Ohio

Cleveland Browns’ dome scandal a symbol of Ohio’s shame | Letters

Published

8 months ago

April 26, 2025

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Cleveland Browns’ dome scandal a symbol of Ohio’s shame | Letters

Letters to the Editor
| Columbus Dispatch

Browns’ dome a symbol of Ohio’s shame

I am ashamed of the Representatives in the Ohio House and the authors of the proposed two-year budget for the state.

I pray the Ohio Senate will vote this budget proposal down and suggest edits that will better protect our freedoms, not micromanage citizens and cost us more to help millionaires build a new domed stadium.

Seriously, when did we lose the capacity to care for one another?

Supporting families and children with a tax on tobacco is much more proactive and fiscally smart than financing bonds to build yet another stadium in Cleveland.

I beg the voters and our “representatives” to make their voices heard.

I do NOT believe this bill should be passed as-is.

Remove the unnecessary language that has nothing to do with a budget (gender-affirming care) and focus our spending on REAL infrastructure improvements (schools instead of prisons, mental health care for ALL) so that we can be a better example of American freedoms.

Alena Fox, Bucyrus

I can’t retire

I’m concerned about our property taxes in Hamilton County.

I’m not a native of Cincinnati; I was born in Portsmouth.

I bought a home in Anderson Township a year after moving to the area and got a great deal. It was the first home I had bought for myself.

My taxes were very low — I believe around $500-$600 every six months, which wasn’t too bad, but I was still working full time.

Over the years, however, taxes have risen very drastically.

I’m now retirement age and my Social Security check isn’t enough to live on. I now have to work part-time just to basically live.

Last year, my taxes rose by $600.

A couple years ago, I appealed, but it didn’t work. The appeals court didn’t pass it. So now I struggle month-to-month just to pay bills and buy food. I still owe some on my house and make a mortgage payment.

It’s getting harder and harder every day.

I feel like I’m just struggling and surviving every day. I want to stay in my residence, but It’s getting harder and harder to pay my property taxes.

I’m 69 and still working. I and other elderly citizens — especially veterans — need help with our property taxes.

I feel like I’ve worked all my life and now I can’t retire.

It’s really a shame, and I know I’m not alone. Others face similar circumstances.

We really want to stay in our homes, but the way things are going, I just wonder how much longer this can continue.

Sherry Fitch, Cincinnati

Who is deranged?

Re “Criticism of Buckeyes shows how bad TDS has become, April 21: Louis Nobile, you are spot on. The OSU Buckeyes handled themselves with an aplomb that would and should make all Ohioans proud.

The president? Well, you called it. Deranged.

Josh Eaton, Columbus

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Ohio

Multiple homes destroyed by fire in Meigs County, Ohio

Published

7 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Multiple homes destroyed by fire in Meigs County, Ohio

POMEROY, Ohio (WCHS) — A fire destroyed one home and damaged two others Wednesday evening, but then rekindled early Thursday morning and destroyed another home, police said.

The fire was first reported just after 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday night in the 300 block of Wetzgall Street in Pomeroy, according to a press release from the Pomeroy Police Department.

According to police, the fire spread to the two homes on either side of the original home on fire. Firefighters contained the fire and saved the two surrounding homes, but the home that first caught fire was deemed a total loss.

Then, just after 3 a.m. on Thursday morning, the fire rekindled and spread to one of the other homes, resulting in a total loss of that home as well, police said.

Pomeroy police said both homes were occupied at the time of the fires, but all occupants of each home were able to exit their homes safely. Police also said that there were no reported injuries, though both families lost everything they owned due to the total losses of the homes.

The cause of the fire has not been determined, and the incident is still under active investigation by the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office, according to police.

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Ohio

DOE aims to end Biden student loan repayment plan. What it means for Ohio

Published

19 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

DOE aims to end Biden student loan repayment plan. What it means for Ohio

The Department of Education has agreed to a settlement to end the Biden-era SAVE student loan repayment plan.
Over seven million borrowers currently on the SAVE plan will need to select a new repayment program if the court approves the settlement.
Ohio has about 1.7 million student loan borrowers and over $60 billion in debt. The average student loan debt in the state is approximately $35,072.

