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!
About 9% of Ohio’s state lawmakers are moms of children under 18, according to a new report, giving them insight into issues impacting families with minor children, several said in interviews.
The Ohio Statehouse. (Photo by Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal).
By Megan Henry
The Ohio Capital Journal talked to state Reps. Sarah Fowler Arthur, Lauren McNally, Ashley Bryant Bailey, and Beryl Brown Piccolantonio about motherhood and legislative duties.
By Nick Evans
An Ohio lawmaker wants state regulators to take a close look at a plan to purchase Dayton electric utility AES. The $10.7 billion deal would take the utility private, putting it in the hands of a group with few ties to the region and investments that might cause conflicts.
By Morgan Trau, WEWS
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has kicked off his tour celebrating what he sees as the state's business successes, as his possible replacements are debating how they would boost economic growth moving forward.
By Morgan Trau, WEWS
A watchdog organization has filed a bar complaint against former public official Seth Metcalf, asking the Ohio Supreme Court to investigate whether he should be disbarred for his role in the multi-billion-dollar retired teachers’ pension fund scandal.
COMMENTARY
Signs of support for Haitians in Springfield, Ohio after temporary protected status ended on July 27. (Photo by Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal).
By Lynn Tramonte
Dear Ohio U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno, we can all agree everyone deserves to live in a safe home and community. Any parent would do anything to keep their children safe. All Haitian-Ohioans are asking is to continue to be able to keep their children safe.
STATELINE
The big challenges and policy issues that cross state lines.
By Shalina Chatlani
The number of refugees admitted to the United States during the first 10 months of the fiscal year is on pace to hit its lowest level on record, according to a new analysis.
By Anna Claire Vollers
More than 60 cities, counties and fire departments across the nation say the country’s three biggest fire truck manufacturers have conspired to suppress competition, resulting in skyrocketing prices for fire trucks and repair parts, and yearslong manufacturing delays.
THE RUNDOWN
News from other states
By Rudi Keller
The two proposals unilaterally denied a spot on the Nov. 3 ballot by Missouri Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins over his claims about their constitutionality have the required signatures, data Hoskins has provided online shows.
NATIONAL NEWS
By Amanda Watford
Violent crime in the United States fell by an estimated 9.3% in 2025, marking the largest year-to-year decline in the national violent crime rate since the FBI began estimating crime in 1936, according to new national data.
WEDNESDAY WISDOM
“The technology is just gonna get better and better and better and better. And it's gonna get easier and easier, and more and more convenient, and more and more pleasurable, to be alone with images on a screen, given to us by people who do not love us but want our money. Which is all right. In low doses, right? But if that's the basic main staple of your diet, you're gonna die. In a meaningful way, you're going to die.”
-David Foster Wallace
CATCHING OUR EYE
Wow. The Cleveland Scene’s Mark Oprea reports, “He Helped Erase $1.2 Million in Medical Debt for Cuyahoga County Residents. It Took Him Just Two Months.”
Khorana, a 20-year-old college student from Shaker Heights, encountered another one this summer when he was schooled in the realm of unpaid medical bills. With the right planning, he found, millions of dollars of his neighbors’ medical debt could be relieved for the price of a used sedan. All by making a few calls.
So, Khorana did just that. In partnership with Undue Medical Debt, a nonprofit based in New York City, he raised a little over $10,000 from a short list of donors and, starting Thursday, helped buy up and cancel out $1.3 million in medical debt for 1,148 Cuyahoga County residents.Electric bills. The Statehouse News Bureau’s Karen Kasler reports, “More Ohio households lost power because of nonpayment in the last year than previous years.”
In the last year, more Ohio households lost their power because of lack of payment than in previous years, according to an annual report from the state’s six regulated electric utilities filed with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. The leader of the state agency that advocates for ratepayers says that’s a real concern.
From June 2025 to May 2026, 344,589 Ohio households had their electric shut off for not paying. That's an average of 7.7% of customers with AEP Ohio Power, AES Ohio, Duke Energy and the three companies associated with FirstEnergy, which are CEI, Ohio Edison and Toledo Edison.Not concerned. Axios reports, “Trump shrugs off concerns about dismal conditions on USS Abraham Lincoln.”
President Trump said Friday that he isn't concerned about the state of the USS Abraham Lincoln, despite calls from lawmakers to investigate reports of mental health issues for those onboard.
Why it matters: The San Diego-based aircraft carrier has been deployed for nine months, and numerous reports have indicated that crew members' families are concerned about a lack of food and other basic supplies.
At least one sailor has gone overboard, prompting the Navy to launch an investigation and The Military Times reported that other crew members have also tried to go overboard.Plane crash. USA Today reports, “Military GPS jamming linked to New Mexico plane crash that killed 4.”
A medical transport plane crash that killed four people in New Mexico this spring has been linked to a U.S. military GPS jamming exercise, a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board shows.
THE POD
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW, FOLKS.
Mahalo!
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