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!
Ohio Republican governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is telling voters he’ll roll property taxes back to “levels where they were before the end of the Covid pandemic.” But think thank Innovation Ohio contends the idea would be a disaster for schools, public safety, libraries, and public health.
By Nick Evans
The group estimates Ramaswamy’s plan would mean $6.6 billion in cuts for those agencies.
By Morgan Trau, WEWS
A bipartisan bill introduced in the Ohio House would require social media apps and websites to include warning labels if they include features deemed "addictive."
By Marty Schladen
Except for Medicare, Medicaid, and interest on the national debt, defense contractors are getting the biggest share of Ohioans’ federal tax dollars, according to a new analysis.
COMMENTARY
A hospital emergency room entrance sign. (File photo from States Newsroom.)
By Aparna Soni
Between April 2023 and mid-2025, more than 25 million people were disenrolled from Medicaid. The process became known as the “Great Unwinding.” Who lost their coverage largely depended on policies at the state level.
STATELINE
The big challenges and policy issues that cross state lines.
By Kevin Hardy
As states enact stricter work requirements for the federal food stamp program, a new analysis suggests those requirements won’t enhance employment and will push more people off of food assistance.
By Shalina Chatlani
In the eight states that expanded Medicaid after 2018, the number of people receiving prescriptions for the opioid addiction treatment medication buprenorphine increased dramatically, according to a paper that researchers will present next month.
By Sofia Resnick
Some anti-abortion state lawmakers are pushing to revise the definition of “abortion” so abortion bans don’t apply to cases in which the death of an “unborn child” is the result of medical care provided to the pregnant woman.
By Nada Hassanein
Alabama, Maine, and Virginia recently adopted policies that make it easier for physician assistants to practice and serve more patients. Changes can help fill gaps in rural and underserved communities that don’t have enough primary care medical professionals, advocates say.
THE RUNDOWN
News from other states
By Charlotte Rene Woods
Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder ardently defended Virginia’s mid-decade redistricting proposal on a call Friday — a day ahead of his participation in a get-out-the-vote rally in Arlington while former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin was set to headline a rally in opposition.
NATIONAL NEWS
By Mukta Joshi
"I first heard about Delvin Francisco Rodriguez four months ago when ICE published a notification about his death on its website. The agency shared only a few details," writes reporter Mukta Joshi about investigating Rodriguez's death in ICE custody.
By Ashley Murray
Spikes in energy prices caused by the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran drove up inflation for Americans in March, according to the latest consumer price index figures released Friday. Fuel costs drove the spike. Gas prices jumped 21.2% in March.
CATCHING OUR EYE
Acton. NBC News' Henry J. Gomez reports, "Police responded to report of 'domestic dispute' at Ohio governor candidate's home in 2019."
In August 2019, police in Bexley, Ohio, responded to a report of a “domestic dispute” at the home of Dr. Amy Acton.
Acton — then the director of the state’s Department of Health, now a Democratic candidate for governor — pulled a mirror off the wall, “shattering the glass” when she “became upset” because she felt her husband “was antagonizing her,” according to a police report...
Her campaign on Friday disputed and sought to clarify several elements of the police report. Acton and her husband had returned home from dinner, where she had one drink, according to the campaign’s written response for this article. During a “verbal disagreement regarding her long work hours,” Acton “bumped into a wall hanging which fell,” the campaign said. She then went to bed and was asleep when police arrived, according to the campaign.Black voices. Brent Larkin writes in Cleveland.com, "Tapping into Ohio’s unheard Black voices key to change in this bright red state."
No one should be surprised by high voter turnout in well-off neighborhoods. But the consistently dismal turnouts in Cleveland neighborhoods heavily populated by Black voters should worry anyone who genuinely cares about the city’s future. The main reason for his decline is rooted in multigenerational poverty that drains people of hope that any candidate for any office will make a significant difference in their lives.Chappelle. The Associated Press reports, "Dave Chappelle helps keep Ohio radio station rooted in hometown with restored building."
Comedian Dave Chappelle stood on the front lawn of a newly restored 19th-century schoolhouse Thursday, joining neighbors and local officials as a small-town radio station secured its future in the community he calls home.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked two historic moments: Chappelle's restoration of the Union Schoolhouse and WYSO's relocation of its new broadcast facility inside it, bringing together distinct efforts to keep the station rooted in Yellow Springs at a time when local media outlets face mounting challenges.
THE POD
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW, FOLKS.
Mahalo!
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