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Should Ohio eliminate property taxes? Citizens’ group moves to put issue on ballot

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Should Ohio eliminate property taxes? Citizens’ group moves to put issue on ballot


COLUMBUS, Ohio — After years of rising bills and growing frustration, a group of Northeast Ohioans want to outlaw property taxes.

The proposal to amend the the state Constitution would fundamentally reshape how schools and other local services operate in Ohio.

Citizens for Property Tax Reform, a Cuyahoga County-based group, took its first step Thursday by submitting a petition to Attorney General Dave Yost. Yost must determine whether the summary to be circulated around the state is accurate.

To qualify for the ballot, organizers must gather signatures from more than 400,000 registered voters.

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“It’s time for the citizens of Ohio to pick up the torch and finally make the necessary changes,” according to the group’s website.

Since 2019, statewide collections of real property taxes (residential and commercial) have surged from about $15.6 billion to $20.3 billion, according to data from Ohio’s Department of Taxation and the Legislative Budget Office.

Increases were driven by skyrocketing home values, high inflation and rising construction costs.

“Here’s the worst part of it all,” Citizens for Property Tax Reform spokesperson Beth Blackmarr said. “We’re being taxed on money that we have not realized. We’re being taxed on windfalls that we haven’t’ seen. I think that’s incredibly unfair.”

Blackmarr has lived in her 1911 Lakewood home for decades, but its value jumped from $188,000 to $295,000 in the last re-assessment.

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“This has been, wow,” she said. “We got clobbered.”

That’s why she joined the group and started working to put the issue before voters.

“I totally get the anger,” said Rep. Dave Thomas, an Ashtabula Republican. “I was so fed up I took a very large pay cut and changed my life to run for this position and work on property taxes.”

Read more: Ohio’s property tax crisis: How we got here and how some lawmakers propose to fix it

He thinks this amendment is possible but could come with major trade-offs.

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“There would be many winners,” Thomas said. “But a good amount of folks would be paying a significant amount more.”

Property taxes are the main way many local governments– especially schools–fund their operations. And homeowners in areas with large business tax bases would see revenues drop in ways that could prove tricky to replace.

“The first biggest impact of this would be individuals would take on the burden paid for by commercial and utility property owners,” he said.

Thomas estimated local income and sales taxes would triple and then said, “Border counties like Ashtabula, Youngstown or Toledo, if you tripled the sales tax, what would that theoretically do for shopping?”

State Sen. Bill Blessing, a Hamilton County Republican, was more blunt: “What do townships do? They don’t have sales or income taxes. And what does the General Assembly do because the school funding formula is predicated on local property taxes.”

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He referenced a line from the Joker in the Batman movies: “This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.”

Blessing also devotes a lot of time to housing issues and said any conversation about taxes must include ideas to lower home prices and encourage new construction.

The 2025 Gap Report, released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, found a statewide shortage of 267,382 affordable units.

School districts already have the ability to collect income taxes, and Thomas is advising boards to have those conversations now.

He’s also working on legislation that would make it easier to switch.

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“I’m trying to make up for five years of not doing things,” he said. “I don’t want people to be patient because they deserve more than that. They deserved a lot more five years ago.”

Read more: Ohio Republicans eye $4.2 billion in school savings for one-time property tax cuts

Attorney General Dave Yost has until May 9 to decide if the petition from Citizens for Property Tax Reform meets the legal requirements.

If approved, the Ohio Ballot Board would then need to sign off before signature gathering could begin.

Anna Staver covers state government and politics for Cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer.

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Ex-husband arrested in deaths of Ohio dentist and his wife | CNN

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Ex-husband arrested in deaths of Ohio dentist and his wife | CNN


The ex-husband of Monique Tepe has been arrested in connection with the killings of the mother and her husband Spencer Tepe, a respected dentist, in their Ohio home last week, Columbus police said Saturday.

Michael David McKee, 39, who court records identify as Monique Tepe’s ex-husband, is in custody in Winnebago County, Illinois, according to inmate records with the sheriff’s office.

McKee is scheduled to appear in court Monday, records show. He was arrested on two counts of murder in the killings on Saturday, an incident report shows, and was taken into custody “without incident” in Rockford, Illinois, police said.

Spencer Tepe, 37, and Monique Tepe, 39, were found dead with apparent gunshot wounds on December 30 in their house in Columbus. The couple’s two children, ages 4 and 1, were also inside but were not physically harmed, police said.

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The arrest marks a major development in the case after the suspect in the couple’s killings remained on the loose for more than 10 days, during which police released scant details on the investigation.

Police said Saturday they will release further information “as appropriate” to avoid compromising the “active and ongoing case progress” and urged people to contact them with any information related to the tragedy.

Authorities did not find any obvious signs of forced entry or any firearm at the scene, CNN affiliate WSYX reported.

Colleagues in Spencer Tepe’s dental practice called 911 after he uncharacteristically didn’t show up to work. One of Tepe’s friends went to the couple’s house, peered inside and saw a gruesome scene next to a bed, according to emergency dispatch audio.

“There’s … there’s a body,” the friend told 911. “Our friend wasn’t answering his phone. We just did a wellness check. We just came here. And he appears dead.”

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Asked if Tepe had been ill, the friend responded, “No, no. I was just with him yesterday.”

The couple’s two children and dog are now in the care of relatives, the Tepes’ brother-in-law said.



