Ohio
East Palestine, Ohio: A town failed by the EPA – Washington Examiner
A Norfolk Southern train derailed in the quiet town of East Palestine, Ohio, two years ago. After two years, you would think this story would be open and closed, that East Palestine would go back to being the small, working-class town it was. But you would be wrong. Its residents were betrayed by our government’s Environmental Protection Agency.
Ever since Feb. 3, 2023, residents of East Palestine have struggled with serious health conditions that were nonexistent before the derailment. When the EPA allowed the Norfolk Southern Railway to burn five cars filled with vinyl chloride and other toxic chemicals, more than 100 dangerous compounds including dioxins and phosgene were formed, blanketing the town and nearby Pennsylvania communities with a black cloud. Dioxin, the most dangerous forever chemical known to man, was the active ingredient in Agent Orange, a human rights atrocity in the Vietnam War.
Despite this hardship, residents banded together to make sense of why our government told them it was safe to return to homes that were not safe. Most of all, they wondered why the government and agencies that swore to protect them were keeping them in the dark while they scrambled to put their lives back together. However, with a new administration featuring Ohio’s former senator, Vice President J.D. Vance, they may have a chance. This chance will only become reality if the new administration and Vance provide real, tangible support that makes a difference.
The greatest impact would come if the new administration declared a national disaster in East Palestine and affected communities. For months following the toxic derailment, residents of the community along with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine asked the president to declare a national disaster. With this declaration, affected residents would have access to Medicare, long-term health monitoring, and financial assistance to relocate permanently to a safer home away from the toxic chemicals. Nevertheless, even after visiting East Palestine and talking with a hand-picked group of residents, former President Joe Biden only praised the EPA for its “Herculean” efforts.
In September 2024, four whistleblowers and scientists testified in legal challenges about the ongoing public health concerns from the chemical contamination following the derailment. The whistleblower disclosures from Scott Smith, George Thompson, Stephen Petty, and an anonymous toxins expert supplemented a legal petition filed in June demanding the EPA immediately honor its duty to warn residents about the dangers of consuming wild game and garden crops.
The four whistleblowers in the supplemental petition all reached the same conclusion: The community’s water, air, and soil were still contaminated from the chemicals released during the vent and burn, as well as the spill after the derailment. The EPA and state officials did no dioxin testing on crops in East Palestine but wrongly fell back on flawed dioxin soil sampling by Norfolk Southern. Despite the lack of testing and a petition showing whistleblower and independent tester Scott Smith found dioxin levels hundreds of times higher in East Palestine than in control samples canned before the derailment, the EPA continued to encourage residents to eat from their home gardens.
Former EPA contractor and whistleblower Robert Kroutil submitted a disturbing declaration to the EPA Office of Inspector General. The agency’s airborne surveillance program to assess chemical releases was grounded for five days, and when it did fly over East Palestine on Feb. 7, the day after the vent and burn, EPA program managers ordered airplane operators to turn off the chemical sensors over contaminated creeks. Kroutil further exposed falsification of the EPA’s data, stating that legally required quality assurance plans were created six weeks after the disaster and backdated. The request for a backdated quality assurance plan for the East Palestine mission was allegedly made by a program manager on Feb. 28, 2023, and the falsified documents, including multiple technical inaccuracies and inconsistencies, were provided to the Government Accountability Project as part of a Freedom of Information Act request.
The Government Accountability Project’s own investigator has filed several FOIA requests against the agencies involved with cleaning up after the derailment. These agencies were tasked with providing community assistance and resources. The residents, however, did not receive the assistance they needed — or virtually any support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The initial FOIA request to FEMA to access records and communications about the derailment was submitted on Jan. 31, 2024, then again on April 12, 2024, to address the unmet needs of the community. Due to FEMA’s procedural failures, the agency refused to provide any communications requested, which is rare. Despite the request being expedited, FEMA has yet to provide any documentation. As a result, the Government Accountability Project recently sued FEMA for the records related to an executive order from Biden that tasked FEMA with assessing the unmet needs of the community and could have led to a disaster declaration, free medical care, and medical monitoring.
