Ohio lawmaker would thwart speaker on 60% vote threshold
March 30, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A state lawmaker has made a procedural move that could force a vote in the Ohio House on a proposal to make it more difficult to amend the Ohio Constitution, a measure that could impact the fate of a measure protecting abortion rights that’s moving toward fall ballots.
Ohio lawmakers OK rail safety rules after train derailment
March 29, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Rail safety measures proposed after the February train derailment and toxic chemical burn in East Palestine are closer to becoming law in Ohio, as part of a nearly $13.5 billion transportation budget that cleared the Legislature on Wednesday.
Ohio Senate OKs transportation budget with rail safety rules
March 23, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio senators reacting to the East Palestine train derailment proposed state oversight of wayside detectors that can spot railway defects, among other safety provisions, in a nearly $13.5 billion transportation budget that passed Thursday with bipartisan support.
Wichita State hires ORU’s Paul Mills to lead hoops program
March 22, 2023 GMTWichita State hired Paul Mills away from Oral Roberts on Wednesday to turn around its languishing men's basketball program, landing what has been one of the hottest names among mid-major coaches.
Regulators: Nuclear plant leak didn’t require public notice
March 18, 2023 GMTMinnesota regulators knew four months ago that radioactive waste had leaked from a nuclear power plant in Monticello — but they didn’t announce anything about the leak until this week.
Mobile sports bets booming in some states as others shy away
March 16, 2023 GMTThe stakes are higher in Ohio this year for March Madness — and not just because it's a regional host for the first round of the men's NCAA basketball tournament.
Ohio sues Norfolk Southern over toxic train derailment
March 14, 2023 GMTOhio filed a lawsuit against railroad Norfolk Southern to make sure it pays for the cleanup and environmental damage caused by a fiery train derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border last month, the state's attorney general said Tuesday.
Ohio State asks court to hear Title IX issues in abuse suits
March 14, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State University is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider questions about the law known as Title IX in a case that affects whether more than 230 men can proceed with lawsuits against the school over decades-old sexual abuse by a team doctor, the late Richard Strauss.
Ohio Supreme Court to review block of near-ban on abortion
March 14, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to review a county judge’s order that is blocking enforcement of the state's near-ban on abortions, and to consider whether the clinics challenging the law have legal standing to do so.
What’s next in Ohio corruption probe after guilty verdicts?
March 14, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The largest corruption case in Ohio history culminated last week with guilty verdicts for ex-House Speaker Larry Householder and lobbyist Matt Borges, the former head of the Republican Party.
Ex-GOP Ohio speaker, lobbyist guilty in $60M bribery scheme
March 9, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former state Republican Party Chair Matt Borges were convicted Thursday in a $60 million bribery scheme that federal prosecutors have called the largest corruption case in state history.
Police: Officer who shot Black man retired ‘in bad standing’
March 4, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio police officer who shot and killed a Black man as he lay in bed in his home last summer is no longer on the force.
Columbus police said Friday evening that the officer had retired as of that day and “retired in bad standing due to the ongoing criminal and administrative investigations into the death of Donovan Lewis.”
Ohio derailment tests Sen. Brown’s push to buck Dem defeats
March 4, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Sherrod Brown has survived a decade of statewide Democratic losses in Ohio by building a reputation as the rare person in his party who can still connect with the white working-class voters who have increasingly shifted to Republicans.
Ohio House OKs transportation budget with rail safety rules
March 2, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Proposed safety measures in response to the East Palestine train derailment are part of a $12.6 billion state transportation budget passed Wednesday by the Ohio House with bipartisan support.
Ex-Ohio House speaker denies dinners with FirstEnergy execs
March 1, 2023 GMTCINCINNATI (AP) — Former Republican Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder directly contradicted FBI testimony in his corruption trial Wednesday, taking the stand for the first time to deny attending a series of swanky dinners in Washington, D.C.
Anti-abortion allies change tactics after post-Roe defeats
March 1, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republicans and their anti-abortion allies, who suffered a series of defeats in ballot questions in states across the political spectrum last year, are changing tactics as new legislative sessions and the new election season start.
Speaker: Republican Ohio state Rep. Kris Jordan dead at 46
February 26, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kris Jordan, a Republican who represented Delaware County in the Ohio House of Representatives, has died, the Ohio House speaker announced Saturday. He was 46.
Jordan, of Ostrander, was serving his third term as the state's 60th District representative after having earlier served two terms in the Ohio Senate.
