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.”
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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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Friday, July 3
Downtown Columbus: Billed as the Midwest’s largest fireworks show, Red, White & BOOM! takes place along the Scioto Mile. The fireworks show starts at 10:00 p.m. More information can be found on the event’s website.
Bexley: Festivities at Capital University begin at 6:00 p.m., with a fireworks display starting at 10:00 p.m.
Buckeye Lake: The Buckeye Lake Area Star Spangled Tradition (BLASST) fireworks display will take place at approximately 10:00 p.m. The primary viewing area is at Fairfield Beach, Lake Shore Drive NE, Thornville.
Canal Winchester: First Friday at Loose Rail Brewing will feature a fireworks show at approximately 9:00 p.m. The brewery will also show Red, White & BOOM! on big screens.
Gahanna: Activities start at 5:00 p.m. at the Gahanna Municipal Golf Course and the fireworks show is at 10:00 p.m.
Newark: Central Ohio Technical College and Ohio State Newark campus will host festivities with live music and food trucks at the Martha Grace Reese Amphitheatre, culminating with a fireworks display at dusk (approximately 10:00 p.m.).
Pickerington: The city’s fireworks show starts at 10:00 p.m.
Reynoldsburg: Festivities begin at 6:00 p.m. at Civic Park, with fireworks starting at 9:45 p.m.
Saturday, July 4
Chillicothe: Fireworks are scheduled to begin at approximately 9:45 PM from the Yoctangee Park Annex.
Circleville: AMVETS Post 2256 will host food trucks, live music, and a fireworks display after dark.
Clintonville: Whetstone Park of Roses hosts a live music event followed by fireworks at 9:45 p.m.
Delaware: Fireworks will launch from the city’s Cherry Street property at 10:00 p.m.
Dublin: Independence Day Celebration activities wrap up with fireworks at 9:50 p.m. at Dublin Coffman High School.
Grove City: Fireworks will launch from Murfin Fields at 9:45 p.m.
Hilliard: Freedom Fest takes place at Roger Reynolds Municipal Park with fireworks starting around 9:45 p.m.
Lancaster: A full day of celebrations culminates with fireworks at dusk at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds.
Marysville: Fireworks at approximately 9:00 p.m. at the Union County Fairgrounds.
New Albany: The July 4th Festival ends with fireworks at 10:00 p.m. at New Albany High School.
Upper Arlington: The annual Party in the Park begins at 5:00 p.m. at Northam Park, followed by fireworks at 10:00 p.m.
Westerville: Evening festivities and food trucks can be found at the Westerville Sports Complex until the fireworks show begins at 10:00 p.m.
Worthington: The city’s celebration concludes with fireworks launched from Thomas Worthington High School at 10:00 p.m.
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