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Ohio Capital Journal
Ohio poverty rate was 8.7% in 2021, according to new study
Ohio’s poverty rate was 8.7% in 2021, according to a recent study by Columbus-based firm Scioto Analysis. The Ohio Poverty Measure study showed the state’s poverty was a bit higher than the 8.1% poverty rate in 2021 listed by the U.S. Census Bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure. Scioto Analysis used data from The American Community Survey and […] The post Ohio poverty rate was 8.7% in 2021, according to new study appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Athens Co. fracking leak, inaction show the dire public health dangers of Ohio regulatory capture
Let’s say you, like roughly 45% of Ohioans, rely on groundwater wells to provide a constant supply of clean, safe drinking water. Now suppose, unbeknownst to you, an exceptionally toxic cocktail of radioactive wastewater has been leaking underground and possibly contaminating the water you and your family drink. As your alarm and outrage builds with […] The post Athens Co. fracking leak, inaction show the dire public health dangers of Ohio regulatory capture appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
New EPA rules will force fossil fuel power plants to cut pollution
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this past Thursday released a sweeping set of rules aimed at cutting air, water and land pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants. Environmental and clean energy groups celebrated the announcement as long overdue, particularly for coal-burning power plants, which have saddled hundreds of communities across the country with dirty air and hundreds […] The post New EPA rules will force fossil fuel power plants to cut pollution appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Where is the common ground for abortion-rights opponents and supporters?
Editor’s note: This story is the second in a series about a group of people from Wisconsin trying to come up with policies to address abortion and its root causes that could be applied nationwide. Their larger goal is to find common ground on one of the most divisive issues in America. MADISON, Wis. — For the […] The post Where is the common ground for abortion-rights opponents and supporters? appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Ohio Gov. DeWine said he didn’t know of millions in FirstEnergy support. Is it plausible?
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s claim to not know about the millions an Akron utility spent supporting his 2018 campaign for governor simply isn’t credible, an Ohio political scientist said in a recent interview. A spokesperson for DeWine pushed back. FirstEnergy provided that support, then spent more than $60 million to pass and protect a $1.3 […] The post Ohio Gov. DeWine said he didn’t know of millions in FirstEnergy support. Is it plausible? appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Senate President brings plea to avoid private school voucher questioning to Ohio Supreme Court
Ohio’s Senate leader is taking his fight to avoid answering questions about the state’s private school voucher program to the Ohio Supreme Court. Senate President Matt Huffman filed an appeal on April 23 with the state’s highest court related to a lawsuit seeking to eliminate the “EdChoice” private school voucher program from the state. Public […] The post Senate President brings plea to avoid private school voucher questioning to Ohio Supreme Court appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Lawmakers to Ohio students: Screen time’s over, kids
Ohio senators have passed a bill to limit cell phone use in schools, but it allows local districts to decide on the best practices for their students. “Being a parent in the age of smartphones is — my mom would say is harder than she had it,” Natalie Hastings, mom-of-two, said. Hastings believes boundaries with […] The post Lawmakers to Ohio students: Screen time’s over, kids appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
College administrators are falling into a tried and true trap laid by the right
Interrogations of university leaders spearheaded by conservative congressional representatives. Calls from right-wing senators for troops to intervene in campus demonstrations. Hundreds of student and faculty arrests, with nonviolent dissenters thrown to the ground, tear-gassed and tased. We’ve been here before. In my book “Resistance from the Right: Conservatives and the Campus Wars in Modern America,” […] The post College administrators are falling into a tried and true trap laid by the right appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Top GOP ‘election integrity’ lawyer charged in Arizona fake elector scheme
Less than a week after the Republican National Committee unveiled a “historic” new program to monitor the polls for fraud, a top lawyer with the committee was among those indicted for an alleged scheme to use false fraud claims to overturn the results of Arizona’s presidential election. Indeed, the lawyer, RNC senior counsel for election […] The post Top GOP ‘election integrity’ lawyer charged in Arizona fake elector scheme appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
U.S. House GOP bars earmarks for certain non-profits, after controversy over LGBTQ projects
WASHINGTON — U.S. House lawmakers will no longer be able to request earmarked funding for some nonprofits under a change in eligibility made by the Republican chairman of the Appropriations Committee this past Thursday. The alteration is related to an uproar during last year’s annual government funding process, when House Republicans, who are in the […] The post U.S. House GOP bars earmarks for certain non-profits, after controversy over LGBTQ projects appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Mark Cuban has a simple question for CVS’s drug middleman: Why don’t you publish your prices?
