The morning newsletter of the Ohio Capital Journal
Reporting for the People
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By David DeWitt | Editor-in-Chief
Good morning Ohio! Happy Primary Election Day!
Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. If not returned by mail, absentee ballots must be received by your board of elections by 7:30 p.m.
And now, the news:
About 45,000 Haitians in Ohio are waiting nervously as the U.S. Supreme Court weighs a Trump-administration move to force them back to their homeland. As they do, a new assessment says that conditions in Haiti are about as bad as anywhere in the world.
Hundreds of people gathered at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Springfield to call for an extension of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians on Feb 2, 2026. (Photo by Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal).
By Marty Schladen
About 30,000 Haitians with temporary status live in central Ohio and an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 Haitians call Springfield, Ohio home, with a mixture of temporary protected status, citizenship and other legal statuses.
By Morgan Trau, WEWS
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has rejected a proposal to suspend the state’s gas tax as prices hit or near $5 around the state.
By Kathiann M. Kowalski, Canary Media
Plans to build two fracking-waste wells in Ohio’s rural Washington County are poised to move ahead despite objections from residents, environmental groups, and nearby town governments.
By Morgan Trau, WEWS
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is hopeful that Ohio can host a Super Bowl at the new Cleveland Browns stadium, but said an NFL draft would likely come soon.
COMMENTARY
The Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. (Photo by David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal.)
By Rob Moore
Ohio House Bill 834 is a bill designed to improve delivery of government services. Some states have seen success with similar programs. Government efficiency will not solve all problems in the state, but promoting efficiency in service delivery is low-hanging fruit.
STATELINE
The big challenges and policy issues that cross state lines.
By Anna Claire Vollers
The U.S. Supreme Court’s new decision gutting a key provision of the federal Voting Rights Act clears the way for state officials to drastically reshape not only Congress but also state legislatures, county commissions, city councils and even local school boards.
By Kelcie Moseley-Morris
One of the main methods of obtaining abortion medication for those living in states with bans is now blocked nationwide, after a federal appeals court decision issued Friday afternoon.
By Tim Henderson
Single-family housing starts in March were at their highest since 2022, a fast start to the construction year that could bring more supply to home markets that are still painfully expensive.
THE RUNDOWN
News from other states
By Peter Hall, Pennsylvania Capital-Star
For the first time in four years, the organization that manages the wholesale electricity supply for Ohio and a dozen other states is reviewing applications to build and connect new sources of power to the grid.
NATIONAL NEWS
By Jonathan Shorman
After the U.S. Supreme Court severely weakened the federal Voting Rights Act in an April 29 decision, a furious U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned what he called an “illegitimate” conservative majority on the court.
By Medill News Service
Six in 10 US adults are already worried about the affordability of their prescription drugs. A U.S. Supreme Court case over generic versions of drugs might limit a key pathway that brings cheaper generic drugs to market sooner.
CATCHING OUR EYE
What’s a college student to do? The Associated Press reports, “College students are in search of 'AI-proof' majors. But no one knows what they are.”
Today’s college students say that picking a major that’s “AI-proof” feels like shooting at a moving target as they prepare for a job market that could be fundamentally different by the time they graduate.
As a result, many are reconsidering their career paths. About 70% of college students see AI as a threat to their job prospects, according to a 2025 poll by the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School, while recent Gallup polling finds U.S. workers are increasingly concerned about being replaced by new technologies.Ohio farmers. Cleveland.com’s Allison Hartzell reports, “Iran war hits Ohio farmers with rising fertilizer, fuel costs.”
The war in Iran is hitting Ohio farms, adding to financial pressure to an already strained agricultural community.
Farmers were already challenged, hit hard by trade tensions with China sparked by President Donald Trump’s tariffs. But the war has intensified those challenges, driving up the price of fuel and fertilizer… Ultimately, the consequences will also hit American consumers in the form of higher prices at the market.The Civil Rights era dismantled. Columnist Ray Marcano writes in the Columbus Dispatch, “The 'reverse racism' dog whistle took out Civil Rights — it was a long game.”
Since 1965, some powerful conservatives — at the time, southern Democrats — have been plotting to cripple the Voting Rights Act under the guise that it’s reverse racism that harms white people.
THE POD
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW, FOLKS.
Mahalo!
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