Ohio plan aims to boost trust by standardizing election data
February 23, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose unveiled legislation Wednesday that would clarify and standardize the way election data is organized, stored and shared across the state, a proposal that the Republican says can serve as a national model in addressing the “crisis of confidence” in American elections.
Abortion rights groups submit 2023 ballot measure in Ohio
February 21, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Two groups advocating for abortion rights submitted fall ballot language Tuesday for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing Ohioans' access to abortion, an effort that opponents have vowed to fight.
Ohio ex-speaker ill, corruption trial pauses after big week
February 19, 2023 GMTCINCINNATI (AP) — The racketeering trial of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and lobbyist Matt Borges was cancelled due to illness again Friday, giving jurors a long holiday weekend to mull striking new details revealed this week by players directly involved in an alleged $60 million bribery scheme.
GOP Ohio House speaker prioritizes conservative wish list
February 15, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Fledgling Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens laid out an unflinchingly conservative list of Republican priority bills for the new legislative session on Wednesday, appearing to sideline some bipartisan hopes of Democrats who supported his surprise election after weeks of intraparty pressure.
Charges dropped against reporter arrested at news conference
February 15, 2023 GMTA cable news reporter pushed to the ground and handcuffed while covering a news conference about a train derailment in Ohio will no longer face charges, the state's attorney general said Wednesday.
Ohio derailment aftermath: How worried should people be?
February 15, 2023 GMTPlumes of smoke, questions about dead animals, worries about the drinking water. A train derailment in Ohio and subsequent burning of some of the hazardous chemicals has people asking: How worried should they be?
GOP’s intraparty power battle roiling lawmaking in Ohio
February 14, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A battle for political control of the Ohio House has laid bare the risks the Republican Party faces as factions of its legislative supermajority square off more over tactics and the willingness to thwart long held institutional norms than policy.
‘Boom’: FirstEnergy exec text revels in landing state plane
February 2, 2023 GMTCINCINNATI (AP) — New details emerged Thursday at the trial of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder on the use of the state plane scheduled to bring state lawmakers back to Columbus to vote on the now-tainted nuclear bailout legislation at the heart of Ohio's largest ever corruption case.
Ohio auditor backs anti-corruption training, quick reporting
February 2, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Ohio Auditor Keith Faber wants more training for public employees to spot government fraud and corruption and requiring them to speedily report suspected crimes, as a way of improving the state's ability to root out and prosecute bad actors and recoup taxpayer money.
Ohio lawmakers miss cutoff to put 60% question on May ballot
February 1, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio state lawmakers missed their deadline Wednesday for getting a measure on May ballots that would make it harder to amend the state Constitution.
Ohio governor advocates child tax deduction, school vouchers
February 1, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The wellness and opportunities of Ohio's children drive a state budget proposal that includes offering a $2,500 child tax deduction, expanding school vouchers, investing in mental health and spending $2.5 billion to prepare large sites for economic development, Gov.
Veteran AP, Plain Dealer reporter Mark Gillispie dies at 63
January 31, 2023 GMTMark Gillispie, a veteran journalist who wrote about many of Ohio’s biggest stories and characters during a four-decade career primarily with The Associated Press and The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, has died.
Ex-Ohio House speaker relieved for corruption trial’s start
January 23, 2023 GMTCINCINNATI (AP) — As his federal racketeering trial kicked off Monday, former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder said he is optimistic and looking forward to telling his side of the story.
Analysis: Bonds for environment, tech jobs lacked 60% vote
January 19, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Requiring 60% of Ohio voters to approve constitutional amendments could jeopardize future state efforts to attract jobs, improve highways, schools and parks, provide low-cost housing access and protect the environment, a former newspaper executive and state lawmaker warned Thursday.
High court to weigh freezing ex-Ohio regulator’s $8M assets
January 17, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it will take up a dispute over the freezing of $8 million in assets belonging to a former top utility regulator caught up in the sweeping Statehouse bribery scheme alleged by federal prosecutors.
Ohio lawmaker Dolan running for US Senate again in 2024
January 17, 2023 GMTCLEVELAND (AP) — Republican state Sen. Matt Dolan said Tuesday that he is again running for U.S. Senate as the GOP tries in 2024 to flip the Ohio seat long held by Democrat Sherrod Brown, who is expected to seek reelection.
Ohio lawmaker not speaker but says he still leads House GOP
January 11, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A conservative state lawmaker who lost to a fellow Republican in last week's vote to determine who will lead the Ohio House as speaker said Wednesday that he has the support of most of the members of his party in the chamber.
