Ohio

Ohio State to pay search firm $125K for help in hiring of Ross Bjork as athletic director

Published

11 months ago

January 22, 2024

Ohio State to pay search firm 5K for help in hiring of Ross Bjork as athletic director

Ohio State is set to pay $125,000 to a search firm that assisted with the hiring of Ross Bjork as its next athletic director.

The school retained Collegiate Sports Associates to help find candidates to replace Gene Smith, who is retiring at the end of June after nearly two decades leading the Buckeyes’ athletic department.

According to a copy of an invoice obtained by The Dispatch through a public records request, CSA charged $62,500 for executive search services last October.

An additional professional fee payment of $62,500 from Ohio State is due later this year, a school spokesperson said. Bjork begins his tenure as athletic director on July 1 and will also be a senior advisor for the Buckeyes starting in March.

CSA is based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and was founded in 2010 by Todd Turner, a former athletic director at Connecticut, North Carolina State, Vanderbilt and Washington.

The firm has assisted with the placement of athletic directors at 43 Division I schools, including Georgia, Michigan State and Nebraska, among others, as listed on its website.

More: New Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork to make $2 million a year as part of contract

It’s also been involved with searches for football coaches, men’s and women’s basketball coaches, other administrators and conference commissioners between the Big South Conference and Southern Conference.

The one-page invoice does not specify the services provided by CSA in Ohio State’s search for an athletic director in recent months, but firms typically aid schools by vetting a pool of candidates and contacting them.

Bjork, who has been the athletic director at Texas A&M since 2019, said last week that CSA reached out to him “right before” the Christmas and holiday season.

CSA worked with a search advisory committee of 14 people that OSU formed last fall in order to “help nominate candidates and provide input and feedback.”

Ted Carter received a list of finalists from the advisory committee when he began his tenure as the university’s president earlier this month, leading to final interviews.

Carter did not identify other finalists last week at a news conference introducing Bjork, though The Dispatch learned that Pat Chun, the Washington State athletic director who worked in Ohio State’s athletic department from 1997-2012, was among them.

More: Join the Ohio State Sports Insider text group with Bill Rabinowitz, Joey Kaufman Adam Jardy

Since becoming an athletic director at Western Kentucky in 2010, Bjork has built a reputation as a strong fundraiser.

In the 51-year-old administrator’s most recent stop, he led one of the largest fundraising campaigns in the history of Texas A&M’s athletic department, a capital campaign that resulted in the construction of several facilities, including an indoor football complex.

Jeff Toole, the athletic department’s chief financial officer, told USA TODAY Sports last week that it has put $270 million in projects.

But Bjork also brings some baggage to Columbus, largely from his role in two high-profile coaching controversies.

He gave former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher a mammoth contract extension in 2021 that resulted in a record $77 million buyout when he was fired two years later.

Previously as the athletic director at Mississippi, he defended former coach Hugh Freeze amid an NCAA investigation that included 21 rules violations. Freeze was later implicated in the infractions case and resigned after it was found he made a phone call to a number tied to an escort service.

And Mississippi settled a lawsuit with the coach who preceded Freeze, Houston Nutt, after Nutt claimed that school officials made false statements regarding him during the NCAA investigation into Freeze’s violations.

“Certain statements made by university employees in January 2016 appear to have contributed to misleading media reports about Coach Nutt,” the university conceded in a statement following the settlement. “To the extent any such statements harmed Coach Nutt’s reputation, the university apologizes, as this was not the intent.”

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch and can be reached at jkaufman@dispatch.com.

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Ohio

Ohio minimum wage to increase Jan. 1 – Washington Examiner

Published

3 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

Ohio minimum wage to increase Jan. 1 – Washington Examiner

(The Center Square) – Ohioans working for minimum wage will get another Christmas present in a week.

