Ohio
Ohio speaker loses control of campaign spending authority in latest GOP drama – Washington Examiner
A judge ruled Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens does not have authority over the GOP caucus’s campaign fund, handing a win to the speaker’s colleague and rival, state Rep. Derek Merrin.
Last October, Merrin filed a lawsuit against his Republican colleague in a bid to control $1 million in campaign funds. The campaign fund, called the Ohio House Republican Alliance, supports campaigns for state Republican lawmakers. In his lawsuit, Merrin alleged a closed-door vote by the majority of the House GOP caucus made him the chairman of the alliance last year. Consequently, Merrin said he should be in charge of the campaign funds.
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Mark Serrott agreed. Serrott said in his ruling on Friday that Merrin holds the majority of support from his caucus and consequently should control the campaign’s checkbook.
“The speaker does not have a majority of the caucus,” Serrott said. “The speaker is never going to call a meeting [of the caucus]. Why would he? He doesn’t have a majority vote. … We’re at a stalemate. The court has to do something or it will never get resolved. … That’s untenable.”
Stephens said that as a speaker, he maintains control of the alliance fund and vowed to appeal the decision “swiftly.”
“It is imperative for the integrity of the institution of the Ohio House of Representatives that control of the campaign committee not be able to be leveraged against the highest elected official in the House on a whim,” Stephens said in a statement. “The decision potentially sets a concerning precedent that any member at any time can call a vote that undermines the control of the campaign funds.”
Legal experts told the Associated Press that Ohio law does not necessarily require the speaker and caucus leader to be the same person.
Stephens and Merrin have been at odds ever since battling each other to be speaker in the state House. In January 2023, Merrin lost the fight, while Stephens received more votes from Democrats than Republicans to clinch the victory. After his loss, Merrin urged his Republican colleagues in the House to weaken the speaker’s power by changing House rules.
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Merrin isn’t the only lawmaker Stephens is sparring with. Last fall, the speaker rejected efforts from fellow GOP lawmakers to strip the court’s power to protect the voter-passed measure to enshrine abortion access into the Ohio Constitution.
More drama went down with Ohio Republicans last September. State Republican Rep. Bob Young wrote a letter to Stephens saying he would step down after being arrested twice in a domestic violence case. His announcement came after Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH), Stephens, and more than 30 Ohio House GOP members joined Democrats in calling for his resignation.
The work that educators do every day in teaching and furthering research and innovation is the foundation of The Ohio State University’s land-grant mission, President Ravi V. Bellamkonda said at the university’s annual Faculty Awards Celebration. The event was held May 6 at Vitria on the Square on Ohio State’s Columbus campus.
“The question is, what should we be doing together and what’s the goal for us as we move forward? I’d like to suggest that I would like for all of us to give ourselves the gift of reasonably high expectations of what we can achieve together, and you exemplify this,” Bellamkonda told the honorees.
“I’m optimistic about our future because of what you do in the classroom and the scholarship and the mentoring and the teaching and the community that you have created.”
The celebration shines a light on faculty’s contributions to Ohio State and the citizens that the university serves, Interim Provost Trevor Brown said.
“I want to acknowledge how special all of our faculty are in the work that they do in generating knowledge and sharing that with students and the broader community,” he said. “That is important and essential work.
The Distinguished University Professor appointment, Ohio State’s highest faculty honor, was awarded to: Gail E. Besner, College of Medicine; Shan-Lu Liu, College of Veterinary Medicine; Alan Luo, College of Engineering; Giorgio Rizzoni, College of Engineering; Brent Sohngen, College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES); and Claudia Turro, College of Arts and Sciences.
“The title of distinguished university professor is a permanent honorific that includes automatic membership in the president’s and provost’s advisory committee,” said Patrick Louchouarn, senior vice provost for leadership and external engagement.
Three professors were recognized with the President and Provost’s Award for Distinguished Faculty Service: Caroline T. Clark, College of Education and Human Ecology (EHE); Susan E. Cole, College of Arts and Sciences; and John E. Davidson, College of Arts and Sciences.
