By 1812Blockhouse; Office of Governor DeWine
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today awarded more than $3.7 million to 21 local law enforcement agencies to help them strategically combat violence in their communities.
One of those agencies is here in Richland County.
The 21 agencies are the first to receive funding through Governor DeWine’s new Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program. Governor DeWine, in partnership with the Ohio General Assembly, created the program last year to give local law enforcement additional tools to hold accountable the small number of criminals responsible for most violent crime in the state.
More…Featured, Grants, Mansfield Division of Police, State of Ohio
Special to 1812Blockhouse; From Office of Rep. Marilyn John and Ohio State Controlling Board
The state controlling board has approved the release of $152,943.00 for three separate projects in Richland County.
First, The Ohio State University requested and received $32,887.00 for a boiler replacement at the Recreation Center Life Safety project, which will allow the programmatic goals of the project to be further enhanced by accepting all alternates in the Boiler Replacements project.
This project will replace the existing boiler in the Campus Recreation Center that is original to the building, and two existing boilers in the Eisenhower Memorial Center that were installed in 1991.
More…Construction Projects, Featured, OSU Mansfield, State of Ohio
By Susan Tebben, Ohio Capital Journal
The Ohio Supreme Court weighed in on the redistricting battle on Friday evening, asking the members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission why it shouldn’t hold them in contempt of court for defying its order.
Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor signed an entry in all three of the lawsuits against the ORC on legislative redistricting, asking Gov. Mike DeWine, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Auditor Keith Faber, Senate President Matt Huffman, House Speaker (and commission co-chair) Bob Cupp, state Sen. (and commission co-chair) Vernon Sykes and House Minority Leader Allison Russo, to explain the “failure to comply with this court’s February 7, 2022 order,” and why they shouldn’t face anything from fines to jail time, the consequences for contempt of court.
More…
Special to 1812Blockhouse
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is announcing plans to prioritize the state’s supply of COVID-19 tests to first support testing for K-12 schools and colleges/universities. This comes as the state is experiencing a delay in shipment of more than 800,000 testing kits amid a nationwide shortage in COVID-19 testing supplies.
ODH has been making available both the proctored rapid Abbott BinaxNow at-home antigen tests and over-the-counter self-administered tests free to Ohioans at local health departments, public libraries, schools, and other locations. Ohio was one of the first states to prioritize widespread distribution of free rapid testing kits and has distributed about 5.6 million free testing kits – 1.4 million in December alone.
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By 1812Blockhouse
The State of Ohio Controlling Board will consider a request from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to release funds for a large renovation project at Richland (RiCI) and Mansfield Correctional Institutions (ManCI) at their meeting on Monday.
The total request is for $10,496,460 to three suppliers.
The construction manager at risk is 2K General Co. of Delaware. The project involves the following:
More…Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, State of Ohio
Special to 1812Blockhouse
With the holidays quickly approaching, the Ohio Department of Development is encouraging Ohioans to shop local, shop Ohio, and support the thousands of small businesses that are the backbone of our state’s economy.
“Small businesses deserve our support, and by shopping local, you are helping fellow Ohioans, their families, and communities,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “Our small business owners are passionate, dedicated, and proud to represent the best of Ohio.”
To help in your search, Development and TourismOhio are promoting a new webpage on Ohio.org to highlight products made in Ohio. The Made in Ohio page lists nearly 800 companies in categories such as apparel, snack foods, coffee, décor, and furniture.
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Special to 1812Blockhouse
On Wednesday, Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted made a stop at North Central State College for the announcement of a new Tower Technician Program at the James W. Kehoe Center in Shelby.
The certificate program is a partnership between NC State College and Governor Mike DeWine’s Office of Workforce Training (GOWT). North Central is one of three sites selected across the state for this new training program. The goal of the Tower Technician Program is to provide a reliable stream of qualified employees to support the expanding 5G networking needs of multiple utility providers throughout Ohio.
More…Featured, New Educational Programs., North Central State College, State of Ohio
By Marty Schladen, Ohio Capital Journal
In May 2020, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced $775 million in state spending cuts in the face of what he expected to be lower tax revenues due to economic dislocation caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The cuts included $300 million whacked from K-12 education and $210 million from Medicaid, the health program for the poor. DeWine decided to make them instead of dipping into the state’s $2.7 billion rainy day fund.
