Friday, July 18, 2025

ABORTION/REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

Planned Parenthood health centers in Springfield and Hamilton will close effective Friday, Aug. 1 due to provisions in the federal "One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBB) that passed earlier this month, Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio (PPSWOH) announced Thursday. The OBBB prohibits health care providers that offer abortion services from participating in the Medicaid program, PPSWOH said. "This action strips health centers across the country of millions in vital Medicaid reimbursement funding, targeting providers that serve the most vulnerable," PPSWOH said. "As a result, thousands of low-income Ohioans will lose access to basic, preventive health care services such as STI testing and treatment, birth control, cancer screenings, and general wellness exams."

ADDICTION/SUBSTANCE ABUSE

The OneOhio Recovery Foundation is looking to award the lion's share of $40 million this year in its second round of regional grant funding approved by its Board of Directors in June. This allocation follows $51 million approved by the board in last year's initial round of funding, yielding $45 million in actual grants and $6 in administrative costs and other uses.

AGRICULTURE

The Ohio AgriBusiness Association (OABA) and the Ohio State University (OSU) College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) will once again partner to hold the Career Exploration Fair at the 2025 Farm Science Review (FSR). The event will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Celebration Tent on the FSR grounds, OABA said.

ARTS, SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

The Ohio History Connection (OHC) and Ohio 529 College Advantage are joining forces later this summer to celebrate the family that reads together at "Once Upon Ohio." Once Upon Ohio is OHC's celebration of children's literature, suited for young children and their families. The event at the Ohio History Center, 800 E. 17th Ave., Columbus, will feature stories by Ohio authors and illustrators. Engaging activities, including songs, rhymes and movement, will be included to foster early literacy skills and enhanced language development in a dynamic and entertaining manner. The event takes place on Saturday, Aug. 16 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., with OHC member early access starting at 9 a.m. Guests are asked to register for the event with times for OHC entry at 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and noon. Once Upon Ohio tickets will be valid at OHC all day. Tickets are currently available for OHC members and non-members.

AUDITOR OF STATE

Shelia Haney, former executive director of the Allen County Regional Transit Authority, was found guilty this week in a theft-in-office case pursued by Auditor of State Keith Faber, who served as lead counsel in the trial after being appointed as special prosecutor. According to Faber's office, a jury in Allen County Common Pleas Court found Haney guilty of one count of theft in office, four counts of tampering with records, one count of tampering with evidence and one count of telecommunications fraud. All are felonies. The theft involved about $27,000, Faber's office said. Sentencing is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 11.

FY26-27 BUDGET

On Monday, July 21, the Ohio House will vote on potential overrides of the following three vetoes made by Gov. Mike DeWine regarding property tax provisions included in HB96 (Stewart). Much of the simmering debate on how best to address rising property tax bills, and whether vetoed budget policies are the right approach, focus on the concept of local control. But which locals should be in control?

County budget commission powers: This three-person panel, consisting of a county's auditor, treasurer and prosecutor, would get explicit power to reduce millage for local jurisdictions' levies "so as to bring the tax levies required therefore within levels the commission finds reasonable and prudent to avoid unnecessary, excessive or unneeded collections," as HB96 puts it.

School districts' 20 mill floor: Property tax revenues within the 20 mill funding floor for schools are currently able to grow along with property values. Budget bill changes would count revenue from certain levies that at present don't count, including emergency levies, among others, toward that 20 mill floor.

Elimination of levy types: For all jurisdictions, replacement levies would be eliminated under HB96 budget language. For schools, fixed-sum emergency levies, substitute emergency levies, combined school district income tax and fixed-sum property tax levies and renewal with increase levies would also no longer be an option.

