Ohio

Ohio bill would cut funding to school districts suing over vouchers: Capitol Letter

Published

2 months ago

February 4, 2026

Ohio bill would cut funding to school districts suing over vouchers: Capitol Letter

Rotunda Rumblings

Not vouching for that: A new Ohio House bill would withhold all state funding to local school districts suing over the state’s education funding formula, including the 100-plus districts suing the state over private school vouchers, Laura Hancock reports. Last year, the average amount of a school district’s funding that came from the state was 37%. The school districts mostly won their case against vouchers, but it’s now in a state appellate court.

Power check: A federal judge blocked the end of protections for Haitians, citing sharp concerns about how the government made its decision. While much of the attention focused on conditions in Haiti, the case may hinge on whether federal agencies must explain their actions. Anna Staver reports the outcome could shape how much power courts have to review major government decisions.

Harsh words: The judge’s decision Monday that blocked the Trump administration from ending protections for Haitians in the U.S. was a sharply worded departure from the long history federal judges have of using even tones to explain the opinions. Here’s some of her more pointed remarks.

Who’s call? A new Ohio House bill would reverse a recent Ohio High School Athletic Association policy that allows middle and high school athletes to enter into sponsorships and other agreements to make money off their name, image and likeness. The OHSAA had long banned NIL agreements for middle and high school students. But the organization passed a policy permitting them in November, when it lost a round in court a month before, Hancock reports. The bill sponsors say allowing corporations into interscholastic athletics ruins the benefits of sports, and that young preteens, especially, cannot handle a contract with a business. It’s the third time in recent years that the legislature has sounded off on OHSAA policies and protocols.

Green light: Attorney General Dave Yost on Tuesday certified a referendum petition seeking to block portions of Ohio’s marijuana and hemp regulations from taking effect, Mary Frances McGowan reports. The certification allows Ohioans for Cannabis Choice to begin gathering the nearly 250,000 signatures necessary to place the measure on the November ballot. The proposed referendum seeks to repeal much of Senate Bill 56, which Gov. Mike DeWine signed in December. The petition would repeal provisions related to the regulation, criminalization, and taxation of cannabis products.

No exceptions: New bipartisan legislation pending in the Ohio Senate would prohibit anyone under age 18 from marrying in Ohio, eliminating current exceptions that allow 17-year-olds to wed, McGowan reports. Ohio law allows 17-year-olds to marry with juvenile court consent if they prove to a judge that they have received marriage counseling, underwent a 14-day waiting period and that the age difference is no more than four years. Senate Bill 341, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Bill DeMora and Republican Sen. Louis Blessing, would make the state’s minimum marriage age 18 an absolute requirement with no exceptions.

Opening salvos: Two former FirstEnergy executives’ obsession with hiking stock prices and fattening their wallets led them to bribe a top state regulator who was supposed to protect customers, prosecutors said Tuesday during opening statements in a key bribery trial, Adam Ferrise reports.

Flattery drive: U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno joined President Donald Trump and industry leaders in the Oval Office on Monday for an event to announce development of a strategic critical minerals reserve, where the Westlake Republican effusively praised Trump and tied the initiative to the auto industry where he made his fortune, Sabrina Eaton writes. “You know not to be hyperbolic, but if you hadn’t been elected the auto industry in America would be over,” said Moreno. “The country would be over,” Trump added.

Money talks: Republican Vivek Ramaswamy far outpaced Democrat Amy Acton in fundraising last year, raising an eye-watering $19.5 million to Acton’s $4.4 million. As Jeremy Pelzer reports, both are records: Ramaswamy for any Ohio governor candidate the year before the election, and Acton for any Democratic gubernatorial hopeful during that time. Ramaswamy’s campaign filings show he spent $513,000 in 2025 on the Columbus-area billionaire’s private jet, plus another $312,000 on charter flights. Ex-Ohio Democratic Party Chair David Pepper and his family, meanwhile, gave $32,500 to Acton’s campaign after she picked him as her running mate.

Censorship in Europe: The House Judiciary Committee chaired by Ohio’s Jim Jordan on Tuesday released a 160-page interim report that accuses European Union regulators of conducting a decade-long campaign to censor political speech worldwide, including content posted by Americans in the United States, Eaton writes. “For more than a year, the Committee has been warning that European censorship laws threaten U.S. free speech online,” said a social media statement from the Champaign County Republican. “Now, we have proof: Big Tech is censoring Americans’ speech in the U.S., including true information, to comply with Europe’s far-reaching Digital Services Act.”

