Ohio
Moreno supporters share fears, conspiracies, and hopes in rally before Ohio primary • Ohio Capital Journal
“Do you want to go back to the Romney, Bush, Cheney, Kasich, DeWine, Portman party?” was the question Ohio Republican U.S. Senate primary candidate Bernie Moreno asked as he stood before a crowd of supporters on March 17. They were gathered at the Little Miami Brewing Company Event Center in Milford, Ohio, packed together to hear Moreno speak for one of his campaign’s final events before the March 19 primary today.
He appeared alongside Ohio Republican U.S. Sen. J.D Vance and Arizona Senate candidate and election denier Kari Lake. “Democrats will vote like Democrats do, they never disappoint us,” Moreno said. “It’s Republicans that stabbed us in the back, that hold back the agenda.”
Denunciation of Republicans deemed insufficiently right-wing was a recurring theme throughout the evening. Although Donald Trump endorsed Moreno, Gov. Mike DeWine and former U.S. Sen. Rob Portman have expressed support for state Sen. Matt Dolan in the Republican primary, while Senate Democrat PACS are paying for Pro-Moreno ads. Also running in the primary along with Moreno and Dolan is Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
Vance and others went after Dolan in their remarks to the crowd.
“That person is going to be the end of the Republican Party, and the end of this republic,” Vance alleged of Dolan.
Calling him “Mitt Dolan,” in a comparison to the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and Utah Republican U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney — who has been outspoken in his criticism of Trump — Kari Lake promised the audience “we’re gonna replace those kind of guys with people who put America First.”
An issue Moreno used to highlight his differences with other Republicans was Ukraine aid.
Alleging that Ukraine has a “dictator,” Moreno said, “We’ve learned, over the last fifty or sixty years, that endless wars help the elites and hurt the working class.”
Moreno attacked Dolan for his belief in giving aid to Ukraine, arguing “my obligation is to the people of Ohio, and then to the people of the United States of America.”
Harold Torrens, a 58-year-old attendee of the March 17 event, reflected Moreno’s sentiments: “The biggest thing for me is America First,” Torrens explained, believing that the United States should “stop being a globalist.”
Immigration was another topic of conversation, with speakers repeatedly mentioning the recent surge in border crossings.
“If we don’t get this right, this country doesn’t exist anymore,” said Vance, later saying “here’s why the Democrats want open borders, and why they’re willing to poison this country to keep those borders open: it’s all about votes.”
Vance stood against the border crackdown and immigration deal negotiated by stalwart Republican U.S. Sen. James Lankford that was supported by the U.S. Border Patrol union.
Vance’s claims echo the so-called great replacement theory, which alleges that “political elites,” are encouraging immigrants to enter the United States to diminish the white population’s influence. The Buffalo, Christchurch, and El Paso shooters all used replacement theory rhetoric in their manifestos.
“When you import billions and billions of people, and you give them Congressional representation, you destroy the will of the people to govern their own country,” continued Vance.
Bonnie Weitfle, a 64-year-old attendee of the event, was more overt in her concerns.
“They’re raping our kids, and they’re raping our women, and they’re raping our men… they are evil people, and they’re paid to come over here,” she claimed.
Studies conducted by researchers at William & Mary, the University of California, and Stanford, have shown little correlation between immigrants and violent crime.
Later, Weitfle said the Biden administration was “part of the Rockefellers, Bilderbergs, Illuminati… these different humans who don’t care about life, they don’t care about children.”
Another guest, 45-year-old Jason Gulbrandson, claimed the United States has “more illegal immigration than any country, ever, in history, on planet Earth.”
Polls have shown a high number of undecided voters in the Ohio Republican U.S. Senate primary.
Asked what they would say to unconvinced Republican voters, 51-year-old Nicole Marin replied “I think he’s following in Trump’s footsteps and his policies,” pointing out Dolan specifically as someone she didn’t trust. “He does need to be on board with Trump, I’m not so sure that he is.”
59-year-old Mitchell Lach responded, “If Trump endorses Bernie Moreno, if J.D Vance is endorsing him, and Kari Lake is endorsing him, I’m voting for him.”
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Matt Patricia’s contract extension earlier this offseason included a pay raise that figures to make him the highest-paid assistant coach in college football this year.
But Patricia, who will make $3.75 million in guaranteed compensation as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator in 2026, also held an appreciation for his situation.
