Ohio
Analysis: Ohio GOP has 'no appetite' for gun control; they prefer trans bathroom bill
Jason Stephens, the speaker of the Ohio House, says the Republican supermajority he leads has “no appetite” for new laws limiting access to guns.
This comes at a time when there have been a rash of mass shootings in Ohio, where people died or were injured. In Cincinnati. In Columbus. In Akron. In Dayton.
But not in Kitts Hill, the unincorporated community in rural Lawrence County in southeast Ohio where Stephens lives.
So, what do these Republican lawmakers — nearly all of them from rural areas and suburbs — have an “appetite” for?
They clearly have an appetite for passing laws aimed at making life more difficult than it already is for transgender Ohioans.
Their latest came last week, when, late at night, in a vote of 60-31, they passed a “bathroom bill,” telling trans students in Ohio K-12 schools and colleges and universities where they can and cannot relieve themselves. Two Republicans voted against it.
The bathroom bill comes out of the same legislature which has already banned trans athletes from participating in women’s sports, banned gender-affirming care for transgender teens, including hormone treatment and puberty blockers; and legislation which would force educators to “out” students to their parents.
Ohio lawmakers advance more than 50 bills in 12-hour session, including transgender bathroom ban
State Rep. Beth Lear, a conservative Republican from Galena, is the primary sponsor of the bathroom bill and says it is necessary.
“Boys and girls should not be in locker rooms together,’’ Lear told the Ohio Statehouse News Bureau. “They should not be in bathrooms together and they should not be sharing overnight accommodations.”
But gun violence on the streets of Ohio’s cities — not on their radar. Telling transgender students they can’t use bathrooms or locker rooms that don’t confirm with their birth identity is, so they passed it
Then they went on summer break.
The Ohio Senate will take up the bathroom bill when the legislature comes back in September and, with a 26-7 Republican majority, it will surely pass there.
Allison Russo, the leader of the Democrats in the Ohio House, has three school age children. She told Statehouse reporters she has never heard from any school officials about trans students and where they can go to the bathroom.
“This is a made-up problem,” Russo said.
Yet for Republicans in the Ohio General Assembly it is the number one problem in Ohio. Not infrastructure. Not transportation. Not education and how to fund it. And certainly not gun violence in Ohio’s cities.
“Gun control laws simply just don’t work, in my opinion,” Stephens said.
There has been no acknowledgement from the GOP majority in the legislature that this is even a problem. But there is evidence that gun violence is the greatest threat to children and teenagers in this country.
After mass shootings, gun policy low on priority list at Ohio Statehouse
In recent years, the Centers for Disease control has found that, for Americans ages 1 through 17, there have been more deaths from gun violence than any other cause. More than motor vehicle deaths. More than cancer. More than congenital birth defects. More than any other cause of death.
But in the Ohio legislature, nothing happens. There is no “appetite” for it.
Stephens went on to tell the Statehouse press that most of the members of his caucus come from small counties where there may be only one sheriff’s deputy on duty at any given time and that the people there have the means to “defend themselves.”
He may want to run that by Anna Albi, the first-term Cincinnati City Council member from Madisonville. Before being elected to Council, Albi was well-known as an anti-gun violence activist; and is the local leader of Moms Demand Action, a national organization that lobbies for stricter gun laws.
Sadly, on June 15, Albi saw the effects of gun violence on the street where she lives.
It was “Madisonville Day,” a community celebration of all the progress that the neighborhood has made in recent years. Many families were in Bramble Park, enjoying the day, when gunfire broke out about 6 p.m., sending people scrambling for cover.
Five people, ages 24-46, were shot; and treated for non-life threatening wounds.
“People in Madisonville were pretty rattled by this,’’ Albi said. “They were just there celebrating their neighborhood. But when something like that happens you take away people’s sense of security.”
Albi said that partisan gerrymandering is at the root of the inability to get gun control measures passed in the Ohio General Assembly.
“We have an extremist group in the legislature that has more devotion to the gun industry than they do to the safety of people in this state,’’ said Albi, a Democrat. “They do not feel any kind of obligation to deal with the problem of gun violence in our cities.”
The state of Ohio, Albi said, takes the position that it is a problem city governments must address.
“But when we do, as we have in Cincinnati, the state comes in and sues us over some home rule issue,” Albi said. “We’ve been abandoned.”
LISTEN: City leaders discuss the legal battles over gun laws in Cincinnati
That is exactly what happened with the safe gun storage ordinance City Council passed last year.
Albi said she will work to convince voters to pass the Citizens Not Politicians state constitutional amendment that will likely be on the ballot in November.
It would take the drawing of legislative district lines out of the hands of elected officials and would put the responsibility in the hands of a 15-member citizens’ commission. The goal, its supporters say, is to create more competitive districts and, ultimately, possibly end the GOP supermajority.
If that works, the GOP would still have a majority but would likely have to reach across the aisle and work with Democrats.
“Not until we fix the state of Ohio can we have common-sense gun laws,’’ Albi said. “It’s out best hope for the future.”
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (MyValleyTributes) – Mrs. Mary Lucille Young, 74, of Youngstown, departed this life on Friday, April 10, 2026 at her residence where God welcomed her home.
Mary, affectionately known as “Mary Lou” and “Tang”, was born March 8, 1952 in Youngstown, a daughter of Lawrence and Ada Mae Alexander Hamilton Young.
She was a proud 1971 graduate of South High School.
Mary was a member of New Bethel Baptist Church.
