Ohio
Ohio’s top presidential debate search topic stands out from other states: Capitol Letter
Rotunda Rumblings
The heart of it all: In forty-nine states, abortion was the top-searched political topic during Tuesday night’s presidential candidate debate. But Ohioans had their own queries. As Andrew Tobias writes, Buckeye State residents’ top search topic was immigration, which likely was prompted by debate viewers scratching their heads after former president Donald Trump falsely asserted that migrants there are eating people’s cats and dogs.
Father’s plea: The father of an 11-year-old boy who was killed in a 2023 school bus crash denounced “morally bankrupt” Republican politicians for using his son’s death for political gain and begged them to stop using his son as “a political tool,” Sabrina Eaton writes. Speaking at a Tuesday night Springfield City Commission meeting, Nathan Clark said he wished the crash that killed his son, Aiden, had been caused by a 60-year-old white man instead of a Haitian immigrant because then “the incessant group of hate spewing people would leave us alone.” “They can vomit all the hate they want about illegal immigrants, the border crisis, and even untrue claims about fluffy pets being ravaged and eaten by community members,” Clark said. “However, they are not allowed, nor have they ever been allowed, to mention Aiden Clark from Springfield, Ohio.”
Place your bets? New Ohio Senate legislation would legalize online casino gambling, or iGaming, allowing each of the state’s four casinos and seven racinos to set up websites and apps that offer online poker, slots and other games. As Jeremy Pelzer reports, Senate Bill 312 seeks to make Ohio the ninth U.S. state to legalize iGaming, though its chances of passage are still unclear.
Gold standard: Ohio’s Frank LaRose was one of six secretaries of state from across the country who traveled to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday for a House Administration Committee hearing about November’s election. “You can make elections both convenient and secure,” the Columbus Republican told the committee. “We can make it easy to vote and hard to cheat. That’s what we’ve done in Ohio. That’s one of the reasons why we’re nationally recognized as a gold standard for elections administration.”
Pick up the case pace: LaRose’s office has asked Attorney General Dave Yost to take over hundreds of cases of suspected election-law violations, as county prosecutors so far have only filed charges against 12 of the 633 people LaRose’s office referred to them. “We don’t necessarily expect all 633 referrals to lead to criminal charges, but only 12 out of 633 shows a second set of eyes might be needed here to determine whether prosecution of these crimes is justified,” wrote Hun Yi, director of investigations for the Ohio secretary of state’s public integrity division, in a letter to Yost quoted in a release. The release didn’t say how many of the 12 criminal cases that have been filed resulted in convictions.
Master’s of none: False assertions about Republican U.S. Senate nominee Bernie Moreno’s academic resume have popped up in multiple places over the past 13 years. As Marty Schladen of the Ohio Capital Journal reports, Moreno’s November 2011 application to open a Florida car dealership stated incorrectly that he held an MBA from the University of Michigan, as did Moreno’s Cleveland Foundation website bio when he first joined the foundation’s board in 2014. A 2018 Cleveland State University bio, as well as the website of a Moreno-owned Mercedes-Benz dealership in North Olmsted, asserted he earned multiple degrees from Michigan. A spokeswoman for Moreno (who holds a single bachelor’s degree in business from That School Up North) blamed the dealership application claim on an unnamed staffer and said Moreno never told the Cleveland Foundation he held an MBA.
$50 million and counting: The Ohio Division of Cannabis Control reported another $10.6 million in recreational sales for the week of Aug. 25 through Saturday, the beginning of the Labor Day holiday weekend. In all $54.6 million in product has been sold to adult-use customers. Since sales began Aug. 6, 689,034 receipts have been rung up at dispensaries.
Full Disclosure
Five things we learned from the Jan. 2, 2024 ethics disclosure filed by Bradley Lacko of Amherst, the Republican nominee for Ohio House District 53, about his 2023 finances:
1. Lacko made $53,000 in gross income last year from working as a truck driver.
2. At some point in 2023, Lacko owed more than $1,000 to Firelands Federal Credit Union and 7 17 Credit Union.
3. He’s a trustee for the Lorain County Farm Bureau.
4. His only listed investment worth more than $1,000 was an Ohio deferred compensation retirement account.
5. He owned two properties in Lorain County (legislative candidates aren’t required to list their personal residence or property used for personal recreation).