At the end of 2024, the Government Accountability Project filed an additional complaint with the EPA OIG after a legal recording of a conversation between an EPA official and East Palestine resident surfaced. In this conversation, the official acknowledged that Norfolk Southern’s environmental contractors are biased toward the responsible party that hired them. The EPA employee said the contractors’ reports cannot be trusted because they were written to minimize liability for the polluter. Meanwhile, residents continue to face severe medical complications, PTSD, and financial hardships.
Under the Biden administration, we saw government agencies lie and cover up mistakes for the sake of corporate appeasement. The EPA stood aside for Norfolk Southern’s burn because it allowed trains to get back on the tracks weeks sooner. Instead of protecting people, it protected profits and then lied to the public to cover a severe public health threat. Brave whistleblowers had to come forward to shed light on the wrongdoing federal agencies were committing. There was no assistance and no sense of hope from the president’s visit, with residents’ concerns swept under the rug for the sake of a publicity stunt and photo op.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
However, with a new administration in the White House, residents whose pleas were ignored in the previous administration are hopeful for a new opportunity under President Donald Trump. Vance has the opportunity to help real people in his home state who have overwhelmingly supported him since his time as an Ohio senator.
The Trump administration has a choice to make. It can listen to the community, whistleblowers, and independent scientists, or continue allowing the federal government and former senator to abandon this town. The fight to help East Palestine, Ohio, and the surrounding areas is still underway, and we will not stop until every hardworking American can rest easy without the fear of living in a poisoned community that is still making residents sick.
Tom Devine is the legal director at Government Accountability Project, a whistleblower protection and advocacy organization. He and his team have been investigating the derailment in East Palestine since September 2023.
Ohio
Warren man sentenced for Niles police chase
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) — A Warren man who led police on a chase received his sentence on Wednesday.
Michael Greene, 32, was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to make restitution.
Greene pleaded guilty in February to failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and failure to stop after an accident.
Greene was charged following a November 2025 police chase in Niles.
Prosecutors say that the chase involved speeds of about 103 miles per hour.
It was discovered that the car Greene was driving was reported stolen by a family member.
Patty Coller contributed to this report.
Ohio
A unique project asks Ohioans to map Revolutionary War graves
Experience history through augmented reality in Middletown
The Sandy Hook Foundation and Monmouth County Historical Association have unveiled an augmented reality experience that tells the story of Colonel Tye, a slave turned Revolutionary War raider for the Loyalists. Video provided by The Sandy Hook Foundation.
Ohioans have until May 25 to help document the final resting places of Revolutionary War veterans buried across the state.
The effort is part of the Revolutionary War Veterans Graves Identification Project, a first-of-its-kind initiative led by America 250-Ohio, the commission organizing the state’s celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The project aims to create a publicly accessible database of veterans’ graves, complete with photographs, inscriptions and GPS coordinates, according to a community announcement.
The public can submit information through the Grave Marker and Cemetery Collection Portal until May 25. Submissions will be reviewed and finalized before the database is released July 4, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Thousands of graves documented by volunteers
Launched on Memorial Day 2025, the project has mobilized about 350 volunteers who have documented more than 4,000 grave markers across Ohio. The database is expected to include information on up to 7,000 veterans believed to be buried in the state.
Clusters of graves have been found in areas such as Clermont County and regions corresponding to the original Virginia Military and United States Military Districts. The first documented entry was the grave of Nathaniel Massie, a Virginia Militia private who founded the city of Chillicothe.
A window into Ohio’s early history
Ohio is home to a large number of Revolutionary War veterans’ graves, despite not being one of the original 13 colonies. After the war, portions of Ohio’s land were granted to veterans as payment for their service, drawing many to settle and build communities in the region.
