Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost officially declared his candidacy on Thursday for the Republican nomination for governor in 2026.
Read MoreA.G. Dave Yost Kicks Off Ohio Governor Campaign, Promises to Defend Conservative Values
Category: State News
Ohio Bill Proposal Bans DEI in Higher Education
An Ohio state senator introduced a bill Wednesday that bans DEI in higher education in Ohio.
Senate Bill (SB) 1 would eliminate DEI “courses, training, litmus tests, required statements, and spending for any DEI initiatives or programs with the same intent,” according to a press release. State Senator Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) introduced this bill.
Read MoreZero Republican Professors Found Across Seven Departments at University of Cincinnati
There is a strong Democratic tilt among professors in 15 departments at the University of Cincinnati, according to a College Fix analysis.
Seven of the 15 departments surveyed lack even one identifiable Republican professor.
Read MoreDeWine Picks Husted as Ohio’s Next Senator
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine picked Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted as Ohio’s next senator.
“The person who is suited to be the next United States Senator is a person who has been close to me the last six years. A person who almost daily I work with,” DeWine said. “And that person is Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted.”
Read MoreDeWine Directs Millions to Combat Campus Crime Across Ohio
In a move aimed to bolster safety on college campuses across the state, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced on Monday that 28 colleges and universities will receive a total of $7.5 million in funding for security enhancements. The initiative is part of the FY2025-26 Campus Safety Grant Program, supported by House Bill 2 of the 135th General Assembly.
Read MoreFinancial Tracking of Ohio Gun Buyers Banned
Gun owners in Ohio won’t have to worry about firearm purchases being tracked by financial institutions or having to carry liability insurance.
Senate Bill 58, one of a series of bills signed into law late Wednesday by Gov. Mike DeWine, received backing from pro-gun organizations like the National Rifle Association and Buckeye Firearms. But the Ohio Mayors Alliance and the Ohio Municipal League both opposed it.
Read MoreFormer Ohio Health Director Amy Acton Announces Run for Ohio Governor
Former Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Amy Acton announced on Tuesday that she is running as a Democrat for state governor.
“I’m a doctor, not a politician,” she said in a statement, according to The Hill. “I solve problems by bringing people together regardless of party to find solutions. So unlike most of our leaders I know the answer to moving our state forward isn’t giving politicians more power, it’s giving people more freedom.”
Read MoreOhio Meat-Packing Company Pays Fine for Stealing American Citizens’ Identities and Giving Them to Illegal Immigrants to Work
The Department of Justice fined an Ohio meat-packing company last week almost $4 million after a hiring manager stole the identities of American citizens and gave them to illegal immigrants who were not eligible to work in America.
Fresh Mark, Inc., entered into a Non-prosecution Agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio after Yelwin Omar Munoz-Solis’ “involvement in an identity theft scheme and subsequent obstruction of justice.”
Read MoreOhio College Group Calls Out H-1B Program Abuse
The University of Dayton College Republicans released a press release on Thursday that came out against H-1B program abuse.
“Students born in America who pay large sums of money to gain a degree for a specific career field should not have to compete with imported foreign labor that companies can pay less,” the student organization said.
Read MoreOhio State Diversity Payroll, China Funding Scrutinized as Alum JD Vance Becomes Veep
Ohio State University clobbered top-ranked Oregon in the Rose Bowl Game Wednesday. Now it faces a bigger threat: the Republican-dominated Legislature and alumnus JD Vance, expected to be an unusually powerful vice president in the next administration.
Read MoreOhio Could Pass Comprehensive College DEI Ban in 2025
An anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) bill that failed to pass the Ohio legislature in 2024 could be debated again and potentially passed next year.
Senate Bill 83, also known as the Enact Ohio Higher Education Enhancement Act, passed the Ohio Senate but was not passed by the House in this legislative session.
Read MoreOhio Correctional Officer Andrew Lansing Dies After Fatal Inmate Attack at Ross Facility
Correction Officer Andrew Lansing died on Christmas Day at Ross Correctional Institution in Chillicothe, Ohio allegedly at the hands of an inmate. Lansing, a long-time and well-respected employee at the facility, succumbed to his injuries following the early morning assault.
Read MoreOhio Chamber Applauds Two Recently Passed Bills
Two bills that passed the Ohio General Assembly on the session’s final day drew praise from the state’s largest business group.
Read MoreUnion for Starbucks Workers Says 10-Store Strike Could Reach Hundreds over Holidays
The recent Starbucks strike that continued into Christmas Eve will spread to even more cities across the United States, says the employee union behind the effort.