On The Move
The National Council of Teachers of English announced Honesty for Ohio Education, a coalition that is fighting ring-wing influences in education, will receive its National Intellectual Freedom Award honorable mention at a ceremony during its annual convention in Boston on Nov. 23.
Straight From The Source
“The Republican candidate for president’s remarks about Haitian — meaning Black — immigrants in Ohio were barbaric, bombastic and beneath the dignity of someone aspiring to hold the highest office in the land. People are struggling, but these outrageous and racist lies are an insult to our Ohio communities — including the ones I represent here in Congress.”
– U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown, a Warrensville Heights Democrat, denouncing Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s comments about Haitian immigrants to Ohio during a Wednesday U.S. House Agriculture Committee hearing.
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Where do bed bugs come from? How they get could get into your home
Does the thought of bed bugs keep you up at night? Here’s what to know.
Columbus remains one of the nation’s top cities for bed bug treatments, according to Orkin’s latest annual rankings, while Ohio continues to dominate the list more than any other state.
Orkin ranked Columbus eighth on its 2026 list of U.S. cities with the most bed bug treatments, the same position the city held last year. Cleveland ranked even higher at No. 4. Cincinnati came in at No. 15.
Overall, six Ohio cities made the Top 50, more than any other state: Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Youngstown, Dayton and Toledo. The rankings are based on residential and commercial bed bug treatments Orkin performed between May 2025 and May 2026.
Chicago claimed the top spot for the sixth consecutive year, followed by Los Angeles, Detroit, Cleveland and Indianapolis.
Ohio continues to rank high for bed bugs
Ohio’s strong showing on the list comes as the state has repeatedly appeared near the top of national pest rankings.
A recent USA TODAY report, citing an analysis by Casino.ca, estimated Ohio has the second-highest bed bug risk for travelers in the country, behind only Michigan.
The Orkin rankings do not measure the total number of bed bugs in a city. Instead, they reflect where the company performed the greatest number of residential and commercial treatments over the past year.
Columbus has dealt with bed bug sightings before
The rankings also follow several high-profile bed bug incidents in downtown Columbus government offices.
Last fall, The Dispatch reported a bed bug was discovered inside the Ohio Department of Medicaid’s downtown office, prompting treatment of the affected area.
The Dispatch also reported that employees at the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation had reported bed bug sightings, leading to inspections and pest-control efforts.
Those incidents highlighted the challenges large office buildings face when dealing with pests that can hitch rides on clothing, backpacks and luggage rather than originating inside the buildings themselves.
It’s not just bed bugs
Bed bugs aren’t the only pests putting Columbus on Orkin’s radar.
In October 2025, Orkin ranked Columbus No. 21 on its annual “Rattiest Cities” list, a slight improvement from previous years but still among the nation’s leading metro areas for rodent treatments.
Taken together, the rankings suggest central Ohio remains a busy market for pest-control companies as the city holds steady on this year’s bed bug list.
Which Ohio cities made Orkin’s 2026 list?
Among Ohio cities, the rankings were:
- Cleveland– No. 4
- Columbus– No. 8
- Cincinnati– No. 15
- Youngstown– No. 32
- Dayton– No. 38
- Toledo– No. 42
Trending reporter Amani Bayo can be reached at abayo@dispatch.com.
After years of unchecked dominance from the SEC, the Big Ten Conference cemented its place as the best in college football in the 2025-2026 season.
The Indiana Hoosiers completed a remarkable 16-0 season by winning a National Championship, beating Ohio State in the conference championship game, dominating Alabama in the Rose Bowl, then blowing out Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
That completed a Big Ten trifecta, with the Michigan Wolverines winning a championship in 2024, then the Buckeyes following it up by beating Notre Dame to win the title in 2025. While the SEC might have better depth overall, it’s no question that the top of the Big Ten is as good or better than anyone.
SEC, BIG TEN ARE DOMINATING COLLEGE FOOTBALL THANKS TO MASSIVE ADVANTAGES OVER OTHER CONFERENCES
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on Jan. 19, 2026. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
And a new program might be ready to take their turn at the top of the Big Ten: those same Oregon Ducks.
