Cleveland, OH
Gov. Mike DeWine deploys highway patrol to Springfield: Capitol Letter
Rotunda Rumblings
Springfield situation: Gov. Mike DeWine is sending state troopers to Springfield, Ohio, to deal with traffic problems he ascribed to a surge in Haitian migrants who DeWine says don’t understand traffic laws. Andrew Tobias reports that DeWine, a Republican, called a Tuesday press conference about the situation in Springfield to dispel rumors that have circulated about the area’s immigrant population, but he didn’t identify the source of the misinformation. U.S. Sen. JD Vance, the GOP candidate for vice president, has been among those to amplify unsubstantiated rumors about crimes committed by Haitian migrants, including that they are eating pet cats. Springfield’s city manager refuted the rumors on Monday.
Center stage: Former President Donald Trump referenced the situation in Springfield less than five minutes into the presidential debate on Tuesday night. And Sabrina Eaton writes that it didn’t stop there. Trump pivoted to the anti-immigration message Republicans have tried to tie to the unsubstantiated, viral rumors about the migrant population in Springfield in response to a question about the economy. Trump later repeated those rumors, saying migrants were eating pet dogs. As noted above, the Springfield city manager has refuted those claims — something debate moderators pointed out on the broadcast.
Everything is Ohio: Ohio was front-and-center in the presidential debate on Tuesday night, and not just for Trump’s mention of Springfield. As Trump tried to explain his shifting position on abortion, he made mention of the vote in Ohio last year that enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution. “Ohio, the vote was somewhat liberal,” said Trump, who has won Ohio in the last two presidential elections by 8 percentage points. Voters approved the abortion amendment last year with 57% of the vote.
On appeal: The fate of the law creating dual bans on transgender minor health care and sports is expected to be considered by a three-judge panel on the Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals on Wednesday afternoon. A lower court judge began to allow Ohio to enforce House Bill 68 on Aug. 6. Two 12-year-old transgender Ohio girls and their parents are challenging the law, saying it unconstitutionally interferes with the gender-affirming care they receive or expect to soon receive, Laura Hancock reports.
A fatal fight: The state transferred $275,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the father of a boxer whose son was hospitalized and died after his professional debut. As Jake Zuckerman reports, the father of Hamzah Al-Jahmi claimed negligence and recklessness from the state-approved referee, who testified that he didn’t know what a concussion is.
NIL notion: Two Republican state lawmakers are looking to put ground rules in Ohio law about how college athletes profit from name, image and likeness deals. As Jeremy Pelzer reports, House Bill 660 would, among other things, allow public universities and private colleges in the state to directly negotiate NIL agreements with players, rather than just through the independent nonprofit collectives that currently offer such deals. However, it remains to be seen how much support there is at the Ohio Statehouse to pass such changes before the current legislative session ends in December.
Targeting China: The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday passed bipartisan legislation introduced by Cincinnati Republican Brad Wenstrup to block the federal government from contracting with companies that use biotech equipment from companies with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, Eaton writes. According to Wenstrup, the Chinese Communist Party’s national intelligence laws require all Chinese firms to share any requested data with the CCP, including biotechnology companies that collect, test, or store American genomic data.
Lobbying Lineup
Five organizations lobbying on Senate Bill 176, a bipartisan bill that would allow child support to continue for someone beyond the age of 18 who has a disability. The bill passed the Ohio Senate on June 12 and is under consideration in a House committee.
1. Autism Speaks
2. Ohio Judicial Conference
3. Ohio State Bar Association
4. Easterseals Ohio Affiliates
5. Gov. Mike DeWine’s office
On The Move
Megan Richwine has been hired as director of government affairs for the Ohio Association of Health Plans. Richwine most recently worked as manager of state government relations for Cardinal Health; before that, she served as director of government affairs and client relations for Byers, Minton & Associates, and was a senior legislative aide for then-Ohio House Speaker Pro Tempore Tim Ginter.
Birthdays
Jacob Hamilton, rules and technology administrator, Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review
Autumn Mitchell, senior policy analyst, Franklin County Board of Commissioners
Straight From The Source
“In short, don’t let the crybabies in the media dissuade you, fellow patriots. Keep the cat memes flowing.”
-U.S. Sen. JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate, posting on X on Tuesday. This week, Vance amplified claims without evidence that Haitian immigrants are killing pets for food. On Tuesday, he acknowledged that the rumors could turn out to be false. But he still blamed the immigrants generally for spreading communicable diseases, murder, soaring rents and struggling school systems.
Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. Subscribe to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.
Cleveland, OH
Arraignment for teen accused of murder at Cleveland deli
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The 17-year-old boy accused of a deadly shooting at a Cleveland deli, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Thursday.
Royal King was indicted on the charges of aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, carrying concealed weapons, and improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle.
King will continue being held on a $1 million bond at the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Facility.
