Ohio
Gov. Mike DeWine, real estate mogul pardoned by Trump among Ohio RNC delegates
What happens at a political convention like the RNC
Veteran political reporter Craig Gilbert talks about what happens at political conventions
Ohio Republicans will descend on Milwaukee next week to officially choose former President Donald Trump as their nominee for the November election.
Trump tapped 79 delegates and 68 alternates to represent the Buckeye State at the Republican National Convention, according to a list provided by the Ohio secretary of state’s office. The names include top statewide officials, members of the state Legislature, candidates and other key players in the Ohio GOP, from donors to county party leaders.
Three delegates also serve on the Republican National Committee on Ohio’s behalf: State party chair Alex Triantafilou, former U.S. Senate candidate Jane Timken and committeeman Jim Dicke.
Other notable delegates include:
- Gov. Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine.
- Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, Attorney General Dave Yost and Treasurer Robert Sprague, all of whom are eyeing a run for governor in 2026.
- U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, who is running against Sen. Sherrod Brown this fall.
- Cleveland real estate mogul James Kassouf, who was pardoned by Trump in 2020 − decades after Kassouf pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return.
- Pastor Darrell Scott, head of the New Spirit Revival Center in Cleveland Heights. Scott is a longtime Trump ally and once described him as “the most pro-Black president I’ve seen in my lifetime,” NBC News reported.
- Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life.
- Cowboy hat-wearing Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones, an outspoken and sometimes controversial critic of U.S. immigration policy.
- Etna Township trustee Rozland McKee, who recently attracted criticism after locals saw an upside-down American flag being flown at her home. McKee said her husband hung it that way.
- Newly elected Congressman Michael Rulli. He stepped down from the Ohio Senate last month after winning a special election in Ohio’s 6th Congressional District.
See the full list of delegates below:
Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio. She will be covering the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — As concerns have grown over the impact of social media on young people, lawmakers are pushing to keep protections in tact to keep children safe online.
This week the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Ohio’s law, the Social Media Parental Notification Act, requiring parental consent for children under the age of 16 to use social media must be restored. Gov. Mike DeWine signed the act into law in July 2023.
Netchoice, the trade group that represents Tik Tok, Snapchat, Meta and other tech companies contested Ohio’s law in 2024, arguing that it was overly broad, vague and represented an unconstitutional impediment to free speech.
“An unconstitutional law protects no one, and we remain focused on ensuring the First Amendment rights of Ohioans are protected,” Paul Taske, NetChoice Litigation Center Director said.
Cincinnati-based Sixth Circuit’s panel does not agree with this view point, determined that the law is not unconstitutional and had the block on the law’s enforcement vacated.
“At bottom, the Act imposes a parental consent requirement,” Judge Eric Clay wrote. “That requirement constitutes a marginal burden that precisely targets the multi-faceted problem that Ohio has identified: Children’s unsupervised assent to terms and conditions for use of platforms that take advantage of and harm them.”
The Social Media Parental Notification Act is a way to protect children’s mental health against the “intentionally addictive” nature of social media, according to U.S. senator Jon Husted.
The law requires companies to get parental permission for social media and gaming apps and to provide their privacy guidelines so families know what content would be censored or moderated on their child’s profile.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson says the ruling is “a win for Ohio families.”
“The court agreed that parents –- not social media companies –- should get a say in what kids see online,” he said in a statement. “We have an obligation to keep our children safe, and today, the most dangerous place for our kids is the internet. This decision gives parents the tools to be involved and provide oversight.”
LICKING COUNTY, Ohio (WCMH) — When you think of wild animals in central Ohio, a black bear likely isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. That’s why one Licking County family said they couldn’t believe their eyes.
It was an average afternoon drive home for father and son, Justin and Aaron Rhodes, when something walked into the road in front of them.
“I didn’t even think it was real at first, so that’s why I had to do the double take,” Justin said.
Aaron said he thought it was “just a weird looking dog”.
To their disbelief, it was a bear. The sighting comes just one year after the animal was spotted in Licking County for the first time in more than two decades.
“It’s kind of hard to believe that they’re even around this area,” Justin said. “I’ve lived in this area for about 24 years now, so it’s been quite a while, and I’ve never seen one before.”
These sightings are becoming more common. The Ohio Division of Wildlife said the black bear population is growing in the state, and they expect those trends to continue. Ohio saw a record number of confirmed sightings in 2025.
Lindsey Krusling, a wildlife communications specialist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, said they are seeing more breeding females establish homes in the state, signaling the species is returning. Experts said the work restoring natural forest land is a big reason why.
“We’re starting to get some black bears coming in from neighboring states like Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky,” Krusling said. “They’re naturally crossing those state borders and coming back to Ohio because we have more of that habitat available to them, especially those forested areas.”
As the black bear population grows, the Division of Wildlife is expanding its research. They are putting radio collars on some bears they find in the state to help track data, such as if the bears are staying here, how far they’ve traveled and if they’re successfully having cubs.
“We’re trying to get quite a bit of data from these bears, and we’re super excited to see where this takes us,” Krusling said.
The research is in the beginning stages, but they expect population growth to continue, Krusling said.
Sighting reports can be submitted here to help the Division of Wildlife track black bear populations throughout the state.
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