Latest news with #COLUMBUS
Associated Press
28-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Ohio Supreme Court's Pat Fischer launches 2026 bid to oust court's lone Democrat, Jennifer Brunner
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Voters will again see two sitting Ohio Supreme Court justices pitted against each other in 2026, after Justice Pat Fischer announced a bid Wednesday to unseat Justice Jennifer Brunner with two years left on his current term. The seven-member high court holds final sway over the fate of many state laws and constitutional issues, dealing with everything from abortion, religion and LGBTQ+ matters to schools, election administration and redistricting. At 67, Fischer, a Republican, would be ineligible due to constitutional age limits from running by the time his six-term term expires in 2028. He said he'll instead face off against the 68-year-old Brunner, the only justice up for reelection next year and Ohio's only Democratic statewide officeholder. The formula worked last year for Republican Justice Joe Deters, who was initially appointed to the court. Rather than run for the remainder of his existing term, he chose to run against incumbent Democratic Justice Melody Stewart and won. His decision created an open seat on the high court, one of two also won by Republicans — leaving Brunner as the court's lone Democrat. In his written announcement, Fischer described himself as 'a reliable Christian Conservative.' He was first elected to the court in 2016 and was reelected in 2022. 'Ohioans deserve a Justice who will fight for Conservative values, respect the Constitution and not legislate from the bench,' he said. 'I have a record of this and look forward to once again earning the support of the Ohio Republican Party and all Ohioans.' Brunner, a former Ohio secretary of state who's served on the court since 2021, filed suit in 2023 against a new Republican-backed state law that requires certain judicial candidates to declare their party affiliation on ballots. The law was passed as the state was tilting increasingly Republican but as Ohio Democrats were having some success in high court races. 'In a Brunner vs. Fischer race the differences will be stark and obvious,' she said in a texted statement. 'Party affiliation should be our last concern as judges. It's clear this is the primary aim in my colleague's approach — and that's unfortunate.'
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval to face Cory Bowman, JD Vance's half brother, this fall
From left incumbent Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, River Church Cincinnati pastor Cory Bowman , and candidate Brian Frank COLUMBUS: Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval will face Cory Bowman , the half brother of Vice President JD Vance , this fall after the pair were the top two vote-getters in Tuesday's placed a dominant first in the nonpartisan three-way contest, in which third-place finisher Republican Brian Frank was eliminated. Under the rules of the southwest Ohio city's nonpartisan primaries, only the top two primary finishers advance to the November general nearly all votes counted, Pureval led Bowman by about 70 percentage points Tuesday night, highlighting the uphill fight that Bowman will face in Bowman pulls an upset in this predominantly Democratic city, he would be the latest family member of a president or vice president to serve in office. That includes the brother of Mike Pence, President Donald Trump's first vice president, elected to Congress during their previous a statement, Pureval said the city deserves a "substantive and healthy debate of ideas about the future of our city" headed into the fall."There is work ahead of us in Cincinnati, but I am incredibly proud of what we've accomplished over the past few years," he said. "We have made meaningful, tangible progress for folks across our community, and this is a moment to keep building on the momentum we've worked so hard to create."Bowman did not have an immediate comment. He has said he wants to improve his city, not get involved in national 42, is viewed as a Democratic up-and-comer. A former special assistant US attorney, congressional candidate and Hamilton County clerk of courts. He won the 2021 mayor's race with nearly 66% of the vote to lead Ohio's third-largest 36, co-founded an evangelical church on the city's West End and owns a coffee shop. He has never held public office but says his half brother's inauguration inspired him to enter didn't take an active role in the campaign, but he posted a message of support for Bowman on Tuesday."He's a good guy with a heart for serving his community," the vice president wrote on X. "Get out there and vote for him!" Bowman thanked Vance in reply: "Love you brother!"
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A bill banning DEI in Ohio public colleges is opposed by students, teachers
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Students, teachers and civil rights groups are calling on Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to veto legislation that would ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs and make other sweeping changes to public colleges and universities in the state. The bill arrived on DeWine's desk Wednesday, according to a spokesperson, giving him 10 days excepting Sundays to either sign it, veto it or allow it to become law without his signature. The American Historical Association, American Civil Liberties Union, K-12 unions and Democrats all are calling on the Republican governor to reject Senate Bill 1, which also would prohibit faculty strikes and limit classroom discussion. DeWine has said that he plans to sign the measure, which sparked hourslong hearings and protests attended by hundreds of demonstrators. The measure was a priority of the GOP-supermajority Legislature, where an amended Senate-passed version cleared the Ohio House 59-34 last week and a final version cleared the Ohio Senate 20-11 on Wednesday. Besides banning DEI programs and rescinding certain collective bargaining and tenure protections for faculty, the bill also would make schools promise not to influence student views on 'controversial' topics, require every Ohio college student to take a three-hour civics education course and impose dozens of other programmatic and administrative changes. Schools that violated its provisions would risk losing their state funding. The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Jerry Cirino, a Cleveland-area Republican, has said the bill aims to protect 'intellectual diversity,' not dampen it. During Senate debate on the bill in February, Cirino called DEI a 'debacle' that 'has morphed into institutional discrimination' against conservative perspectives. Republican President Donald Trump has made the same argument as he has taken aim at DEI programs at the federal level, to the relief and delight of many conservatives. A group of federal employees targeted for dismissal because of their involvement in such activities has filed a class-action complaint against the administration. And on Thursday, a federal judge temporarily blocked another of the president's DEI-related executive orders affecting federal contractors and grant recipients. ACLU of Ohio Policy Director Jocelyn Rosnick said the bill "sends a clear, harmful message to students that their unique backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are not welcome in Ohio." 'Further, the exceedingly vague and contradictory language regarding the banning of so-called 'controversial beliefs or policies' creates a slippery slope for faculty and administration,' she said in a statement. 'This could lead to faculty avoiding any such topics in classrooms for fear of retaliation.'
