Ohio
Ask Ohio senators a legit question and it might come back to bite you | Opinion
Pride 2025 in Columbus: Walk the parade downtown and in the Short North
Walk through the 2025 Stonewall Columbus Pride Festival and March through downtown Columbus and the Short North Saturday, June 14, 2025.
Thomas Suddes is a former legislative reporter with The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and writes from Ohio University. tsuddes@gmail.com.
The Ohio Senate’s leaders want Ohio’s voters to sit down and shut up when it comes to what’s in (and what isn’t) in the pending state budget bill.
That cat leaped out of the bag last week when Sen. Jerry Cirino, the suburban Cleveland Republican who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, told two women testifying on behalf of the Ohio Association of School Business Officials that they should support Senate Republicans’ proposed school funding plan, cleveland.com reported.
“I would suggest, for your members and for the two of you, that you do everything you can to support the Senate plan, because as we go into [a Senate-House budget] conference, there’s going to be other competing viewpoints on how to do this, and it only could get worse for you,” Cirino said — in Colums’, Ohi-a, Yew Ess Ay, not a puppet-show parliament in a Soviet-style “republic.”
So much for the Ohio Constitution, which guarantees everyone the right “to petition the General Assembly for the redress of grievances.” (BTW, that’s the Ohio Constitution that Cirino and every other member of the General Assembly swears she or he will uphold.)
Cirino, of Kirtland, apparently first entered public service in 1992, when then-Gov. George V. Voinovich appointed him as a trustee of Lakeland Community College. Cirino resigned as a trustee in 1997. More recently, Cirino was a Lake County commissioner and is said to be aiming to succeed term-limited Sen. Rob McColley, a Napoleon Republican, as the state Senate’s president.
Statewide, McColley may be best known for co-sponsoring 2021’s Senate Bill 52, signed that July by Gov. Mike DeWine, to hamper Ohio solar- and wind energy projects. Since then, “Ohioans and their elected representatives have killed enough solar development to roughly power the state’s three largest cities,” Jake Zuckerman, then of cleveland.com, reported earlier this year.
Attack on the libraries
McColley demonstrates the deafness that selectively strikes key state senators when there’s something they don’t want to hear.
Henry is McColley’s home county. Of Henry County’s four public libraries, voters have most recently approved levies for three of them, with the “yes” margins ranging from 59% to 70%. (Data for a fourth library weren’t immediately available.) And you’d think someone with political ambitions — maybe to be GOP gubernatorial hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy’s running mate next year — might listen to his hometown constituents.
Nah: State Senate Republicans’ proposed rewrite of the House-passed budget worsens the financial damage that House Speaker Matt Huffman’s budget rewrite does to Ohio’s nationally renowned public libraries, offer every Ohioan — rich, poor; black, brown, white; urban, suburban.
DeWine proposed allotting $531.7 million for the Public Library Fund for the year that’ll begin July 1, then $549.1 million for the year beginning July 1, 2026. Those represent a longstanding state law requirement that state aid to public libraries must equal 1.7% of annual state General Revenue Fund collections. For the year that’ll end June, the Public Library Fund will provide an estimated $504.6 million for public libraries statewide
Huffman’s House, and McColley’s Senate, junked the GRF earmark.
They instead directly allotted $490 million for Year 1, then $500 million for Year 2. Those are steep reductions. This year, state Budget Office estimates, public libraries will have received $530 million from the Public Library fund.
But the Senate additionally aims to deduct from its library allotment $10.3 million each fiscal year for items previously budgeted separately, such as the State Library of Ohio and the Ohio Public Library Information Network.
According to Ohio Library Council data, the Senate plan would reduce state aid to public libraries to $479.7 million on July 1 for the new fiscal year.
If they allow themselves to be questioned, President McColley and Speaker Huffman might admit that the games they’re playing with library funding (and other vital services) are schemes to scrounge money to (a) fund skyrocketing private-school tuition and (b) cut income taxes for the wealthy.
Trouble is, if state income-tax cuts are the medicine for what ails Ohio’s economy, why was 1969 the last year that Ohioans’ per capita personal income was at least 100% of the U.S. per capita?
But — to protect yourself — please don’t ask the Ohio Senate’s Finance Committee about that. Why?
Because “things could get worse for you.”
Thomas Suddes is a former legislative reporter with The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and writes from Ohio University. tsuddes@gmail.com.
