Scandals roil OH-9 GOP primary in final 8 days
Eight days from the May 5 primary, three of Ohio's 9th Congressional District Republican candidates — Derek Merrin, Josh Williams, and Madison Sheahan — are facing damaging headlines.
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Click brands Watson 'the Arizona Kid' — but he himself moved here from Indiana
State Rep. Gary Click is closing his primary campaign by branding challenger Eric Watson "the Arizona Kid." Click himself moved to Ohio from Indiana in 2006 — about a year before Watson's family marked 175 years in Seneca County.
Fossil fuel promoters tied to campaign to keep Ohio county renewable ban
Richland County voters are deciding whether to reject a wind and solar ban. Organizations linked to pro-gas interests have given money to keep it in place.
Husted campaign cuts $1,500 check to anti-LGBTQ+ hate group
Sen. Jon Husted's reelection campaign paid $1,500 to the Center for Christian Virtue, an SPLC-designated anti-LGBTQ+ hate group, an FEC filing shows.
Dayton trades council breaks with ACT, endorses Acton
The Dayton Building and Construction Trades Council endorsed Democrat Amy Acton for Ohio governor Friday, publicly splitting from the statewide Affiliated Construction Trades, which has backed Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.
Ohio Republican Vivek Ramaswamy holds big cash lead over Democrat Amy Acton after $25 million loan
Amy Acton has raised $10 million since entering Ohio's gubernatorial race — a Democratic record — but faces a steep financial gap as Vivek Ramaswamy self-funds $25 million and his Super PAC stockpiles another $29.5 million.
Ohio AG joins call to protect state drug-pricing transparency laws
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is among 45 state attorneys general urging the federal government to strengthen oversight of pharmacy benefit managers — and to ensure a proposed federal transparency rule doesn't override state laws already on the books.
What to expect as Ohio utility corruption trial heads for a do-over
A mistrial in the HB 6 utility corruption case sends former FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Mik Dowling back to court Sept. 28 — with legal experts pointing to jury confusion over regulatory complexity as a key factor in the deadlocked verdict.
Forced out of court clerk job over politicking and bungled cases, Sandusky County GOP chair appointed to commissioner seat
Justin Smith was reprimanded in 2019 for using county work time on political business and turning in inaccurate work before resigning. Seven years later, the Sandusky County GOP he leads named him to fill a commissioner vacancy.
Merrin campaign tied to smear site targeting rival Williams in OH-9 GOP primary
A website attacking state Rep. Josh Williams carries digital fingerprints linked to a consultant paid by Derek Merrin's campaign — and carries no disclosure identifying who paid for it, according to reporting by the Toledo Blade.
Ohio electric bills are up. So are electric company CEO salaries.
News and insights from the State Signals newsletter. Plus, the property tax abolition campaign is set to show its hand while opposition gets organized.
Ohio property tax abolition campaign hits 305,000 signatures. Here’s what that means for its chances.
Abolishing Ohio’s property taxes would cut $20 billion in annual funding for schools, libraries and emergency services. The anti-property tax campaign faces a July 1 deadline to gather the remaining signatures.
National Democrats take aim at Trump territory in Ohio with new congressional ad blitz
House Majority PAC plans to spend millions defending Democratic incumbents and going on offense for Republican-held seats after years of retreat from the state.
Ohio Republican congressional candidate accused of controlling affair with 2020 campaign staffer
A former Trump campaign worker alleges Ohio congressional candidate Madison Sheahan carried on a secret, controlling 2-year sexual relationship with her beginning in October 2020 — a claim Sheahan's Ohio campaign manager flatly denies. The report surfaces 11 days before the May 5 Republican primary in the 9th District.
Bipartisan former Ohio AGs urge U.S. Supreme Court to keep immigration protections for Haitians
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments April 29 on the Trump administration's move to strip temporary protected status from Haitian immigrants — a decision that could uproot more than 14,000 Ohioans and $160 million in state economic activity.
Under one Trump cut, Ohio families lose the most
A new analysis finds Ohio families could lose more than $15,000 a year in child care assistance after the Trump administration moved to scrap a Biden-era affordability cap — the largest projected loss of any state in the country.
Ohio AG hopeful Keith Faber stiffed charities on Wexner pledge
The state auditor's own books don't balance: Keith Faber's campaign pledged $15,000 in Wexner contributions to charity in February but sent only $12,500.
13-year-old charged after Tiffin bomb threat hoax
A Fremont juvenile admitted to sending a threatening text message claiming a bomb was placed in a Tiffin mailbox — triggering a street shutdown, evacuations, and a Toledo bomb squad response before the threat was declared a hoax.
Sandusky County prosecutor backs judge she cleared of $33K audit finding
Sandusky County Prosecutor Beth Tischler formally abated a $33,300 state audit finding against Judge Brad Smith — with Ohio Attorney General approval and no repayment required — before publicly backing his re-election campaign. Both are on the May 5 primary ballot.
Ohio State University investigation finds former president misused position for personal associate
A 47-page investigation found former Ohio State President Ted Carter used his authority to secure benefits for Krisanthe Vlachos, with whom he had an "inappropriate relationship," violating university policy and potentially Ohio ethics law.
