Latest news with #Yost
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
County's Healthy Families program accredited
Jun. 4—A partnership with Freeborn and Rice counties, under the name of Healthy Families Southeast Minnesota, was recently awarded accreditation with Healthy Families America. In a presentation to the Freeborn County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Public Health Director Sue Yost said county staff have been working on the accreditation for many years and noted the county began a program similar to the Healthy Families program in 1998 with the dream of someday becoming accredited. With the help of the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Legislature, which awarded funding to help this accreditation be possible, they found out at the end of May the program achieved its goal. Yost said initially nine counties were working together on the goal, but the other seven counties decided to pursue a different program, while Freeborn and Faribault counties decided to continue with this one. She said they had to meet 150 different standards, had a site visit by the national Healthy Families America in November and performed well during the accreditation process, ultimately being approved on the first try. "I'm very proud of our team that they've accomplished this," she said, noting the program staff have had very little turnover since they created the county's program in 1998. Since 2018, the combined programs have completed over 13,000 home visits. Staff working through the program conduct intensive home visits starting prenatally and working with children through age 3 and their families — and sometimes with children through age 5 until they enter kindergarten. She said they provide support, help families connect with resources and make sure they're getting their proper health care. The board recognized a handful of staff members in the program in attendance at the meeting. In other action, the board: —Approved a contract for election services with the Glenville school district for a special election on Aug. 12. —Approved a resolution appointing Commissioner Nicole Eckstrom to a Citizens Advisory Task Force regarding the proposed Midwater Energy Storage project near Glenville. —Decommitted $1 million from the county's Highway Department. Administrator Melanie Aeschliman said the decommitment is because the department had several low bids that came back for the department's latest projects. While she said it was great there was an opportunity to have extra room in the department's budget, when there is a surplus, it should be brought back to the county's general fund and then the board should look at all departments to offset any budget needs. Aeschliman said even with the decommitment of the funds, the Highway Department was able to move forward with three additional projects that it had not originally planned to do this year. The board voted in a separate resolution to commit $500,000 of that funding toward health insurance. The county has previously committed $1.8 million in preparation for a potential transition to self-insurance. The county's insurance advisor has recommended maintaining a reserve of $2.3 million to ensure financial stability under a self-insured health plan, the resolution stated. —Heard an update about the county's search for a new assessor. Board Chairman Brad Edwin said an assessor candidate has accepted a tentative agreement. The name of the individual has not yet been announced. The county has been without a full-time assessor since mid-October. Edwin noted later in the meeting during the time the board approved claims that the county had spent over $15,000 with DDA Human Resources Inc. for two search rounds for an assessor, but that process did not turn up anyone for the county. The individual the county has an agreement with came through other means.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Scammer's line is dead': Robocaller behind millions of Ohio scam calls banned, AG says
COLUMBUS (WJW) – A man who investigators said is responsible for billions of robocalls made across the country, including in Ohio, has been banned from the telecommunications industry, according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. This week, Yost and attorneys general in seven other states won their ongoing court battle against John Spiller, who was found in contempt of court by a federal judge in Texas. According to court records, Spiller owned several companies, including Rising Eagle Capital Group, JSquared Telecom and Rising Eagle Capital Group-Cayman. More salads, cucumber products sold at Ohio Kroger stores recalled Investigators said the companies facilitated a massive number of robocalls, including 69 million sent to phone numbers with Ohio area codes. Court records show that more than 32 million of those numbers were on the 'Do Not Call List.' The businesses were ordered to be shut down in 2023, but according to Yost, Spiller violated his court order by starting new companies — Every1 Telecom and ATX Telco — and continuing the robocall scams. According to the attorney general's office, a federal judge this week imposed a permanent ban on Spiller, 'prohibiting him from launching future telecommunications companies or otherwise operating in the telecom industry.' 'This scammer's line is dead — and it's not coming back,' Yost said. Raccoon breaks into box truck for Pop-Tarts: Photos He also must pay more than $600,000 in attorney's fees and litigation costs for violating the court order, the attorney general's office said. 'The judge's latest ruling sends a strong message that bad actors cannot evade court orders by simply operating under different business names,' Yost's office said in a press release. Other attorneys general were involved in the legal fight, including in Arkansas, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota and Texas. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio AG warns customers following cement layer lawsuit
