Ohio
Ohio Christians should rally behind Vivek Ramaswamy – Washington Examiner
I’m a Christian who works in public policy. I’ve led efforts to protect the lives of unborn children. I’ve spearheaded campaigns to end transgender procedures on children and stop boys from playing girls’ sports.
I believe it’s essential that we elect leaders who will promote the truth and goodness in God’s creation.
And that’s why I’m personally endorsing my friend, a practicing monotheist Hindu — Vivek Ramaswamy — to be the next governor of Ohio.
I grew up in the Mahoning Valley. My hometown, Warren, sits along the Rust Belt in northeast Ohio. I still love Warren. But I’ve never known a thriving Warren. Since 1990, the population of Warren has shrunk from over 50,000 to under 39,000.
Over the years, I saw a steady stream of politicians promise to “revitalize” the Mahoning Valley: They’ll beef up this government program, use that economic trick to lure in another manufacturer or keep the Lordstown GM plant. None of it worked.
There are towns all across Ohio with similar stories.
The problem plaguing us is much deeper than money. At the root, our struggles stem from the breakdown of the family.
Warren has one of the highest child poverty rates in our state at 50%. Not at all coincidentally, Warren also has one of the highest rates of children born out of wedlock, 66%. The data tell a clear story: the higher the rates of family breakdown, the higher the rates of child poverty, violence, crime, and government spending.
When Ramaswamy announced his bid for governor, he said that he hoped his marriage to his wife Apoorva, with whom he is raising two young boys, would provide an example to Ohio’s young men and women that family is deeply good. But even beyond his example as a husband and father, he will promote public policy to support strong families so that we can rebuild Ohio from the family up.
Families need and deserve good schools where teachers are accountable through meritocracy. Families need and deserve the dignity of work, not the condescension of inflated welfare programs.
Ramaswamy is a brilliant businessman and problem-solver who, like President Donald Trump, doesn’t need anyone else’s money. He’s not beholden to lobbyists, scared of their friends in the media, or trapped by their broken playbook. He’s free to state the truth: that it’s not the government but strong families that build strong communities.
I understand that some Christians will hesitate to support a non-Christian for public office. Ramaswamy knows that I pray one day, he will see and believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. While I’d love for all of our leaders to believe the truth of the Bible, I don’t believe that is a requirement — so long as they share and advance the right values for our state.
Years ago, when Mitt Romney was running for president, Christians debated whether we could support a Mormon candidate. Author and theologian Wayne Grudem wrote in response that America’s history was full of great statesmen, including Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, who didn’t follow Jesus but were professed “deists.” In fact, it was the genius of our constitutional writers that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office.”
And in the Bible, we see many examples of God using nonbelievers to secure the welfare of the people. While under Roman rule, the apostle Peter wrote that God uses those in authority to “punish those who do evil, and praise those who do good.” In Nehemiah, God uses the Persian King Artaxerxes I not only to allow Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, but the King gives Nehemiah all the resources he needs and a guarantee of safety for the passage home.
In the same way, while Ramswamy and I don’t share a common faith, we share a common understanding of what Ohio needs to secure hope and a future for his children, my children, and yours.
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He believes in religious freedom. He believes men are men and women are women. He believes that parents, not the state, have the right to raise and educate their own children. He believes that every human life has inherent worth and dignity.
The Bible is full of stories of God accomplishing His will through unexpected and even unbelieving men and women. And I have no doubt He will bless Ohio through the election of Ramaswamy as our next governor.
Aaron Baer is a Christian public policy leader in Columbus, Ohio.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — Part of Glenwood Avenue is closed due to a water main break in Youngstown.
Saturday afternoon, water could be seen flowing down Glenwood Avenue near Ravenwood Avenue.
The road is closed between Ravenwood Avenue and Clearmount Drive while crews repair the break.
Dominic O’Brien contributed to this report.
The U.S. Bicentennial in 1976 was a monumental, year-long celebration marking the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Coming in the aftermath of the turbulent 1960s, the political disillusionment of the Watergate scandal and President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974, and the capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese and the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, the Bicentennial served as a crucial moment of national healing.
The festivities culminated on the Fourth of July 1976, with spectacular events staged across the country. The most enduring legacy of the celebration in Columbus is Bicentennial Park, located in the Downtown riverfront area along the Scioto River.