The state’s minimum wage rises by 25 cents on Jan. 1, going to $10.70 an hour to account for inflation. The current Ohio minimum wage for tipped employees is $5.25 per hour and $10.45 for nontipped workers. The minimum wage for youth workers is $7.25 per hour.

“Ohio voters are to thank for next month’s increase in the minimum wage,” Policy Matters Ohio Economist Heather Smith said. “Voters enshrined adjustments for inflation to the minimum wage law in 2006, when they voted overwhelmingly to raise the state minimum wage. Over 28% of Ohio families with incomes below the federal poverty level will get some relief from rising prices as a result.”

The Economic Policy Institute estimates about 112,700 Ohioans paid less than $10.70 will see a direct wage increase Jan. 1, and another 206,000 making just above the minimum will also see an increase when employers adjust pay scales.

A proposed constitutional amendment that would raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour plus tips by 2026 failed to reach the required number of signatures to reach the ballot earlier this year.

As previously reported by The Center Square, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce opposed the proposed amendment, saying it would hurt small businesses that continue to struggle.

“The proposed minimum wage amendment to the Ohio Constitution is not only ill-advised and economically detrimental, it would be next to impossible to correct once the unintended consequences transpire,” Chamber CEO Steve Stivers said, including the potential for layoffs and reduced jours for workers.

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Ohio

Ohio Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 Midday winning numbers for Dec. 25, 2024

Published

11 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

The Ohio Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 25, 2024, results for each game:

Powerball

Powerball drawings are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m.

15-26-27-30-35, Powerball: 03, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 3

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.

Midday: 2-9-6

Evening: 3-2-1

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 4

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.

Midday: 1-6-3-5

Evening: 9-5-7-9

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 5

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.

Midday: 0-9-1-4-9

Evening: 4-7-1-3-8

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Rolling Cash 5

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at approximately 7:05 p.m.

09-24-26-32-34

Check Rolling Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Classic Lotto

Drawings are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, at approximately 7:05 p.m.

03-05-06-15-33-39, Kicker: 6-8-4-2-1-9

Check Classic Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

Lucky For Life

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at approximately 10:35 p.m.

04-10-35-42-45, Lucky Ball: 02

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Enquirer digital news director. You can send feedback using this form.

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One Ohio State Star Who Desperately Needs Revenge vs Oregon

Published

23 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

One Ohio State Star Who Desperately Needs Revenge vs Oregon

The Ohio State Buckeyes are preparing to face the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl in what they hope will serve as some desirable revenge.

Remember: Oregon defeated Ohio State back in Week 7, handing the Buckeyes their first loss of the season. The Ducks would go on to go undefeated. Ohio State went 10-2 (now 11-2 thanks to its win over the Tennessee Volunteers).

The first meeting between the two teams was close, with Oregon emerging with a 32-21 victory. For on of the only times this season, the Buckeyes’ defense looked vulnerable.

But there was one player in particular who looked particularly exposed: cornerback Denzel Burke.

Burke entered the season widely considered one of the best cornerbacks in the country and was also viewed as a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

However, his performance against the Ducks altered his fate.

Burke surrendered eight catches for 179 yards and was burned for a couple of touchdowns in Ohio State’s loss, and since then, the 22-year-old has not quite looked the same.

His draft stock has plummeted, and his confidence also appears to have been adversely affected.

And it all started in Eugene, Or. back in October.

Can Burke right the ship and come through with a bounceback showing against the top-ranked eam in the country?

The Buckeyes will need Burke. That’s for sure. After all, Oregon boasts one of the most explosive offenses in the country, and that’s due much in part to the Ducks’ high-octane aerial attack led by quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

Not only that, but Burke needs it for himself. A strong outing versus the Ducks would go a long way in gaining the attention of NFL scouts once again, and it could serve as a springboard for Burke the remainder of the College Football Playoff.

Burke has lost a bit of his shine since that disastrous performance at Oregon. If there is any Ohio State player who desperately needs revenge on New Year’s Day, it’s Burke.

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