He will return to court on March 2 for a pre-trial.
King is accused of killing Jahari Stegall, 17, on Sept. 19, 2025 at the E. 185th Deli in the city’s Northshore Collinwood neighborhood.
PREVIOUS STORY: Teen identified after shooting death at Cleveland deli
King allegedly drove to the deli in a stolen car and walked through the aisles.
Security cameras then show Stegall walking through the parking lot.
King allegedly met Stegall at the door with a gun in his hand and shot him in the back of the head before fleeing the scene.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said Stegall was a good kid who barely knew King.
U.S. Marshals arrested King on Oct. 29, 2025 at home on E. 147th Street in Cleveland.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
Ohio EMA expanding traveler alert system
OHIO — The Ohio Emergency Management Agency, in partnership with the National Weather Service offices in Wilmington and Cleveland, is partnering with Lamar Advertising to help expand the Ohio Traveler Alert System to more parts of the state.
Ohio EMA said the system will soon include areas of greater Cleveland, Toledo and the Cincinnati Metropolitan area.
“Severe weather can make driving difficult and dangerous,” said Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio. “By expanding the Ohio Traveler Alert System, our goal is to get critical weather alerts to more drivers in real-time.”
The system was launched in 2024 in the areas of Dayton and Columbus. If there’s severe weather, digital billboards display messages alerting travelers about certain conditions, such as high winds, snow squalls, ice and flooding.
“Collaborations like these are the backbone of community safety,” said Sima Merick, Ohio Emergency Management Agency executive director. “When we work together, we strengthen our ability to protect the people we serve. OTAS is a prime example of these partnerships.”
Ohio EMA said the communication and messaging on billboards is not only an effective way to communicate to Ohio residents but also to travelers who may not be familiar with the area.
Cleveland, OH
Iman Shumpert Claims Kyrie Irving Left The Cavaliers To Beat LeBron James
Former NBA guard Iman Shumpert played an important role in the Cavaliers securing their only championship in franchise history. He was there to help them win it all, and he was there to watch it fall apart when Kyrie Irving forced a trade to the Celtics in 2017. In a recent appearance on ‘Club Shay Shay,’ the former Cavs guard broke down what really pushed Irving out of Cleveland, and why he wasn’t surprised that he wanted to leave.
“Hell nah. Kyrie is a Kobe guy,” said Shumpert. “Kyrie wanted to beat LeBron, and that’s okay. People like to say ‘Oh, that was dumb’ because you’re a team-up kind of guy. That’s not Kyrie. Kyrie is like ‘The only way I can be crowned the best is if I beat the best. I got to go head-to-head with you; I can’t team up with you.”
It’s easy to forget now, but Irving was once the star of the show in Cleveland. In the years before LeBron’s arrival, he was the only hope for the Cavaliers and was treated like an MVP because of it. When LeBron arrived, all that changed, and it was something that Irving never fully accepted.
“Let’s say you got your momma’s crib. And then they just bring you a new brother,” Shumpert added. “Then your momma’s like ‘Well, you were the one to get the house key and do whatever you want, but now you don’t get to drive the car.’ For people not to understand that’s what happened, and then be like ‘Oh, he should have put his pride to the side.’ Why?”
Irving didn’t leave the Cavaliers because he hated LeBron. He left because he wanted to do his own thing and build his legacy outside No. 23’s shadow. As a longtime Kobe fan, he’s competitive at heart and would rather go against his competitors than join forces with them.
So while Irving made the most of his stint with James (one championship in three Finals appearances with the Cavs), he was never in it for the long haul. Playing alongside LeBron was something he never signed up for, even though he remains on good terms with the basketball legend today.
Shumpert Gets Real On Playing With LeBron
Irving ended his partnership with James early, and it’s something critics still talk about today. When people often forget, however, is that it’s not so easy to play with the King. Besides his enormous presence, he holds everyone accountable with his sky-high basketball IQ. In the end, however, it’s all for the best as he makes everyone better on the court.
“He is Chat GPT of the NBA,” said Shumpert on James. “This is the best way I could describe [him]. You can ask him anything, he knows. He knows the coaches, he knows the assistant coaches, he knows the player development coach. I don’t even have the mental capacity for all that sh*t. It took about a month for me to get used to him saying ‘X1, X2, X3, X4,’ he is really programmed for this. I never dealt with somebody who had the balls enough to look a coach in the eye and say, ‘I’m not running that.’”
James doesn’t just dominate with his physical skill and size. He uses his mind to get ahead of opponents and exploit their biggest flaws. With an unmatched mental game, James frequently outsmarts the enemy, and it’s the secret to his unprecedented NBA longevity.
In the end, Kyrie got to experience the best of both worlds. He played and won with LeBron James in the city where he was drafted. It taught him a lot and put his name in the history books. But Kyrie wanted more, and going out on his own was the best way to ensure he could play out his career on his own terms.
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