Previously, records from organizations like the Sons of the American Revolution and Daughters of the American Revolution identified about 6,800 veterans buried in Ohio, but lacked precise locations and current photographs.
How to participate before the deadline
Anyone with a smartphone can contribute to the project. No historical expertise is required. Here’s how to participate:
- Visit ohiohistory.org/revwargraves to review instructions and explore the map of cemeteries already identified as likely grave sites.
- Download the free Survey123 app on your smartphone.
- Visit a cemetery, photograph the grave marker, record inscriptions, and log GPS coordinates.
- Submit your entry through the portal before May 25.
Volunteers who do not wish to remain anonymous will be acknowledged by name for their contributions. The completed database will remain publicly accessible beyond the America 250 celebration and will be maintained by the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office and the Ohio History Connection.
A lasting legacy for future generations
The project is led by the Ohio History Connection and its State Historic Preservation Office, with support from Terracon Consultants, Inc. Submissions appear on a live, publicly viewable dashboard at ohpo.maps.arcgis.com.
“These are the very first veterans of the United States of America,” Krista Horrocks, historian, cemetery preservationist, and project manager with the Ohio History Connection said in the announcement. “Documentation is the part that will outlive all of us. Gravestones won’t survive forever, but if we can record their location and story today, that information will be here for generations to come.”
To learn more, view the live dashboard, or submit information on a grave site, visit ohiohistory.org/revwargraves.
This story was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
Ohio
Ohio governor announces new Medicaid fraud prevention initiatives
COLUMBUS — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Wednesday that he is implementing several new fraud prevention initiatives to strengthen and build-upon long-standing efforts to fight fraud, waste, and abuse in the Ohio Medicaid system.
“Ohio has long been a national leader in fighting Medicaid fraud. Ohio has one of the best Medicaid Fraud Control units in the country, and, in 2018, Ohio became the first state to implement Electronic Visit Verification in home health care,” DeWine said.
“Today, we are ready to begin several new initiatives long in development that will enhance this nation-leading work and further protect taxpayer funds from those trying to defraud the State.
“I thank the Trump Administration for their partnership and collaboration that is allowing us to proceed with these reforms much faster than previously possible.”
New initiatives
DeWine said he is directing the Ohio Department of Medicaid to implement the following:
- Statewide New Provider Moratorium. The Ohio Department of Medicaid will today ask the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) so Ohio may implement a six-month moratorium on new home-healthcare and hospice businesses being able to become Medicaid providers. This will allow Ohio Medicaid to stop enrollment of new providers and assess existing providers to help remove those at high risk for having committed fraud.
- Immediate Payment Suspension to High-Risk Providers. Ohio Medicaid will today begin a policy of immediately removing and suspending payment to providers whose billing practices show “red flags” that indicate a high probability of fraud. Ohio Medicaid already has a robust payment suspension protocol that is currently used to stop payments to questionable providers. In January, Ohio Medicaid began the process of implementing new data analytics tools to help identify billing data anomalies that could better identify fraud. To date, this process has identified 87 providers who will be subject to further review and potential payment suspension.
- Executive Order for Emergency Rules. The Governor will be issuing an Executive Order that will allow the Ohio Department of Medicaid to implement emergency rules to require more frequent revalidation of providers being identified as higher-risk for committing fraud. Governor DeWine sent a letter to CMS on May 1 committing Ohio to partnering with the Trump Administration and using a more stringent revalidation process to better prevent fraud.
- Mandatory GPS Requirement for Electronic Visit Verification. Ohio Medicaid will file rules to require GPS for all providers using Electronic Visit Verification (EVV). Since March 2025, Ohio Medicaid has begun phasing in EVV as a mandatory requirement for home healthcare provider payment. In December, DeWine authorized Ohio Medicaid to begin the information technology investments needed to make GPS mandatory for EVV. Ohio Medicaid now ready to make this rule change to implement the requirement. Ohio Medicaid has worked collaboratively with Ohio Auditor Keith Faber on identifying solutions to issues identified in the Auditor’s audits of Ohio Medicaid, and this new rule will implement a key recommendation of the audits.