Associated Press
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
A bill banning DEI in Ohio public colleges is opposed by students, teachers
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Students, teachers and civil rights groups are calling on Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to veto legislation that would ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs and make other sweeping changes to public colleges and universities in the state. The bill arrived on DeWine's desk Wednesday, according to a spokesperson, giving him 10 days excepting Sundays to either sign it, veto it or allow it to become law without his signature. The American Historical Association, American Civil Liberties Union, K-12 unions and Democrats all are calling on the Republican governor to reject Senate Bill 1, which also would prohibit faculty strikes and limit classroom discussion. DeWine has said that he plans to sign the measure, which sparked hourslong hearings and protests attended by hundreds of demonstrators. The measure was a priority of the GOP-supermajority Legislature, where an amended Senate-passed version cleared the Ohio House 59-34 last week and a final version cleared the Ohio Senate 20-11 on Wednesday. Besides banning DEI programs and rescinding certain collective bargaining and tenure protections for faculty, the bill also would make schools promise not to influence student views on 'controversial' topics, require every Ohio college student to take a three-hour civics education course and impose dozens of other programmatic and administrative changes. Schools that violated its provisions would risk losing their state funding. The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Jerry Cirino, a Cleveland-area Republican, has said the bill aims to protect 'intellectual diversity,' not dampen it. During Senate debate on the bill in February, Cirino called DEI a 'debacle' that 'has morphed into institutional discrimination' against conservative perspectives. Republican President Donald Trump has made the same argument as he has taken aim at DEI programs at the federal level, to the relief and delight of many conservatives. A group of federal employees targeted for dismissal because of their involvement in such activities has filed a class-action complaint against the administration. And on Thursday, a federal judge temporarily blocked another of the president's DEI-related executive orders affecting federal contractors and grant recipients. ACLU of Ohio Policy Director Jocelyn Rosnick said the bill 'sends a clear, harmful message to students that their unique backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are not welcome in Ohio.' 'Further, the exceedingly vague and contradictory language regarding the banning of so-called 'controversial beliefs or policies' creates a slippery slope for faculty and administration,' she said in a statement. 'This could lead to faculty avoiding any such topics in classrooms for fear of retaliation.'
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Funding available to help Ohio farms still reeling from drought
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Ohio Department of Agriculture announced the sign-up period for Ohio farmers to apply for relief funding following last year's drought. 'We went to the different counties that were really impacted throughout this historic drought that we saw last summer and into the fall and we were meeting with farmers, meeting with local stormwater offices, and hearing their concerns,' Ohio Department of Agriculture director Brian Baldridge said. Ohio lawmakers were part of these visits too. Baldridge said the initial place farmers can turn to for help is the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But they decided to add some additional assistance. Governor Mike Dewine signed Senate Bill 54 into law in 2024, which allocated $10 million worth of funding for the 28 counties hit the hardest by the drought. Firefighter injured after falling down stairs in Columbus house fire 'We were hearing stories from farmers who had been seeding their winter storage of hay since the first part of July, hauling water because those streams, ponds, wells, springs were dried up on their farms,' Baldridge said. One of those farms includes Harrison Farm in Groveport. The owner, Katherine Harrison, said the drought didn't just cause a rough spring and summer. It also led to the worst winter she's ever had on the farm. 'I struggled to give my animals the care that they needed and keep this farm operating. I gave up a lot of things that I needed so that funds were there for the farm,' Harrison said. She is the fifth generation of her family to own the farm. It means a lot to her to keep all 700 of her animals healthy. 'Every day I am working and so typically I work seven days a week, ten to 14 hours a day because I believe in this farm,' she said. Typically in the spring and summer months, the animals will graze the pastures, according to Harrison. But after the drought hit, the grass dried up. She was forced to use her hay supplies that are saved for winter. By late fall, she said the hay was gone too. Luckily, community donations came in. 'Frankly, we would not have made it through the winter. Having the Christmas trees and the pumpkins allowed us to be able to make it to today,' said Harrison. While these donations kept the animals fed, Harrison said the different foods led to health issues. For example, it's lamb and kidding season but many of the mothers don't have enough milk. 'When a mother cannot provide the care that a baby needs, then it becomes my responsibility. So not only have we navigated health issues in the adult animals as well as in the newborns, but we've also had those situations where mama may not have enough milk from nutritional compromising,' she said. Harrison said this funding would help get the animals healthy again and allow her to stock back up on depleted supplies. 'I am hopeful to soon be able to enjoy buying groceries without worrying about whether the farm is going to keep going,' she said. Applications are open until April 1. The eligible counties include: Athens, Belmont, Carroll, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Gallia, Guernsey, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Licking, Madison, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Tuscarawas, Vinton and Washington. The Ohio Department of Agriculture said the funding is available to any livestock producer participating in the USDA FSA Livestock Forage Disaster Program. Baldridge said farmers are encouraged to contact their local Soil and Water Conservation Districts to discuss eligibility and to apply. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
