Ohio
Ohio bill seeks to punish educators 'pandering obscenity'
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A push at the Ohio Statehouse could limit the types of material both teachers and librarians present to students in schools.
A new proposal would make it a felony if educators and librarians pander “obscene” material. State Rep. Adam Mathews, R-District 56, wants Ohio to place limits on the type of material that teachers and librarians can make available to younger students.
“This is really for our K-12 educational environments, so that parents, teachers and students have that type of relationship where you know that your kid’s getting a great education, where they go to school,” Mathews said.
House bill 556 would make it a felony for teachers or librarians to pander obscenity. A first offense could be punished with up to one year in prison, and those convicted could also face a fine. Mathews said the bill’s intent is to protect children and help parents build trusting relationships with their schools. While the bill does not specifically define obscenity, Mathews said it would align with the definition found in Ohio’s Revised Code.
The code lists several characteristics that make something obscene. It includes things that depict sexual activity, when the only purpose of the content is sexual in nature. Mathews said librarians and teachers would not violate the law if they were using the material for certain reasons.
“We have a very measured approach of making sure that our health teachers, biology teachers, physicians or sociologists are allowed to teach as they’re needed to as well as putting clear exceptions for bona fide reasons,” Mathews said.
“I think it’s a swipe at the First Amendment,” said Scott DiMauro, the President of the Ohio Education Association. “It will open up educators to new levels of potential criminal liability and do so in a way that I think also could be seen as unconstitutional.”
Columbus City Schools Librarian Courtney Johnson said sometimes she provides materials to students who identify as LGBTQIA. She believes the term “obscenity” is too broad. She said as a librarian she cares deeply about the students and wants to help them learn. She also wants to help them become very open-minded. She mentioned that, as a librarian, they already use the Miller Test to ensure no material they give students is considered obscene.
“We have students who need to see themselves in those books,” Johnson said. “So, I worry that teachers and librarians would really start self-censoring in an effort to avoid a felony because it’s clearly undefined.”
“It’s a bill that’s looking for a problem that doesn’t exist,” said Melissa Cropper, the president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. “And, it’s really frustrating to us that the legislature (needs) someone to introduce a bill about pandering obscenities to children, which again, is a problem that doesn’t exist, when there are so many other problems that do need to be addressed in education.”
Mathews is the only sponsor of the proposal at this point. It is still unclear whether it could get enough to support to pass through the Ohio House and Senate. At this time, it still needs to head through committee and hear proponent and opponent testimony.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine commented on the proposal, and he believes these types of decisions should rest with parents.
“The burden of proof is on someone to show us why you need legislation in this area,” DeWine said.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The CDC and public health officials are investigating multi-state outbreaks of salmonella, including five people in Ohio.
Dr. Joanna Failor with OhioHealth noted the outbreak of salmonella illnesses is linked to contact with backyard poultry.
“The current strain that they’re seeing is related to the backyard chickens that many of us may have or our neighbors have,” Failor said. “It has been shown on almost every case, or I believe, actually every case, has been resistant to at least one of the typical medicines that we would use.”
According to the CDC, more than 180 people have been infected with the outbreak strains of salmonella. About 34% of people have been hospitalized. Over a quarter of those infected are children under the age of 5.
“The under-five are a lot less reliable with their hand washing and they’re much more likely to be touching their face and not really handling chickens appropriately,” Failor said. “If kids or adults really can’t keep fluids down and they’re just starting to get lightheaded, dizzy, really weak. Those would all be reasons that they need to seek treatment.”
Though the majority of people can recover from illness without treatment, preventing exposure and sticking to the basics is the best way to avoid infection.
“It goes back to making sure you handle everything properly, hand wash, cook your eggs, throw away cracked eggs,” Failor said. “Hopefully if there is one single source that is the explanation for all of these, then they’ll need to look into their hand hygiene practices.”
Health officials explained the true number of cases is likely much higher than what has been reported, but the CDC is collecting data to identify the source of the outbreak.
Why we celebrate Memorial Day
Memorial Day will be celebrated on May 25, 2026.
Memorial Day is approaching, and with it comes mornings filled with parades and bellies filled with cookout fare.
However, you can get your fill of both before the day of remembrance, thanks to a trio of festivals, all taking place on May 23-24.
Asian Festival, the Ohio Black Expo: Riverfront Culture Fest and Land-Grant x Jeni’s Strawberry Jam will offer foods for all palates, live music, family-friendly fun, and other activities. (Yes, there’s even a parade.)
The events could draw a combined 140,000-plus visitors to Columbus over two days, if attendance mirrors 2025 numbers reported by event organizers. Asian Festival alone counted more than 100,000 attendees last year.
If you want to be a part of the weekend festivities, all you need is a clear schedule and some details, which we’ve provided below.
Asian Festival
When: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 23, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 24
Where: Franklin Park, 1755 E. Broad St.
What: Aimed at promoting cultural diversity, education and community connection, the festival celebrates Asian and Pacific Islander heritage with food, arts, shopping, and performances from traditional dance and music to martial arts and more.
Festivalgoers can browse the marketplace, view educational and cultural displays, and enjoy a smorgasbord of authentic Asian cuisines including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Thai, and Filipino.
Organizers advise attendees to arrive early to avoid crowd and parking snafus.
Cost: Admission is free. Parking is available near Franklin Park, but it fills up quickly. See website for parking locations. Some have free shuttle service one hour before to one hour after the festival.
Info: asian-festival.org
Ohio Black Expo: Riverfront Culture Fest
When: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. May 23, noon to 10 p.m. May 24
Where: Genoa Park, 303 W. Broad St.