(WKBN) — Ohio Attorney General David Yost is using a lawsuit out of central Ohio as an example for customers of what to be aware of when contracting work for their home or business. Yost filed a lawsuit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court against Ronald Lewis, of Blacklick, and his business, Ron Lewis Cement. Yost accuses Lewis of violating the Consumer Sales Practices ACT and the Home Solicitation Act. The lawsuit contends that 10 customers lost nearly $70,000 after hiring Lewis for cement-pouring projects, but Lewis did not complete the jobs even though he accepted upfront payments. Two consumers reported that Lewis excavated their existing driveways but failed to complete the work. Others said he performed no work at all. Yost also noted that Lewis never registered his business with the Ohio Secretary of State and did not provide customers with a required three-day cancellation notice. The lawsuit seeks restitution and civil penalties. AG Yost reminds Ohioans that before signing a home-improvement contract, be sure to: Check with local officials to see whether permits are required for any project. Ask the contractor for references — and follow up on them. Check whether any complaints have been filed against the contractor with the Better Business Bureau and/or the Ohio Attorney General's Office. Get written estimates from at least three contractors. Verify your cancellation rights under Ohio law. Ensure that the contract details: A description of the work to be completed. Any warranties or guarantees. Any verbal promises made by the contractor. Avoid any contract requiring a large down payment or requiring full payment before the project is completed and inspected. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Undoubtedly disappointing' voter turnout in 2025 Pennsylvania primary
Voters cast their ballots at Fairmont Junior High in Boise during the Idaho primary on May 17, 2022. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun) Pennsylvania was at the center of the political universe in 2024 as a key battleground state in the presidential election, and as a result, saw record high voter turnout. But, most voters stayed home when it came to last week's primary, even with races that would likely determine who would lead the state's biggest cities on the ballot. 'The turnout was undoubtedly disappointing,' said Berwood Yost, the director of the Franklin & Marshall College Poll. Low voter turnout in 'off-year' municipal primaries is not uncommon for a variety of reasons. Local races tend to not garner the same attention as those for statewide or federal offices do, despite the bigger impact the positions have on communities across the state. 'They're for offices that probably affect you most directly and in a most regular way,' Yost said. 'And yet the turnout is low.' Some potential voters often don't realize which elections are on the ballot, while voter fatigue may also contribute to lower turnout, since Pennsylvania was in the spotlight last year. In 2025, turnout appears to be lower than the previous two off-year municipal primary elections. Yost told the Capital-Star it looks like about 22% of Democrats voted last week, while 18% of Republicans cast ballots. Two years ago, 27% of Democrats and 24% Republicans voted in the primary. In 2021, the numbers weren't much different with 28% of Republicans and 25% of Democrats participating in the primary election, he said. This year's primary didn't feature state Supreme Court candidates on the ballot like those two previous years, which can impact turnout. However, candidates for the Superior and Commonwealth courts were up for a vote. In addition to the statewide judicial races, several of the largest cities including Pittsburgh, Allentown, and Erie, held mayoral elections, while Philadelphians went to the polls to vote in a closely watched district attorney race. The Democratic Party is the dominant party in those cities, and the winner of the primary ultimately enters November as the heavy favorite to win a full term in office. Sam Chen, principal director and chief strategist of The Liddell Group, previously served in various roles for former Republican elected leaders including Gov. Tom Corbett, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, and U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent. He says he believes there was lower turnout in the GOP primary for a few reasons, including that some in the Republican Party are more complacent since President Donald Trump won the White House and the party claimed control of both chambers of Congress. 'We tend to vote for change, and if everything is great, (some say) I'm not going to the polls,' Chen said. Even though turnout wasn't particularly high for Democrats, Larry Ceisler, a public affairs expert, believes they should be optimistic about their chances of winning races in November and potentially 2026. His example? Bucks County. The suburban county located just north of Philadelphia is viewed as one of the premier purple counties in Pennsylvania. In 2024, Republicans regained a narrow voter registration edge over Democrats in the county, while Trump became the first Republican candidate for president to win Bucks since 1988. Despite the recent momentum for the GOP there, Democrats saw higher turnout in the same countywide races in the primary. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Did the primary election signal which way the Democratic Party is moving? The results in the state's two biggest cities showed that it isn't clear which direction Democrats are headed. In Philadelphia, incumbent progressive District Attorney Larry Krasner cruised to earning the Democratic Party nomination over former Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge Pat Dugan, who was viewed as the moderate candidate. Turnout was 17%, which is lower than the 2021 primary in the city, the last time the district attorney was on the ballot. Lauren Cristella, President and CEO of the Committee of Seventy, said the low voter turnout in Philadelphia should 'alarm all of us.' 