IT’S IN THE FY26-27 BUDGET

The Senate added budget language that requires the Ohio Department of Veterans Services (ODVS) to investigate sites in Central Ohio for a new state veterans home, with the ODVS director to issue a report on those findings to the Legislature and governor by Sept. 30, 2026. The report is to include an evaluation of relevant grant criteria under a federal program for state veterans home construction, and potential state expenses for construction and land acquisition. The Senate also added budget language reappropriating unexpended and unencumbered portions of the Veterans Homes Modernization Fund, "plus an amount equal to cash previously expended but returned to the fund at the end of FY25 and FY26 to FY26 and FY27 respectively, for the same purpose" according to the comparison document.

Budget negotiations saw lawmakers save from abolishment a special oversight committee they formed years ago to scrutinize the work of Disability Rights Ohio (DRO). But one of the main backers of that panel has no immediate plans for it to swing into action again but wanted to keep it around in case it was needed again. DRO is a nonprofit officially designated by the state to perform advocacy work on behalf of people who have disabilities or need behavioral health services. Designating such an agency is a requirement for receiving federal funding in those areas. In a prior budget bill, 134-HB110 (Oelslager), the General Assembly created the Joint Committee to Examine the Activities of the State's Protection and Advocacy System (P&A) and Client Assistance Program (CAP).

The DeWine administration announced the appropriation of $4 million in FY26-27 funding to the Direct Services for Victims of Human Trafficking Grant Program Monday following its successful rollout in the previous biennium. The program seeks to assist the growing number of sex and labor trafficking victims through victim advocacy, mental health services, education and employment support, shelter/housing programs and other support. Launched in 2023, the direct-services fund provided $4.6 million in FY24-25 to 30 private and governmental entities led by $200,000 each to Freedom ala Carte in Franklin County, Ohio Justice and Policy Center in Hamilton County, and Rape Crisis Center in Summit County. The original $4 million award grew more than a half million dollars after high demand from worthy applicants.

The final state budget, HB96 (Stewart), provides funds for several aviation and defense-related projects, some of which were added in the House and underwent removal by the Senate before the conference committee restored them. Among them was creation of the "Ohio Airport Improvement Program," which the House sought to fund at $4.65 million each fiscal year using Petroleum Activity Tax (PAT) receipts derived from the sale of aircraft fuel. The Senate removed those provisions, and while the conference committee restored the program it opted to use the General Revenue Fund (GRF) instead of PAT receipts.

A provision added to budget bill HB96 (Stewart) during its consideration in the Senate narrowed the definition of a "wild boar" or "feral swine" in relation to 135-HB503 (Peterson-Jones) after an Adams County judge stopped that law from taking effect this spring for "vagueness" that could "violate ... rights to due process." The original sponsor of HB503, Rep. Bob Peterson (R-Sabina), said the budget language accomplished what the bill set out to do. "The tweaks to the feral swine definition in HB96 clarify the intent of HB503," Peterson told Hannah News.

EDUCATION

Ohio's educators aren't acting up more than they used to, according to State Board of Education (SBOE) Superintendent Paul Craft, even as referrals to SBOE's Rapback system -- which notifies officials when someone licensed to work with students is convicted of a crime -- have increased for every credential type issued since 2019. Craft presented Monday's SBOE regular meeting with a high-level overview of the state's license and referral processes. SBOE issues more than 487,000 credentials to more than 370,000 Ohioans, more of both than any other state agency. Craft said the number of individuals evaluated by the three systems comprising Rapback might be the best proxy the state of Ohio has for the number of people teaching in a school building, interacting with children as an educator or administrator.

Soon after state lawmakers mandated that public schools largely bar student cell phone use during class hours, the Ohio Christian Education Network (OCEN) is asking its affiliates to follow suit voluntarily. The network, an arm of the Center for Christian Virtue, announced its Phone-Free Christian School Covenant, in which signatories pledge "an environment for students that is completely free from cell phones or other personal Internet devices from the start to the end of the school day." OCEN said 23 schools have signed the covenant so far. Under HB96 (Stewart), public schools must adopt policies barring student cell phone use during the school day, with limited exceptions for student health or uses outlined in the learning plans for students with disabilities.