Read MoreOhio Dems Push for Vetoes for Parts of New Legislation
Ohio House Democrats want Gov. Mike DeWine to veto several parts of bills passed during a flurry of activity as the two-year General Session came to a close last week.
Read MoreOhio Legislature Passes Sweeping Parental Rights Bill, Sends to DeWine to Sign into Law
The Ohio House of Representatives passed on Wednesday House Bill 8 (HB8). Dubbed “The Parents’ Bill of Rights,” the measure is a significantly strengthens parental control over their children’s education and healthcare.
Read MoreMaricopa County Recorder Attempted to Have Conservative ASU Professor Fired over Social Media Posts, Lawsuit Claims
We the People AZ Alliance (WPAA), represented by Kari Lake’s former attorney Bryan Blehm, filed a lawsuit last week against outgoing Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer demanding records related to Richer allegedly attempting to get a conservative Arizona State University professor fired and disciplined by the State Bar of Arizona. WPAA requested an email between Richer and States United Democracy Center (SUDC), concerned that the far left activist group was aiding Richer in his attempt to get Aaron Ludwig fired.
The complaint asserted, “On July 31, 2022, Defendant Richer, acting as Maricopa County Recorder, sent an email to the Directors of ASU’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice seeking to have a faculty associate terminated from ASU for sharing a Tweet. … Defendant’s email also shows that the Recorder, in his capacity as Maricopa County Recorder, intended to seek sanctions against the faculty member through the State Bar of Arizona as the faculty member was also an attorney licensed to practice law in Arizona.”
Read MoreWe The People Convention Files Amicus Brief in Case to Stop the Corporate Transparency Act
The Ohio-based We The People Convention (WTPC) and its president, Tom Zawistowski, have filed an amicus brief in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals case Texas Top Cop Shop Inc v. Garland in support of the plaintiffs challenging the Corporate Transparency Act, which went into effect this year.
Read MoreCommentary: Push Ohio Healthcare Price Transparency Legislation Across the Finish Line
Ohio state legislators are putting the finishing touches on bipartisan legislation to make healthcare more affordable and accessible. This week, state representatives and senators are working in conference to negotiate the final text of hospital price transparency legislation each chamber has passed versions of. They must pass this vital patient protection before the legislative session concludes at the end of the week, and Gov. DeWine must sign it into law.
Like many Ohioans, I learned about the importance of upfront hospital prices the hard way. After experiencing intense abdominal pain last year, my physician told me I needed umbilical hernia surgery — a four-hour outpatient procedure at a hospital in Barberton. The surgery was a success, and I wasn’t overly concerned about the cost because I have good insurance through my husband’s union job.
Read MoreAmazon Web Services Plans $10 Billion Ohio Investment
Amazon plans to invest $10 billion over the next five years to expand data centers across the state.
Monday’s announcement is on top of a $7.8 billion plan announced last year and more than $6 billion already spent in Ohio through the end of 2022.
Read MoreBiden Lifts Sentence for Former Ohio Dem Official Convicted of Taking Bribes, Corruption
President Joe Biden granted clemency Thursday to a former Ohio Democratic official who was convicted on charges related to taking bribes for nearly a decade.
Former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora took over $166,000 worth of bribes, which included “cash, home improvements, lavish meals at high-end restaurants, services from prostitutes, gambling trips to Las Vegas and Canada, and other items,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.
Read MoreAntisemitism Bill Moves Ahead in Ohio Legislature
In the wake of summer protests on college campuses, the Ohio Senate moved forward with a bill that defines antisemitism and expands the crime of ethnic intimidation.
The legislation now moves to the House, which has only one scheduled session day remaining and a second if needed.
Read MoreOhio Schools Limiting Cell Phone Usage Ahead of Schedule
More than half of the school districts in Ohio have implemented cell phone policies, a year ahead of a deadline set by a new state law.
Gov. Mike DeWine signed a law in May that requires local school boards to establish local cellphone policies rather than the state limiting use for students during the school day.
Read MoreWoke Ohio College President Says State Bathroom Ban ‘Hurts Us All’
The president of Antioch College criticized Governor Mike DeWine on Monday for signing Senate Bill 104 (SB 104), which prohibits students from using the school bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity.
“Policies like the one just signed into law harm all of us. When we allow discriminatory laws to take root, we all lose,” President Jane Fernandes said in letter to the editor of The Columbus Dispatch.
Read MoreOhio Schools Limiting Cell Phone Usage Ahead of Schedule
More than half of the school districts in Ohio have implemented cell phone policies, a year ahead of a deadline set by a new state law.
