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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. She was also a moderator or panelist for US Senate debates for the last four Senatorial elections and for a gubernatorial debate in 2006. She's also led debates and discussions on statewide issues such as drug sentencing, marijuana legalization, redistricting and the collective bargaining law known as Senate Bill 5. Each year she anchors the Bureau's live coverage of the Governor's State of the State, and has led coverage of the inaugurations of the last three governors.
She's produced features for NPR and "Marketplace", and has been interviewed by NPR, the BBC, CBS, NBC 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 Ann Fisher" 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.
Karen, her husband and their son Jack live on Columbus' northeast side.
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U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has joined other prominent Democrats in calling on President Biden to leave the presidential race.
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It’s estimated around 100,000 Ohioans are from Ukraine or can trace their lineage there, and they're concerned about views Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) has expressed about Ukraine.
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Where does U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio stand on issues such as energy, abortion, the economy and immigration?
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The state law banning gender transition treatments for minors is on trial in a Franklin County court. House Bill 68 didn’t take effect in April at the order of the judge hearing this case
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The Ohio Democratic Party's third annual "family reunion" was marked by the crisis of concerns about what’s happening with the head of the family, President Biden.
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The Browns have talked up a domed stadium outside of downtown Cleveland that could cost nearly $2.5 billion, or a billion-dollar renovation of the existing stadium.
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Raise the Wage Ohio was gathering signatures to put a proposed constitutional amendment before voters.
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The group reported it would submit 731,306 petition signatures to the Ohio Secretary of State's office to make the November ballot.
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Raise the Wage Ohio has till Wednesday to get more than 413,000 valid signatures to put their plan to increase the minimum wage before voters in November.
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As expected, the new Ohio law banning contributions to ballot issue campaigns by foreign nationals - including permanent lawful residents known as green card holders - is being challenged in court.