Following the passage of the state's operating budget for the next biennium, Thursday's monthly public meeting of the Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) focused on the education issues HB96 (Stewart) looked to address, and the education challenges the state of Ohio is looking at moving forward. Aaron Rausch, DEW chief of budget and school funding, said primary and secondary education received an estimated 40.8 percent of total FY26 appropriations in the final version of HB96, up from the total in the budget's “As Introduced” version. Rausch said additional appropriations to primary and secondary education during the budget process mainly came from HB96's human services and corrections portions. HB96 enacts the final phase-in of the Fair School Funding Plan, at 83.3 percent in FY26 and 100 percent in FY27. Rausch said no school district in Ohio will receive less state funding from the budget compared to FY21 funding levels.

Rausch recapped several of the education-related provisions in HB96, including the budget bill's increase for school districts in the minimum state share for transportation to 45.83 percent in FY26 and 50 percent in FY27. HB96 also includes $10 million for school bus safety grants, open to traditional districts, joint vocational school districts (JVSDs), community schools, STEM schools, ESCs, county developmental disability (DD) boards and chartered nonpublic schools, among other provisions.

ELECTIONS 2025

Secretary of State Frank LaRose Wednesday released the audit results from May's primary election, which included a statewide election to decide bond issue renewal Issue 2. LaRose said that the results of the audit showed a 99.99 percent accuracy rate.

ELECTIONS 2026

Members of Ohio's congressional delegation padded their campaign funds ahead of the 2026 election cycle, according to new campaign finance filings this week. Tuesday was the deadline for federal candidates to report fundraising totals for the second quarter of this year through June 30. U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) in his second fundraising quarter reported $2.65 million on hand since being appointed to the Senate earlier this year. Husted reported $951,040 in contributions and spent $289,162. Among those reporting more than $1 million on hand are the following: U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Cincinnati) with $1.04 million; U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Columbus), $2.64 million; U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Urbana), $7.35 million; U.S. Rep. Troy Balderson (R-Zanesville), $1.28 million; U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Novelty), $3.04 million; and U.S. Rep. Mike Carey (R-Columbus), $1.07 million.

The National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) said Friday that it will be engaging in a series of state-level elections in the next two years, including the three statewide offices that are members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission. The NDRC said its list of priorities for 2025 and 2026 is "part of an aggressive campaign to support candidates for offices that are key to building a fairer, more representative democracy and stopping anti-democracy agendas in the states, including gerrymandering and restricting ballot initiatives." The priority list includes Ohio's governor, secretary of state and state auditor races, as well as the Ohio Supreme Court race that will see Justice Jennifer Brunner defending her seat. NDRC said its investments will be made to support the goals of electing Democratic candidates for governor, state legislatures and other state-level offices that play a role in the redistricting process; and combatting partisan efforts to reduce the independence of state supreme courts by supporting "fair-minded" state supreme court justices.

The state of Ohio should stop collecting taxes on capital gains as a step toward eliminating the income tax completely, Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said Wednesday. "It's part of your income taxation in Ohio," Ramaswamy said during a conversation with Ohio Innovation and Technology Association (OITA) President Bobby Kovey at OITA's Innovation Summit. "If we ... first eliminate the capital gains component of what you pay, Ohio becomes a magnet for asset owners across the country," Ramaswamy said. "Think about what that means. If you want to sell a stake in your business to private equity or whatever, right now, we're a state that effectively incentivizes you to be chased out to Tennessee or Texas or Florida to do it. Yet, we can be the state that those capital owners choose to move into." Ramaswamy also said he would like Ohio to change its laws to make Ohio the "most incorporation friendly state in the union."

Independent gubernatorial candidate Timothy Grady announced Tuesday that Andrea Neutzling will be his lieutenant governor candidate for his 2026 bid. Neutzling is an army veteran, advocate and Southeast Ohio native, according to the Grady campaign. Her top priorities include "fixing Ohio's broken education funding system, protecting students facing school bullying, and expanding support for disabled veterans."

