Author: Kaitlin Housler

Norfolk Southern Releases Statement After Train Conductor Fatally Injured in Cleveland

Kaitlin Housler

Norfolk Southern released a statement Tuesday after one of its employees was killed aboard one of the company’s trains that collided with a dump truck at a flat-rolled steel-producing facility in Cleveland, Ohio. A Norfolk Southern conductor identified as Louis Shuster was fatally injured early Tuesday morning at the Cleveland-Cliffs Cleveland Works property when a dump truck struck the train as it was moving through a crossing at the facility, according to a press release by the company.

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Republican National Committee Criticizes President’s Biden Weekend Trip to Delaware amid East Palestine Train Derailment Disaster

Kaitlin Housler

President Joe Biden departed the White House Friday en route to Delaware for the 66th time since taking office this weekend, which drew criticism from the Republican National Committee (RNC). According to the RNC, Biden has spent approximately 40 percent of his presidency “on vacation,” with this weekend marking his 306th, 307th, and 308th total vacation days. Of that 40 percent, the RNC noted that Biden has spent 55 of 110 weekends in Delaware.

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Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance Pushes PPP-Style Relief for East Palestine Businesses Following Train Derailment

Kaitlin Housler

Ohio Senator JD Vance (R-OH) published an opinion piece in The Washington Post this week detailing the extent of support and investment needed for the Ohio town of East Palestine to rebuild following the February 3rd derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals.

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EPA to Resume Hazardous Waste Cleanup at East Palestine Train Derailment Site Following Brief Pause

Kaitlin Housler

The EPA has announced that cleanup and removal of hazardous waste from the East Palestine, Ohio site where a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic materials derailed on February 3rd will resume on Monday following a brief pause.

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PA Gov. Shapiro Blasts ‘Corporate Greed and Incompetence’ of Norfolk Southern at Site of East Palestine, Ohio Train Derailment; OH Gov. DeWine and EPA Administrator Michael Regan Also Speak

Kaitlin Housler

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro traveled to East Palestine, Ohio on Tuesday to participate in a joint news conference with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and EPA Administrator Michael Regan regarding ongoing concerns surrounding the recent derailment of a Norfolk Southern train.

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Ohio Senators JD Vance and Sherrod Brown Send Joint Letter Requesting Dioxin Monitoring Plans For East Palestine from the EPA

Kaitlin Housler

Over the weekend, Ohio Senators JD Vance (R-OH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) worked together in sending a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – both at the federal and state level – requesting that the agencies provide their plans to monitor East Palestine and surrounding areas for dioxins following the February 3rd derailment of a Norfolk Southern train.

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Senators JD Vance, Marco Rubio Send Letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Demanding Answers on East Palestine Train Derailment

Kaitlin Housler

Ohio Senator JD Vance (R-OH) and Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday amid the ongoing situation surrounding the recent train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

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Senator JD Vance Issues Statement on the East Palestine, Ohio Train Derailment

Kaitlin Housler

Ohio Senator JD Vance (R-OH) issued a statement Monday with questions regarding the 50-car freight train transporting hazardous goods that crashed earlier this month near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. The crash was treated with a controlled release of chemicals to prevent an explosion.

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RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel Will Not Participate in Public Debate with Challengers Harmeet Dhillon and Mike Lindell

Kaitlin Housler

Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel reportedly declined to participate in a live, public debate with her opponents, according to POLITICO.

McDaniel, seeking a fourth term as chair, cited her “existing commitment to a forum” that the RNC will hold regarding being absent from the live debate, the outlet reported Friday.

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Ohio Governor DeWine Declares August 9 ‘Dolly Parton Day’

Kaitlin Housler

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a proclamation declaring August 9 as honorary “Dolly Parton Day” to commemorate the success of Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio mails kids one book each month until their fifth birthday, 60 books. All kids in Ohio are eligible, and this program is available at no cost to families.

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Judge Orders Ohio Home-Improvement Contractor That Deceived Dozens of Customers to ‘Stop Operating His Business Immediately’

Kaitlin Housler
Dave Yost

Neil Wolfe, a longtime home-improvement contractor who deceived dozens of his customers and then repeatedly flouted a judge’s injunction, has been held in civil contempt and ordered to stop operating his business immediately, according to a press release by Attorney General Dave Yosts’s office.

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Attorney General Yost Announces $80 Million Settlement Reached with Company That Caused Environmental Damage Through PCB Contamination

Kaitlin Housler

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced an $80 million settlement with the Monsanto Company Thursday that “forces the company to pay for the long-standing environmental damage it knowingly caused in Ohio with its toxic products.”

“Ohio has been absorbing the health and environmental costs of PCB contamination for decades, and the cleanup will likely continue for even longer,” Attorney General Dave Yost said. “This settlement not only holds Monsanto accountable for its actions but also provides significant financial resources to assist in environmental cleanup.”

