Ohio

Linebacker C.J. Hicks has a massive goal for 2024

Published

1 year ago

August 8, 2024

Linebacker C.J. Hicks has a massive goal for 2024

C.J. Hicks didn’t play a defensive snap as a true freshman at Ohio State. Hicks played only 75 of them last year as a sophomore.

And, yet, the former five-star linebacker and top-15 overall prospect is set on leading the Buckeyes in sacks this season.

Why?

Because he has his confidence back.

“I feel like when you need a play, when it’s 3rd-and-long and you need somebody to get to the quarterback, I’m that guy, no matter who the D-Ends are,” Hicks said. “I love our D-Linemen, but I feel like I’m the best when it gets to [rushing the] quarterback.”

“I don’t stop,” he later added.

The last Ohio State linebacker to finish a season atop the team’s sack leaderboard was A.J. Hawk in 2005 when he tied defensive lineman Mike Kudla for that honor.

While Hicks hasn’t recorded a single sack in a promising Buckeyes career that’s been slow to get off the ground, he’s had a breakthrough offseason, particularly as a pass rusher.

That’s not all talk, either. It was especially evident in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Student Appreciation Day back in the spring. The late March practice — which was open to students, players’ families and the media — saw Hicks wreak havoc in the backfield.

And that wasn’t a one-off performance from the Dayton, Ohio, native, who piled up 18 tackles for loss in his senior year at Archbishop Alter.

“I think he’s probably the best blitzer in our room,” first-year Ohio State linebackers coach James Laurinaitis said Wednesday. “C.J. just makes stuff happen when you send him.”

Laurinaitis noted how Hicks has a natural ability to “reduce the surface” when he blitzes.

Hicks is competing for the starting WILL linebacker spot with fellow third-year defender — but first-year linebacker — Sonny Styles, who moved down to the second level from the safety spot this offseason.

Styles played 12 snaps in the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal against Georgia two seasons ago and started several games, both at “nickel” and at strong safety last season. He has the experience advantage over Hicks and has taken the majority of first-team reps in the training camp practices open to the media.

But the Buckeyes aren’t crowning a starter right now, and it doesn’t seem to really matter because they want both Styles and Hicks to play.

They each have unique traits, Laurinaitis said. Where Hicks shines the most is as a pass rusher, a disruptor.

“I’ve just got a knack for getting to the quarterback,” Hicks said. “You put anybody in front of me, I’m going to do my best to get to the quarterback, and nobody’s going to stop me.”

So, when asked if he’s throwing himself in the ring to lead the Buckeyes in sacks this season, Hicks smiled.

“For sure,” he said. “That’s my thing.”

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Ohio

After her son died in car wreck, Ohio mom fought for public records

Published

4 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

After her son died in car wreck, Ohio mom fought for public records

A mom searching for answers about her son’s death in a car wreck won a victory on Dec. 19 when the Ohio Supreme Court ordered the Richland County Sheriff to release records to her.

The court ruled in a unanimous decision that Andrea Mauk is entitled to three sets of records withheld by the sheriff, with only Social Security numbers being redacted. Mauk will be awarded $2,000 in damages but will not receive attorney fees.

On June 23, 2023, 18-year-old Damon Mauk lost control of his 1998 Ford Mustang and slammed it into a tree. His mother wanted to piece together what happened, collect his belongings and grieve the loss of her child. She didn’t think she’d have to fight for public records and take her case to the Ohio Supreme Court.

Following the crash, Richland County Sheriff’s deputies, a township fire department and the Ohio State Highway Patrol responded.

During the investigation, a trooper told a deputy to leave Damon’s iPhone and wallet in the car, according to Mauk’s court filings. Instead, the deputy took the belongings to the hospital and handed them off to someone who said he was Damon’s dad.

Mauk didn’t understand. Damon’s father was largely absent from his life. How could he have been there to pick up the wallet and phone?

A few weeks after the fatal crash, Mauk asked for records, including: the sheriff’s report and inventory of items taken from the car, body camera footage from deputies who gave away the belongings, the report, photos and videos created by the patrol and more.

Mauk, of the Mansfield area, received some but not all of the requested records. Mauk hired attorney Brian Bardwell to pursue records she believes exist but weren’t provided or were improperly redacted.

The sheriff’s office claimed that some of the requested records were exempt from disclosure because they are confidential law enforcement records or personal notes. The court privately reviewed the records withheld from Mauk and determined that they should be released.

The decision in favor of releasing records runs contrary to recent rulings from the high court.

In 2024, the court held that the cost of sending troopers to protect Gov. Mike DeWine at a Super Bowl game weren’t subject to disclosure and that the Ohio Department of Health should redact from a database the names and addresses of Ohioans who had died, even though that death certificate information can be released on an individual case basis.

In 2025 the court ruled that police officers’ names may be kept confidential if they’re attacked on the job, giving them privacy rights afforded to crime victims.

State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@usatodayco.com and @lbischoff on X.

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Ohio

No. 21 Ohio State women beat Norfolk State 79-45

Published

17 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

No. 21 Ohio State women beat Norfolk State 79-45

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kylee Kitts scored 13 points, Jaloni Cambridge added 11 and No. 21 Ohio State rolled past Norfolk State 79-45 on Thursday night for its eighth straight win.

Dasha Biriuk added 10 points for Ohio State, which is 10-1 overall and 7-0 at home.

Kitts was 6 of 12 from the field, and grabbed 10 rebounds to go with two steals and two blocks. Cambridge was 4-of-8 shooting and had eight rebounds and two steals.

Cambridge scored seven points in the first quarter as the Buckeyes jumped out to a 20-10 lead and built a 43-21 halftime advantage. Kitts and Cambridge each scored nine first-half points.

Ohio State outrebounded Norfolk State 55-32 and scored 21 points off 17 turnovers.

Jasha Clinton scored 18 points to lead Norfolk State (5-9). Ciara Bailey had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Up next

Norfolk State plays at Elon on Sunday.

Ohio State hosts Western Michigan on Mondahy.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

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Ohio

Menards to pay 10 states, including Ohio, $4.25 million in rebate settlement

Published

1 day ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Menards to pay 10 states, including Ohio, .25 million in rebate settlement

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio is part of a multistate lawsuit settlement against home improvement store Menards.

According to the state Attorney General’s Office, Ohio and nine other states reached the settlement with Menards, a Wisconsin-based home-improvement retail store, over allegations of deceptive rebate advertising.

The 10-state led investigation revealed that Menards would give shoppers the impression that they were getting an immediate discount while shopping through its advertising, when in fact, savings actually came in the form of a rebate or in-store credit.

The investigation raised concerns with Menards’ marketing strategy and sales practices, alleging the following of the company:

Advertised 11% off or 11% off everything that suggested an instant price cut, even though customers received only a rebate on future purchases.
Listed prices already at an 11% discount, reinforcing the idea that shoppers were getting an in-store discount.
Failed to clearly explain the important limits of the rebate program, burying key details in the fine print.
Tell customers that Rebates International was a separate company handling rebates, even though it is operated by Menards itself.

The settlement, announced Thursday, included an agreement by Menards that it would, in part, discontinue ads suggesting immediate discounts, clearly explaining the rules, limits, and conditions of its rebate program, and offer customers an easier path towards claiming rebates, both in person and online, among other changes.

In addition, Menards will pay participating states $4.25 million in fees, of which $365,173.05 will go toward the Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Enforcement Fund.

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