The next act for the No Kings movement: Early voting in the midterms
More than 2,500 events in all 50 states will pair with efforts from Bishop William Barber and the ACLU, while the RNC accuses Democrats of manipulating maps.
Columbus Wire - Local News for Columbus and Central Ohio
Ohio early vote way up compared to 2022 but absentee ballot requests are down
A political scientist says Trump's years of attacks on mail voting, not his recent reversal, explain the drop as Democrats and independents lead early returns.
With fewer public defenders, indigent defendants pay the price
Texas lost nearly a fourth of its indigent-defense attorneys in a decade, a crisis echoed in Oregon, Pennsylvania, Kansas and New Mexico, researchers find.
Jon Husted backed utilities’ land-seizure powers now threatening Ohio farms for data centers
A 2022 Ohio Supreme Court case shows AEP already invoked the 2007 law to claim presumptions favoring condemnation, with a hearing on new Piketon-area lines set for October 27.
Ramaswamy campaign puts convicted child sex offender in TV ad, removes him after reporters expose past
His sexual predator registry photo appears to show the same patriotic shirt Ramaswamy complimented at a county fair before the ad was produced.
Derek Merrin promises ‘Made in Ohio’ jobs while handing out Bangladesh-made campaign shirts
When pressed on the Bangladesh-made shirts, Merrin deflected by calling Kaptur pro-China and pro-Mexico, despite her votes against NAFTA and China trade relations.
Local News›
Ohio lawmakers introduce bills to add age limits, regulate electric bikes and electric scooters
Sponsors cite Akron Children's Hospital already topping its 2025 e-bike injury total by July and a fatal Columbus crash as lawmakers push a spring deadline.
A construction ban on data centers would be better for Ohio than the status quo, study says
Scioto Analysis ran 10,000 simulations and found requiring data centers to use 90% renewable power scored best, after Ohio taxpayers covered $2.3 billion in subsidies.
Jon Husted promoted Gary Click as campaign chair after child sex abuse investigation went public
The Ohio senator's campaign identified Click as its Sandusky County chairman a month after police allegations became public, then touted his endorsement months later.
$10 diesel? One Ohio analyst says it’s possible.
Analyst Eric Pachman says near-record-low reserves, delayed refinery maintenance and an Iran-driven export squeeze could push diesel past $10 a gallon.
National News›
Urban, rural hospitals closing at similar rates, study finds
Harvard researchers found 432 hospitals closed since 2010, mostly for-profit or safety-net facilities serving high-poverty counties with limited transportation.
Voting rights advocates organize volunteers to track potential intimidation at the polls
Vote Safe volunteers will deploy in Ohio first, where Husted faces Brown and fears of ICE targeting Black and Haitian voters are running high.
Top Democratic US Senate PAC commits to 9 states, eyes more Republican targets
The group is watching Kansas, Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina as possible expansion states even as Republicans hold a massive cash advantage.
Hiring slows in September with job growth of 29K
Economist Kathryn Anne Edwards calls it a textbook weak report as wages trail inflation and August, July job gains were revised sharply downward.
Commentary›
Trump slashed healthcare for Ohio families and spiked premiums. Now he’s offering small checks.
The $500 and $90 checks exclude most Ohio enrollees and come as 160,000 residents already lost ACA coverage and 356,000 face Medicaid cuts.
Can Ohio do better than a gas tax suspension?
Economists note the $725 million gas tax holiday skips 370,000 no-car households and would give at-risk families more relief through rebates or tax credits.
Will gas tax gimmick make Ohioans forget why we are in this mess and who got us here?
DeWine calls the $700 million plan a very bad idea as GOP leaders rush a special session days before early voting begins in Ohio.
Ohio farmers are getting crushed by our politicians’ failure to fight for us
Ashland County farmer Joe Stimmell says Husted and Miller's war votes and tariffs pushed fertilizer near $850 a ton and cut cattle values by 20%.