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Ohio high school girls basketball scores: Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

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Ohio high school girls basketball scores: Friday, Jan. 9, 2026


CLEVELAND, Ohio — OHSAA girls basketball scores from Friday in Ohio, as provided by The Associated Press.

Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, Mich. 43, Notre Dame Academy 35

Baltimore Liberty Union 47, Cols. Hamilton Twp. 34

Berlin Center Western Reserve 68, N. Jackson Jackson-Milton 46

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Blanchester 40, Bethel-Tate 37

Chagrin Falls 37, Burton Berkshire 32

Circleville 62, Amanda-Clearcreek 40

Cle. Hay 88, Cle. Glenville 2

Cols. Centennial 78, Columbus International 50

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Cols. Linden-McKinley 54, Cols. Whetstone 28

Cols. Walnut Ridge 73, Cols. Marion-Franklin 12

Delaware Buckeye Valley 50, CSG 43

Delta 48, Bryan 44

Dublin Coffman 47, Cols. Upper Arlington 39

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Hilliard Darby 43, Thomas Worthington 32

Johnstown 47, Johnstown Northridge 41

Mason 54, Cin. Colerain 32

Newark 56, Ashville Teays Valley 42

Oak Harbor 52, Millbury Lake 31

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Ohio Deaf 50, Ky. School for the Deaf, Ky. 9

Pemberville Eastwood 65, Rossford 35

Pickerington North 41, New Albany 33

Springboro 66, Centerville 33

Stryker 54, Montpelier 20

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W. Chester Lakota W. 76, Fairfield 24

Wauseon 55, Swanton 13

Western Reserve Academy 65, Lawrenceville School, N.J. 33

Westerville Cent. 57, Grove City Cent. Crossing 20

Worthington Christian 57, Tree of Life 16

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Zanesville 58, Newark Licking Valley 40



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Ohio State students hone academic, business skills through study abroad programs

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Ohio State students hone academic, business skills through study abroad programs


Students across various majors at The Ohio State University recently gathered at the Fisher College of Business to discuss how study abroad opportunities have helped them hone skills that will benefit their studies and chosen career paths.

Fisher’s Office of Global Business and its Office of Advancement hosted the inaugural Global Experience Luncheon. The event was held at the Blackwell Inn on the Columbus campus.

The luncheon brought together alumni who have donated to study abroad programs with students who have participated in them, said Dominic DiCamillo, senior director of the Office of Global Business.

“We were excited to partner with Advancement for the first time to facilitate this type of personal connection. The families that have created these endowments, oftentimes, they hoped it would have some sort of positive impact,” he said. “This is the first time for them to hear firsthand from the students who recently participated.”

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Xin Lin, a third-year finance student, shared her experiences studying abroad in Hamburg, Germany, and Chiang Mai, Thailand. While in Germany in summer 2024, Lin completed the Fisher Freshman Global Lab with Professor Michael Knemeyer and studied at the Kühne Logistics University.

During Lin’s semester in Germany, her cohort toured the facilities of several international companies, including the Mercedes-Benz auto manufacturer, Seven Senders logistics enterprise, and Jack Wolfskin outdoor apparel.

“This was my first time being in Europe,” she said. “It was a really eye-opening experience and taught me to be curious about exploring other cultures, which is why I made the decision to study abroad in Chiang Mai, Thailand.”

This past summer in Chiang Mai, Lin completed the competitive Fisher Global Consulting: Nonprofit program, which is funded by an endowment established by Chris Connor, a 1978 Ohio State alumnus, and his wife, Sara. The participating students, called Connor Scholars, gain firsthand insights into the cultures and business practices of countries in developing regions worldwide.

“We were there for two weeks working on the sustainability and the marketing for the local elephant foundation, as well as to support the villagers,” she said. “And my team and I, we worked on the sustainability curriculum for the local school.”

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Lin said participating in study abroad programs sharpened her decision-making and problem-solving skills.

“Leveraging these experiences has strengthened my understanding of international business and macroeconomics,” she said. “Most importantly, it is the growth mindset and the endless learning that these experiences have taught me, and I’m really excited to be carrying these values into my future career and my academic journey.”

Jacob Brodson, a fourth-year marketing major, said participating in the Fisher Global Marketing Lab in Taiwan this past summer was “a transformational, life-changing trip.”

Jacob Brodson (center) said he met more than 25 Ohio State alumni in Taiwan.“If you can go to someplace that’s so fundamentally different from what we experience here on a day-to-day basis, you should absolutely take the opportunity to,” he said. “And Taiwan is that opportunity.”

Brodson said studying marketing and visiting 10 companies in Taiwan gave him a broader perspective on business practices in different countries.

“We went to TSMC, which is the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. That’s the 10th largest company in the world that you probably have never heard of, but they make all the phone and computer chips that are in your cellphones,” he said. “It was an unbelievable experience to see that.”

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Brodson and his classmates also toured a Kenda Tire facility.

“They actually do a lot of marketing at Ohio State sporting events because their U.S. headquarters is out in Reynoldsburg,” Brodson said. “We got to see their entire manufacturing plant in Taiwan.”

Brodson said he was pleasantly surprised to discover a Buckeye community overseas. He met more than 25 Ohio State alumni throughout Taiwan.

“We are halfway across the world and yet the most beautiful thing is that there are still reminders of home. We’re halfway across the country and there are still Buckeyes there,” he said. “That is one of the coolest things – seeing the Ohio State alumni and the fact that this Buckeye tradition transcends countries.”

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