Head Start changes could eliminate important child health and safety standards in Ohio, nationally

‘Common’ Sense. The Statehouse News Bureau’s Sarah Donaldson reports, “State urges residents to ‘use common sense’ as severe storms hit Ohio.”

Government agencies are warning Ohioans to be cautious of “very dangerous” summer storms battering much of the state.

Aside from high winds and tornado warnings, the ongoing severe weather could leave days of floodwater behind, Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday afternoon, standing inside the Ohio Emergency Management Agency in Columbus.

The first storm bands Tuesday morning left one dead in Roseville, a village of 1,500 residents south of Zanesville. Since then, DeWine has activated the Ohio National Guard’s high water rescue unit and declared emergencies in Muskingum County and Perry County. Crooksville and Roseville were being evacuated.

More attorneys?! The Ohio Newsroom’s Kendall Crawford reports, “Ohio’s rural areas need more attorneys. A new initiative aims to build a pipeline.”

In many parts of Ohio, legal help is hard to come by.

Seventy-eight out of Ohio’s 88 counties do not have enough attorneys to meet their residents' needs, according to the Ohio State Bar Association. In northwest Ohio, the situation could get even more severe as many practicing attorneys near retirement.

A coalition of legal organizations and law schools in the area are working to ensure justice is still accessible.

Ohio public schools money trouble, part infinity. Ideastream’s Conor Morris reports, “Cleveland schools predicting more hard decisions on the way, even after consolidation.”

More cuts could be coming for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District in the coming years, even after closing schools, laying off staff and taking other cost-cutting measures in recent years.

The district’s new financial forecast, approved by the school board Tuesday, shows it running out of cash entirely, about $50 million in the red, in just four years’ time. Chief Financial Officer Kevin Stockdale said rising costs of healthcare and state funding remaining flat are causing challenges for the district as it looks ahead. A recent enrollment study conducted by the state also suggests CMSD, like many public schools, will continue to see declining enrollment over the next 10 years…

(D)ata compiled recently by Ohio State University education policy researcher Vladimir Kogan… suggests almost 20% of public schools in the state are projecting negative cash balances by 2029, the highest rate since 2012.

Miller’s Crossing. Politico reports, “Republicans stay mum on whether they’ll return campaign cash from embattled Max Miller."

The money — more than $70,000 in all — has largely been donated in increments of $1,000, $2,500 or $5,000. In a few cases, such as with Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), the PAC maxed out with $10,000 donations.

Of these 16 Republicans who received money from Miller this cycle contacted this week by POLITICO, only the campaign for Rep. Brad Finstad of Minnesota said it had already returned its $5,000 contribution.

Fact check. CNN’s Daniel Dale reports, “Fact check: Trump makes numerous false and misleading claims about vaccines and autism.”

Trump has long pushed vaccine misinformation. He delivered his latest inaccurate remarks at a White House event during which he signed an executive order that recommends that US children receive fewer vaccinations over a longer period of time than they do today.

Trump again floated the idea that vaccines cause autism, though that notion has been thoroughly debunked by extensive research in multiple countries. He again baselessly impugned the safety of the combination vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, which has for decades proven highly safe and highly effective.

He again wildly overstated the size of the vaccine doses children receive, which are nowhere near “the size of a bottle of soda.” He again wildly understated the prevalence of autism 20 years ago. And he again exaggerated the number of injections children have been required to receive.