Show of support: Ohio lawmakers heard sobering testimony on Tuesday from advocates backing House Bill 524, which is aimed at protecting vulnerable Ohioans from artificial intelligence chatbots that encourage self-harm or harm to others, McGowan writes. Tony Coder, CEO of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, told the Ohio House Innovation and Technology Committee that he has heard from at least four Ohio parents who lost children to suicide whose children had their suicide letters written by artificial intelligence.

Lobbying Lineup

Five organizations that were registered to lobby on House Bill 561 through December, which would require public and most private school to notify parents of the exemptions in the law to vaccination requirements. The bill has its first hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning in the Ohio House Health Committee.

Akron Children’s Hospital
Ohio Department of Children and Youth
American Academy of Pediatrics, Ohio Chapter
Pfizer Inc.
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)

On The Move

Orlando Sonza, a Cincinnati Republican who ran against U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman in 2026, is one of the attorneys prosecuting independent journalist Don Lemon for entering a church in Minnesota.

The Ohio Children’s Hospital Association has named Kate Huffman as its vice president. She has over a decade of experience in legislative and executive lobbying. She previously worked for the Ohio Hospital Association and the office of the Ohio Speaker of the House.

Birthdays

State Sen. Michele Reynolds William Wohrle, legislative aide to state Rep. DJ Swearingen

Straight from the Source

“The past (few) Sundays I have been preaching on Genesis Chapter 1 where God is able to bring structure to the chaos and I encouraged my congregants to keep heart and keep praying because the same God who says that let there be light and there was light, it’s the same God today … and he speaks especially when there is this type of trouble.”

 Vilès Dorsainvil, local pastor and Haitian leader said the federal judge’s ruling blocking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from ending Temporary Protected Status for Haitians said the decision “will lower the pressure quite a bit and ease the fear that has been in the community.”

Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. Subscribe to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free. 

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Ohio

Ohio BCI breaks ground on new evidence collection building in London, Ohio

Published

12 hours ago

March 25, 2026

Press Room

Ohio BCI breaks ground on new evidence collection building in London, Ohio

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.

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BCI also unveiled a new gun range at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy in London, intended to boost officers’ training.

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Ohio

More than half of Ohio Immigrant Hotline reports came from Columbus area

Published

24 hours ago

March 25, 2026

Press Room

More than half of Ohio Immigrant Hotline reports came from Columbus area

A statewide hotline for immigrants in Ohio has seen nearly half its calls come from the Columbus area.
Calls to the Ohio Immigrant Hotline surged after increased ICE activity in Columbus in December 2025.
The hotline connects callers with legal aid, provides financial support, and helps resolve civil rights issues.
More than 500 incidents were reported to the hotline between January 2025 and February 2026.

Nearly half of the more than 500 incidents reported to the Ohio Immigrant Hotline in the past year were from Columbus-area callers.

The hotline, which is run by advocacy group Ohio Immigrant Alliance, serves loved ones of immigrants; immigrants (including those in detention) who need help; ordinary and concerned Ohioans; and professionals who are seeking guidance on how to deal with ICE enforcement actions against their staff, clients, customers and community.

The hotline launched in January 2025, when President Donald Trump took office for his second term, promising increased immigration enforcement. It catalogued 548 incidents between its start and February 2026, according to a report released March 25 titled “Connecting Ohio: The Ohio Immigrant Hotline’s First Year in Action.”

The goal is to provide immediate help and to use data to advocate for systemic change, according to the report.

Of the 548 incidents, 229 happened in an 11-county region of central Ohio. A 21-county region in northeast Ohio had the second-most at 123.

After a wave of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests and activity in December in Columbus, dubbed “Operation Buckeye” by ICE, hotline calls surged and haven’t let up, said Lynn Tramonte, executive director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance.

Hotline staffers who speak English, Spanish, French and other languages handled 94 incidents in December.

Before that, the hotline’s busiest month was October, with 40 incidents.

Last year, the hotline averaged 39 incidents a month, the report said, but this year that has ballooned to 96 monthly. Most of the incidents were reported via email, with the most common reports discussing ICE and Border Patrol activity within the state.

Who called the Ohio Immigrant Hotline?

The Ohio Immigrant Alliance often gets requests for help from individuals, but the hotline allowed it to be able to report and track its work, according to the report.

Though some people thought the hotline was ICE’s tip line and reported immigrants’ presence and a few harassing or prank calls, the majority wanted to help immigrants, according to the report.