- Mandatory EVV for Live-In Caregivers. Ohio Medicaid will begin the rulemaking process to require live-in caregivers to use EVV during home healthcare and as a requirement for payment. Currently, family and live-in caregivers are exempt from this requirement.
Ohio’s work in prosecuting Medicaid fraud
Ohio has been a national leader in catching and prosecuting Medicaid fraud thanks to a strong partnership between Ohio Medicaid and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and its Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the governor said.
Since the beginning of 2023, Ohio has secured 444 Medicaid fraud indictments, 481 convictions, and 146 civil settlements and judgments resulting in $78.4 million in recovered taxpayer fund.
Under Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, the unit received a U.S. Office of the Inspector General’s Award for Excellence in Fighting Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in 2022, and it ranked #1 in the nation for number of convictions secured in 2015 under then-Attorney General Mike DeWine.
Utilizing home healthcare to protect taxpayer dollars
Home and community-based care programs have been a core component of Medicaid services for decades since they were initiated under Ronald Reagan’s Administration.
Ohio is one of 47 states and the District of Columbia that provides such care under a waiver granted by CMS.
Ohio’s home and community-based care programs are grounded in data showing that legitimate in-home care is typically safer for individuals and significantly more affordable for taxpayers.
In 2024, Ohio saved more than $600 million in taxpayer funds that would have been expended had patients receiving home healthcare been diverted to skilled nursing or other residential care services, saving several billion dollars over the course of the DeWine Administration.
On average, home health care costs half as much as placement in a nursing facility.
Ensuring access to appropriate home-based care is both a responsible use of public resources and a critical part of meeting the needs of our most vulnerable Ohioans who otherwise would require placement in higher-cost nursing facilities.
Additional efforts to fight fraud, waste & abuse
Providing care in a home setting requires a robust set of controls to detect and prevent fraud.
Ohio Medicaid has been proactively evaluating all program integrity initiatives to ensure taxpayer dollars are well spent and that quality care is being provided.
The governor’s office said the department has been engaged in a thorough review of programs and policies to evaluate any risks to the integrity of the program, identify potential gaps that could be exploited, and explore opportunities to leverage new and emerging AI and data analytic tools to stay one step ahead of anyone looking to exploit the system.
As part of that work, since the start of 2026, the Department has initiated new prior authorization requirements for high-risk services to ensure medical necessity.
Ohio Medicaid launched efforts to build new data analytic capabilities to identify unique outliers in billing patterns, better assess vulnerable business ownership structures, and improve coordination of fraud fighting efforts.
These efforts are designed to improve the early detection of potential fraud and identify future areas of inherent program risk.
To confirm that billed services are actually rendered, Ohio Medicaid relies on an extensive set of safeguards, including:
- Comprehensive provider screening and continuous compliance monitoring.
- Mandatory electronic visit verification capturing date, time, and service location.
- Advanced analytics that flag unusual billing patterns or service trends.
- Routine and targeted audits performed by program integrity staff.
- Coordination with state and federal partners when concerns arise.
-
Washington1 minute agoSuspect arrested in fatal stabbing of University of Washington student
-
Wisconsin7 minutes ago
Wisconsin Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for May 14, 2026
-
West Virginia13 minutes agoWest Virginia Yeager International Airport launches ‘Behind the Journey’ campaign
-
Wyoming19 minutes agoWHSAA warns of possible changes to statewide athletics and activities following budget cuts
-
Crypto25 minutes agoUS and Bolivia Target the ‘Modern Pablo Escobar’ in Massive Crypto Laundering Probe
-
Finance31 minutes agoCasino Group Communication
-
Fitness37 minutes agoVery difficult and extremely cool: how to start doing pull-ups
-
Movie Reviews49 minutes agoMovie Review – In the Grey (2026)