The Distinguished Scholar Award was presented to six faculty members: Christopher R. Browning, College of Arts and Sciences; David L. Hoffman, College of Arts and Sciences; Christopher Jaroniec, College of Arts and Sciences; Christopher A. Jones, College of Arts and Sciences; Matthew D. Ringel, College of Medicine; and Han-Wei Shen, College of Engineering.
Also recognized were recipients of the Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer and the Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching
These honorees “are inducted into the Academy of Teaching and are honored with the academy’s medallion,” said Helen Malone, vice provost for faculty affairs. “Academy of Teaching members wear these distinctive medallions as part of their academic regalia.”
The Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer honorees are:
Christiane Buuck, College of Arts and Sciences.
Alexia Leonard, College of Engineering.
David Matthews, College of Pharmacy.
Calvin Olsen, College of Arts and Sciences.
U.S. Navy Lt. Michael L. Terranova, Naval ROTC.
Jennifer Walters, College of Arts and Sciences.
The Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching honorees are:
Jasmine Abukar, EHE.
Yigit Akin, College of Arts and Sciences.
Dawn Allain, College of Medicine.
Rebecca R. Andridge, College of Public Health.
Amanda Bird, College of Arts and Sciences.
Ellen Klinger, CFAES.
Danielle Schoon, College of Arts and Sciences.
Guramrit Singh, College of Arts and Sciences.
Margaret Sumner, College of Arts and Sciences.
Ryan J. Yoder, College of Arts and Sciences.
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North Central Ohio Industrial Museum
North Central Ohio Industrial Museum houses hundreds of products made in north central Ohio — including appliances, tires, pumps and much more.
MANSFIELD ― If you’re interested in manufacturing, you can come and see hundreds of products made in North Central Ohio — including appliances, tires, pumps, Klondike bars, cigars and pieces made for streetcars.
The North Central Ohio Industrial Museum inside the lower east diagonal wing of the historic Ohio State Reformatory showcases the history of manufacturing in Mansfield and surrounding areas.
Location
The Ohio State Reformatory, 100 Reformatory Road, Mansfield.
Why it matters
The museum traces the history of manufacturing in North Central Ohio since the first steam locomotive came through town in 1846. Exhibits highlight the accomplishments of local residents and industry in peace and war, according to NCOIM President Jerry Miller.
What to see
The NCOIM has several themed sections of exhibits, beginning with “Every town had a mill,” then the Cast Iron Age, City of Stoves, Wires & Electric Exhibits, Cigar & Beer, Wheels, AG Industry and Mickey Rupp, which then begins an exhibit on what is currently manufactured in Richland County.
Miller said the late Bob Glasener started the museum and was responsible for saving many local industrial artifacts over the years. Miller said Glasener’s daughter has in her possession the 1939 World’s Fair Westinghouse (gold-plated) roaster, which she donated to the museum.
The museum is full of surprising finds.
Elektro the Westinghouse robot should be on display this summer at the North Central Ohio Industrial Museum after being restored.
A manhole and stormwater grate from 1935 made by the Tappan Stove Co. are among the treasures Miller helped to preserve. He also has the Tappan marquee and a Westinghouse marquee.
Plan your visit
Hours/admission: The museum will be open the same hours as OSR and will be free to tour with the purchase of a ticket to the prison-turned-museum.
Getting there: OSR is on the north side of Mansfield, just off U.S. 30.
Learn more: mrps.org (OSR is operated by the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society).
Contact Lou Whitmire at 419-5-21-7223. She can be reached at X at @lwhitmir.
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) — A Warren man who led police on a chase received his sentence on Wednesday.
Michael Greene, 32, was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to make restitution.
Greene pleaded guilty in February to failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and failure to stop after an accident.
Greene was charged following a November 2025 police chase in Niles.
Prosecutors say that the chase involved speeds of about 103 miles per hour.
It was discovered that the car Greene was driving was reported stolen by a family member.
Patty Coller contributed to this report.
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