A township trustee has become the second candidate to announce a campaign for the 86th House District, which is currently held by the term-limited Rep. Tracy Richardson (R-Marysville). Wezlynn Davis, a business owner who also serves as a Jerome Township trustee in Union County, said she will seek the Republican nomination for the seat, saying she will "protect constitutional rights and advocate for policies that reflect the voice of the district." Davis previously ran for the seat in 2024, losing to Richardson in the Republican primary.

Miami University trustee Zach Haines announced he is running for the 7th Ohio Senate District seat currently held by the term-limited Sen. Steve Wilson (R-Maineville). Haines is an entrepreneur and business owner, and had been previously nominated by President Donald Trump to serve on the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation Board of Trustees.

U.S. Air Force veteran Eric Conroy announced Thursday his campaign for the First Congressional District. The seat is currently held by U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Cincinnati). A Republican, Conroy also worked previously as a CIA case officer and said he has led critical intelligence missions around the world over the past two decades. Conroy said. "I'm running for Congress because I've seen the threats we face abroad and the struggles families face here at home. It's time for new leadership that will stand up to the extremes, restore common sense, and fight to make sure the American Dream stays within reach for every Ohioan."

Attorney Michael Eisner has launched a campaign for the Seventh Congressional District, a seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Max Miller (R-Rocky River). Eisner, a Democrat, said he is running to "make the American Dream real for real people. For 30 years, I have been fighting for the rights of individuals as an attorney," he says on his campaign website. "Because our government is supposed to be by the people and for the people, I choose to shift this fight to public service. Like many other survivors of cancer, I benefited from access to health care and am healthy due to NIH-funded research. The attacks on these are some of the motivations that drive me to serve the people and make changes to our system."

The following endorsements were made over the week:

- The Ohio Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy in the Republican gubernatorial primary.

- Speaker of the House Matt Huffman (R-Lima) endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy for governor.

- The Ohio Chamber of Commerce Federal Political Action Committee endorsed U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) to retain his seat in 2026.

ENERGY/UTILITIES

American Electric Power (AEP) and FirstEnergy Corp. have turned to the U.S. Supreme Court after the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati upheld the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) ruling that Ohio utilities cannot charge customers an electric transmission "adder" mandated by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), the Office of Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC) announced Tuesday. FERC initially allowed FirstEnergy and AEP to continue billing ratepayers the transmission incentive because it was part of a negotiated settlement but had ordered AES Ohio to remove the adder as a unilateral business decision. On appeal, the Sixth Circuit upheld the AES finding and overruled federal regulators on the AEP/FirstEnergy charge, saying inclusion in a settlement is irrelevant to its larger illegality. FERC followed suit. OCC had filed the original FERC action panning the mandatory adder as oxymoronic and illegal. Now before the nation's high court, AEP and FirstEnergy argue that PUCO cannot require electric distribution utilities (EDU) to participate in the 13-state regional transmission organization (RTO) encompassing Ohio, PJM Interconnection -- and thereby moot billed costs for RTO membership -- when the Federal Power Act (FPA) ostensibly has made such participation voluntary.

The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) of Ohio charged President Donald Trump and PJM Interconnection with a pair of unnecessary grid emergencies Wednesday by recommissioning coal-fired generators in the first case and driving up capacity auction prices in the second. Manager Clara Summers of CUB's "Consumers for a Better Grid" campaign joined Executive Director Ric O'Connell of GridLab in Berkley, CA and Director Jon Gordon of Advanced Energy United in Washington, D.C. for a webinar on price hikes within PJM's 13-state region encompassing Ohio and District of Columbia. Summers laid blame for the regional transmission organization's (RTO) eight-fold price increase for electric capacity -- a thermal vs. renewable generating facility's ability to run 24/7/365 -- to more than $17 billion squarely at PJM's feet.

