Government/Politics

Ohio gave General Motors some $60 million dollars in state tax credits for its Lordstown operation. Now the attorney general is demanding the company pay the state back.

A collection of health and human services advocates are urging state leaders to immediately work on revamping the unemployment compensation system in order to avoid another backlog in the future.

A new report from a group of business leaders shows many Ohio companies cannot get back on their feet because their employees no longer have affordable day care options. 

Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) says the state continues to see a concerning spike in cases of COVID-19. The governor says people must take social distancing seriously and wear masks before things get worse.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled a Louisiana law that requires abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital is an undue burden and unconstitutional. But abortion rights activists say the ruling doesn’t affect a similar law in Ohio.

The state’s more than 600 school districts are waiting for the Ohio Department of Education to release its COVID-19 guidance on how to operate in the new school year. But with the first day of classes less than two months away, many districts are making their own plans as they wait.

Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a law that allows students in public schools to express their religious beliefs.

Some state leaders are angry over damage at the Ohio Statehouse after protests in Columbus – and one has suggested the state consider a form of secession from the capital city.

The Ohio National Guard will soon have to end its pandemic-related missions, including its first assignment in the coronavirus crisis – helping Ohio’s 12 food banks with the huge job of getting food to increasing numbers of people who need it.

The state health department is reporting the highest daily increase in total COVID-19 cases in Ohio since April. Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) says they're seeing what he calls a "worrisome" increase among a certain demographic.

Two bills under consideration in the Ohio Legislature would change sentencing for low-level drug crimes to intervention over incarceration. A new study from a liberal leaning think tank shows passing those bills would improve the health of many Ohioans – especially now.

A new Quinnipiac poll of registered voters shows Ohio may be a swing state once again. The race between President Trump and likely Democratic nominee Joe Biden is a virtual dead heat with a little over four months to go before the November election.

The Ohio Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that Toledo can no longer send appeals of traffic camera tickets to a city-paid administrative hearing officer. The attorney who won the case says it could shut down traffic camera programs in any city with a similar process.

Nine dance studios are suing the state of Ohio over mandated shutdowns and limitations imposed on their businesses. 

Democrats in the Ohio House say lawmakers need to deal with some important business this summer instead of taking time off. 

A bill that would allow bars and restaurants to use parking lots, green space and even streets for social distancing for customers is now being considered by the Senate. But there’s a provision in the bill that didn’t get much attention till it was on the floor – a plan to extend the hours that bars can stay open.

Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) says it is imperative for the state to ward off a spike of COVID-19 as the economy begins to reopen, one way of accomplishing that, according to DeWine, is to increase coronavirus testing.

A bill that would have allowed an extension of benefits to unemployed Ohioans who are at risk or have medical conditions that could be deadly if they contract COVID-19 has been in the works at the Statehouse. But the sponsor of that legislation says it is not necessary now that Gov. Mike DeWine has issued an executive order.

Ohio’s constitution bans slavery except for one reason. And at least one Black lawmaker wants that exception stripped from the state’s governing document.

Most schools say they plan to restart learning in two months but a coalition of school administrators and teachers from the state's largest city school districts say they're waiting on a slew of decisions from Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Education ranging from funding to operations.

Summertime is prime time for amusement parks, zoos and other venues. But the months of shutdown and the limits on operations – plus safety concerns from consumers – are all having a big impact on communities that rely on tourism dollars.

The fund that the state uses to pay jobless benefits is now broke – which was predicted even before the pandemic. And now state leaders are struggling with how to pay back the money being borrowed to keep those unemployment checks coming.

The FDA has revoked permission for hydroxychloroquine to be used as a treatment for COVID-19, after the drug had been publicly touted by President Donald Trump. That leaves the state of Ohio with a stockpile of the drug amounting to millions of pills.

The Ohio Senate is being asked to consider a bill passed along party lines in the House that requires new reporting standards for COVID19. 

The state’s largest law enforcement organization says it’s cautiously on board with a lot of ideas being pushed out at the local, state and federal levels on police reforms.

The state of Ohio has not been denying anyone jobless benefits for COVID-19 related reasons, such as concerns about contracting coronavirus on the job or being ordered to quarantine. But that is changing for people who can’t find child care.

Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) says the state as a whole has seen a steady trend in decreasing cases of COVID-19, but he’s warning of possible trouble in southwest Ohio which is not following that trend.

A group that wanted to put voter reforms such as guaranteed 28 days of early voting, same day registration and voting and automatic registration at the BMV on the fall ballot has dropped its effort. 

Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) is proposing changes to the law enforcement process when it comes to recruitment, training, and oversight in response to the anti-racism protests. But other state leaders say the proposals continue to ignore what they see as the root problem of policing.