Latest news with #DeWine
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Ohio troopers and K-9s deploy to Texas for flood recovery
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Monday that the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) will assist with search, rescue, and recovery operations in Texas following the deadly flooding along the Guadalupe River over the July 4th weekend. According to a press release, Governor DeWine reached out to Texas Governor Greg Abbott over the weekend, offering support from Ohio in the wake of the disaster. Man with autism missing for months possibly seen on doorbell camera, family says In response, DeWine has directed the Ohio State Highway Patrol to send a team of 20 troopers from the OSHP's Mobile Field Force to Texas. The troopers are expected to be in the area for one week, supporting local agencies in the flood-stricken region. Man, 73, killed in overnight fire in Euclid Additionally, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) will deploy several K-9 teams, along with their handlers, to assist with search and recovery missions. These K-9s are specially trained in tracking and locating survivors in disaster zones. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Yahoo
Governor DeWine shares update from Ohio workers in Texas
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine shared an update Saturday about the work the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Ohio Department of Natural Resources are doing in Texas following the devastating and deadly flash flooding over the Fourth of July weekend. Tick-related emergency room visits have doubled: Cleveland Clinic DeWine announced July 7 he'd directed the Ohio State Highway Patrol to send a team of 20 troopers from the agency's Mobile Field Force and several of ODNR's K-9 teams, along with their handlers, to assist with search and recovery missions in hard-hit areas of Texas. The teams updated the governor as they were preparing to begin their fourth day of recovery work along the Guadalupe river. 'Crews from the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Ohio Department of Natural Resources are embedded with the Texas Department of Public Safety in three separate units, combing through the devastation left behind by last week's catastrophic flash floods,' DeWine wrote. 'Our teams – including several ODNR K-9s trained for search, rescue, and recovery missions – have been working long hours in hot temperatures, and I couldn't be more proud of those who volunteered for this mission.' According to DeWine, troopers told him the destruction is unlike anything they've seen, especially in the area of Camp Mystic where nearly 30 campers and counselors were swept away by fast-moving flood waters. Former dispatcher faces charges for 'cruel' call made to citizen 'I thank our Ohio teams for their selfless dedication to the citizens of Texas, and Fran and I continue to pray for everyone impacted by this tragedy,' DeWine's statement said. More than 100 people across central Texas are confirmed dead, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday more than 160 people are believed to be still missing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What's the effect of governor's line-item vetoes on Ohio public school funding?
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — After months of discourse about public school funding and property tax relief, the state has settled on its funding plan. Public school funding in Ohio has been a major talking point this budget cycle, but the state has finally determined how districts will be funded over the next two years. Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed some of the more controversial changes to public school funding, but some public school advocates still say the budget will underfund districts. See previous coverage of the budget in the video player above. 'In signing this budget, I line-item vetoed several provisions related to property taxes. I felt that these ideas were thoughtful, but I was also concerned that imposing them now, all of them at once on our local schools, would create a huge, huge problem,' DeWine said. What the state's new flat income tax will mean for Ohioans 'Regardless of these vetoes, Governor DeWine failed, through multiple steps in this process, to propose and fight for full and fair funding for Ohio's schools,' Melissa Cropper, Ohio Federation of Teachers president, said. Ohio schools are funded through state, local and minimal federal sources, with state funding allocated in the budget and local funding typically coming from property tax levies. State shares for public schools are determined through the Fair School Funding formula, a bipartisan plan introduced in 2022. The formula calculates state funding based on each district's circumstances to try to more equitably fund public schools. Under this formula, a district with more demonstrated financial need should get more state funding. For example, Columbus City Schools, the state's largest district, received $350.1 million in its last state formula payment where the much smaller Bexley City Schools, which benefits from substantial property tax support, received just $20.5 million. In the final budget, the Fair School Funding formula is mostly implemented. Public school advocates said this is a big improvement from the House version of the budget, which scrapped the plan entirely, but it still falls short of the formula's promise to public school districts. Advocates say the plan underfunds districts because the formula inputs will be out of sync. Under the budget, school districts will update the formula using 2025 financial data, but the state will estimate costs using 2022 pricing. By only adjusting school districts' inputs, the formula will calculate schools as demonstrating less financial need, resulting in less state money. Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro called the final version a 'knockoff version of the Fair School Funding Plan.' DeWine said it was the largest investment into public schools in the state's history. DeWine signs bill banning police ticketing quotas The final draft allocated $8.15 billion in Fiscal Year 2026 and $8.26 billion in FY 2027 to traditional school funding, making DeWine's claim accurate, although advocates say it lacks key context. The Ohio Education Association, which represents nearly 120,000 Ohio educators, said the bill still underfunds public schools by $2 billion. Although advocates are still concerned about public school funding, DeWine's vetoes eliminated provisions that troubled many districts, including property tax relief proposals. DeWine said property tax relief is a major concern, but the budget items did not guarantee long-term tax relief and would have created significant barriers for districts. 