ENVIRONMENT

Environmentalists will march across Ohio for 13 days next year to urge action on climate change, Third Act Ohio and Save Ohio Parks have announced. The "Great Ohio Climate March" will begin on Saturday, May 16, 2026 and end on Thursday, May 28, 2026, the groups said. The march will begin in Athens, and participants will hike to Salt Fork State Park. After that, they will march from the park to the Statehouse in Columbus. At the Statehouse, participants are expected to "engage in a Legislature Day with lawmakers to explain what they saw and learned from communities along the march, urge them to phase out fossil fuels and quickly ramp up renewable energy, and persuade them to pass legislation to ban fracking under Ohio public lands."

Gov. Mike DeWine's H2Ohio initiative to use natural wetlands to address runoff into Lake Erie took another step forward on Tuesday as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and the Erie Conservation District cut the ribbon on the H2Ohio Moxley Wildlife Area Wetland Reconnection project, joining 57 acres of Western Lake Erie Basin wetlands to the Sandusky Bay. The finished wetlands project will improve the quality of water flowing in and out of the bay. "H2Ohio is specifically designed to identify and complete high-quality wetland projects like this one," said Gov. Mike DeWine. "Improving the water flowing through Sandusky Bay will ultimately improve water quality in Lake Erie, which is exactly what we set out to do when creating H2Ohio nearly six years ago."

GAMING/GAMBLING

Expert testimony from disciplines across the behavioral health spectrum -- particularly suicide prevention -- helped slow down legislation that would legalize Internet casino gambling (iGambling) across the state, according to Problem Gambling Network of Ohio (PGNO) Executive Director Derek Longmeier. "Things were not looking great from the direction we were heading," Longmeier said during the National Conference on Gambling Addiction & Responsible Gambling held at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus. Longmeier said it appeared portions of iGambling bills SB197 (Manning) and HB298 (Stewart-John) were going to be inserted into budget bill HB96 (Stewart), but that didn't end up happening. Longmeier specifically pointed to the "super compelling" testimony of Tony Coder, executive director of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, who provided remarks opposing SB197 in May.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

Former Rep. Jack Cera (D-Bellaire) passed away on Sunday, July 13, according to an obituary provided to Hannah News. Cera served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1983 to 1996, and again from 2011 to 2020. He is survived by his wife Becky, his daughters Jaclyn Yocum (Brent) and Bethany Trifonoff (Jimmy), and granddaughters Scarlett and Lena Yocum and Finley Trifonoff and his beloved dog Poppy. The 69-year-old waged a valiant battle with cancer for 2.5 years. His memorial service is set for Saturday, July 19 at South Bellaire Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to any of the following groups or organizations: Bellaire Big Reds Endowment Fund, Bellaire Big Reds Touchdown Club, Bellaire Girls Softball Association, the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute or Liza's Place.

While the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) took no action against any items on its agenda on Monday, one member had strong words for agencies which he said were "wordsmithing" in order to get around statutory requirements to reduce regulations. Sen. Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware) questioned representatives from the Ohio Tuition Trust Authority and the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) about a package of rules which he said seemed to be trying to skirt statute passed by the General Assembly to reduce the amount of regulations by changing the word "shall" to "will" in the Ohio Administrative Code. Michael Graham, director of legislative affairs for ODHE, confirmed that those changes had been made in a number of the rules in the package. "That doesn't do anything to meet compliance with what we asked for in the law to reduce regulations," Brenner told Graham.

GREAT LAKES

Nearly all of Ohio's Lake Erie beaches were unsafe for swimming on at least one day in 2024, according to a recent analysis of bacteria testing by Environment America Research and Policy Center (EARPC). The group's researchers tested over 3,100 beaches nationwide for levels of fecal contamination compared to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) "Beach Action Value," a conservative, precautionary tool states can use to make beach notification decisions. Nationwide, 61 percent of beaches experienced at least one day on which levels of fecal contamination reached potentially unsafe levels. The same USEPA levels were exceeded for at least one day in 2024 on 92 percent (70 of 76) of Ohio's Lake Erie beaches. The same levels were potentially unsafe on at least 25 percent of all days tested at 27 of Ohio's other beaches (36 percent).

HUMAN SERVICES

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) distributed $122.6 million in summer EBT benefits, also known as "SUN Bucks," from June 11 through July 4, ODJFS Director Matt Damschroder announced Monday. "The program is available through Aug. 15, and I encourage anyone who believes they may be eligible and hasn't received benefits, to apply." SUN Bucks is a federal program that provides assistance to eligible families with school-aged children while those schools are closed for the summer. Eligible families will receive a one-time benefit of $120 for each eligible child. More than one million children have received benefits so far in 2025. Most of the benefits were automatically distributed to families on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), cash assistance (Ohio Works First), and those who are income-eligible and receiving Medicaid benefits. For those on SNAP, benefits were loaded onto the family's Ohio Direction Card. Those who received 2024 summer benefits had 2025 benefits loaded onto their existing card. New recipients will receive a benefit card by mail. Like SNAP, the money can be used to buy food at grocery stores, farmers' markets, and other authorized retailers.

JUDICIAL

The Ohio Supreme Court and Ohio Access to Justice Foundation (OAJF) have announced 86,161 pro bono hours representing more than $21.5 million in free legal assistance from attorneys answering their annual joint survey for 2024. In addition, in-kind contributions increased by half from roughly $800,000 in 2023. Nearly 3,000 state-licensed attorneys answered the OLAF/Court survey with a median billing rate of $250 per hour.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

The Ohio Department of Public Safety's (DPS) Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) added three local police departments to the 600-plus state and local law enforcement agencies certified under state policing standards promulgated by the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board. Police in Madison Village (Lake County), North College Hill (Hamilton) and West Jefferson (Madison) have joined best practices now eclipsed by the DeWine administration's program for full law enforcement accreditation. OCJS also recertified 32 agencies.

MENTAL HEALTH

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) and Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) announced Thursday the launch of a recruitment campaign to boost the "Ohio's Wellness Workforce" of behavioral health services professionals. "The campaign features real Ohio professionals and students who share why they were drawn to the field and encourage others to pursue a career helping those in need. Growing and strengthening the behavioral health workforce is a priority for OhioMHAS, with work underway to increase career readiness, support recruitment and retention, and enhance contemporary practice for Ohio's behavioral health professionals," the agencies said in a statement. The administration said demand for services has increased more than three-fold, with research showing about 40 percent of Ohioans live with a behavioral health disorder.

NATURAL RESOURCES

For his notable efforts in teaching boating safety to Ohio adults, children and even law enforcement, Travis Ferguson has been named both the 2025 Boating Educator of the Year for the state of Ohio and the Northern Region Educator of the Year by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA). Ferguson, a natural resources officer in the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Parks and Watercraft, teaches Ohio Boater Education Courses (OBEC), including 78 hours of classroom instruction and 184 hours of on-the-water training in 2024 to 74 students. Many of his students often cite Ferguson as their favorite part of the course. In 2024, Ferguson also completed 65 vessel safety checks, conducted 156 hours of boat patrol and contributed 46 hours of debris removal following the March tornado at Indian Lake State Park.

ODNR is now accepting applications for public land controlled hunts during the 2025-2026 hunting season to provide special chances for people to pursue deer, waterfowl, doves, pheasants and more. Controlled hunts offer opportunities to hunt for adults, youth, mobility-impaired individuals and mentors with apprentices. Species-specific hunts are available for the animals listed above, with firearm and archery hunts available for some species. Applications to controlled access lotteries for deer, waterfowl, small game, waterfowl blind and dove permits are available through Ohio's Wildlife Licensing System or via phone by calling 1-866-703-1928. An additional service fee of $5.50 is added to phone applications. Each hunt also requires payment of a non-refundable $3 application fee. Customers may apply for more than one hunt but can only apply to each hunt once per year.

