Ohio
Ohio’s 2nd largest pension is seeing major changes after violations by 2 board members
CINCINNATI (WKRC) – A judge’s ruling is set to reshape the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio after finding that two board members violated their fiduciary duty to the fund.
The decision announced on Thursday stems from an investigation by the Ohio attorney general two years ago. The ruling centers on board members Rudy Fichtenbaum and Wade Steen, who were apparently trying to restore cost-of-living increases but, in doing so, pursued a plan the fund’s staff had already rejected.
A judge’s ruling is set to reshape the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio after finding that two board members violated their fiduciary duty to the fund. (WKRC, Provided)
The judge found the two were acting as agents of QED, a startup that proposed managing $65 billion—more than two-thirds of the pension fund. The effort did not persuade fellow board members, but once it came to light, state lawmakers moved to reduce the number of educators on the board.
“The fund has since then grown. The state found issue with two of the board members and took it to court. The court made its decision. Through all of this, the system continued to perform well, and the board continued to perform the functions of a board,” said Ohio Federation of Teachers President Melissa Cropper.
State Rep. Adam Bird, a former superintendent in New Richmond and one of the lawmakers involved in altering the board, said the ruling supports the need for the change.
“I am confident that the judicial system will ultimately rule in our favor. I appreciate that they’ve got a job to do and they’ve got to go through their due process—and I’m not going to argue with that—but I do think that ultimately, the state legislature’s bill that passed back in June will ultimately prevail,” Bird said.
Cropper said she disagrees with using the ruling as an example to justify changing the board’s makeup.
“I think that is wrong to use this as an example, because if anything, this proves when board members need to be removed, there’s a mechanism for removing them, whether they’re appointed or elected, and this composition of the board has been this way since its inception,” Cropper said.
The change to the board’s setup is frozen pending more litigation, as teachers unions back a lawsuit challenging it.
As for the two board members, Chairman Fichtenbaum will be removed, and Steen is barred from ever rejoining the board.
STRS says it manages more than $100 billion for more than 500,000 educators. Almost 7,000 Hamilton County retirees are receiving benefits.
CINCINNATI (WKRC) — Sixty percent of children in Ohio are not ready for kindergarten when they start school.
Now, a national nonprofit is working to change that by expanding access to books and promoting early literacy across the state.
Sixty percent of children in Ohio are not ready for kindergarten when they start school. (WKRC file)
Nedra Smith has seen the difference firsthand. Her two young daughters receive books through the program at their pediatrician visits at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
“They love to read now,” Smith said. “We’ll randomly be out and they’ll see a book and want to read a book.”
Reach Out and Read partners with pediatricians to give children books during regular checkups and encourage parents to read aloud with them. The program has been part of Cincinnati Children’s for more than a decade.
“They typically come in and tell us they got new books,” Smith said. “They typically ask me to read the book right then and there.”
Program leaders say early literacy is increasingly being recognized as an important part of a child’s overall health and development.
“Initially, literacy may not have been in the forefront or seen as a health benefit,” said Kristy High, program manager for Reach Out and Read. “Well-child checks focus on shots, nutrition, and those things; but now we want to focus on those main benefits for the development and milestones when it comes to learning.”
The organization is now working to expand its reach statewide, with a goal of serving children in all 88 Ohio counties.
“We know that those first five years of life are the most critical for brain development,” said Steven Lake, executive director of Reach Out and Read Ohio. “If we can intervene as early as possible, essentially, we reach out at birth; we know we can have the greatest impact.”
Smith encourages other parents to participate in the program and read to their children.
“It’s fun,” Smith said. “It’s actually fun to see them light up, and I think they’ll pass that on to their own kids as well.”
Reach Out and Read also partners with providers in Kentucky and Indiana. You can find a participating provider near you on the organization’s website.
If you are a doctor looking to participate in the program, click here.
The Ohio Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 10, 2026, results for each game:
Pick 3
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.
Midday: 8-6-2
Evening: 7-0-5
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: 9-4-7-0
Evening: 0-6-1-8
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: 1-7-3-7-4
Evening: 9-0-8-8-0
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.
16-19-33-36-38
Check Rolling Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Millionaire for Life
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at approximately 11:15 p.m.
01-03-20-35-46, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
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.
Ryan Day will have some very familiar competition in the Big 10 soon.
The son of the Ohio State football coach, R.J. Day, announced his commitment to Northwestern for the Class of 2027 on Sunday.
Northwestern plays in the same conference as Ohio State and the schools will face each other.
R.J. Day, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound quarterback from — not surprisingly — Columbus, Ohio, has started for three years at St. Francis DeSales HS as he heads towards his senior season.
According to reports, the younger Day had other offers from Purdue, Syracuse, Cincinnati and South Florida, as well as others.
Northwestern has eight quarterbacks on head coach David Braun’s roster.
And the offensive coordinator for the Wildcats is Chip Kelly, who served in the same role for Ryan Day at Ohio State when the Buckeyes won the title in 2024.
Kelly, the former head coach at UCLA and Oregon, was also the offensive coordinator at New Hampshire when Ryan Day was the team captain from 1998-2001.
Most recently, Kelly was the OC with the Las Vegas Raiders before he took the job with Northwestern.
“It’s really surreal when you think about the relationships that we’ve had with those two as a family over the years,” R.J. Day told ESPN earlier this month. “Coach Kelly coached my dad in college, so that adds another layer to it.”
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