“Ohio State is such a special place, not only just the history, the tradition, the football program, the school, but the people here,” Patricia said. “Having a chance to have a little stability with my family, it’s hard when you have to move your family around, your kids and the new school and all that.”
Before he joined Ryan Day’s staff last year, the 51-year-old Patricia had bounced around as an assistant in the NFL for much of the decade.
He spent 2021 and 2022 in a variety of roles with the New England Patriots, then a year as a defensive assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles. He took off from coaching in 2024. The frequent relocation gave him perspective.
“We had an unbelievable experience settling into Columbus,” Patricia said. “Everybody’s been so nice and welcoming. It feels like home. It’s a big deal for us to be in a place where everybody’s happy. That’s really important.”
Patricia had a significant impact on the Buckeyes in his first year replacing Jim Knowles. Despite heavy roster attrition following their national championship season, he kept the defense atop the Football Bowl Subdivision. For the second straight season, no one allowed fewer points than Ohio State.
The 9.3 points per game allowed by the Buckeyes were the fewest by any defense since Alabama in 2011.
The success made Patricia a hot commodity on the coaching market, rebuilding his reputation as a sharp and creative football mind only a decade removed from his tenure as a Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator for the Patriots. He was a finalist for the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant.
Patricia said he heard about opportunities in the NFL and elsewhere across the college football landscape, though none of them would pry him away from Ohio State.
“It wasn’t necessarily something where you’re looking to leave,” Patricia said, “but you do have to listen when those things come up. I’m just glad everything worked out.”
His challenge in his second season mirrors his previous one, as the Buckeyes are again managing the loss of eight starters on defense.
But unlike 2025, they have fewer returning pieces, relying on a larger class of transfers to help fill the holes on the depth chart.
“With as much coming into the program for the first time, not only are you trying to catch them up on the football scheme, but you’re also trying to catch them up on everything else,” Patricia said. “This is how we work, this is how we do things, this is the standard we’re looking for, this is how we practice, this is how we prepare, this is how we go to school. That has to be also taught. It becomes a lot, but that’s why you bring in the right guys that have the mental makeup to do all that.”
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.
Gahanna Lincoln High’s principal shares thoughts on new building
Principal Jessica Williams speaks about the new Gahanna Lincoln High School on Tuesday, Feb. 24, in Gahanna, Ohio.
Which central Ohio school districts get the most bang for their buck?
On average, school districts in Ohio spend $16,069 per-pupil for education, according to the education think tank Fordham Institute.
However, different district types spend different amounts of money. For example, large urban districts with very high poverty spend around $21,000 per-pupil, but small towns with low poverty spend around $14,900. The district type closest to the state average are those considered rural and high poverty and suburban districts with low poverty.
Aaron Churchill, lead Ohio researcher for the Fordham Institute, said that urban districts – like Columbus City Schools, the state’s largest district – often have higher spending because they can pull more in tax revenue and the state supports them at a higher rate because they are serving a higher proportion of disadvantaged students. Small, high-poverty towns on the other hand, generate less tax revenue from property values and district employee wages, the highest expense for schools, may be lowered by less market competition.
Churchill said schools should be focused on directing their funding toward initiatives that improve student outcomes and achievement.
“It’s making sure we’re focused on quality, we’re focused on performance, and that we’re rewarding performance,” Churchill said. “And we don’t do enough of that in the education system now.”
Churchill said there is a long-running debate among education researchers about whether increasing spending translates to meaningful results for students. Overall, school funding has increased on average over $2,000 per-pupil since 2015 and reached a record-high in 2025, according to the Fordham Institute.
“You can see in the numbers that we’re spending more than we ever have,” Churchill said. “The real million-dollar question is ‘Can our schools spend the money well?’”
Which central Ohio districts have the best results compared to funding?
The Dispatch compared overall spending per-pupil for central Ohio school districts to the ODEW’s performance index, using 2025 state data.
The Performance Index uses the performance level results for students in third grade through high school on Ohio’s state testing. The Performance Index (PI) score accounts for the level of achievement of every student, not just whether they are “proficient.” Higher performance levels receive larger weights in the calculation, but all achievement levels are included. Overall, the state average of performance scores was 91.8, according to 2025 state data.