OHIO HISTORY

More than $66 million in tax credits are being issued to support the preservation and revitalization of dozens of historic buildings throughout the state, Gov. Mike DeWine has announced. The awards are a part of the Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program, which encourages private investment in the rehabilitation of historic structures by providing financial incentives for their redevelopment. DeWine said, "These buildings are more than brick and mortar -- they reflect the history of our communities and the generations of the past. Thanks to these tax credits, these buildings will contribute to Ohio's future as well." In total, 39 projects will be awarded $66.1 million in tax credits to preserve 47 buildings across the state. The projects are expected to leverage approximately $518 million in private investments.

OHIO STATE FAIR

Now that the Ohio State Fair is set to open Wednesday, July 23, food vendors have unveiled some of the new and unique "fair fare" they will be offering this year. New Food Avenue is returning to the Ohio State Fair for the second year featuring a few new vendors and new bites. Located between Main Street Stage and the Mountain Dew Midway, New Food Avenue will feature eight food locations all serving up mixtures like buckeye lemonade to new deep-fried savory tacos and sweet gluten-free donuts. Fairgoers looking to sample all the food the fair has to offer are encouraged to visit on both Thursdays of the fair, July 24 and July 31, for $3 Thursday when mini versions of fair favorites are sold for just $3 each including funnel cakes, fries, mini donuts, lemonade, corndog, bourbon chicken, deep fried treats, and more.

PEOPLE

The former chief investigative counsel of the congressional select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol told a Cleveland City Club forum Friday that he believes the country is not divided along party lines but along the lines of who believe in American institutions and those who don't. Tim Heaphy, the lead investigative counsel for the House of Representatives Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, who also oversaw an independent investigation into the Aug. 12, 2018 riot in Charlottesville, VA, appeared at the City Club forum to discuss his book, Harbingers: What January 6 and Charlottesville Reveal About Rising Threats to American Democracy. He concluded in his book that apathy among Americans is a greater threat to democracy than would-be autocrats. He said he wrote the book because lawyers often become accidental experts, and his expertise ended up being political violence.

The County Commissioners Association of Ohio (CCAO) announced Tuesday that Lori Baldridge has joined the organization as membership services coordinator for the Ohio County Employee Retirement Plan (OCERP). According to CCAO, she most recently served as deputy elections director for the Ohio Secretary of State and as a support and compliance administrator with the Ohio Department of Administrative Services/Ohio 911 program office, where she supported county and local government operations across the state. Prior to her state service, she spent nearly 30 years as an educator in Southern Ohio.

Ohio Right to Life (ORTL) recently announced Carrie Snyder has begun serving as executive director, following the departure of former president Mike Gonidakis after 17 years. Gonidakis announced in May that he'd be stepping down on July 1. Snyder has been on the ORTL board for over 15 years and worked locally in Wayne County. She is a mother of nine, including three adopted children, and has a history of volunteering in the foster care system, schools, Girl Scouts, on drug abuse prevention and through church ministry.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Gov. Mike DeWine announced Friday that the Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS) will be expanding Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) technology into 15 additional counties after a successful implementation in 10 pilot counties. The administration said the technology will help get critical information to first responders more quickly during emergencies. The 10 pilot counties that are now fully implementing NG9-1-1 include Athens, Carroll, Champaign, Columbiana, Harrison, Monroe, Morgan, Union, Van Wert and Washington. Counties that have now begun the onboarding process include Allen, Belmont, Fairfield, Guernsey, Hardin, Hocking, Jackson, Jefferson, Marion, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Ross and Vinton. NG9-1-1 modernizes how Ohioans interact with 9-1-1, allowing citizens to text and use smartwatches and other wearable technology to contact 9-111. NG9-1-1 technology also saves times when Ohioans call emergency services by reducing the number of call transfers between 911 call centers and by more precisely pinpointing the location of callers using cell phones, the administration said.