'We must address these legitimate concerns that Ohio voters are talking to us about,' DeWine said. 'Accordingly, I will be convening a working group, to be formalized and announced in the coming weeks, which will make recommendations to the General Assembly and to me about how we can provide meaningful property tax relief to Ohioans and still fund our schools.' DeWine vetoed a limit on how much money school districts could carry over from school year to school year, easing the fears of many districts that rely on long-term financial planning. The budget would have stopped districts from carrying over more than 40% of their general fund expenses, returning the remaining funds to residents as property tax relief. 'I think the short answer here is that while the legislature tried to spin the property tax changes as 'tax relief;' in reality, they (particularly the 40% cash balance cap) would have been extremely destabilizing for schools and very confusing for taxpayers,' Howard Fleeter, a well-established research consultant with the Ohio Education Policy Institute, said in an email. DeWine also removed a 20-mill floor calculation provision, which affects how much property tax revenue schools can collect as home prices rise. Without the veto, State Rep. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said the 20-mill floor change would have cost districts millions of dollars. DeWine also removed restrictions the budget would have placed on school property tax levies. Before the veto, districts would no longer have the authority to enact several emergency and fixed-sum levies. DeWine said these levies allow for important funding for districts, hence the veto. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Ohio sending troopers, dogs to Texas to help with recovery from catastrophic flooding
The Ohio State Highway Patrol will send troopers to Texas to help respond to the catastrophic flooding, the DeWine administration said on July 7. Twenty troopers from the patrol's mobile field force are expected to be in Texas for a week, helping with search, rescue and recovery work following the flooding disaster along the Guadalupe River. Destructive flooding triggered by unrelenting rain that rapidly overwhelmed the Guadalupe River has killed at least 81 people across central Texas, USA TODAY reported. Search and rescue efforts are still underway, including for 10 children and a counselor from Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' camp at the edge of the Guadalupe River. At least 27 children from the camp have died, according to USA TODAY. Gov. Mike DeWine called Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over the holiday weekend to offer support from Ohio. Ohio is also sending multiple search dogs and their handlers from the Department of Natural Resources. More: Texas flood victims remembered Ohio has previously sent troopers to Texas to assist law enforcement at the country's southern border. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Texas flooding response: Ohio State Highway Patrol, K-9s to help
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Mike DeWine signs Ohio's $60 billion budget, issues 67 line-item vetoes
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Gov. Mike DeWine signed the Ohio's $60 billion budget into law late Monday, just 45 minutes before the midnight deadline. The 2026-27 measure, which was approved in both state chambers last week, earmarks $600 million in taxpayer dollars for a new Cleveland Browns stadium in Brook Park. The money will come from the state's unclaimed funds trust. DeWine also signed the provision changing Ohio's income tax to a flat tax rate into law. Columbus to pay $800K to settle 2020 protest lawsuit A spokesperson for the governor's office said that DeWine issued 67 vetoes, the most of his two terms as governor. 'This budget builds upon my commitment to make Ohio the best place for everyone to live their version of the American Dream,' DeWine said in a released statement. 'It prioritizes our children, empowers our workforce, and strengthens our communities. We are investing in the people of Ohio, not just today, but for generations to come.' 'As Ohio continues to attract more jobs, it's important that the state continues to invest in our workforce,' Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel said. 'The budget Governor DeWine signed today does just that and much, much more. It enhances support for career-technical education, job training, and apprenticeship programs tailored to Ohio's industries. These investments will help all Ohioans live up to their God-given potential.' In a statement, the Ohio Democratic Party slammed the budget as, 'disastrous' writing in part, 'Instead of supporting Ohio families, the Republican legislature passed a budget that only helps their billionaire friends and special interests.' The governor issued 67 vetoes with many of those issues pertaining to education. One of the most notable vetoes includes the cash balance, carry over veto, which would have placed a 40% cap on the amount of collected property tax that public school districts can carry over from the previous year. DeWine said while the intention to save taxpayer dollars is understandable, it would lead to more districts asking taxpayers to pass levies more often, which would then increase property taxes instead of reducing them. DeWine also vetoed the Non-Chartered Education Savings account program. It would have allowed students attending non-chartered, non-public schools to receive state funding. 'Diet weed' regulation fails again at Ohio Statehouse But the governor says it risks taxpayer dollars on programs that may have compromised educational quality, or it could risk student safety referencing issues to former NCNP school Bishop Sycamore. However, the governor says this veto also restores a personal income tax credit for NCNP schools. Another notable veto was on restrictions on public libraries. The governor called the restrictions vague and said that Ohio already has strict laws on obscenity and material harmful to children and he expects that those laws will be enforced. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
