Ohio

Ohio Dem Senator Sherrod Brown has a history of voting to raise taxes — and being late to pay his own

Published

1 year ago

September 3, 2024

Ohio Dem Senator Sherrod Brown has a history of voting to raise taxes — and being late to pay his own

A contentious senate race in Ohio is stressing the disconnect between the Democratic Party’s pro-tax agenda and the personal finances of some of its most prominent members.

One of those Democrats is Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, whose race against Republican Bernie Moreno may decide party control on Capitol Hill.

During his long career, Brown has voted for tax increases and against cuts regularly.

In 2010, Brown co-sponsored Bernie Sanders’ so-called “Death Tax” bill, which would have taxed estates up to 65% after the owner’s death.
Then, In 2013 and 2015, Brown voted NO on creating new tax funds that would have allowed the “Death Tax” to be phased out all together.
Brown voted against – and opposed the extension of – George Bush-era tax cuts which lowered the tax rate for all income levels.
Brown currently supports President Biden’s plan to “forgive”student loan debt, which opponents say is simply a cleverly disguised $1.4 trillion tax hike.

In 2023, Brown faced heavy criticism for falsely claiming tax credits for his home and filing late payments on his own personal returns.

NBC News reported Brown was late on tax payments at least seven times for his Cleveland home and was even labeled “delinquent” by Cuyahoga County for failing to make a scheduled $1,200 payment.

Brown was also forced to pay back Franklin County for falsely claiming occupancy tax credits on a second residence in Columbus. Brown says he no longer claims those tax credits on the Columbus property, which the Franklin County clerk confirmed.

“Perhaps these members, like Sherrod Brown, shouldn’t be getting paid their senate salary until they pay back their fair share,” Grover Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform told The Post.

“Or maybe he can start flying coach instead of first class on all these special senatorial flights. That middle seat would probably make a lot of politicians very honest very quickly.”

Brown was forced to pay back Franklin County Ohio for falsely claiming occupancy tax credits on a second home. AFP via Getty Images

A spokesperson for Brown told The Post that the tax credit issue was fully resolved over a year ago, but did not comment on whether the senator still owes late payments or is currently up to date on his personal returns.

”Democrats view taxes as incoming money,” Norquist continued.

“I think most of us would actually view it as outgoing money. Our loss is quite literally their gain. They see us as two groups: you pay the taxes, we’ll spend the taxes. They say ‘taxes are wonderful,’ and then we’re all out there wondering: ‘wait…wonderful for who?’”

Norquist says the problems go all the way to the top.

“It’s all of them. Even President Biden was caught at one point avoiding taxes. I’m sure Harris and the others all fear a call from the IRS just as much as the rest of us,” he told The Post.

“Hypocrite Sherrod Brown has spent his career hiking taxes on Ohioans but time and again refuses to pay his own. Brown is just another career politician who thinks he’s above the law,” NRSC Spokesman Philip Letsou told The Post.

Experts like University of Dayton Professor Chris DeVine believe taxes will be a key issue across the country this November.

“The economy is a key factor for voters in Ohio, and throughout the United States,” he told The Post.

“Taxation is a key economic concern. One challenge for Bernie Moreno and other Republicans will be convincing voters that, contrary to Democratic messaging on this issue, their tax cuts will benefit the middle class and not just wealthy people or corporations.”

Polling shows that Brown maintains a five point lead over Moreno in the nation’s most expensive senate race.

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Ohio

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

Published

5 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

18 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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