The morning newsletter of the Ohio Capital Journal
Reporting for the People
Make a tax-deductible donation supporting our work.
By David DeWitt | Editor in Chief
Good morning Ohio!
Ohio Democratic lawmakers say the Republican “One Big Beautiful Bill Act" has made everyday life more expensive for Ohioans, saying that people are losing their jobs, healthcare, and food security.
The U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Jennifer Shuff, States Newsroom.)
By Megan Henry
Since last year, more than 100,000 Ohioans have lost food stamps, about 113,000 Ohioans have lost their healthcare coverage, the average monthly premium in Ohio’s ACA marketplace has gone from $126 to $233, and Ohio’s gas prices have increased by nearly 42%.
By Marty Schladen
Ever since Congress passed the Standard Time Act in 1918, daylight saving time has been controversial. The U.S. House passed a law this year that would make it year-round. Ohio economists are split on whether economic benefits would outweigh the harms.
Data center developers donate millions to Ohio utility assistance program as national backlash grows
By Nick Evans
Five of Ohio’s biggest data center companies have announced major donations to a program helping people cover their utility bills. Meta’s contribution alone amounts to a tenfold increase in the Neighbor to Neighbor program’s funding.
By Morgan Trau, WEWS
Trump’s continued and unproven attacks against mail-in voting, despite voting by mail himself, have yielded a win by the justices on the nation's highest court. Here's how it will impact Ohio voters during the 2026 Election.
By Morgan Trau, WEWS
Ohio has ordered that flags be lowered to honor the life of legendary country superstar Dolly Parton, who called the Buckeye State her "second" home. Her dedication to literacy has helped more than one million Ohio children get access to free books.
By Anne Saker
Baby Boomers are hitting their 80s. The structural challenges of a larger older population fall mostly to the states, and Ohio is a bellwether, aging faster since the 1990s collapse of its industrial base. Raising pay for home caregivers helps workers and seniors.
COMMENTARY
Getty Images.
By Rory Riley Topping
After years of failed and unsuccessful redistricting reform efforts, Ohio remains gerrymandered with no end in sight. Or is there? Ohio districts will be redrawn again after the 2030 Census, but what happens then depends on what happens now.
STATELINE
The big challenges and policy issues that cross state lines.
By Anna Claire Vollers
New state oversight laws are pumping the brakes on private equity’s push into healthcare, according to new data.
THE RUNDOWN
News from other states
By Madison McVan, Minnesota Reformer
A filing in the federal case against anti-ICE protesters contained undercover agents’ notes, showing they used “chat capturing software” to spy on protestors, subpoenaed their internet providers, and made lists of those attending meetings at churches.
By Sam Stockard, Tennessee Lookout
Dolly Parton, the personification of Tennessee music, died Tuesday at age 80 after decades of entertaining the world.
NATIONAL NEWS
By Shauneen Miranda
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a procedural victory to Trump on an executive order to curb mail-in voting, but the administration is still fighting a separate ruling that limits a portion of the order and remains in effect.
HISTORY THURSDAY
On this day, Aug. 27, in 2008, Democratic politician Barack Obama became the first African American to be nominated for the presidency by either major party; he later defeated Republican John McCain to win the office. Learn more
CATCHING OUR EYE
Limbo rock. Limbo lower now. How low can you go? TiffinOhio’s Bonnie Lucas reports, “Fact check: Ramaswamy ad blames Acton for death of woman who lived and died in Kentucky, not Ohio.”
Vivek Ramaswamy’s newest television ad asks Ohio voters to blame Amy Acton for a woman’s isolation and death without telling them a central fact: the woman was a Kentucky resident who died in Kentucky.
The spot, paid for by Vivek Ramaswamy and Rob McColley for Ohio and tracked by the ad-monitoring firm Medium Buying, features Delhi Township Republican activist Linda Caudill speaking directly to the camera about her mother…
What the ad never tells viewers is where Caudill’s mother lived or where she died.Limbo lower now. How low can you go? The Columbus Dispatch’s Haley BeMiller reports, “'Our grief is not raw material' for Husted Senate ad, family says in call for removal.”
A central Ohio family who died in a fiery car crash is front and center in a political ad to boost U.S. Sen. Jon Husted − and their relatives want it taken down.
The spot from the National Senate Republican Committee highlights the deaths of Lynnea, Luke and 1-year-old Logan Soposki in an April multi-vehicle crash in Delaware County. Authorities said Modou F. Ngom, of Columbus, was driving a tractor trailer and rear ended the Soposkis' vehicle, pushing it into other cars and across multiple lanes…
The ad also includes a photo of the Soposkis taken by a family friend, according to a statement from the family. And they never agreed for it to be used.
"This is not a statement about immigration policy, and we are not making one for any party or candidate," the family said. "It is a statement about our family. Lynnea and Luke were not political symbols. ... Our grief is not raw material for a campaign, and their images are not public property to repurpose for anyone's advantage."Qualified immunity. The Statehouse News Bureau’s Jo Ingles reports, “Democratic candidate for Ohio governor speaks out on qualified immunity, police tech and more.”
Ohio's Democratic candidate for governor has received an endorsement from a major statewide police agency. And she spoke out about her positions on some issues involving law enforcement, including qualified immunity and police cooperation with federal law and immigration enforcement.
Amy Acton was also asked about the controversial use of Flock cameras by police to solve crimes, something that has raised questions about privacy. When questioned specifically about police use of Flock cameras and the data they provide, Acton said she’d do a comprehensive overview of all our public safety and emergency response.
THE POD
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW, FOLKS.
Mahalo!
Thanks for reading The Eye-Opener. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.