“It’s heartening,” the report reads, about those wishing to help. “The spirit of solidarity and community in Ohio is real.”

The hotline manager, who the Alliance did not name because of threats to their safety, has often engaged with people in distress, including those who cannot find a loved one they suspect may have been arrested and detained by ICE. There were 73 reports of arrests by ICE or Customs and Border Patrol agents.

The hotline gathers details about those individuals and connects callers with resources to help.

Other callers have included attorneys or friends of detainees calling because medication or other needs are being denied to someone in detention.

What has the hotline accomplished?

The hotline helped people find immigration attorneys; deposited thousands of dollars in immigration detention commissary and phone accounts for 50 people; helped families raise money for attorneys, filing fees, medical needs, and support after deportation; and connected callers to volunteer, donation, and advocacy opportunities.

The hotline also helped defend civil rights and the quality of life for detained immigrants. After reports from immigrants in detention detailed violations of Ramadan meal services, the Ohio Immigrant Hotline notified the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio. The ACLU Ohio resolved the issue with leadership at the jail, which was not identified in the report.

The Ohio Immigrant Alliance is also part of a lawsuit due to one report that came in through the hotline.

People can report incidents about ICE arrests and raids to the Ohio Immigrant Hotline, at 419-777-HELP or 4357 or hotline@ohioimmigrant.org. Resources for immigrants and advocates can be found at OhioIsHome.org.

Underserved Communities Reporter Danae King can be reached at dking@dispatch.com or on X at @DanaeKing.

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Ohio

How mutual connections led Arthur Smith to Ohio State football

Published

1 day ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

How mutual connections led Arthur Smith to Ohio State football

Arthur Smith had only limited familiarity with Ryan Day before being hired as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator over the winter.

He had spent the past decade in the NFL. Their interactions were largely confined to the school’s annual pro day when Smith and other coaches and front office personnel from the league descended upon the Woody Hayes Athletic Center to scout prospects for the draft.

“I didn’t know him really well personally,” Smith said.

But Smith’s recent years offered a unique window into Day and his program, deepening a level of respect he held from afar. During his two seasons as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator, he coached Justin Fields and Will Howard, two former starting quarterbacks for Day at Ohio State.

The mutual connections extended to previous stops. When Smith was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, they drafted defensive end Zach Harrison and traded for cornerback Jeff Okudah in 2023. Both played for Day as well.

“I’ve had such a good experience with some of the players that have come through,” Smith said, “so I was intrigued.”

Smith had not coached in college since 2010, when he was an administrative assistant and intern at Mississippi, and spent little time in recent years considering a return.

But Mike Tomlin’s sudden resignation as the Steelers coach in January left Smith exploring his options.

“We had just been in the playoffs,” Smith said. “It kind of hits you fast in these cycles.”

It allowed him time to give the opportunity at Ohio State a closer look.

“I weighed my options and talked to a lot of people,” Smith said. “It just made sense.”

His list also included Mike Vrabel, the former All-America defensive end for the Buckeyes in the 1990s who also vouched for Day. Smith was on Vrabel’s staffs with the Tennessee Titans from 2018-20, including two seasons as their offensive coordinator.

“He knows Ryan really well,” Smith said, “and gave me the whole picture. I know from afar, because I love the history of this game, and understand how important this place is in football.”

The hiring of Smith marked another offseason in which Day found a coordinator steeped with NFL experience.

It was last year when Day brought in Matt Patricia, a former Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator with the New England Patriots and head coach of the Detroit Lions, and branded him as the head coach of the defense.

Smith arrives with a similar stature on the other side of the ball, enabling Day to continue delegating play-calling for the offense, a role he once held following his promotion from offensive coordinator to head coach in 2019.

“Arthur seemed like the right fit,” Day said.

His background is part of that, adding another coordinator with head-coaching experience in the NFL to the staff.

“You understand what happens in that office and comes across his desk,” Smith said. “You’re a little more empathetic, and you try to your job really well, so you can take that stress off and he doesn’t have to worry about the unit responsibility he gives you.

“It’s a big part of your job, because there’s a lot that goes into that job besides just coaching on the field.”

In his two months with the Buckeyes, Smith has taken to the program, seeing the immense pressure surrounding Ohio State as similar to his time in the NFL.

“You don’t go to Ohio State if you don’t welcome those expectations,” Smith said. “It’s the same thing in the NFL. You have an expectation to win every Sunday, and you love that challenge as a competitor. It kind of gets you going as a coach.”

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.

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