What: Empowerment, education and entertainment are hallmarks of this celebration of Black excellence and culture, which will kick off with a parade at noon May 23.
The rain-or-shine festival will offer such attractions as food trucks, 100-plus vendors, an HBCU college fair, storytelling, and a family zone with bounce houses, games, music, health and wellness checks, and other activities.
Featured performers will include Columbus-based J Rawls and Mix Master Ice, R&B singer October London, British R&B band Loose Ends, hip-hop’s Dead Prez and Rapsody, and multi-genre Grammy nominees Tank and the Bangas, among others.
Grammy-nominated hip-hop emcee and radio personality Monie Love will serve as a special guest host.
Proceeds from the festival will support youth and community programs.
Cost: Through May 22, tickets cost $25 for one day and $40 for both days. Same-day purchases online and at the gate will cost $30 for one day and $45 for both days.
Children ages 10 and younger will be admitted for free.
Info: ohioblackexpo.com
Land-Grant x Jeni’s Strawberry Jam
When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 23-24
Where: Land-Grant Brewing Co., 424 W. Town St.
What: The ninth annual Strawberry Jam will celebrate Ohio’s peak season for the seeded red fruit with live music and pretty much everything strawberry you can think of!
Thirteen food trucks will serve a bevy of berry-licious goodies including salsa, doughnuts, pretzel bites, dessert pizza, strawberry-stuffed buckeyes, and grilled chicken and pork belly in a strawberry miso ginger sauce.
Returning favorites include Scmidt’s Sausage Haus’ signature strawberry cream puff, Jeni’s strawberry buttermilk ice cream, and Splendid Strawberry Rhubarb Ale, a Land-Grant and Jeni’s collaboration. Hirsch Fruit Farm will also have fresh, local strawberries.
Other big draws will include local music, kid-centric activities in the Strawberry Patch and a vendor’s market selling fruit-themed items like stationery, posters, jam, gift sets, mugs, and bowls.
And of course, beloved mascot Strawberry Jammie will be there, making it a sweet weekend for all.
Cost: Admission is free.
Info: landgrantbrewing.com/jenis-strawberry-jam
Contact features and entertainment reporter Belinda M. Paschal at bpaschal@dispatch.com.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Families across Ohio say rising property taxes, inflation, and the increasing cost of living are putting more strain on their budgets. Households continue to question how much taxpayers can afford.
The issue is becoming a growing political debate statewide, as discussions continue over possible tax reforms and how Ohio communities fund schools, police, fire departments, and other public services.
Ohio homeowners say property taxes have climbed significantly over the past several years. A recent poll conducted by ABC 6 shows the majority of our viewers’ property taxes have increase $500-$1,500 annually.
When we asked whether their incomes had kept pace with those higher costs, the majority answered their income has increased, but it is not enough to keep up with every day costs.
That frustration is fueling broader conversations about affordability and whether Ohio’s current tax system is sustainable for working families and retirees.
Several Central Ohio school districts say failed levies could lead to reductions in programs and services. After voters rejected a recent tax issue in Pickerington, Superintendent Charles Smialek warned the district may eventually need to cut transportation, extracurricular activities, administrative rolls, and classroom resources.
“If we fail in November, it starts to cut into our classroom,” Smialek said in an interview with ABC 6 earlier this month.
Many districts throughout Ohio rely heavily on local property tax revenue to operate. Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is pushing a plan to reduce property taxes and eventually phase out Ohio’s state income tax over a 10-year plan.
But economists say lowering or eliminating those taxes would likely require the state to either raise other taxes or reduce spending.
Jared Pincin, Associate Professor of Economics at Cedarville University, said states without income taxes often depend more heavily on sales taxes and fees.
“Voters should be asking politicians what the specifics are with their plans,” Pincin said. “That’s the information politicians should be pressed on.”
He added that while tax changes can happen gradually, there is still a trade-off if the state wants to maintain current levels of funding for public services.
“If you’re going to eliminate the income tax and you want to keep the revenue the same, you’ll have to increase taxes or cut spending to offset that,” Pincin said. “Assessed property values have increased and even if the rate doesn’t change, that has allowed the tax bill itself to rise.”
Pincin recommended taking advantage of retirement accounts and relocating to a more affordable town to ease taxes. “Are you maxing out or are you putting away savings in accounts that are pre-taxed?” he added.
Governor DeWine warned sales tax rates could skyrocket to 20% if property and income taxes were abolished.
DeWine added that Ohio lawmakers may also have to consider hiking other taxes, such as the state’s income taxes, to plug the roughly $24 billion budget hole that would result with the elimination of property taxes.
A grassroots group called Citizens for Property Tax Reform is backing a constitutional amendment that would eliminate property taxes completely.
But another coalition, Ohioans to Protect Public Services, warns eliminating property taxes without a replacement funding plan could severely impact schools, police and fire departments, libraries, senior centers, and disability services.
Ohioans to Protect Public Services says property taxes make up nearly two-thirds of all local funding in Ohio. The group says “eliminating them altogether with no plan for what comes next is just reckless.”
Ohio’s Office of Budget and Management warned removing local property taxes without replacing the lost revenue could effectively “defund” many local government services statewide.
“A constitutional amendment to abolish local property taxes, with no plan to replace the lost revenues, would quite literally “defund” the police, fire departments, schools, libraries, senior centers, and other local government services in our communities statewide,” the statement said.
As the debate continues, many Ohio families say they are looking for relief and want to keep tax rates down.
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