Thursday, February 13, 2025

Ohio State Wire

WATCH: Pastor faces jail time for housing the homeless

Thu, 13 Feb 2025
WATCH: Pastor faces jail time for housing the homeless

(The Center Square) — An Ohio pastor faces possible jail time for allowing the homeless to sleep in his church.

Local officials in Bryan Ohio have threatened Pastor Chris Avell of Dad's Place Church for breaking the fire code... Read more


Private company gets extension to control state liquor profits

Thu, 13 Feb 2025
Private company gets extension to control state liquor profits

(The Center Square) – The Ohio Controlling Board ignored Attorney General Dave Yost’s request for a delay and extended a deal that gives the state’s liquor profits to a private, nonprofit group focused on economic development.

The board voted... Read more


Ohio Senate sends higher ed bill to House

Thu, 13 Feb 2025
Ohio Senate sends higher ed bill to House

(The Center Square) – A plan to ban diversity, equity and inclusion, faculty collective bargaining and mandates certain courses at public colleges and universities is a step closer to becoming law in Ohio.

All that stands in the way... Read more


Tressel confirmed as Ohio lieutenant governor

Wed, 12 Feb 2025
Tressel confirmed as Ohio lieutenant governor

(The Center Square) – Former national champion football coach at Ohio State and political rookie Jim Tressel was quickly confirmed Wednesday by the Ohio House and Senate as the state's new lieutenant governor.

Tressel was nominated by Gov. Mike... Read more


Yost wants JobsOhio to use liquor profits for child care, job skills, incentives

Wed, 12 Feb 2025
Yost wants JobsOhio to use liquor profits for child care, job skills, incentives

(The Center Square) – Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost wants a private, non-profit group to give nearly $1 billion to workforce initiatives in exchange for receiving the state's profits on liquor sales.

However, JobsOhio CEO J.P. Nauseef defended his... Read more


Bill would ban domestic violence convicts from having guns

Tue, 11 Feb 2025
Bill would ban domestic violence convicts from having guns

(The Center Square) – A new bill in the Ohio Legislature would bring the state in line with federal law and bar people convicted of domestic violence from having guns or dangerous weapons.

Federal law already bans most people... Read more


Concerns raised over Ohio’s back-to-office order

Tue, 11 Feb 2025
Concerns raised over Ohio’s back-to-office order

(The Center Square) – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s order for state employees to return to physical office buildings is meeting some resistance.

State Sen. Beth Liston, D-Dublin, sent a letter to DeWine that says the blanket order undercuts work... Read more


Yost questions extending private company receiving state liquor profits

Tue, 11 Feb 2025
Yost questions extending private company receiving state liquor profits

(The Center Square) – Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is at odds with state business groups over state liquor sale profits funneled to a private, nonprofit organization for economic development.

Twelve years ago, JobsOhio paid $1.4 billion for a... Read more


DeWine picks ex-coach Tressel as lieutenant governor

Mon, 10 Feb 2025
DeWine picks ex-coach Tressel as lieutenant governor

(The Center Square) – Former national championship football coach Jim Tressel is the pick to be Ohio’s next lieutenant governor.

Gov. Mike DeWine made the announcement Monday, selecting Tressel to replace U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, who is filling the... Read more


Ohio lawmakers want oversight of rulemaking

Fri, 07 Feb 2025
Ohio lawmakers want oversight of rulemaking

(The Center Square) – Two Ohio lawmakers are using a Republican federal proposal from 2024 as the basis for state legislation to remove ultimate rulemaking authority from the governor.

Instead, Reps. Ron Ferguson, R-Wintersville, and Brian Lorenz, R-Powell, want... Read more


Attorneys general sue New York to block climate change law

Fri, 07 Feb 2025
Attorneys general sue New York to block climate change law

(The Center Square) — New York is being sued by a group of Republican attorneys general over a law requiring fossil fuel companies to pony up money to the state for alleged damages caused by climate change.

The lawsuit,... Read more


Economists believe possible school funding cuts detrimental

Thu, 06 Feb 2025
Economists believe possible school funding cuts detrimental

(The Center Square) – Potential cuts in school funding would grow inequality in Ohio schools and reduce the state’s future economic output, a group of economists said.

The survey of 16 economists from colleges and universities around the state... Read more


LaRose announces bid for state auditor

Thu, 06 Feb 2025
LaRose announces bid for state auditor

(The Center Square) – The Republican plan of state-office-holder musical chairs continued Thursday when Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced he will run for state auditor in 2026.

LaRose hopes to replace Auditor Keith Faber, who recently announced he... Read more


DeWine proposes higher taxes on gambling, cigarettes, marijuana

Wed, 05 Feb 2025
DeWine proposes higher taxes on gambling, cigarettes, marijuana

(The Center Square) – To pay for a new child tax credit and jails, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine wants to raise taxes for gamblers, smokers and recreational marijuana users.

DeWine proposed a $1,000 credit for parents who work a... Read more


19 AGs support Wisconsin Catholic Charities case

Tue, 04 Feb 2025
19 AGs support Wisconsin Catholic Charities case

(The Center Square) – Nineteen state attorneys general have joined Wisconsin’s Catholic Charities Bureau of Superior in challenging a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that the charity does primarily secular work and thus must pay into the state’s unemployment fund.

... Read more

Trump birthright citizenship ban gets legal support from House Republicans

Tue, 04 Feb 2025
Trump birthright citizenship ban gets legal support from House Republicans

(The Center Square) – A coalition of House Republicans has filed two amicus briefs supporting President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.

The lawmakers asked a federal court in Washington and another... Read more


DeWine orders state employees back to offices

Tue, 04 Feb 2025
DeWine orders state employees back to offices

(The Center Square) – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is following President Donald Trump's lead and ordering state workers back to the office.

DeWine signed an executive order Tuesday afternoon, returning state employees to offices.

... Read more

DeWine proposes tying school funding to enrollment

Tue, 04 Feb 2025
DeWine proposes tying school funding to enrollment

(The Center Square) – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine wants to give more money to schools in his proposed two-year budget, but the plan would decrease funds going to districts with decreasing enrollment.

DeWine’s $218 billion overall plan contains $23.4... Read more


DeWine puts budget proposal focus on children

Tue, 04 Feb 2025
DeWine puts budget proposal focus on children

(The Center Square) – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine wants to give parents working minimum-wage jobs a tax credit, but no other tax cuts were included in a budget proposal that focused strongly on children.

In the $218 billion, two-year... Read more


More lawsuits filed two years after East Palestine derailment

Mon, 03 Feb 2025
More lawsuits filed two years after East Palestine derailment

(The Center Square) – Two years to the day after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, causing a toxic chemical burn and concerns over two states, more lawsuits have been filed.

As Gov. Mike DeWine and... Read more