Latest news with #ZachKlein
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Sanctuary Night held in contempt of court for violating agreement with Columbus
Sanctuary Night, a Columbus nonprofit that serves women escaping sex trafficking and battling drug addiction, was held in contempt Thursday after it violated an agreement it made with the city to address its status as an alleged "nuisance" property. Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein filed a nuisance lawsuit against Sanctuary Night, located at 1195 Sullivant Ave. in Franklinton, on April 30, alleging it attracted criminal activity, open drug use and prostitution. On May 7, the city and the nonprofit came to a court-approved agreement where Sanctuary Night would prohibit drug and alcohol use on its premises, cut down on loitering, install Columbus Division of Police recommended security upgrades, ban camping and refrain from serving food to clients who identify as male, among other changes. According to court filings, a city environmental specialist attempted to enter Sanctuary Night on May 15 to conduct an inspection required by the agreement but was not allowed inside until after the nonprofit's staff evacuated its clients. Sanctuary Night's property manager told the inspector that entering would violate the HIPAA rights of clients currently in the building and asked him to sign a confidentiality agreement. The inspector refused to sign the agreement and conducted an exterior inspection while the nonprofit's employees tried to reach someone in upper management. The inspector was eventually allowed in once all the clients, except for one using the shower, had left. Stopping the inspector from entering while the nonprofit was occupied and operational prevented him from ensuring it complied with the city's May 7 agreement, according to court filings. As a result, Judge Stephanie Mingo moved to hold Sanctuary Night in contempt on Thursday, according to Pete Shipley, the communications director for City Attorney Zach Klein's office. Shipley said that the city will continue to monitor the nonprofit's compliance with the agreement and take appropriate action if it does not live up to the terms. Mayor Andrew Ginther said the city was a proud partner and supporter of Sanctuary Night but that everybody who operates in the community needed to be a good neighbor. "They're gonna be held accountable if they're not a good neighbor. But they provide critically important services," he said at a May 22 press conference. The next hearing in the case is set for July 24, according to court records. Sanctuary Night could not be reached for comment by the time of publication. Breaking and Trending News Reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@ and at @NathanRHart on X and at on Bluesky. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus nonprofit Sanctuary Night held in contempt
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Columbus sues Trump administration over cuts to disease funding amid measles outbreaks
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The City of Columbus has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its cuts to infectious disease funding during a rise in measles outbreaks across the country, including in Ohio. City Attorney Zach Klein said Columbus Public Health has already had to terminate 11 infectious disease workers due to cuts in the funding, leaving only 11 employees left. 'The Trump administration's termination of billions of dollars in infectious disease funding is both dangerous and unconstitutional,' Klein said in a statement. 'The City cannot stay quiet on the sidelines as extremists within this administration continue to defy the Constitution and recklessly endanger the health and safety of our children and the public.' Ohio State faculty vote to join Big Ten alliance against Trump The city claims that the funding cuts are unconstitutional because the money was already approved by Congress. The city is asking for a judge to order the Trump administration to reinstate the grant programs and congressionally appropriated funding. Kansas City and Nashville also joined the lawsuit, along with Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston. Dkt.-1-ComplaintDownload Several states also previously sued the administration over the funding cuts. U.S. Health and Human Services Department spokesperson Andrew Nixon told the Associated Press earlier this month that it doesn't comment on pending litigation, but said the HHS 'will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Columbus joins lawsuit after alleged DOGE freeze on tree program
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The City of Columbus has joined a federal lawsuit in anticipation of funding cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency for a grant that would pay for more than 1,000 trees planted in 'historically Black neighborhoods.' City Attorney Zach Klein announced in a news release that Columbus has spent $393,930 of a $500,000 urban forestry grant it expected the Recreation and Parks Department to reimburse by way of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The City sought the grant to 'further expand its tree canopy through the purchase and plantings of approximately 1,250 diverse, large-class street trees in disadvantaged areas.' Ohio Republicans form own version of DOGE 'In Columbus, neighborhoods targeted for tree planting were data driven — the areas selected lacked trees compared to other parts of town,' Klein said. 'Yet DOGE algorithms seem to have haphazardly targeted this important initiative that will lead to better health outcomes, air quality and home values for our residents simply because it was a historically Black neighborhood.' Columbus is one of more than a dozen plaintiffs in the complaint filed in a federal court in South Carolina. The document names President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, DOGE and other government officials and agencies as defendants. According to the lawsuit, the city became concerned that it would not receive the grant money on Feb. 18, when ODNR sent a letter to the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department. The letter stated that the U.S. Forestry Service was not processing Ohio's reimbursement requests and that the city should 'temporarily suspend expenses against their grant, given the risk that expenses would not be reimbursed.' However, after submitting a 'Sub Awardee Request for Reimbursement(s)' to ODNR for $393,930, an ODNR email confirmed the grant was 'approved for implementation' on March 13. The court filing reflects the city's fear that the federal government will 'continue to turn this grant on and off and may well not ultimately reimburse the city for the full amount of eligible expenses.' DOGE's claim of saving $1 million at Ohio State doesn't fit any records Despite the uncertainty of the City's request for compensation, the $500,000 USDA-originated grant does not appear on the DOGE website under its 'grant terminations' dashboard. The U.S. government's official spending site also listed the grant as 'in progress.' On its website, ODNR is accepting 2025 applications for Ohio's Urban Forestry Grant Program, stating that the funding is a 'follow up grant program to supplement the original grant program in 2024 to build upon executed awards and fund new projects.' Columbus City Council documents reveal that on March 3, the Recreation and Parks Department once again received the go-ahead to 'apply for grant funding from the … ODNR Urban Forestry Grant Program, which will be used to plant up to 250 street trees in disadvantaged neighborhoods in Columbus.' 'We will continue to make expanding our tree canopy a cornerstone of our environmental policies, not only to reduce energy usage, but to make healthier, equitable environments for residents in all of our neighborhoods,' said Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. The city said in the lawsuit that the money for the trees will have to come out of Columbus's capital budget if the grant money fails to materialize. Cat police, a topless barber: Seven of central Ohio's biggest April Fools' pranks NBC4 has contacted ODNR and DOGE for an update on where the grant money stands. Additionally, Green Columbus was also expecting $50,000 of federal funding through ODNR for trees planted at Columbus City Schools. Columbus City Council announced it will provide the organization $40,000 for its upcoming Earth Day efforts due to the reimbursement delay and Green Columbus having to 'dip into its Earth Month funds.' Final-Complaint-Federal-Funding-Freeze-Litigation-3-19-2025Download Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
05-03-2025
- Automotive
- Axios
Columbus still pursuing lawsuit against Hyundai and Kia
More than two years after Columbus filed a lawsuit against Hyundai and Kia, the city remains in litigation, alongside multiple cities and insurance companies, against the car manufacturers. Why it matters: The city wants accountability for a design flaw in Hyundai and Kia models that led to a nationwide rash of car thefts, including about 10,000 in Columbus between 2022 and 2023. Catch up quick: Amid the pandemic, the " Kia Challenge" TikTok trend showcased the ease of exploiting the vehicles' lack of engine immobilizers to start them without a key. Thefts led City Attorney Zach Klein to sue the automakers in February 2023, citing that nearly two-thirds of all local vehicle theft attempts over the previous year targeted Kia or Hyundai models. In 2024, car break-ins were one of the only Columbus crime categories that increased. The separate brands share a parent company, Hyundai Motor Group. What they're saying: Klein tells Axios the lawsuit aims to "recoup taxpayer dollars and hold them accountable for putting profit over common sense." "These corporations cut corners, and as a result, people's lives have been upended through no fault of their own and the city has had to use taxpayer dollars to clean up the mess these automakers created." The big picture: Several cities have joined the lawsuit, including Cleveland, Indianapolis and Seattle, as have a wide variety of insurance companies. Hyundai senior group manager Ira Gabriel previously told Axios Seattle in an email the lawsuit is "improper and unnecessary," noting Hyundai Motor America has made engine immobilizers standard on all vehicles produced as of November 2021. The case has been assigned to a judge in the Central District of California, Southern Division, and phase one discovery has begun. Between the lines: Law firm Allen Stovall Neuman & Ashton is representing Columbus on a contingency fee basis, meaning it will receive a portion of any award the city receives, Klein spokesperson Pete Shipley tells Axios. What's next: Shipley says it's too early to speculate about a possible settlement figure, saying the Columbus City Council would need to approve any settlement.