Gov. Mike DeWine signed a law in May that requires local school boards to establish local cellphone policies rather than the state limiting use for students during the school day.
Read MoreDonated Driving Simulators Headed to Springfield, Ohio to Train Illegal Immigrants and Refugees How to Drive
The state of Ohio plans to use donated driving simulators to teach people living in or entering the country illegally in Springfield safe driving skills in hopes of easing ongoing traffic issues throughout the community.
Read MoreIntel’s Gelsinger Out; Ohio Leaders Believe Project Moving Forward
State officials hope Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger’s retirement will not impact the chip manufacturer’s $20 billion plan for central Ohio.
While Gelsinger officially retired after 40 years with the company and stepped down from the board of directors, several national media outlets reported he was forced out by the board as the chipmaker has struggled in the past several months.
Read MoreOhio Woman Receives Prison Time for Eating Cat
An Ohio woman received two and a half years in prison after being indicted for killing and eating a cat.
Allexis Ferrell pleaded guilty on Monday to cruelty to companion animals.
Read MoreIntel’s Gelsinger Out; Ohio Leaders Believe Project Moving Forward
State officials hope Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger’s retirement will not impact the chip manufacturer’s $20 billion plan for central Ohio.
While Gelsinger officially retired after 40 years with the company and stepped down from the board of directors, several national media outlets reported he was forced out by the board as the chipmaker has struggled in the past several months.
Read MoreIntel, Feds Reach Deal on $8 Billion in CHIPS Money
After delays and lobbying from business groups around the country, the U.S. Department of Commerce and Intel announced a deal Tuesday morning to release nearly $8 billion in direct CHIPS Act funding.
The $7.86 billion directly impacts Intel’s commercial semiconductor manufacturing and advanced manufacturing projects in Ohio, Arizona, New Mexico and Oregon.
Read MoreOhio GOP Gov. Mike DeWine Signs Transgender Bathroom Bill
Ohio GOP Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a bill that includes requiring schools and universities to designate bathrooms and other similar public facilities for exclusive same-sex use, based on students’ sex assigned at birth.
Read MoreOhio House Republicans Tab Huffman as New Speaker
The outgoing president of the Ohio Senate is expected to be the incoming speaker of the House of Representatives for the first time in more than a century.
Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, received unanimous support from House Republicans in a closed-door meeting earlier this week. Huffman could not run for reelection in the Senate due to term limits and won election to the House earlier this month.
Read MoreRep. Claudia Tenney Calls to Disbar New York AG Letitia James for ‘Weaponizing the Justice System’ and ‘Trying to Take Trump Out’
During an interview on the Fox Business Network, Representative Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24) called to disbar New York Attorney General Letitia James for “weaponizing the justice system” and “trying to take Trump out.” James, who went after the Trump Organization in 2022, said during a press conference after this month’s election that she would use the law to “fight back” against Trump.
Read MoreDeWine’s Senate Seat Pick Could Alienate MAGA Voters, Conservative Leader Warns
Tom Zawistowski, president of the We the People Convention, is not confident that Ohio Governor Mike DeWine will appoint a MAGA Republican to Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance’s seat once he is sworn in as U.S. Vice President on January 20, 2025.
Read More‘They Are Afraid’: Locals Say Haitians Are Hoofing It Out of Springfield After Trump Win
Haitians living in Springfield, Ohio appear to be fleeing the city in droves after President-elect Donald Trump was declared the winner of the election, according to reports from locals.
The national spotlight shined on Springfield, a city of roughly 60,000 residents nestled in central Ohio, for weeks following unverified viral online claims that Haitians migrants had been spotted butchering a pet for consumption. The subsequent uproar about Springfield sparked further media debate about mass migration and its consequences, as Springfield has been dealing with an influx of Haitian migrants in a relatively short amount of time.
Read MoreBucks County, Pennsylvania Votes to Count Illegal Ballots Because ‘People Violate Laws Any Time They Want’
The two Democratic members of the Bucks County Commission voted to count ballots the Pennsylvania Supreme Court determined are illegal in a previous ruling, with the county specifically giving election workers orders to count mail-in votes returned with an incomplete, incorrect, or missing date.
Read MoreOhio Law Schools Stop Race-Based Scholarships, Programs
Pressure from a Columbus-based policy group has forced five university-based Ohio law schools to stop race-based scholarship or internship programs.
The Buckeye Institute announced law schools at Cleveland State, Ohio State, Akron, Cincinnati and Toledo stopped the programs after it announced an investigation.
Read MoreBusiness Groups in Four States Want CHIPS Act Money Released
The Ohio Chamber of Commerce and nearly 20 business groups from four states want the Biden administration to start handing out money from the CHIPS Act immediately.