Student loan borrowers under the Biden-era student loan repayment plan, Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE), may soon have to select a new repayment plan after the U.S. Department of Education agreed to a measure to permanently end the program.

A proposed joint settlement agreement announced Tuesday between the DOE and the State of Missouri seeks to end what officials call the “illegal” SAVE program, impacting more than seven million SAVE borrowers who would have to enroll in another program. The settlement must be approved by the court before it can be implemented.

Ohio borrowers carry some of the nation’s highest student loan debt. Here’s how the proposed change could affect them.

What is the SAVE plan?

Originally known as REPAYE, the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan was created to deliver the lowest monthly payments among income-driven repayment programs. Under the Biden administration, it became the most affordable option for borrowers.

According to USA TODAY, the SAVE plan was part of Biden’s push to deliver nearly $200 billion in student loan relief to more than 5 million Americans. It wiped out $5.5 billion in debt for nearly half a million borrowers and cut many monthly payments down to $0.

But officials in President Donald Trump’s administration claim the Biden plan was illegal.

Why does the Department of Education want to end the SAVE plan?

The DOE says the SAVE plan aimed to provide mass forgiveness without congressional approval, costing taxpayers $342 billion over 10 years. In a press release, the Department said the administration promised unrealistically low payments and quick forgiveness without legal authority.

“The Trump administration is righting this wrong and bringing an end to this deceptive scheme,” Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent said in a release. “Thanks to the State of Missouri and other states fighting against this egregious federal overreach, American taxpayers can now rest assured they will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for illegal and irresponsible student loan policies.”

If the agreement is approved by the court, no new borrowers will be able to enroll in the SAVE plan. The agency says it will deny any pending applications and move all SAVE borrowers back into other repayment plans.

Borrowers currently enrolled in the SAVE Plan would have a limited time to select a new repayment plan and begin repaying their student loans.

The DOE adds that it is working on the loan repayment provisions of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act, which created a new Income-Driven Repayment plan called the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), that will be available to borrowers by July 1, 2026.

How many people in Ohio have student loan debt?

Numbers from the Education Data Initiative show that there are about 1.7 million student loan borrowers in Ohio, carrying over $60 billion in debt. The average student loan debt is approximately $35,072.

Ohio also ranks No. 10 among the states with the most student debt, according to personal finance site WalletHub.

How much money does Ohio get from the Department of Education?

The DOE budget for Ohio for fiscal year 2025 is estimated to be more than $5.65 billion, The Columbus Dispatch previously reported.

President Trump announced his intentions to eliminate the Department of Education earlier this year, meaning that Ohio could lose more than $5 billion in annual funding.

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Ohio

Papa Johns employee in Ohio accused of shooting, killing man inside store

Published

1 day ago

December 10, 2025

Press Room

Papa Johns employee in Ohio accused of shooting, killing man inside store

Updated on: December 10, 2025 / 7:32 PM EST
/ CBS Pittsburgh

An employee of a Papa Johns restaurant in Cincinnati, Ohio, is accused of shooting and killing a man inside the store on Tuesday night.

Police in Cincinnati said Murphy Tilk, 21, fatally shot 23-year-old Nawaf Althawadi inside the West Price Hill restaurant around 11 p.m., CBS affiliate WKRC reported. When first responders arrived at the restaurant on West Eighth Street, they performed life-saving measures on Althawadi, who died at the scene. Officials said the 21-year-old Tilk, who was taken into custody without incident and charged, is a Papa Johns employee, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Tilk booked into the Hamilton County Justice Center on a first-degree murder charge, the center’s records show. During Tilk’s initial court appearance on Wednesday, he was held without bond. The 21-year-old man has a bond hearing set for Saturday.

Law enforcement has not said what led up to the shooting or if Tilk and Althawadi knew each other. Police are investigating the shooting.

KDKA reached out to Papa Johns on Wednesday evening for comment, but has not heard back.

Papa Johns is a pizza chain with 6,000 locations globally, according to its website. It has 15 locations in Cincinnati.