One of the most predictive measures of a team’s strength from year to year is how much production they return from the previous season. It makes sense; the more key players that stay with the team, the better it is for continuity and development.
The Big Ten, oddly enough, has several teams that return much of their production on both sides of the ball. ESPN’s Bill Connelly ran the numbers, finding that teams like Maryland, Nebraska, Minnesota and UCLA all ranked in the top 10 nationally in returning value. Though given how these teams played in 2025, that’s less important. Number 12, though? The Oregon Ducks.
And that carryover production is coming from a team that lost just two games all season, both to Indiana. They handled a very good USC team, 42-27, overcame miserable conditions to outlast the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road, beat the rival Washington Huskies, and most impressively, shut out an elite Texas Tech team 23-0 in the College Football Playoff. And they bring back the players responsible for 66% of their overall production, including star quarterback Dante Moore.
Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) warms up prior to the 2025 Orange Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Sam Navarro / Imagn Images)
Just behind them at 65%? USC, heading into a pivotal season under Lincoln Riley.
Here’s where Oregon has the advantage, however. They bring that percentage back from a team that was significantly better than USC. It’s no surprise then, that per Connelly’s SP+ projections, Oregon is expected to be the No. 2 team in the country, by efficiency on offense, defense and special teams.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A BIG 12 WINNER NOT NAMED TEXAS TECH OR BYU, CONSIDER THE HOUSTON COUGARS
What about the other Big Ten schools, though?
USC is the biggest wildcard. They sit at No. 13 in the SP+ projections, thanks to an elite offense and a defense that’s expected to be solid, if unspectacular. But their special teams projections are all the way down at No. 100 in the country, thanks to a series of disastrous mistakes in 2025. Special teams, though, should be the easiest area to improve upon. So if the Trojans can make some adjustments, they could exceed the eight game win expectancy.
Ohio State and Indiana, the two most recent champions, have a bit of a tougher hill to climb, though their roster composition is far from disastrous. The Buckeyes bring back 60% of their production, while Indiana is at 56%, even with several huge departures. That ranks at No. 31 and No. 52, respectively. Important, but not enough to push either team out of the top 5 in the national projections. And Ohio State sits at No. 1, thanks to consistently elite recruiting and key players like Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith returning.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning attends Oregon Pro Day on March 17, 2026, at the Moshofsky Center in Eugene, Oregon. (Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
But if there is an upset brewing at the top of the conference, Oregon might be the place to look. The question then becomes, can they put it all together against a difficult schedule? The Ducks play USC on the road, host Nebraska, travel to Illinois, play Ohio State on the road, host Michigan and have their rivalry game against Washington at Autzen.
OUTKICK IS NOW ON THE FOX APP: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
It won’t be easy, but don’t be surprised if at the end of the season, Dan Lanning and the Ducks are right back in the mix.
A Kentucky woman who had been missing for more than two weeks was found dead in her vehicle in Ohio, authorities said.
The body of Debra Wireman was found in her vehicle on July 3 in Clermont County, Ohio, the Flemingsburg Police Department in Kentucky said on Facebook on Wednesday. Investigators were called to the scene after a report identifying the vehicle as belonging to a missing person, police said. The remains were identified as Wireman’s by the Clermont County Coroner’s Office on July 7, according to law enforcement.
Police in Kentucky said the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio is investigating the woman’s death. No additional information will be released by Flemingsburg police “out of respect for Debra’s family and the integrity of that investigation.”
“While this is not the outcome any of us hoped and prayed for, we are thankful that Debra has been found and that her family can now begin to receive the closure they deserve,” police added on Facebook.
Wireman, according to police, was last seen on June 17 at around 4:30 p.m. in Aberdeen, Ohio, while traveling toward Maysville, Kentucky. She was driving a white 2020 Kia Forte with front-end damage. Police said family and friends were “concerned for her welfare.”
“The overwhelming response from our community, neighboring agencies, the media, and countless individuals across the region demonstrated the very best of people coming together in the hope of bringing someone home safely,” Flemingsburg police said.
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