She attended Louis Weinberger Hill Beauty School, and was accepted as a model with Barbizon Modeling Agency.
Mary worked and retired from Youngstown Sheet and Tube.
She enjoyed looking her best, dancing, shopping, casinos and decorating her home. Mary was strong, bold and took no mess. She was loved by many people.
She leaves to cherish her memories, her pride and joy, two daughters, Adalatesha Bright and Richlynn Bright; two sons, Ja-Juan Young and Dr. Ty-Juan Bright all of Youngstown; five grandchildren; two sisters, Cynthia (Floyd) Davis, Janet (Steve) Gardner both of Youngstown; and a host of family and friends.
Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by a son, Michael Lamar Young; three brothers, Isaiah, Edward, Lorenzo Young.
Private services were held at the L.E. Black, Phillips & Holden Funeral Home.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary Lucille Young, please visit our floral store.
The NWSL is once again expanding, this time the league is heading to Ohio where Columbus NWSL 2028 will take the field. Of course, Columbus NWSL 2028 is a placeholder for now and the the new team will unveil its name, crest, and uniform to build an identity around as it approaches its first season.
News of the club was announced yesterday, though this has been in the works for some time, in a press conference. Team owners, the Haslam Sports Group (HSG), Nationwide and Drs. Christine and Pete Edwards, spoke about what they hope the club will bring to Columbus and women’s soccer more broadly.
“Our family is thrilled to help bring an NWSL team to Columbus and further invest in Ohio, with the honor of bringing the 18th team into the league,” said Haslam Sports Group Managing Partner Whitney Haslam Johnson. “We believe in the power of women’s sports and are humbled to be part of the number one women’s soccer league in the world.”
Nationwide insurance has been a corporate partner in both NWSL and MLS for years and now joins an ownership group deepening those ties. “Today’s announcement is about inspiring young athletes across Central Ohio, elevating women’s professional sports and reminding the world that Columbus is a first-class sports city,” said Kirt Walker, Nationwide Chief Executive Officer. “As Nationwide marks 100 years, this is a powerful way to celebrate our milestone with the community that has been our home from the very beginning.”
The Edwards family has deep roots in the Columbus soccer scene with Dr. Pete Edwards serving as team doctor for the Crew in 1996 and the family joining the team’s ownership in 2019 during the Save The Crew effort. “Columbus is very important to our family. For over 30 years, we’ve supported the Columbus Crew and MLS. We’ve seen how a men’s professional soccer team has brought people together and created a positive impact in our community. It’s truly special to now welcome an NWSL club and the incredible women athletes who will also uplift our city on and off the pitch,” said Dr. Christine Edwards. “We’re very excited to partner with Haslam Sports Group and Nationwide for NWSL Columbus 2028, and we can’t wait to share even more memorable moments with fans, especially during the Club’s first game at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.”
The NWSL has continued its expansion with the announcement and the team will join Atlanta in its inaugural season in two years.
Ohio
Ex-Ohio State president Ted Carter’s girlfriend would sneak through campus garage to get to his office, report reveals
Disgraced ex-Ohio State President Ted Carter repeatedly snuck his alleged failing podcaster lover through a campus garage for secret visits to his office as he funneled university resources into her business ventures, a shocking new report claims.
The report into the circumstances behind Carter’s abrupt exit from his cushy $1.5 million-a-year role last month detailed his secret office rendezvous with Krisanthe Vlachos, host of “The Callout Podcast,” and at least five trips he took with her.
The duo jetted off to Richmond, Virginia; Orlando, Florida; Kansas City, Missouri; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Las Vegas – with the married 66-year-old allegedly cooking up a fake business excuse for one trip, the report released Tuesday by the college found.
One social media post showed the pair at a Colorado Springs conference in January, with the ex-prez smiling next to Vlachos, who is clad in an all-black leather getup.
Carter – married to Lynda Carter for nearly 45 years – admitted giving Vlachos “inappropriate access” to university leadership and public resources to boost her private business when he voluntarily resigned.
The probe found he tapped at least 14 staffers to help his purported paramour, who hosted a veteran-focused podcast, including efforts to score her a university job, campus space, support staff, and financial backing from the school and outside agencies like JobsOhio for different business ventures.
“Carter’s actions betrayed Ohio State’s shared values and violated university policy,” the 47-page report said, adding his “wide-ranging” efforts dragged on for almost two years.
“Carter had a close personal and business relationship with Vlachos and he allowed that relationship to improperly influence his actions and impair his judgement.”
JobsOhio shelled out $60,000 to the prexy’s reported flame to produce four podcast episodes about veteran issues – though only one was completed, the agency said last month.
The company, which said its decision to invest was driven by Carter’s recommendation, is now trying to “clawback” the funds after all of Vlacho’s poorly performing podcast episodes were hastily removed from YouTube and other streamers when the scandal erupted.
Carter – who served as a Top Gun pilot and instructor during 38 years in the Navy – admitted in one episode he was a “frequent flyer” on the floundering show, appearing as a guest at least nine times since 2024.
JobsOhio also dished out $10,000 to sponsor a January 2025 event for vets and military families at Ohio State, calling it an “opportunity that Ms. Vlachos brought our attention.”
The agency’s handouts for Vlachos came to an end after she requested a $2.9 million investment in her proposed mobile app, which aimed to help Ohio veterans get jobs.
An Ohio State spokesman previously confirmed officials were investigating an LLC registered to Vlachos at a university-owned building, in connection with the ex-leader’s departure.
Carter and Vlachos have not responded publicly to the relationship allegations.
With Post wires.
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