Businessman and TV personality Mark Cuban has a seemingly straightforward question for the huge drug middleman owned by CVS: If you’re as transparent about drug pricing as you claim, why don’t you publish prices on your website? The company didn’t answer directly. Cuban, founder of Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs, last week raised that question […] The post Mark Cuban has a simple question for CVS’s drug middleman: Why don’t you publish your prices? appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Ohio Dems introduce a bill to protect IVF, complement constitutional amendment
Democrats in the Ohio House say they are looking to boost the rights established in the reproductive rights constitutional amendment while awaiting the elimination of certain state laws that restrict reproductive health. State Rep. Dr. Anita Somani, D-Dublin, and fellow Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio, D-Gahanna, are also looking to use new legislation to respond to […] The post Ohio Dems introduce a bill to protect IVF, complement constitutional amendment appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
12 race-based scholarships worth $46,000 weren’t awarded to Ohio University journalism students
Twelve race-based scholarships totaling $46,000 weren’t given out at Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism’s awards banquet this week, said Journalism School Director Eddith Dashiell. And that’s only a fraction of the 130 gift agreements that represent $450,000 worth of scholarship money under review by the university after comments Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost […] The post 12 race-based scholarships worth $46,000 weren’t awarded to Ohio University journalism students appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Why do my groceries cost so much?
In 2004, I was a single mom raising three daughters on my own. I worked three jobs, including an overnight shift as a translator at our local hospital, to make ends meet. Every time I stood in line at the supermarket, I worried about what I would have to put back on the shelf to […] The post Why do my groceries cost so much? appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
U.S. Supreme Court floats return to trial court for Trump in presidential immunity case
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court appeared skeptical Thursday of former President Donald Trump’s argument he is immune from criminal charges that he tried to overturn his loss in the 2020 election. But conservatives who dominate the court appeared open to returning key questions to a trial court, possibly delaying Trump’s prosecution beyond the November […] The post U.S. Supreme Court floats return to trial court for Trump in presidential immunity case appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
U.S. House speaker confronts anti-war protesters at Columbia University
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson decried antisemitism and raised the possibility of calling in the National Guard to disperse student protesters during a trip to Columbia University in New York City on Wednesday. Students on that campus, as well as others throughout the country in recent days, have hosted large anti-war rallies calling on the […] The post U.S. House speaker confronts anti-war protesters at Columbia University appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Survivors rejoice as Ohio lawmakers vote to make it illegal to drug, rape spouse
Ohio lawmakers have finally voted to make it illegal to drug and rape your spouse, closing a loophole that female legislators have been trying to fix for years. A woman who suffered for a decade because the law didn’t see her abuse as rape cried with joy as she talked with us, reacting to the […] The post Survivors rejoice as Ohio lawmakers vote to make it illegal to drug, rape spouse appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Marital rape loophole closed by Ohio General Assembly, bill moves to governor’s desk
After several years of attempts through multiple general assemblies, the Ohio legislature closed a loophole on Wednesday that kept spouses from being prosecuted for rape and other sex offenses. In a unanimous Wednesday floor vote, the Ohio Senate passed House Bill 161, which eliminates exemptions for married couples, who previously were protected from prosecution unless […] The post Marital rape loophole closed by Ohio General Assembly, bill moves to governor’s desk appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
LGBTQ advocates speak out against forced-outing bill during Ohio Senate education committee
Parents and LGBTQ advocates spoke out this week at the Ohio Statehouse against a bill that would force educators to out a student’s sexuality to their parents and notify parents on “sexuality” content. “Forcing schools to out kids, regardless of their home situation, will lead to unconscionable cruelty against LGBTQ kids,” Maria Bruno, Equality Ohio’s […] The post LGBTQ advocates speak out against forced-outing bill during Ohio Senate education committee appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Ohio U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s FEND Off Fentanyl Act signed into law
Aid for Ukraine may be the most consequential part of the foreign aid measures Congress recently approved, and President Joe Biden signed into law, but U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is highlighting a different policy change wrapped into the effort. The Ohio Democrat’s FEND Off Fentanyl Act was part of a wide-ranging bill including provisions to […] The post Ohio U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s FEND Off Fentanyl Act signed into law appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
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The Ohio Capital Journal is a hard-hitting, independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to connecting Ohioans to their state government and its impact on their lives. The Capital Journal combines Ohio state government coverage with relentless investigative journalism, deep dives into the consequences of policy, political insight, and principled, progressive commentary. All those cheesy journalism aphorisms about reporters being the eyes and ears of the people in the halls of power? We believe them, deeply. We also deeply believe in sharing the stories of people outside the halls of power, connecting the actions of state leaders to their impacts on Ohioans. The Ohio Capital Journal is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers. The Ohio Capital Journal retains editorial independence.
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