Karen Kasler
Bureau ChiefContact Karen at 614-578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.
Karen Kasler grew up in Lancaster, attended Otterbein College in Westerville, and found her professional break at WCBE-FM in Columbus. Karen was selected as a Fellow in the Kiplinger Master's Degree Program for Mid-Career Journalists at Ohio State University in 1994. She worked at WTVN-AM and WBNS-TV, both in Columbus, then for eight years was the afternoon drive anchor and assignment editor for WTAM-AM, Cleveland.
Since returning to Columbus in 2004, Karen has covered major elections and the controversies surrounding them. She served as moderator for the Ohio Debate Commission's Republican US Senate debate in 2022, its Supreme Court debate in 2020 and its gubernatorial debate in 2018. In addition to other election-related debates, she's led forums on statewide issues including redistricting, tax policy, drug sentencing, marijuana legalization and the collective bargaining law known as Senate Bill 5.
She's produced features for NPR and "Marketplace", and has been interviewed by NPR, the BBC, CBS, NBC, Radio New Zealand and stations around the country. She's a regular panelist on ideastream's "The Sound of Ideas" and a frequent guest on WOSU-TV’s “Columbus on the Record”, WOSU-FM's "All Sides with Anna Staver" and WVXU's "Cincinnati Edition".
Karen has been honored by the Cleveland Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Association of Capitol Editors and Reporters, and holds a National Headliner Award. She's won several awards from the Ohio AP, and is a four-time winner of the AP's Best Broadcast Writing award. She's a three-time Emmy nominee for "The State of Ohio". She's a past president of the Ohio Associated Press and has served on the Board of Directors for the Central Ohio Society of Professional Journalists. Karen is also a former adjunct professor at Capital University in Columbus.
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SNAP or food stamp benefit cards with computer chips in them is something advocates for low-income Ohioans have long pushed for. -
The bill mandates that home health care workers paid by Ohio Medicaid electronically verify when they are working with clients and when they leave. -
The Republican behind last year’s law that sought to crack down on what conservatives view as liberal bias at public universities in Ohio has introduced a bill to fulfill a requirement in that law. -
One was an uncontroversial plan addressing licenses for school psychologists moving to Ohio, but got opposition when a conservative-backed proposal called the Success Sequence was added. -
A federal court in Cincinnati has upheld a 2024 state law requiring age verification on social media and websites, ending the order blocking the law. -
Ohio’s attorney general said he will continue to uphold the state’s death penalty law, in spite of a call for abolishment of the capital punishment from Gov. Mike DeWine, who appointed him AG. -
The bill was approved overwhelmingly, but even some of those who voted for it raised concerns about the kind of property tax relief it provides to elderly and disabled Ohioans. -
The $3.7 billion capital budget that provides money for infrastructure and state and local projects passed both the Ohio Senate and House easily. -
A group of 21 Ohio cities sued over a statewide ban on local bans on flavored tobacco and vapes that went into effect in 2024. -
Lawmakers are considering ending Medicaid payments to people who care for family members as part of an anti-fraud bill. But disabled Ohioans and paid caregivers say it could be devastating.