Piketon, Ohio (WSAZ) – Folks in southern Ohio are waking up to power outages and road closures.
Route 32 in Pike County is down to one westbound and one eastbound lane due to debris on the roadway.
Drivers are also dealing with tree limbs on roadways.
The Athens County 911 dispatcher told WSAZ that it’s not believed a tornado touched down, but there is storm damage.
The dispatcher said storm damage from flooding and trees being knocked down has affected US 50.
Power outages are being reported in Athens, Pike, Vinton, Scioto and Meigs Counties and even as far south as Boyd County, Ky.
If you’re in a tornado warning area, you’re urged to get to the lower part of your home.
Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (MyValleyTributes) – Clarence Burley, II, affectionately known as “Lil Man,” entered eternal rest on Thursday, June 5, 2026, at the age of 60, at Summa Health Akron City Hospital in Akron, Ohio.
Born on May 22, 1966, in Youngstown, Ohio, Clarence was the beloved son of Clarence L. Burley and Jacqueline Wilkinson-Burley.
He attended Ursuline High School and graduated with the Class of 1984.
Clarence was a hardworking and dedicated man who spent many years employed at Classic Optical Corporation as a Lens and Frame Specialist. Known for his skill and precision, he was recognized as one of the top lens shapers during his tenure with the company. He also worked for Goodwill Industries, where his exceptional work ethic earned him recognition and awards for outstanding service.
A devoted fan of the Oakland Raiders, Clarence enjoyed football, boxing, roller skating, and bowling. In his younger years, he was also an accomplished swimmer. He loved life and cherished spending time with family and friends. Whether enjoying a cruise vacation, visiting the lake to admire the water, debating sports statistics from A to Z, or simply sharing laughter with loved ones, Clarence brought joy wherever he went.
Known for his impeccable style, Clarence was often dressed to perfection. He was especially proud of his many Cadillacs, but none more than his beloved Cadillac Seville, affectionately known as “the baby caddy.” He could often be found cruising through the city, listening to music and enjoying the ride. His infectious smile, strength, humor, and generous spirit will forever be remembered by those who knew and loved him.
In 1999, Clarence met the love of his life, the former Cathy Winphrie. Their friendship blossomed into a lasting bond, and they were united in holy matrimony in 2015. Together they shared a life filled with love, companionship, and cherished memories.
Clarence leaves to cherish his memory his loving wife, Cathy Burley; his children, Shannie (Meisha) Burley of Atlanta, Georgia; DeShawn Burley (fiancée Ziah) of Warren, Ohio; Eddie W. Matthews; and Montell Cochrane; his beloved grandchildren, Zaira, DeShawn, Jr., Deondra, Audrionna, Eddie, Jr., Quiara, Azel, Anyia, Marquel, Aiden, Adalese, Meadow, and Amatureas; five great-grandchildren; his mother-in-law, Eula Winphrie; brothers-in-law, James (Jamie) Winphrie and Timothy (Kori) Winphrie; sisters-in-law, Regina Winphrie and Azella Burley; niece Helleenia Winphrie; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives, and dear friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence L. Burley and Jacqueline Wilkinson-Burley; his brother, Wesley Burley; and his grandmother, Carrie Davis.
Though Clarence’s earthly journey has ended, his legacy lives on through the lives he touched, the family he loved, and the countless memories he leaves behind. His strength, perseverance, laughter, and love will continue to inspire all who were blessed to know him.
“To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”2 Corinthians 5:8
A homegoing celebration will be held 10:00 a.m. Saturday June 20, 2026 at Jerusalem Baptist Church , a visitation with the family will be 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. at the Church.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Gregory-Martin Funeral Home. For additional information, please call (330) 743-4098.
To send flowers or plant a memorial tree in memory, please visit our flower store.
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) – A couple that was charged after investigators say they abandoned two dogs and a cat at an apartment in Warren entered guilty pleas in Warren Municipal Court this week.
Courtney Iser pleaded guilty to three counts of abandoning animals and two counts of cruelty to companion animals, and Isaiah Gilbert pleaded guilty to two counts of cruelty to companion animals. Sentencing is set for July 7.
The two were charged in May after the animals were found in unsafe and unhealthy conditions without food or water at an apartment on South Street SE. Police were called to the apartment on reports that the animals had been left without care. Iser was charged first, and Gilbert was charged a short time later.
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