Dedicated on July 4, 1976, this 4.7-acre green space was built to permanently commemorate the nation’s 200th birthday. The park’s initial centerpiece was a massive fountain system featuring four circular pools that could shoot water 60 feet into the air.
From May 22 to June 2, 1975, Columbus served as the 11th official stop for the American Freedom Train. This massive, steam-powered rolling museum carried more than 500 priceless historical artifacts – including copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution – across all 48 contiguous states.
The train was displayed at the Defense Construction Supply Center [DCSC] in Whitehall and drew massive crowds of local families. Columbus held a special distinction during the tour: it was one of only three cities nationwide where the “Splendid Spirit” car was included with the train.
Warren Motts, the founding director of Motts Military Museum in Groveport, traveled with the train for its entire 25,000-mile journey, capturing the official photos that documented this historic event.
Beyond these massive metropolitan events, the true spirit of the Bicentennial thrived at the grassroots level. The American Revolution Bicentennial Administration (ARBA) encouraged local communities to form their own committees, leading to thousands of unique municipal projects.
Towns across the nation hosted local parades, commissioned historical murals, dedicated new parks, and sealed time capsules intended for the tricentennial in 2076.
It also triggered a resurgence of interest in local history and genealogy, as everyday citizens sought to trace their own roots back to the nation’s founding eras.
The civic energy and patriotism generated by the 1976 celebrations also helped pave the way for other major local traditions. Just a few years later, in 1981, Columbus launched its annual Red, White & Boom! celebration, which grew into the largest Independence Day fireworks display in the Midwest—a tradition deeply rooted in the community pride revived during the Bicentennial era.
Get involved in America 250 at your library this year! Visit columbulibrary.org for a full list of America 250 events.
Angela O’Neal is Local History & Genealogy Manager with the Columbus Metropolitan Library.
NORTHEAST OHIO (WOIO) – Thousands are without power Friday after severe weather sweeps across Northeast Ohio counties, creating weather-related damage.
FirstEnergy reports more than 71,000 in Northeast Ohio are without power Friday night.
More than 22,000 are without power in Cuyahoga County.
The utility company reports that more than 700 are without power in Erie County.
Lake County reports over 1,000 outages, and Portage has over 4,000 outages.
Trumbull County is experiencing over 1,000, and Ashtabula reports over 3,000.
Lorain County is experiencing more than 3,000 reported outages, and Geauga County has more than 7,000.
Medina County reported more than 1,000.
Chardon fire crews field wave of storm calls
The Chardon Fire Department shared the calls it responded to concerning storm damage Friday evening.
Fire crews said they responded to a tree in a house at 127 Burlington Oval.
The department said a tree fell on a gas line, causing a gas leak at 408 Charleston Avenue.
Wires were reported down on South Claridon Road, closing State Route 44 near South Street.
Wires were reported down on a house near Irma and South Hambden.
Fire crews said a tree was reported down on a home at 306 North Hambden.
The department also said alarms went off at UH Geauga Hospital.
Downed wires also closed Auburn and Twing roads.
The department said power was out on the south side of Chardon City.
Another tree was reported to have fallen into a house at 109 Burlington Oval, but no injuries were reported.
Fire crews said an incident involving a tree in a house and electric lines was reported at 11396 Aquilla Road, but no injuries were reported.
Fallen tree takes out power line in Independence
The city of Independence said a downed tree took out a live power line on lower Stone Road.
The city asked the public to avoid the area because of the danger posed by live wires.
The city said FirstEnergy had been notified and both police and firefighters were on scene.
Downed wires prompt closures across Hambden
The Hambden Fire Department said Friday night it was dealing with multiple storm-related incidents.
Crews said Claridon Troy Road was closed between Route 608 and Chardon Windsor Road because of downed poles and wires.
Kenny Drive was closed south of Leaders Mobile Home Park because of downed wires across the road, according to fire crews.
Multiple wires were reported down on Route 6 near Cutts and Grant Street along the north side of the road.
The department said the public should use caution in areas with downed wires and poles and should not attempt to move any of the wires.
Anyone with an electrical emergency or who encounters downed wires is asked to call 9-1-1.
Hambden Fire said people should not call 9-1-1 to report an outage.
The department said FirstEnergy is aware of these issues and is working to fix them.
Check FirstEnergy’s, AEP’s, and Cleveland Public Power’s websites for the latest outage numbers.
These outages come after severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for multiple Northeast Ohio counties this evening and were extended until 10:45 p.m.
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