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Ohio Capital Journal
It’s Eclipse Day in Ohio, here’s what state officials want you to know
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine joined several state agency chiefs Friday to discuss planning for today’s solar eclipse. State officials don’t know exactly how many people will be coming into the state or how many Ohioans will be out looking for a good viewing spot. They’ve gotten estimates ranging from 100,000 to half a million. But […] The post It’s Eclipse Day in Ohio, here’s what state officials want you to know appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Abortion issues pushing through Ohio, national courts
Reproductive rights, including abortion, continue to be hot topics in Ohio and in the country as a new lawsuit seeks to reverse state law related to abortion, the battle over the six-week abortion ban goes through the courts and the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to decide a case on abortion medication. Since the establishment of […] The post Abortion issues pushing through Ohio, national courts appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Ohio Republican squabbling keeps marijuana off shelves months after legalization
Five months after Ohio voters legalized the use of recreational marijuana, the product remains unobtainable — and Republican infighting is the likely culprit. Issue 2 passed 57-43% in November and went into effect a month later. It allows for adults 21 years of age and older to smoke, vape and ingest weed. Individual Ohioans would […] The post Ohio Republican squabbling keeps marijuana off shelves months after legalization appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Is this the least productive congress ever? Yes, but it’s not just because they’re lazy
Congress has once again been making headlines for all the wrong reasons, with multiple news outlets in recent months touting the current 118th Congress as possibly the least productive in the institution’s history. In 2023, Congress only passed 34 bills into law, the lowest number in decades. Congress was only recently able to pass a […] The post Is this the least productive congress ever? Yes, but it’s not just because they’re lazy appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
March jobs report shows strong labor market with job gains in health care and government
The sturdy labor market continued to chug along in March, with an unemployment rate of 3.8%, marking the 26th straight month of an unemployment rate under 4%. The economy added 303,00 jobs, according to the monthly report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday. Economists, researchers, and policy experts say that the strong but no […] The post March jobs report shows strong labor market with job gains in health care and government appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Health and Human Services increases loan forgiveness for OBs, midwives who practice in rural areas
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday a $25,000 increase in loan forgiveness available to primary care providers in designated underserved areas. That means qualifying individuals are eligible for up to $75,000 in forgiveness if they commit to two full-time years of service. The amount is available to medical and osteopathic doctors, including OB-GYNs, pediatricians, […] The post Health and Human Services increases loan forgiveness for OBs, midwives who practice in rural areas appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Raise the Wage Ohio is trying to get a minimum wage constitutional amendment on the ballot
Ohioans could have a chance vote to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. Raise the Wage Ohio is collecting signatures to put a proposed constitutional amendment on this year’s ballot that would raise the minimum wage to $12.75 an hour starting Jan. 1, 2025, and then it would go up to […] The post Raise the Wage Ohio is trying to get a minimum wage constitutional amendment on the ballot appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Second COVID-19-related case returned to lower court by Ohio Supreme Court
The Ohio Supreme Court has asked a lower court to review a second case in which an Ohio State University student asked for a refund of fees paid to the university during the COVID-19 pandemic, when closures affected the school year. Third-year dental student Morgan McDermott filed a case against the university in 2021 with […] The post Second COVID-19-related case returned to lower court by Ohio Supreme Court appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Ohio trans candidates spur Dem bill to protect them and GOP bill they say unfairly targets them
After the candidacy of three transgender women in Ohio was debated due to them only including their legal name and not their “dead name” on petitions, Ohio Democrats introduced legislation to fix the little-known law so that LGBTQ+ individuals don’t face barriers to run. But the candidates’ Republican opponents introduced their own bill that would […] The post Ohio trans candidates spur Dem bill to protect them and GOP bill they say unfairly targets them appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility every day with allyship
Sunday, March 31, 2023 was a holy day for Chrisitanity, as it was the celebration of the resurrection of the Savior Jesus three days after his death by crucifixion. While this is a holy time, spent with a morning in church followed typically with a family meal; March 31st is also incredibly important in the […] The post Celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility every day with allyship appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
An 1873 law banned the mailing of boxing photos. Could it block abortion pills too?