'We cannot dismiss this as 'just another low-turnout election' or chalk it up to the 'Philly Shrug.' Turnout this low goes well beyond that kind of reasoning, and that kind of thinking lets a broken system off the hook,' Cristella said. 'Low turnout like this is a warning sign. It means too many of our neighbors feel disengaged, disillusioned, or disconnected from the process.' Cristella added that the most recent primary election's turnout in the city 'should be a wake-up call' and called for 'bold action,' including changes such as open primaries and 'selecting judges based on merit rather than electing them.' Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, who was backed by various progressive organizations and elected officials, lost his bid for a second term in the Democratic primary to Allegheny County Controller Corey O'Connor. Turnout in the city was 'slightly higher than 26%,' which was a 2% increase in comparison to the 2021 mayoral primary election, according to WESA. The experts who spoke with the Capital-Star agreed that each race was unique. 'I think that's what we're seeing now. The Democrats are trying to define themselves, trying to figure out what their message is and what they stand for, and find candidates that can express that effectively,' Yost said. 'And I don't think this particular election did anything to settle that question.' 'I don't think there's an overarching narrative to this one, besides turnout is low and people don't care about local elections,' Chen added. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Next test? November's retention races. Pennsylvanians in November will vote to fill one open seat on the Superior Court and Commonwealth Court. However, all eyes are expected to largely be on the vote for retention of three Democratic Supreme Court justices. Earlier this year, an open seat on Wisconsin's Supreme Court garnered a lot of attention and outside spending. 'You saw the way they pursued the open Supreme Court seat in Wisconsin, a pivotal swing state. You've got three bites at the apple in Pennsylvania to start changing the dynamics of that court,' Yost said. 'And so you better believe Republican operatives are going to be here trying to keep those justices from being retained, but that's hard to do.' Justices in retention races in Pennsylvania are often not close, but if efforts from conservative organizations are successful, the Democratic majority of the court could change. Yost noted since Trump won in November, there has been a swing towards Democratic candidates, including in a special election for a state Senate seat in conservative Lancaster County which was won by a Democrat earlier this year. 'It's going to be an uphill fight for (Republicans), because I suspect that the turnout is going to favor Democrats,' Yost said. 'But I think there'll be more spending, and there'll be more conversation and probably more activity around the races. So, we'll see higher turnout even than we saw in 2023, just because the more money that's spent and the more aware people are about the campaigns and the candidates, the more likely they are to vote.'
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Missing children reports up locally
May 20—LIMA — Allen County authorities processed 182 missing children reports in 2024, according to a new report issued by Attorney General Dave Yost on Monday. That's up 12 compared to the 170 seen in 2023's report. The state's annual missing children report provides an overview of the 16,404 children reported missing to Ohio law enforcement agencies last year. Ninety-six percent of children reported missing were accounted for by year's end, while three children were found deceased and others remained missing, the report found. "Every missing person is someone to somebody — a child, sibling, loved one or friend," Yost said in a news release accompanying the report. "I am proud of the dedication shown by Ohio law enforcement to keep Ohio's children safe and commit that my office will continue to do everything in its power to support that mission." Auglaize County increased from nine reports in 2023 to 11 in 2024. Van Wert County increased, with nine in 2024 compared to seven in 2023. Hardin County also went up, to 30 in 2024 from 24 in 2023. Putnam County was the only area county with a decrease, with one report in 2024, compared to two in 2023. The report is a joint effort between local law enforcement agencies and the National Crime Information Center, a missing person and criminal information database operated by the U.S. Department of Justice. Law enforcement agencies create a missing person report whenever a child goes missing. That information is entered into the NCIC database, which is accessible to other law enforcement agencies, and is updated once a child is found. Law enforcement agencies received 1,001 fewer missing children reports last year than in 2023, according to the report. More than half of the missing children reports involved runaway children, or children who left home without permission and stayed away overnight, accounting for 8,415 cases in 2024. Another 37 cases involved abductions by a non-custodial parent, while nine missing children reports involved abductions by strangers, according to the report. Law enforcement agencies issued 13 AMBER alerts and 17 endangered missing children alerts last year. Two of those children were deceased by the time law enforcement located them. All others were recovered safely, according to the report. 2024 MISSING CHILD REPORT BY COUNTY Allen County: 182 Auglaize County: 11 Hardin County: 30 Putnam County: 1 Van Wert County: 9 Source: Ohio Missing Child Clearinghouse Report, 2024 Featured Local Savings
