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Hamilton County judicial primary features endorsement by Afroman

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Hamilton County judicial primary features endorsement by Afroman


Hamilton County has two judicial primaries this Election Day, including one that prompted an endorsement from Afroman, an Ohio-based rapper.

Incumbent Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Chris Wagner will face defense lawyer Bill Gallagher on May 5. There is no Republican challenger, so the winner of the primary will serve as judge.

Wagner was first elected to the bench in 2020, defeating Republican former judge Curt Hartman with 58% of the vote, according to the Hamilton County Board of Elections. He cited jury service reform as one of his achievements on his campaign website and said jurors now serve half the number of days that they used to, and their pay has been increased.

He has been endorsed by the Hamilton County Democratic Party, Commissioner Denise Driehaus and Prosecutor Connie Pillich, among other county and city officials. Wagner was also endorsed by Clyde Bennett, a high-profile defense lawyer who’s represented former judge Tracie Hunter and more recently Rodney Hinton, who is charged with killing a Hamilton County sheriff’s deputy.

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Gallagher is a co-founder of the Ohio Innocence Project, which has used new evidence to free or exonerate over 200 people who were imprisoned. He is the founder of Friends to the Indigent, a nonprofit organization that supports lawyers representing clients who otherwise could not afford legal representation.

County officials endorse Wagner, Afroman endorses Gallagher

Afroman, who recently won a defamation lawsuit brought by Adams County deputies, made a video endorsing Gallagher.

Afroman, which is the stage name of Joseph Foreman, sported a star-spangled shirt and sunglasses in the video and said Gallagher is all about people protesting lawfully. A campaign Facebook page for Gallagher said Afroman and Gallagher are friends.

“We don’t need somebody that’s preprogrammed, taking sides and corrupt. He’ll be a just judge, and he’ll help innocent people get out of jail,” he said.

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Gallagher said in a video posted on his Facebook page that a lot of judicial candidates made promises about reform after the George Floyd protests in 2020.

“I watched some of those people uphold the promises but a couple didn’t. The one I’m running against is someone who just didn’t uphold all those promises that were made and it’s really time for a change,” he said.

Former public defender faces former judge

There is one other judicial primary this year with Democratic magistrate Sarah Henry running against former judge Glenda Smith.

Henry is a former public defender who is endorsed by the Hamilton County Democratic Party and Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio ACT.

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Smith is a former judge who was appointed to the Butler County Area III Court in West Chester by then-Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland in 2008, according to her campaign website. Smith has a history of encounters with law enforcement, including police response to disputes with family members, according to previous Enquirer reporting.

The winner of that primary will face incumbent Republican Court of Common Pleas Judge Chris McDowell in November.

What’s next in the judge races

The primary election is May 5. Early voting started April 7. To check your voter registration or find your polling location, visit VoteOhio.gov.

Common pleas court candidates run in partisan primaries, though the general races are considered nonpartisan and party affiliations do not appear on the general ballot. Common pleas judges in Ohio are elected countywide to six-year terms and are paid $171,982. The judges handle felony cases, ranging from drug possession to robbery to murder, and lawsuits involving more than $15,000.

Courts reporter Kevin Grasha contributed reporting.

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Regional politics reporter Erin Glynn can be reached at eglynn@enquirer.com, @ee_glynn on X and @eringlynn on Bluesky.



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Ohio

$150,000 funding to be voted on for the Lisbon pool

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0,000 funding to be voted on for the Lisbon pool


LISBON, Ohio (WKBN)- We could find out as soon as Wednesday whether or not funding will be coming to help repair the Lisbon pool.

Mayor Pete Wilson says he spoke with State Representative Monica Robb Blasdel.

He says their $150,000 request was added into the state capital expenditures bill, which is expected to be voted on Wednesday. The Mayor says he was told the vote is a formality and that the funding will be approved.

He says with this funding, they hope to have the pool open next year.

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Trumbull County Commissioners discuss property tax reduction

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Trumbull County Commissioners discuss property tax reduction


WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) — Trumbull County Commissioners at Tuesday’s weekly workshop meeting discussed the possibility of enacting an additional 2.5% reduction in property taxes for people occupying homes.

Although no decision was made, all the commissioners agreed it was a good idea.

The owner occupancy deduction was one option enacted last year by the Ohio Legislature to lower property taxes.

The other option was the homestead deduction for homeowners 65 or older or permanently disabled. The owner occupancy deduction is the smaller of the two.

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The commissioners indicated they hope to vote before July 1.

The deduction would save homeowners $25 for every $1,000 in property taxes but will mean less money for the townships, school and Trumbull County.



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Mass shooting at Ohio festival that wounded 12 stemmed from dispute between rival groups, police say

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Mass shooting at Ohio festival that wounded 12 stemmed from dispute between rival groups, police say


A mass shooting that left 12 people wounded on Saturday afternoon at a summer festival in Ohio stemmed from “a dispute involving two rival groups,” according to police.

Gunfire rang out just after 5:30 p.m. near the Old West End Festival in Toledo from two gunmen, one from each group, police said. A dozen people were hurt, with the oldest victim being 61 and the youngest 14, police Lt. Dan Gerken said Saturday, noting most were in their early 20s.

Toledo Police Chief Michael Troendle said Tuesday that a dispute between rival groups led to “a foot chase,” a physical altercation and one person producing a firearm and shooting before someone from the rival group did the same and returned fire.

“While investigators believe some of the victims are intentionally targeted, the majority of those injured appear to have been innocent bystanders caught up in this senseless act of violence,” Troendle said during a news briefing.

Police estimate that three of the victims were involved in the incident, while nine were caught in the crossfire. All of the victims are expected to survive, with nine already having been released from the hospital, Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said at the Tuesday briefing.

Toledo Fire & Rescue Chief Allison Armstrong said bystanders helped in the aftermath of the shooting by administering tourniquets to the injuries of the victims and providing them with comfort.

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“While that act showed us the worst of humanity, what followed in the moments after showed us the very best,” Armstrong said.

Detectives have continued conducting interviews since the incident and “identified several persons of interest,” Troendle said. The gunmen police believe to be responsible are between the ages of 18 and 24, and still at large, he said.

Before the shooting, a deputy sheriff at the festival was about to check a bag when someone grabbed it and ran off with it, Troendle said, adding that police are “still trying to piece all that together.” It is not clear who the bag belonged to, or if the firearm was used in the shooting.

Since the shooting, Troendle said that investigators have recovered and are examining two firearms that are believed to be connected to the shooting.

“While there’s still work to be done, I can tell you that investigators continue to make progress,” Troendle said.

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Kapszukiewicz said moving forward, young people need to be held accountable for their actions.

“The reality is they did something that deserves punishment and accountability, and when our police find them and arrest them, they will be held accountable,” he said about the gunmen.

Kapszukiewicz also said he thinks the city should finish hosting the Old West End Festival, which was halted a day early after Saturday’s shooting. He said late summer or early September would be a good time to “put a bow on that weekend.”

Changes, including strengthened curfews and more opportunities to check bags, are being discussed for events like the Old West End Festival, Kapszukiewicz said.

“Our heart is broken, and it will take time to work through what happened, and to seek to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he said.

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