Ohio
If you have a suspended driver’s license, Ohio may make it easier to get it back
Hundreds of thousands of Ohio drivers who face driver license suspensions every year may have an easier road to getting their licenses reinstated.
Hundreds of thousands of Ohio drivers who face driver license suspensions every year may have an easier road to getting their licenses reinstated.
Lawmakers gave final approval on Wednesday to a bill that will make it harder to lose your license and easier to get a suspended license reinstated.
The bill now heads to Gov. Mike DeWine for consideration.
The Ohio Poverty Law Center thanked lawmakers for moving the legislation forward.
“With the amendment and passage of House Bill 29, Ohioans who have been shouldering the burden of debt-related driver’s license suspensions will soon find relief and be able to return to the road. A valid driver’s license is essential to participating in Ohio’s economy and earning the money necessary to resolve existing debt,” the center said in a statement on Wednesday.
Currently, Ohio drivers can lose their licenses for more than 30 reasons, many of which are not related to dangerous driving. Reinstatement fees can ramp up quickly, starting at $15 and maxing out at $650.
Roughly 60% of license suspensions each year are for debt-related reasons. Under the bill heading to DeWine’s desk, license suspensions would largely be limited to convictions that are related to dangerous driving.
The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles doesn’t keep statistics on the total number of current suspensions but on average there are 257,500 suspensions imposed each year.
After last-minute changes made Wednesday, the bill would:
- Wipe out old suspensions from the discontinued program that randomly selected drivers to provide proof of insurance.
- Shorten the window in which driving without insurance offenses can be considered repeat offenses from five years to one year.
- Increase the opportunities that Ohioans can ask for driving privileges if their licenses were suspended for failure to pay child support.
- Eliminate school truancy as a reason for license denial or suspension.
- Remove licenses suspensions for drug offenses unrelated to driving.
- Keep the ability to suspend licenses for some lower-level drug abuse offenses when the vehicle is used in the commission of a drug crime.
Statehouse reporter Erin Glynn contributed reporting.
Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Central Ohio has a new option for late-night sweets.
Jeff’s Donuts opened its first Ohio location Wednesday morning at 5717 N. Hamilton Road, between Gahanna and New Albany.
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Sixteen ‘almost feral’ children. Aged 18 months to 18 years. Hidden from sight in an Ohio house of horrors.
Until now.
It’s a situation difficult to fathom: Investigators found 16 kids living inside a 1,300-square-foot home in Vinton County, Ohio, confined in a 12-by-12 bedroom investigators say was covered in human waste. Gary Siders Jr., Elizabeth Siders, Gary Siders Sr., and Christina Siders were arrested on Tuesday, June 30th, and remain in jail after waiving their preliminary hearings today, Tuesday, July 7th.
Investigative reporter Anne Emerson goes beyond the headlines to understand the human impact in the developing Siders child abuse case. How did children live under these conditions for so long? We wanted to hear from the local community affected by this horrific story.
In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, we hear from those voices – from Captain Jeremiah Griffith who was a first responder to the shocking scene, to local Vinton County Pastor James Dimel who describes the community’s support of children who were trapped in a ‘den of evil’. Law enforcement and locals share their shock at the horror lurking in their own community. And Attorney Thomas Stolly, who represents Elizabeth Siders, says the case is more complicated than many believe, urging the public to remember that his client is presumed innocent.
Today, we react in real time to what we know so far in this developing story, and offer multiple perspectives of those closest to this case.
Subscribe to Criminally Obsessed for continuing coverage of the Siders investigation, true crime updates, courtroom developments, and exclusive interviews with the real people impacted by these cases.
The Oregon Ducks’ 2026 season is getting closer to opening at Autzen Stadium, and the Ducks have some of the loftiest expectations surrounding the program in recent memory. The Ducks faced their toughest test in the regular season last season when the eventual national champion Indiana Hoosiers visited Autzen Stadium, and faced their toughest test of the 2024 season when the eventual national champion Ohio State Buckeyes visited Eugene.
Oregon Ducks Will Face Hostile Crowd in Columbus, Ohio.
With the start of the season around the corner, there is one game on the Ducks ‘ regular-season slate that stands out as their biggest test of the year.
Perhaps Oregon’s biggest test of the 2026 season won’t be at Autzen Stadium but rather on the road. The Ducks face the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 7 in Columbus at the Horseshoe for what promises to be another all-time classic. Ducks coach Dan Lanning is 1-1 in his career against Ohio State, defeating them in Eugene in 2024 before falling to Buckeyes coach Ryan Day’s side on January 1, 2025, at the Rose Bowl.
In terms of a game being a “test,” the Buckeyes in Columbus will certainly present one. At the late stages of the season, if the Ducks or Buckeyes both have one loss heading into the matchup, the loser of the game could potentially see their College Football hopes scattered to the wind.
Oregon Defensive Coordinator Chris Hampton Will Have to Slow Down Ohio State Stars
Eug 031623 Uo Spring Fb 06 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The Buckeyes’ offense could very well be the biggest test new Oregon defensive coordinator Chris Hampton will see all season, as he will be tasked with coming up with a game plan to stop not only Heisman Trophy hopeful quarterback Julian Sayin, but arguably the best wide receiver in all of college football in Jeremiah Smith.
The Ducks should have the advantage in the trenches as far as the defensive line in nearly every game this season, with the entire starting defensive line having chosen to come back to Eugene for another season.
Oregon Ducks Quarterback Dante Moore Will Have to Have Poise
Ducks quarterback Dante Moore will face a massive test in his own right. The Horseshoe is routinely one of the toughest places to play, and Moore will have to call back on his calm demeanor in the Ducks’ win over Penn State in Happy Valley to put in a respectable performance away at Ohio State.
Dan Lanning Will Have Massive Test Game Planning for Julian Sayin
Perhaps the biggest test in the Ducks’ late regular-season game against the Buckeyes will be for coach Dan Lanning. Lanning has shown that he can game plan well against teams coached by Day, evidenced by the Ducks’ win over the Buckeyes back in 2024, but he will have to do it on the road this time. Lanning has also been prone to big losses in critical stages, with his two losses last year against the Hoosiers and the blowout loss to the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl Game two seasons ago.
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