In a letter, the groups from Ohio, New York, Oregon and New Mexico want the money distributed now. Intel has said the money is critical to its plan for the ongoing development of its massive manufacturing facility in central Ohio that could lead to 3,000 direct jobs and thousands of other related jobs.
Read MoreOhio Small Businesses Continue to Struggle with Labor
With thoughts focused on the holiday season, small business owners in Ohio continue to struggle with finding employees.
But that’s not the only issue.
Read MoreOhio Plans to Spend Nearly $20 Million to Get People to Work
Ohio plans to spend $17.5 million in taxpayer funds to get people to and from work.
The state announced a series of grants Friday to fund workforce transportation efforts in both rural and urban areas across the state as part of the Ohio Workforce Mobility Partnership Program.
Read MoreOhio Voters Reject Attempt to Change Redistricting
Ohioans on Tuesday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have replaced the current seven-member redistricting commission with a 15-member, nonpolitical commission to draw the state’s legislative districts.
Multiple news organizations reported that voters rejected Issue 1 54.5%-45.5%, with nearly 70% of the vote reported, following a months-long, expensive battle that saw Republicans pushing to keep the current system and Democrats arguing for change.
Read MoreOhio Gears Up for Election Day
For Ohio, Monday is the calm before the Election Day storm.
Early in-person voting ended Sunday, leaving Tuesday as the final day to cast a ballot. Polls open across the state at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.
Read MorePolls Show Sherrod Brown Has Slight Lead in Ohio Senate Race
Democratic Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown holds a slim lead while outspending his Republican opponent, Bernie Moreno, nearly four-to-one in one of the most expensive Senate races this cycle.
Ohio’s Senate race is currently the most expensive in the country, totaling $425,802,726 including outside spending, according to OpenSecrets data. Brown is currently leading by 1 percentage point at 47.4% to Moreno’s 46.4%, according to polling averages by RealClear Polling.
Read MoreFaculty at JD Vance’s Alma Mater Ohio State University Donate 100 Times More to Democrats than Republicans
Nearly all of explicitly partisan donations from faculty at the Ohio State University appear to have gone to Democratic candidates or aligned causes, according to an analysis by The College Fix.
Professors at Ohio’s largest university gave $302,982.90 to Democratic candidates or groups that primarily support Democrats between January 1, 2023 and October 19, 2024, according to Federal Election Commission data.
Read MoreMicrosoft Plans Three New Data Centers in Ohio
Microsoft plans to spend $1 billion to build three data centers in Central Ohio, and the state is kicking in tax breaks for the project.
Eventually, according to Microsoft, the entire project could create hundreds of full-time jobs at the campuses in Heath, Hebron and New Albany. The Heath and Hebron facilities still need local approval.
Read MoreOhio School District Adopts Controversial ‘Grading for Equity’ Policies
A school district outside Cleveland, Ohio, will have staff read Joe Feldman’s controversial book “Grading for Equity.”
Read MorePrior to Ban, Ohio Ranked Among Top States for Minor Gender Reassignment Procedures
Before a ban on gender reassignment procedures on minors, Ohio was ranked among the top states in the nation for total procedures as well as the number of procedures performed per residents, according to newly released data from a nonprofit.
Earlier this year, the Ohio legislature enacted House Bill 68, which banned the prescription of hormone blockers and hormone replacement therapy, along with gender reassignment surgeries on youth such as mastectomies. The law was first vetoed by Gov. Mike DeWine – which was overridden – and then later upheld in court following a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Read MoreOhio Judge Strikes Down State’s Six-Week Abortion Ban
A county judge in Ohio ruled Thursday that the state’s six-week abortion ban is unconstitutional, permanently blocking the law from taking effect.
Judge Christian Jenkins blocked Ohio’s “Heartbeat Act,” signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in 2019, arguing last year’s abortion ballot initiative that amended the state constitution should be able to take full effect.
Read MoreOhio Attorney General Sues Boeing on Behalf of Teachers, Employees
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost says Boeing has safety issues costing Ohioans.
Yost sued the aerospace giant on behalf of two Ohio pension funds, claiming a pattern of safety and compliance failures have hurt the companies and its investors.
Read MoreOhio Indicts Noncitizens for Voter Fraud
Six of the nearly 140 people referred to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost by Secretary of State Frank LaRose for illegal voting have been indicted.
Yost announced Tuesday seven cases were presented to grand juries last week, resulting in six indictments for illegal voting. A grand jury refused to indict the seventh.
Read More