Latest news with #PhilPlummer
Fox News
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Cincinnati city councilwoman 'grateful' for intense viral beatdown: Facebook post
CINCINNATI - A city councilwoman in Cincinnati is under fire for comments posted on Facebook in the wake of a brutal downtown beatdown last weekend. Under a post from a Facebook user called Leohna Alia La JCannon that shows the vicious assault, an account that appears to belong to Councilwoman Victoria Parks commented, "They begged for that beat down!" "I am grateful for the whole story," the comment continues. The comment links back to a Facebook account for Victoria Parks, who lists her job title as City Council Member at City of Cincinnati Government. The account also says she was formerly the commissioner at Hamilton County, Ohio Government and the former Chief of Staff to Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune at Hamilton County. That information lines up with Parks' biography on the City of Cincinnati's official website. The Facebook page has posts dating back several years, mostly relating to work experience. Parks appears to have a second Facebook page as well, which last posted on May 27. A third account, last posted updated 2022, also appears to belong to Parks. The comments sparked an online firestorm, with a screenshot of the post being circulated widely. "Cincinnati Councilwoman Victoria Parks must resign immediately! Defending violent criminals who viciously beat innocent people is disgusting," Ohio's 39th District State Rep. Phil Plummer said on X. "Her words 'They begged for that beat down!' are outrageous. Prosecutors must charge the attackers with a hate crime. We must protect our streets!" "You're a racist pig, Victoria Parks," said another post. "THIS IS INSANE!" said a third person, calling for Parks' resignation. The beatings occurred on the corner of Fourth and Elm Street in Cincinnati's downtown business district in the early morning hours on Saturday. Video that has been shared widely online shows a group of people savagely assaulting two others during a confrontation, with a woman being knocked out cold in the street. In her official city biography page, Parks says she "led the charge in passing Racism as a Public Health Crisis" when working for the Hamilton County governor. It also says she "introduced, and passed, Juneteenth as a paid holiday for Hamilton County employees." In January, Parks announced that she would not seek reelection, and will retire after her current term ends. "It's unconscionable that an elected official would be celebrating violence in the very city she was voted to serve," Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police President Ken Kober told Fox News Digital. "This highlights the poor political environment that police officers, residents and visitors are currently enduring. Thankfully, there's an election in November. I urge voters to vote for change!" Parks did not return multiple comment requests. An email to the entire city council went unreturned. A representative for the city council declined to comment by phone, directing Fox News Digital to Parks herself. Mollie Lair, the Communications Director for the Cincinnati City Manager's Office, viewed the photo in person at city hall, but declined to comment.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Plummer announces Senate bid, setting up primary race between feuding lawmakers
Jul. 15—State Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Butler Twp., has announced he will run for the state Senate seat held by term-limited Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Troy. This means Plummer will face off in the 2026 GOP primary against state Rep. Rodney Creech, R-West Alexandria, to represent the district covering all of Preble and Miami counties and parts of Butler, Montgomery and Darke. Plummer is also term-limited in the House and cannot run for reelection. Creech, serving his third term in the Ohio House, opted for a Senate run instead of running for reelection in the House. Creech announced his candidacy in early May, shortly after the Dayton Daily News requested comment from him regarding a previously unreported state criminal investigation that concluded with no charges. Plummer spoke to state investigators in 2023 as part of the state probe, saying Creech made "appalling" comments about the sexual imposition allegations against Creech. Creech told this outlet in May that he considered Plummer's cooperation to be politically motivated, though Plummer said he had not yet decided whether to run for Senate or some other office. To state investigators, Plummer said there was a chance he'd run against Creech in 2026, but denied that his involvement in the state's investigation was politically motivated. "I'm not doing this for political motivation. I'll beat him any day of the week," Plummer told state investigators. "He ain't even on my radar." Plummer v. Creech Creech, a farmer, started this year as chair of the House Agriculture Committee, though he was stripped of all his committee assignments by Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, shortly before the Dayton Daily News first reported on the state's criminal investigation. In his candidacy announcement, Creech characterized himself as a "rock solid, America First conservative who will fight to bring our values to Columbus." Creech also aligned himself with Ohio's leading Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. He vouched for ideas such as eliminating the state income tax, "putting an end to DEI," and creating an Ohio "Department of Government Efficiency," which Ramaswamy helped champion at the federal level. Plummer, a longtime Montgomery County sheriff, aligned himself more directly with President Donald Trump and his supposed mandate to "restore America." Plummer said there was work to do on growing jobs, stabilizing the economy and alleviating property taxes. "I'm running because results and integrity matter," Plummer said. "The citizens of the 5th Senate District deserve no less. Getting results, serving with integrity — that's what I have done throughout my career and that is how I will continue to lead in the state Senate." Neither lawmaker, nor any other would-be candidate, have turned in the necessary forms to become an official candidate just yet, according to Montgomery County Board of Elections Director Jeff Rezabek. The filing deadline is 90 days before the May 5, 2026 primary. ------ For more stories like this, sign up for our Ohio Politics newsletter. It's free, curated, and delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday evening. Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State Rep. Phil Plummer seeks Ohio Senate seat in 2026
