions for spouses of fallen first responders.
House Bill 17 was an expansion of previous legislation and increases the homestead tax exemption from $25,000 to $50,000. The legislation allows the spouse of a fallen first responder to exempt $50,000 of their home’s appraised value from property taxes or the manufactured home tax.
Read MoreOhio Football Coaches, Players Frustrated at Differing County Guidelines
Players and coaches are growing increasingly frustrated as Ohio counties reveal different protocols for coronavirus exposure for high school football teams.
Matt Lancaster, the head coach for the Indian Valley High School football team in Tuscarawas County, said 16 of his students were quarantined after an exposure during a game on October 10.
Read MoreWoman Visiting Ohio Nursing Home Turned Away After Refusing to Give Information for Contact Tracing
Although Ohio is allowing indoor visitation at nursing homes for the first time in months, some are still having trouble seeing their loved ones.
Melissa Ackison, 42, said she was forced to wear a mask to visit her grandmother, despite her having a medical exemption.
Read MoreBiden Pans Trump Economics, Pivots Away from Global Markets to Promise to Keep Jobs in America in Ohio Campaign Stops
Dozens of supporters for President Trump greeted Democratic nominee Joe Biden outside the latter’s dual campaign speeches in Ohio on Monday.
Speaking at an invitation-only event at Cincinnati’s Union Terminal, Biden highlighted to roughly 20 people the economic downturn resulting from the pandemic, Trump’s response to COVID-19, and systemic racism in the U.S.
Read MoreWhitmer Reportedly Lone Governor Preventing Big 10 Football
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer could be a “major roadblock” to the start of the Big 10 football season, according to Ohio State insider Jeff Snook.
The Spun reported that Snook is saying that Whitmer against University of Michigan playing football.
Read MoreDetroit Police Chief James Craig Cites Unified City, Not Backing Down for Peaceful City Among Protests
Detroit Police Chief James Craig credited the city’s success in remaining peaceful during nationwide protests and riots with having a city that has stood together and a police force that refuses to give up “the ground to the radicals.”
In an appearance on Fox News’s Tucker Carlson Tonight on Tuesday, Craig told Carlson that “we don’t retreat here in Detroit.”
Read MoreAllen West Ousts James Dickey as Texas Republican Party Chair
Allen West clinched the position of party leader for the Texas Republicans early Monday morning, ousting James Dickey, who was first elected to the position in 2017.
Retired Army Lt. Col. West won 22 state Senate districts to Dickey’s four and claimed victory around 3:30 a.m, according to the Statesman News Network. Five districts are yet to report.
Read MoreSenate Confirms John Ratcliffe as Director of National Intelligence
The Senate confirmed Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX-04) on Thursday as President Trump’s top intelligence official in a vote straight along party lines.
Ratcliffe became Trump’s second permanent Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in a 49-44 vote, with all Democrats opposed. The vote along party lines was the first since the position was created following the 9/11 attack as generally there are never more than a dozen senators voting against a confirmation for the position, according to CNN.
Read MoreOhio Lifts Stay-at-Home Order, Issues Urgent Health Advisory Instead
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine lifted the state’s stay-at-home order on Tuesday, changing it instead to an “urgent health advisory.”
Saying that Ohio had been successful in flattening the curve and that the rates of infection are down, DeWine cut short the stay-at-home order, instead shifting it to “strong recommendations.”
Read MoreOhio Supreme Court Upholds Law on Takeovers of Underperforming Schools
The Ohio Supreme Court recently upheld a law that changed how the state intervenes with schools that consistently perform poorly. The court ruled on Wednesday in favor of the constitutionality of a law that shifts the operational control of a poorly-performing school from the elected school board to unelected CEOs hired by state-appointed academic distress commissions.
Youngstown, Ohio, argued that the law stripped school boards of its power, according to AP News. The court said the school boards are currently set up in a way that does not require school board to receive any specific power.
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