The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of State Fire Marshal swore in the newest member of its investigative team Monday -- a two-year-old yellow lab named Karl. A special ceremony took place this morning at the State Fire Marshal's campus in Reynoldsburg. As the division's newest explosive detection K9, Karl joins the Fire and Explosion Investigations Bureau (FEIB), where he has been trained to detect a variety of explosive materials, including fireworks, firearms, and shell casings. Karl will work alongside his partner, FEIB Investigator Ken Wright, as they serve communities across Ohio.

The Ohio State Fire Marshal's Office Tuesday issued a caution after reporting a spike in fireworks-related incidents over the Fourth of July holiday. The State Fire Marshal's Fire and Explosion Investigations Bureau (FEIB) investigated 15 fireworks related incidents that resulted in 31 injuries from July 3-5. FEIB said it was also notified of many other incidents that were handled at the local level. Burn injury reports from hospitals across the state indicate an additional 24 individuals were injured in fireworks-related incidents during this holiday. That marks a significant increase from last year, when, in all of 2024, the FEIB investigated 14 fireworks-related incidents resulting in 28 injuries, the State Fire Marshal's Office said.

TECHNOLOGY/AEROSPACE

Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber spoke Wednesday on current and future government uses of artificial intelligence (AI) at an Ohio Chamber of Commerce AI summit, detailing both its usefulness in audits and the importance of auditing AI to prevent it from providing incorrect information. Retaining the ability to challenge an AI decision will be important, he added. Also on the panel was Andrew Freedman, co-founder and chief strategic officer at the organization Fathom, which works to identify governance solutions regarding AI and public trust.

As the pace of artificial intelligence (AI) applications evolves rapidly, education leaders say they're not so much focused on making students and instructors expert in AI per se, but in getting them to understand how it will help them explore their interests more deeply or collaborate across disciplines, among other uses. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce AI Summit included a panel on AI in education featuring Chris Woolard, chief integration officer for the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) and Shereen Agrawal, who leads the Center for Software Integration at Ohio State University. "You're going to have the computer science students who are doing the AI, but for the vast majority, it's not about the AI, it's about whatever work you're doing, and AI's just going to be infused in that," said Woolard.

Rep. Tex Fischer (R-Youngstown) told the Ohio Innovation and Technology Association's (OITA) annual Innovation Summit Wednesday that he doesn't want to live in a world where government is 10 to 15 years behind in technology. Fischer sat down with OITA President Bobby Kovey to discuss the General Assembly's work to integrate new technology into government work, saying one application he would like to see it used is in compliance with state and local regulations.

TRANSPORTATION/INFRASTRUCTURE

When it comes to the use of "smart mobility" in Ohio transportation, Ohio officials said it is a term that is constantly evolving. Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Deputy Director Charles Ash, DriveOhio Executive Director Preet Choudhary and Ohio Turnpike Executive Director Ferzan Ahmed joined JobsOhio's Jonathan Bridges for a panel discussion on the use of technology in the transportation realm at the Ohio Innovation and Technology Association's (OITA) annual Innovation Summit held in Columbus Wednesday. Choudhary said that she used to think of it in terms of how to move goods, but now she looks at it more from a people perspective. She said that technology has made it possible to move people who may be challenged in their mobility because of age or other factors in a way that wasn't possible 10 or 20 years ago. She said unfortunately, those types of advances have not been made in how we build roads and bridges. Smart mobility, she said, is a term that is synonymous with innovation, being creative and embracing innovation, "All things we are good at in government, as you all know," she joked to the audience.

WORKFORCE

The DeWine administration and the Ohio Department of Development (DOD) announced Thursday that over $9.9 million was awarded during the TechCred round in May, the highest amount provided in any round since the program began in September 2019. The May round also saw 622 employers awarded funding that will enable Ohioans to earn 8,362 tech-focused credentials.