Previous coverage on Rep. Phil Plummer above. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – State Rep. Phil Plummer (R – Butler Twp.) announced he is running for Ohio's 5th Senate District in the 2026 election. This district includes both western and northern Montgomery County – as well as all of Miami and Preble – and parts of Darke and Butler Counties. Plummer said he is committed to public safety, economic growth and conservative values. He highlighted his three decades of law enforcement experience and a legislative record. Formerly, he was a Montgomery County Sheriff. Senate passes President Trump's sweeping 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' He said he will continue working to lower taxes, fight fentanyl trafficking and defend the Second Amendment. 'I'm running because results and integrity matter. The citizens of the 5th Senate District deserve no less,' said Plummer. He said that he will stand with President Donald J. Trump and work to make America safer. 'There's more work to be done to grow jobs, stabilize our economy and reduce burdensome property taxes,' said Plummer. 'Americans decisively elected President Trump and gave him a mandate to restore America, in the Ohio Senate I will continue to stand with him in making our country safe and prosperous again.' The announcement, in its entirety, can be read here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio lawmakers introduce competing proposal for online age verification
Rep. Heidi Workman, R-Rootstown, (left) alongside Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Dayton, introducing their legislation. (Photo by Nick Evans, Ohio Capital Journal.) Ohio lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are concerned about protecting minors on the internet, but how exactly to handle age verification has been a bit of challenge. Now, legislators are offering competing visions for determining an internet users' age. One of those visions, backed by social media companies like Facebook parent company Meta, would put the onus squarely on app stores. Another, introduced last week, shares responsibility between the app stores and app developers. A complicated system added to the 2023 state budget was summarily rejected by federal courts earlier this year. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The newest proposal, House Bill 302, is sponsored by state Reps. Heidi Workman, R-Rootstown, and Phil Plummer, R-Dayton. They describe the proposal as a way to split duties between the companies building apps and the ones providing access to those apps. An app store would act as a kind of dashboard, providing a central location for parental controls, and delivering an 'age signal' to developers so they can determine what user experience is appropriate. 'These duties reflect what app stores are uniquely positioned to do,' Workman said, 'provide infrastructure, support consistency and enable parental oversight in a scalable, privacy-conscious way.' But the work doesn't end there. 'App developers who understand the intricacies of their own platforms are responsible for implementing practical protections tailored to the risks present in their apps,' she said. Plummer said their approach ensures developers get no more information than is necessary. The bill also contains safeguards against developers sharing that age information or leveraging children's data for targeted ads. Plummer said H.B. 302 is 'structured to provide meaningful protections where they're needed, without overreaching into areas where they are not.' He also said the measure is flexible enough to respond as technology grows and changes. Part of that flexibility, however, comes from seemingly vague standards and requirements in the bill's language. Apps are only 'covered' if they offer different experiences for adults and minors. Initial determinations about a user's age come down to an estimate, the nature of which is unclear. Ohio judge permanently blocks social media age verification law Companies 'may use' tools that are 'commercially reasonable' to estimate a user's age category 'with a reasonable level of certainty proportionate to the risks that arise from access to and use of the relevant service or portion thereof,' according to the bill's language. Users who are estimated to be a minor can verify their age. The bill doesn't describe how they do so. It's a notable departure from Ohio's first stab at age verification, known as the Social Media Parental Notification Act. That measure tried to pre-determine every sort of website where adult content might be available, while drafting exceptions for news or commerce sites. When he put that law on hold, U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley called it a 'breathtakingly blunt instrument.' Marbley permanently enjoined the measure last April. Running parallel to Workman and Plummer's proposal is a competing measure sponsored by state Rep. Melanie Miller, R-Ashland, and state Sen. Michele Reynolds, R-Canal Winchester. Miller and Reynolds want to put the responsibility for age verification and parental consent on the app store. Meta strongly supports the legislation. Ohio Republicans propose new social media age verification plan Jennifer Hanley, who heads up North American safety policy for the company told Ohio lawmakers understanding a user's age is 'fundamental' to providing age-appropriate content, but insisted that responsibility shouldn't fall on her company. 'We think the easiest, most consistent, and most privacy-protective solution is to require app stores to verify age and get a parent's approval any time a teen wants to download an app,' Hanley said. The method compares to a person buying a six-pack of Budweiser at a store – they show their ID to the cashier, not to the beer company. If app stores are a one-stop-shop for all the games, messaging and social media services a person will download, the app store, not the app company, would determine the age. But companies who operate app stores, most notably Apple and Google, are uncomfortable with carrying that much responsibility. As Plummer put it, 'app stores can provide consistent tools (and) centralized access points, but they should not be forced to manage risk they cannot fully access.' Speaking after the hearing introducing the bill, Workman acknowledged they've been working with app store companies to develop their legislation. She said they wanted to 'bring all stakeholders to the table.' Workman said those companies believe the proposal offers a workable solution, but no other state has actually implemented the provisions. Follow Ohio Capital Journal Reporter Nick Evans on X or on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Local rep introduces bill to prevent catalytic converter theft
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — A local State Representative has introduced legislation to help prevent the theft of catalytic converters. State Rep. Phil Plummer (R-Dayton) introduced House Bill 210 on Tuesday. This bill aims to control and prevent issues related to stolen catalytic converters. 'Catalytic converter theft has plagued our communities for some time,' said Rep. Plummer. 'This senseless crime creates a financial burden for both individuals and businesses in our community. It is now time to hold these individuals accountable.' If passed, this legislation aims to enhance penalties for theft and receiving stolen property of catalytic converters as well as require scrap metal dealers to comply with recordkeeping requirements. The bill is currently being reviewed by House committee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