Inmates challenge law that could keep them locked up longer
January 11, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio prison officials shouldn't be able to extend certain inmates' time behind bars because the law that enabled that is unconstitutional, attorneys for two imprisoned men argued Wednesday before the state Supreme Court.
Ohio AG asks justices to lift order blocking abortion law
January 10, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio's attorney general has asked the Ohio Supreme Court to weigh in on the future of the state's near-ban on abortions, despite arguing less than six months ago that the same court lacked jurisdiction to determine the paused law's constitutionality.
GOP Gov. Mike DeWine starts 2nd term with Ohio inauguration
January 9, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said Monday that he enters his second term with more optimism than ever for Ohio and a host of ambitions that could have lasting impact, including to make it the nation's best state for mental health treatment and research.
TikTok, WeChat banned from state government devices in Ohio
January 9, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — State workers in Ohio will be banned from using TikTok, WeChat and other Chinese-owned social media apps on state-issued devices over concerns that sensitive personal information and business data collected by those platforms may be shared with the Chinese government.
State lawmakers turn to creative solutions in speaker fights
January 8, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — As Republican infighting debilitates Washington, lawmakers at some U.S. statehouses have managed to launch sessions complicated by similar GOP partisan divides or razor-thin margins of party control with a host of creative — if yet untested — solutions.
Sweeping criminal justice law changes OK’d by Ohio governor
January 3, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Sweeping criminal justice legislation signed Tuesday by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will allow police to stop people solely for holding a cellphone while driving, with certain exceptions.
EXPLAINER: What’s ahead for Ohio’s unsettled political maps?
January 1, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The election contests of 2022 may have been held and decided, but Ohio’s political maps remain far from settled.
It was supposed to be a once-per-decade process for redrawing the state's U.S.
New year expected to bring more changes to state voting laws
December 29, 2022 GMTState lawmakers around the country introduced thousands of bills to change the way elections are run after former President Donald Trump falsely blamed his 2020 loss on voter fraud.
Water pours into Ohio Senate after Statehouse pipe bursts
December 27, 2022 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Officials are assessing water damage at the Ohio Statehouse after a pipe burst during freezing weather, sending water pouring into the Senate chamber, an adjacent lounge for lawmakers, and other areas on Tuesday morning.
Ohio court: Insurance doesn’t cover business COVID losses
December 12, 2022 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A commercial insurance policy doesn’t cover the income a business lost when the governor ordered a shutdown early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ohio Supreme Court said Monday in a decision consistent with multiple court rulings nationally weighing similar questions.
House panel OKs voting law rewrite, 60% ballot question
December 12, 2022 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Over the strenuous objections of voting rights groups, Ohio House Republicans advanced two proposals Monday that would add a host of new restrictions to voting and place an issue on next year's ballot that calls for requiring a 60% supermajority to pass future constitutional amendments.
Biden called gay marriage ‘inevitable’ and soon it’ll be law
December 10, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A decade ago, then-Vice President Joe Biden shocked the political world and preempted his boss by suddenly declaring his support for gay marriage — one of the country's most contentious issues — on national television.
Indiana doctor drops lawsuit against attorney general
December 8, 2022 GMTINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indiana doctor has dropped a lawsuit that aimed to halt the state's attorney general from investigating her after she provided an abortion to a 10-year-old Ohio child who was raped.
AP WAS THERE: Supreme Court gives same-sex marriage rights
December 8, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Editor's Note: On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples had the right to marry. The narrow, 5-4 decision did away with same-sex marriage bans in 14 states.
Ohio Senate OKs shift in oversight of education to governor
December 7, 2022 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The latest proposal to give Ohio’s governor more power overseeing K-12 education cleared the Republican-led state Senate on Wednesday despite objections that lawmakers are rushing legislation to significantly change decision-making about academic standards, model curricula and school district ratings, among other things.
High court sides with history society’s access to earthworks
December 7, 2022 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s historical society can proceed with efforts to gain control of a set of ancient ceremonial and burial earthworks currently maintained by a country club where members golf alongside the mounds but access to the public is limited, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.
Ohio state worker pay, Cuyahoga home sales, international migration, LeBron James: Numbers in the News
April 8, 2018 GMTOhio state worker pay, Cuyahoga home sales, international migration, LeBron James: Numbers in the News
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Ohio government state worker pay, Cuyahoga County home sales data, international migration to the Cleveland-area, and LeBron James are part of this week's Numbers in the News.