WASHINGTON — An anti-obscenity law enacted in 1873 that hasn’t been enforced in decades shot to the forefront of the nation’s abortion debate in the past week thanks to two U.S. Supreme Court justices, amid expectations a future Republican president would use the law to order a nationwide ban on medication abortion. The Comstock Act, […] The post An 1873 law banned the mailing of boxing photos. Could it block abortion pills too? appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
After a long slog, climate change lawsuits will finally put Big Oil on trial
After years of legal appeals and delays, some oil companies are set to stand trial in lawsuits brought by state and local governments over the damages caused by climate change. Meanwhile, dozens more governments large and small have brought new claims against the fossil fuel industry as those initial cases, filed up to a half-dozen […] The post After a long slog, climate change lawsuits will finally put Big Oil on trial appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Further questions about DeWine administration’s involvement in Ohio bribery scandal
As Gov. Mike DeWine in 2019 nominated Sam Randazzo to be Ohio’s top utility regulator, Randazzo went to great lengths to hide a decade-long relationship with FirstEnergy that had paid him more than $10 million. Those payments included $4.3 million just as DeWine was picking Randazzo, according to court documents filed last week. Yet DeWine […] The post Further questions about DeWine administration’s involvement in Ohio bribery scandal appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Ohio AG Yost continues to back capital punishment despite system’s shortcomings
“Damning.” That’s how Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost describes his own report on the state of Ohio’s capital punishment system. Yost paints a picture of a death penalty system that is “broken,” “enormously expensive,” and so sluggish inmates are “more likely to die of suicide or natural causes than execution.” But Yost argues the death […] The post Ohio AG Yost continues to back capital punishment despite system’s shortcomings appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Democrats’ quest to hang on to U.S. Senate majority centers on Arizona, Montana and Ohio
WASHINGTON — Political consultants and Beltway pollsters are setting up camp in purple states to join a towering battle for control of a narrowly split U.S. Senate, but come November, only the voters will make that choice. The road to the majority in the upper chamber of Congress mostly runs through Arizona, Montana and Ohio, […] The post Democrats’ quest to hang on to U.S. Senate majority centers on Arizona, Montana and Ohio appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
I don’t love term limits, but expanding them for Ohio’s gerrymandered Statehouse would be foolish
Term-limits sap legislative expertise and they artificially limit voter options. They may even cause an over-reliance by lawmakers on lobbyists. I don’t love any of that about them. But further entrenching Ohio Statehouse lawmakers without ending gerrymandering and enacting strict ethics and campaign finance reform would only further reward misrepresentation, corruption and extremism, which would […] The post I don’t love term limits, but expanding them for Ohio’s gerrymandered Statehouse would be foolish appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Swing states see newcomers as Americans move from blue to red counties
In recent years, millions of people across the United States have moved from Democratic cities to Republican suburbs, complicating the politics of swing states in a pivotal election year, according to a Stateline analysis. Republican suburban counties in four swing states — Georgia in the South and Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in the Midwest — […] The post Swing states see newcomers as Americans move from blue to red counties appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
GOP, Trump build on immigration fears to push voting restrictions in states
With polls showing unauthorized immigration as Republicans’ best issue for the fall, the GOP is looking to raise the alarm about voting by non-citizens and the undocumented, even though this kind of voter fraud is extraordinarily rare. The multi-pronged effort has been advanced in congressional legislation, public statements by top election officials and U.S. senators, […] The post GOP, Trump build on immigration fears to push voting restrictions in states appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Voting rights organization highlights increase in Ohio provisional ballots rejected over ID
It’s been about a year since Ohio’s photo voter ID law took effect, and the organization All Voting Is Local wanted to see how its requirements have impacted provisional voting. What it found was a sharp increase in rejections due to lack of ID. Compared to recent years, the share rejected over identification more than […] The post Voting rights organization highlights increase in Ohio provisional ballots rejected over ID appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal.
Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio brings school board president background to Ohio Statehouse
The newest member of the Ohio House of Representatives is no stranger to the Statehouse. Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio, D-Gahanna, would often testify on various education bills in her role as Gahanna-Jefferson School Board President. “There was so much happening and I started to feel like if I wanted to be where these conversations were […] The post Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio brings school board president background to Ohio Statehouse 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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