Latest news with #CapitalUniversity
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US Supreme Court declines Ohio AG Yost's request to take up qualified immunity amendment case
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost can't hold up a qualified immunity amendment from clearing its first hurdle toward the statewide ballot, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled when it denied Yost's attempt to block an earlier ruling. And the attorney who brought the case says it could have sweeping implications for all Ohioans trying to change the state constitution. The case stems from an effort to put a constitutional amendment on the 2024 ballot to eliminate qualified immunity, allowing citizens to sue police officers and other public employees who violate their constitutional rights. The first step in a constitutional amendment is submitting 1,000 valid signatures and having the Ohio attorney general determine if the language submitted is "fair and truthful." But Yost, a Republican, rejected the amendment's language eight times for dubious and picky reasons, said Mark Brown, a Capital University professor who brought the case on behalf of three Ohio voters. U.S. District Court Judge James Graham agreed, writing that American democracy relies on citizens determining for themselves what is fair and truthful. "The Attorney General, one might say, has played the role of an antagonistic copyeditor, striking plaintiffs' work on technical grounds," wrote Graham, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan. Through a series of appeals that reached the U.S. Supreme Court, Yost sought to block that decision. But on April 22, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Yost's request. Three justices, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh, disagreed and would have reviewed the case. What happens next? The five-member Ohio Ballot Board must review the proposed constitutional amendment to see if it should be one ballot issue or more than one. Then, proponents will be cleared to collect the 413,487 valid signatures needed to make the ballot. To complicate things further, the Ohio Ballot Board approved one version of the qualified immunity measure in December − but only after they removed the title and other items Yost disapproved of. The Ohio Supreme Court had stepped in to say Yost couldn't reject a ballot initiative language because of its title alone. But Brown said the group wants to move forward with its original language and title. Yost, in a news release, wrote that he would work with Ohio lawmakers to change the ballot initiative summary process to "protect the integrity of Ohio's elections and freedom of speech." He wrote that the federal judge had "held Ohio's nearly century-old ballot initiative process was unconstitutional." What does this ruling mean for future constitutional amendments? Brown says it's a big deal because future proposed constitutional amendments wouldn't have to pass Yost's muster. "It takes an antagonistic attorney general out of the equation." Before this lawsuit, Yost could prevent anyone from getting to the ballot, Brown said. "If he says it's not fair and truthful, you're done." State government reporter Jessie Balmert can be reached at jbalmert@ or @jbalmert on X. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio qualified immunity amendment moves forward
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Licking Heights students advance to state competition in Ohio History Day contest
Licking Heights Middle School eighth graders who participated in the Region 6 Ohio History Day contest have advanced to state competition. Selamawit Mulugeta and Arianna Williams' documentary, "The Brady Bill: Reload Your Rights," and Aaralyn Scarf, Clara Lynn Shiflett, Evelyn Rossi, Isha Bista and Layla Price's performance piece entitled "Women of the Revolution Change HIStory" were in the top three for their respective categories. The competition took place March 8 at the Ohio Statehouse where schools from central Ohio competed against one another to move on to state competition. State competition will take place April 26 at Capital University. Students will then compete to earn a spot at the National History Day competition to be held June 8-12 at the University of Maryland, College Park. Ohio History Day (OHD) is a free, interdisciplinary learning program for students in middle and high school. It is affiliated with National History Day (NHD) and encourages students to conduct research, analyze information and present their findings through five different formats. Students can choose to present their findings through an exhibit, paper, documentary, performance or website. Students began their projects in November focusing on this year's theme, Rights and Responsibilities. Mulugeta's documentary, "The Brady Bill: Reload Your Rights," showed viewers that the right to gun ownership comes with tremendous responsibility. 'By working on this project, I was able to gain knowledge about the most pressing issues of today,' Mulugeta said. 'In the end, I came home with not just research, writing and presenting skills, but also with an experience that was unlike any other.' The performance piece, "Women of the Revolution Change HIStory," highlighted stories of the Daughters of Liberty and how women played a major role in the American Revolution but were never recognized until now. 'We had to step into someone's shoes and apply ourselves to their lives in order to understand their perspective,' Price said. 'I learned that everything is more enjoyable when you have group members that inspire each other.' Members of both the documentary and performance groups said they are excited to go on to state competition. 'We can't wait to meet new people who have the same interest in history as us, and we look forward to seeing their projects,' Bista said. Information submitted by Licking Heights Local School District. This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: LHMS students advance to state competition in Ohio History Day contest
