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!
Former Ohio State University President Ted Carter misused his role to try to get resources to help Krisanthe Vlachos — the woman he was having an “inappropriate relationship with” — according to a new report.
Ex-Ohio State University President Ted Carter. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
By Megan Henry and Reilly Ackermann
Ohio State this week released the 47-page report, which details the investigation into the circumstances that led to Carter’s abrupt resignation last month. The university has also released thousands of documents as part of the investigation.
By Nick Evans
Next week, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider the immigration status of thousands around the country, including Haitian immigrants in cities like Springfield, Ohio.
By Morgan Trau, WEWS
Republican candidate for Ohio governor Vivek Ramaswamy is still pushing to shut down public colleges and universities if he believes they are "subpar," he said Tuesday evening.
By Marty Schladen
Since Donald Trump again became president at the start of 2025, Republicans have made massive cuts to programs such as Medicaid and food assistance. But a lesser-known cut ends child care relief to working families before it got a chance to start.
COMMENTARY
File photo by Getty Images
By Rob Moore
Publicly funded child care has become a flashpoint in the debate around benefits cliffs. Many people worry about how benefit eligibility can create disincentives for workers to take raises, promotions, or otherwise advance in low-wage careers due to steep drop-offs in benefits eligibility.
STATELINE
The big challenges and policy issues that cross state lines.
By Tim Henderson
Currently asylum-seekers must wait six months after filing an asylum request before they can work legally, but the Trump administration is seeking to extend that to one year. The new rule is open for comment until Friday.
By Kevin Hardy
Nearly one-fifth of Americans relied on drinking water systems with elevated and potentially dangerous levels of nitrate in recent years, according to a new study released Thursday.
THE RUNDOWN
News from other states
By Niki Kelly
Gov. Mike Braun told an Indianapolis radio station Thursday that he is "likely" to extend the suspension of the state sales tax on gas purchases.
NATIONAL NEWS
By Jennifer Shutt
U.S. Senate Republicans approved a budget resolution early Thursday intended to speed the way for billions for immigration enforcement, sending the measure to the House, where GOP lawmakers in that chamber need to adopt it to unlock the reconciliation process.
By Jonathan Shorman
President Donald Trump’s executive order on mail voting would shatter decades of U.S. Postal Service independence intended to shield it from partisan politics, postal experts and attorneys say.
By Ashley Murray
Senate Republicans, and one Democrat, maintained their support for President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, after blocking for the fifth time a resolution that would force the president to seek congressional authorization for further action in the Middle East.
By Jacob Fischler
The race by each party to redraw U.S. House districts in their favor could be headed for a draw after Tuesday’s big win for Democrats in Virginia, though major shifts are still possible before crucial midterm elections in November.
By Ariana Figueroa
Nearly all Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee failed to show up for a Wednesday hearing convened by Democrats to highlight President Donald Trump’s aggressive tactics in his mass deportation campaign that have ensnared U.S. citizens.
SCIENCE FRIDAY
As it turns out, perhaps we could all learn a thing or two about adapting to change from the humble naked mole rat. As NPR reports, a colony of the subterranean mammals had a peaceful transfer of power from their established queen (yes, there are apparently queens in the naked mole rat lineage), though the monarchy still ruled the day. Read more
CATCHING OUR EYE
Ohio governor’s race. The Statehouse News Bureau’s Jo Ingles is reporting, “Why votes for a longshot GOP candidate for Ohio governor won't count.”
Former Morgan County School Board member Heather Hill is on the statewide ballot in the race for the Republican nomination for governor, with Stuart Moats listed as her lieutenant governor. But votes for that ticket won't be counted.On Wednesday, Moats filed official paperwork with the Ohio Secretary of State's office, notifying it that he had withdrawn from the primary. The Ohio Secretary of State's office said that without a valid running mate, Hill no longer qualified to receive votes for governor. And while their names will remain on the statewide ballot, Ohio's 88 county boards of elections have been notified that votes for them will not be counted.
Ted Carter (again). WOSU Public Media’s George Shillcock is reporting, “University of Nebraska confirms review of records from former president Ted Carter's tenure.”
The University of Nebraska says it is reviewing records from former NU and Ohio State University President Walter "Ted" Carter Jr.'s tenure at the university.A University of Nebraska spokesperson confirmed the investigation in a statement to WOSU, which said NU is looking through records and related materials.
Carter was president at NU for three years prior to joining Ohio State in 2023. The statement said NU is aware of a report done by OSU into Carter's alleged wrongdoing which led to his resignation on March 9.
Purdue Pharma. Propublica and the Philadelphia Inquirer are reporting, “‘A punch in the gut': After years of waiting, many opioid victims will be shut out of Purdue settlement.”
Mary Jannotta sliced meat and cheese behind deli counters at Acme and Pathmark supermarkets in the Philadelphia suburbs for decades, developing aches that came with working on her feet. A botched back surgery in 2008 made the pain worse. Her doctor repeatedly prescribed OxyContin, Purdue Pharma’s marquee painkiller — the high-dose opioid the company later admitted it criminally marketed and distributed.Jannotta said she soon became dependent on opioids. Cut off by her doctors, she found her way to Kensington, home of Philadelphia’s dangerous open-air drug market, to score pills. She eventually lost her car, her home — and her grandson. Tyler Cordeiro first pilfered Jannotta’s prescription pills as a teenager. He was 24 when he died of an overdose.
When Purdue filed for bankruptcy in 2019, Jannotta, along with nearly 140,000 other people, filed claims against the company for the harm they said its drugs caused. Though the money could not bring back what they lost, a financial settlement represented an opportunity to get justice from the company and its multibillionaire owners, the Sackler family.
Then they waited.
THE POD
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW, FOLKS.
Mahalo!
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