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Three Men Charged in Drug Trafficking Conspiracy to Distribute over 1,100 Pounds of Cocaine in the Cleveland Area

Kaitlin Housler

Federal law enforcement officials announced the arrest of three men charged in a 30-count indictment for their roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy that is alleged to have brought over 500 kilograms, or approximately 1,100 pounds, of cocaine from Mexico to be redistributed in the Cleveland area, according to a press release by the Northern District of Ohio U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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Federal Jury Finds Former Westlake Investment Advisor Guilty of Stealing More Than $9.3 Million from Clients in Ponzi Scheme

Kaitlin Housler
Raymond Erker

Acting U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler announced that a federal jury returned guilty verdicts Wednesday against Defendant Raymond A. Erker, 50, of Avon, Ohio, following a seven-day trial before U.S. District Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland, according to a press release by the Northern District of Ohio U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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Ohio General Assembly Passes Law Eliminating Training and Permit Requirements for Concealed Carry Weapons

Kaitlin Housler

The Ohio Senate “concurred with changes” Wednesday made to Senate Bill 215 which will allow law abiding adults to carry a concealed handgun without obtaining a permit in areas where concealed carry is currently exercised, according to a press release by the Ohio Senate.

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Governor DeWine Bans Purchases of Russian Goods and Services, Directs Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation to Divest Russian Assets

Kaitlin Housler

On Thursday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Executive Order 22-02D which “prohibits the State of Ohio investment or purchasing activity from aiding Russia in violating the rights of the Ukrainian people,” according to a press release by DeWine’s office.

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Eastern Ohio Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Committing Federal Crimes

Kaitlin Housler
man in handcuffs

An Eastern Ohio man was sentenced in U.S. District Court Friday to 168 months (14 years) in prison for discharging a firearm during a drug-trafficking robbery and for cyberstalking a victim for a year, according to a press release by the Southern District of Ohio U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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More Than 300 People Turn Out for Educational Forum on Elder Abuse Presented by the Ohio Attorney General

Kaitlin Housler
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost

More than 300 people joined an online educational forum presented this week by the Ohio Attorney General’s Elder Abuse Commission aimed at helping older Ohioans avoid financial exploitation, a common form of elder abuse, according to a press release by the Attorney General’s office.

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Columbus and Surrounding Cities’ Mayors Signal Potential End to Indoor Mask Mandate

Kaitlin Housler

City leaders from Bexley, Whitehall, Worthington, and Columbus met with Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts and Franklin County Health Commissioner Joe Mazzola recently to receive an update on the status of the spread of COVID-19 in the community, according to a statement by the city of Columbus.

Currently, each city has local orders in place requiring the wearing of face coverings indoors, however, Dr. Roberts reported that both COVID-19 transmission rates and hospitalizations have continued to decline dramatically. If current trends continue, each city expects to consider lifting local face covering requirements in the coming weeks, according to the press release.

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Thirteen Charged for Drug Trafficking Conspiracy That Sought to Distribute Illegal Drugs in the Akron Area

Kaitlin Housler
Fentanyl

Acting U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler announced that a federal grand jury returned an eighteen-count superseding indictment charging 13 individuals as part of a drug trafficking conspiracy that sought to distribute illegal drugs in the Akron area.

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Three Ohio State Parks Temporarily Renamed in Support of Cincinnati Bengals Competing at Super Bowl LVI

Kaitlin Housler
LVI Super Bowl sign

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Director Mary Mertz temporarily renamed three Ohio State Parks to honor current and past players of the Super-Bowl-bound Cincinnati Bengals.

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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost Encourages #FreedomConvoy Donors to Contact His Office

Kaitlin Housler

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost wants to hear from Ohioans impacted by GoFundMe’s initial decision to refund or redirect donations given to demonstrators protesting COVID-19 restrictions in Canada, according to a press release by Yosts’s office.

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Ohio State University Adjusts COVID-19 Protocols for Students, Faculty, Staff, and Visitors

Kaitlin Housler
Aerial view of Ohio State University

The Ohio State University is adjusting some COVID-19 health and safety protocols for students, faculty, staff and visitors, according to a Monday press release by the university.

In a message from Senior Vice President for Student Life Melissa Shivers and Senior Vice President and Wolfe Foundation Endowed Athletics Director Gene Smith, Buckeyes are asked to follow “local and university mask mandates, appropriate physical distancing, availability of PPE and hand sanitizer, limited distribution of literature and other items, and any other recommendations event planners, coordinators and public health advisors may have” when it comes to in-person gathering.

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Educational Think Tank Calls on Supreme Court to Uphold the Constitutional Rights of Parents

Kaitlin Housler
Supreme Court building

In a press release Friday, The Buckeye Institute announced that they are “filing an amicus brief with the Supreme Court of the United States in Carson v. Makin calling on the court to make clear – as it has in many other cases – that it is a violation of the U.S. Constitution to deny students and their families financial aid that is available to all other students on the basis that family chooses to use their aid to send their children to a religious or ‘sectarian’ school.”

Robert Alt, president and chief executive officer of the educational think tank said, “The core constitutional issues before the high court have been asked and answered many times: the government cannot discriminate against religion in administering benefit programs.”

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