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
YPD to charge up to $75 per hour for body camera footage under new state law
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — City police will begin charging up to $75 per hour for anyone requesting body camera footage. The overall cost they can charge will be capped at $750. This is in response to a bill signed into law just after the first of the year by Ohio Mike DeWine that allows departments to charge for the footage if they want to. Until the bill was introduced, body cam footage was free. The law goes into effect April 2. Backers of the bill who introduced it said the measure is not meant to deter people from obtaining footage or to prohibit transparency, but to address concerns that departments were devoting too many resources to redact footage for bloggers, YouTube channels and other reality-based mediums that rely on body cam footage for their content. Lt. Brian Butler of the city police department said the department needs two people just to handle the requests for footage. Certain footage must be redacted before it can be released to the public. Susan Gilles, Professor Emeritus John E. Sullivan Professor of Law at Capital University who specializes in media and public records law, said that the law is an example of what happens when something is rushed through at the last minute. The law was not debated and was added at the last minute after a 17-hour session to approve House Bill 315 just after the first of the year. Gilles said the state's public record laws already include a provision that limits can be set on material requested by someone who is making a profit, such as a blogger. That provision is not included in the new law, she said. Also in 2019, the General Assembly decided that public records, including police videos, would be provided at no cost to the general public and media. The new law goes against that rationale, she said. 'The general assembly rejected the idea that the public should have to pay,' she said. City Councilman and former police Chief Jimmy Hughes, D-2nd Ward, said he understands why such a law is needed because of how excessive requests could bog police down. However, he also added he believes city residents should be able to view footage at no cost. City police began wearing body cameras in 2021 in the wake of police scrutiny following the unrest that resulted from the 2020 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minn., at the hands of police. The law also allows departments to charge the same fees for other videos, such as dashcam or security videos. Butler referred other questions about the policy to the Law Department, but the person he referred a reporter to did not want to comment on the record. That person also did not know that departments have the option of not charging for body cam and other video footage. After a request is made, an invoice will be prepared, Butler said. Work will not begin until the invoice is paid. Gilles also said records, whether they are video or in another form, belong to the public, not the police department, and people should not be asked to pay for them. Taxpayers already pay for the cameras, the system the footage is stored on and for officers to be trained to use the cameras. The department's budget was $22,396,139 overall in 2024, according to the Finance Department. With 59,108 residents as of the last population count in 2023, the charge for police services per city resident is almost $379 at $378.901 per resident. Youngstown is also the third poorest city in the state, with a poverty rate of 34.5 percent. Only Portsmouth at 35.4 percent and East Cleveland at 39.4 percent are higher. Boardman police Chief Todd Werth, head of the second largest department in the area after Youngstown, said as of now, there are no plans to charge for videos, but he did say the matter is being studied with the Mahoning County Prosecutor's Office to see if a balance can be struck between a request by a citizen or a media outlet as opposed to someone who wants to post police videos for profit. Werth said his department will receive requests from bloggers for videos that are time-consuming to redact, such as a blanket request for all police use of force videos for an entire year. Also, Werth said some incidents have multiple officers present who have multiple cameras recording and all of that video has to be sifted through to be redacted if it is requested. Gilles also said the process to release the video if a department charges for it can be time-consuming. They have up to five days to figure out how much to charge and the video does not have to be edited until payment is made. That can delay the release of the video, which goes against the spirit of the public records law that says that records should be given in a reasonable period of time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Best Day Ever: Franklin County Prosecutor Shayla Favor
We asked new Franklin County Prosecutor Shayla Favor how she likes to spend her time away from work for the latest entry in our Best Day Ever series. Fun fact: She attended culinary school in Chicago before earning her Capital University law degree, so she's a fan of home cooking. Her perfect day: 🎵 Music to start your day: I work out in the morning so I need something high-energy — Beyoncé, Afro-beats, or maybe my favorite gospel playlist. 🙏 Morning activity: I start my mornings with prayer and listening to an inspirational message to ground me through the day. I love Sarah Jakes Roberts! I workout either on my Peloton or at Orange Theory. 🍳 Breakfast: My kitchen is my favorite breakfast spot. I'd choose savory over sweet. I have a multi-generational family at home, and they all love my breakfast hash. 🥓 Lunch: I love a BLT with extra bacon! 😴 Afternoon activity: Does taking a nap count? 🥩 Dinner: The Top Steak House! My go-to is a dry aged NY Strip with a loaded baked potato and asparagus. 🎥 Evening activity: Time with my husband, Corey, and two dogs, Hudson and Arizona. It's rare that we have a quiet night at home, so a movie night with them sounds perfect.