The central Ohio school district with the highest spending was Columbus City Schools, which spent $24,505 per pupil and received a PI score of 60.7. The district with the highest PI was Grandview Heights Schools, which received a 106 PI score and spent $21,567 per pupil. New Albany-Plain Local Schools was a close second in PI at 105.1 while spending more than $4,000 less than Grandview Heights at $16,923 per-pupil.
Here’s how central Ohio schools stack up by spending versus achievements on tests, according to the Ohio Department of Education (sorted by highest spending per-pupil):
- Columbus City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $24,505; PI score: 60.7
- Grandview Heights Schools – Spending per-pupil: $21,567; PI score: 106
- Bexley City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $21,025; PI score: 102.7
- Dublin City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $18,702; PI score: 97.6
- Worthington City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $18.573 ; PI score: 94.3
- Madison-Plains Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $17,646; PI score: 88
- New Albany-Plain Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,923; PI score: 105.1
- Westerville City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,815; PI score: 89.7
- Olentangy Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,780; PI score: 103.9
- Groveport Madison Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,236; PI score: 72.6
- Upper Arlington City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,282; PI score: 103.6
- Canal Winchester Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16.154; PI score: 89.1
- Average Ohio school district – Spending per-pupil: $16,069; PI score: 91.8
- Reynoldsburg City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,956; PI score: 72.2
- Gahanna-Jefferson City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,742; PI score: 89.7
- Hilliard City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,694; PI score: 90
- South Western City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,600; PI score: 78.5
- Whitehall City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,593; PI score: 66.95
- Johnstown-Monroe Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,163; PI score: 94.5
- Jonathan Alder Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,803; PI score: 95.9
- Pickerington Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,470 ; PI score: 90.9
- Big Walnut Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,239; PI score: 95.1
- London City – Spending per-pupil: $13,750; PI score: 81.3
- Marysville Exempted Village Schools – Spending per-pupil: $13,608; PI score: 95.5
- Licking Heights Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $13,585; PI score: 85.4
- Hamilton Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,971; PI score: 82.2
- Bloom-Carrol Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,720; PI score: 90.89
- Licking Valley Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,587; PI score: 85
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
LONDON, Ohio (WSYX) — Officials broke ground on a new evidence collection building for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation in London, a project aimed at strengthening the agency’s crime-scene and cold-case work.
The new facility will replace BCI’s current evidence collection building, which is 800 square feet. Attorney General Dave Yost said the new building is needed to better track evidence and bring justice to victims as DNA technology evolves.
“But this story illustrates why it’s so important to have enough space to be able to hold the materials for these cases, to be able to store them properly, to maintain their integrity, so that when the science does catch up, we’re able to process a rape or a murder case and find the person who did it. There’s nothing that keeps me up at night more than thinking about unsolved cases,” Yost said.
The project is expected to take one year.
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
BCI also unveiled a new gun range at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy in London, intended to boost officers’ training.
Judge sides with Anthropic to temporarily block the Pentagon’s ban
Rubio meets G7 ministers in France as US leads on Iran — allies under fire for tepid response
DHS shutdown breakthrough comes at cost for Republicans as funding fights nears end
Dementia risk signals could lie in simple blood pressure readings, researchers say
Indiana coach Cignetti sends message to star transfer with pre-practice dress code lesson
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
DHS shutdown breakthrough comes at cost for Republicans as funding fights nears end
Rubio joins crucial G7 talks as Iran war set to dominate second day
A surprise resignation could open the door for an independent to win a Montana Senate seat
Video: Savannah Guthrie Says She Believes Her Mother Was Taken for Ransom
Stefanik grills University of Michigan leader on lack of audit after string of Chinese national arrests
-
Detroit, MI1 week agoDrummer Brian Pastoria, longtime Detroit music advocate, dies at 68
-
Science1 week agoHow a Melting Glacier in Antarctica Could Affect Tens of Millions Around the Globe
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago‘Youth’ Twitter review: Ken Karunaas impresses audiences; Suraj Venjaramoodu adds charm; music wins praise | – The Times of India
-
Science1 week agoI had to man up and get a mammogram
-
Sports6 days agoIOC addresses execution of 19-year-old Iranian wrestler Saleh Mohammadi
-
New Mexico4 days agoClovis shooting leaves one dead, four injured
-
Texas7 days agoHow to buy Houston vs. Texas A&M 2026 March Madness tickets
-
Tennessee3 days agoTennessee Police Investigating Alleged Assault Involving ‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson