Gov. Mike DeWine’s data center advice for Ohio cities and towns: Go make a deal
The governor said the state can’t close its borders to data centers, but that local governments should ‘be aggressive’ in cutting deals with developers.
Economy
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Ohio has committed at least $2.3 billion in sales tax breaks for data centers
Google, Meta and Amazon each get sales tax exemptions worth $600 million apiece over 40 years, according to new data obtained by Signal Statewide. The long-term total could be “significantly higher,” officials say.
Big tech defends data centers before Ohio lawmakers
Tech giants faced skeptical lawmakers and fierce public opposition over nondisclosure deals, tax breaks, and power grid impacts.
Ramaswamy's tax plan rewards the wealthy and corporations while shifting the bill to working Ohioans
Ramaswamy's own financial disclosure shows $768,968 in capital gains in 2025—the exact income his proposal would exempt from state taxes.
Bipartisan JobsOhio oversight bill gets first hearing
The bill would require JobsOhio to pay fair market value for future liquor franchise extensions worth billions, after lawmakers questioned whether the nonprofit truly delivers statewide economic benefits.
Economists say a gas tax suspension wouldn’t give Ohioans meaningful relief
A survey of 19 economists found only one believed the benefits would outweigh infrastructure costs, with most citing deferred road maintenance.
First-time homebuyers face hurdles despite gradual improvement
While affordability has improved slightly, first-time buyers still face a shortage of starter homes, with the median buyer age hitting 40 as families turn to multi-generational living.
Rising costs of fuel, other goods squeeze already strained abortion funds
Abortion funds say fuel prices and inflation are forcing some to temporarily close as demand has more than doubled since the Dobbs decision.
Data center opponents give Ohio lawmakers an earful
Residents demanded a data center moratorium, citing water contamination risks, secrecy through NDAs, and inadequate state oversight during the committee's only public hearing.
The affordability crisis is getting worse in Ohio and the U.S., but it’s not new
A Brookings Institution analysis finds 40% of Ohio households can't make ends meet, a crisis dating to 2014 with steeper impacts on families of color and single parents.
Just before moratorium, two last Ohio data centers get a $42 million tax break
DeWine exempted the Cologix project from his moratorium announced days earlier, after the tax break's cost ballooned to $1.57 billion in 2025.
As political pressure mounts, Ohio’s data centers buy $10,000 in ads and lobby up
Google, Meta, and Amazon have deployed 51 lobbyists and spent $10,000 on ads as Gov. DeWine pauses tax breaks after discovering the exemption cost the state $1.6 billion in 2025.
More cities are pressing pause on data centers as local backlash grows
Seven in 10 Americans oppose nearby data center construction, while dozens of cities enact moratoriums citing electricity costs and environmental concerns.
Ohio lawmakers begin hearings on data centers
Seven in ten Americans oppose data centers in their neighborhoods, but Ohio regulators are weighing how to allocate costs as 77 new facilities are planned by 2030.
JVIS hosting hiring event at Tiffin facility following acquisition of former TMD plant
JVIS is hiring for operators and technicians after acquiring TMD's Tiffin plant, which preserves hundreds of jobs threatened by closure.
Care for seniors is sucking wealth out of families — especially in Ohio
A Roosevelt Institute study shows long-term care costs force even wealthy families to spend down assets to Medicaid limits, while Trump's healthcare law threatens to cut another $150 billion from nursing home payments.
DeWine hits pause on new data center tax breaks as legislature launches review
DeWine paused new tax exemptions after Signal Ohio revealed the state underestimated costs by over $1 billion, as a bipartisan committee launches its review.
6,000-acre solar project permit nixed by Ohio Supreme Court, for now at least
The state's Republican-led high court sided with Madison County officials who opposed the Shell subsidiary's project, citing missing visual renderings of substations.
Trump struck a deal for China to buy $17B a year in US ag products. Farmers are skeptical.
China hasn't confirmed the $17 billion commitment, and farmers say past trade deals fell short of promised purchases.
Ohio Supreme Court hears second round of arguments over pandemic-era unemployment benefits
The state argues the case is moot and long settled; benefit recipients say DeWine must recover unclaimed funds from the federal government.