In hindsight, the move is receiving scant support from a panel of Ohio economists.
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By Tyler Buchanan, Ohio Capital Journal
When a legislative effort was fumbled, it was said that Gov. Mike DeWine picked up the ball and ran with it.
As it turned out, the Ohio General Assembly did get the job done before the final bell sounded.
Sports metaphors abounded inside the Statehouse on Monday as two branches of government worked to enact a plan to allow college athletes to earn compensation off their own names, images and likenesses (NIL). More…
NOTE: In addition to Ohio’s million dollar vaccination lottery, the first winner of which will be drawn on Monday, many jurisdictions are following suit with incentives. In the last few days, this has included state lotteries announced for New York, Maryland, and Oregon Ohio has seen a dramatic increase in vaccination rates, the local impact of which we will cover tomorrow.
This recent piece in Route Fifty is part of the SoJo Exchange from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rigorous reporting about responses to social problems. The original post can be read here.
Boosting Covid-19 Vaccinations with $1 million Prizes, Free Crawfish, Hunting Licenses and More
By Brent Woodie, Route Fifty More…
Coronavirus, Featured, Solutions Journalism Network, State of Ohio
Special to 1812Blockhouse from Ohio. Find It Here.
Ohio. Find It Here. has launched its summer campaign that tells the rest of the country what Ohioans already know: Ohio is an amazing place to live, learn, work and play. The $4 million marketing campaign kicks off during National Travel and Tourism Week and runs through June. It will encourage people to find their future in Ohio with images of families and friends experiencing joy, happiness and excitement at Ohio’s unique attractions, in beautiful parks, at incredible universities and in top companies.
“This campaign showcases many of the opportunities and adventures that can be discovered in Ohio,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “As we emerge from the pandemic, I’d encourage Ohioans and visitors to safely explore all that Ohio has to offer.” More…
By Susan Tebben, Ohio Capital Journal
Two state legislators, including the chair of the Senate Primary & Secondary Education Committee, say a newly proposed funding formula is still alive in Ohio’s biennial budget.
State Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware, assured a recent Central Ohio virtual town hall including local educational representatives that despite the fact that the majority of the funding formula introduced during the last General Assembly died at the end of the year, the biennial budget brings with it the formula that lessens the weight of property taxes, and expands eligibility for private school voucher programs.
“I believe in this budget there will be a school funding formula in it,” Brenner said. More…
By Susan Tebben, Ohio Capital Journal
In 1991, Sheridan High School freshman Nathan DeRolph thought Ohio’s education funding formula would change before he entered college.
He and his parents had filed a lawsuit against the state that would eventually make it to the Ohio Supreme Court, fighting against the overreliance on property taxes built into public school funding. “I kind of naively, I think, thought by the time I’m a senior in high school, this will all be wrapped up and hopefully there will be a new funding plan in place, and generations after me won’t have to deal with the same challenges,” DeRolph said.
Three decades later, he just watched his daughter graduate from high school, under the same funding system his family fought against, through multiple supreme court decisions. More…
Special to 1812Blockhouse
The Ohio EPA, Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) have unveiled a statewide litter campaign to prioritize and promote the conversation around litter in Ohio.
“Litter is ugly and costly,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “Earth Day is a great opportunity to recognize what each of us can do to help protect our planet. One of the things we can all do is help clean up litter – because a little bit of litter is a big problem.”
Research shows that 42% of Ohioans admit to having littered in the past month. Litter impacts many facets of Ohio, including Ohio’s transportation system, state parks, beach fronts, and waterways. More…
By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS Associated Press
Ohioans would receive a 2% personal income tax cut and the state would fund schools in a more equitable fashion under the latest version of the state budget introduced Tuesday by House Republicans.
The 2% cut would amount to $380 million in reduced taxes over two years beginning July 1, and is on top of $120 million in reduced taxes brought on by recently passed legislation that aligns Ohio tax code with federal law, according to majority GOP lawmakers.
The budget also provides previously announced $155 million in grants to help industries negatively affected by the coronavirus pandemic. More…
