By FARNOUSH AMIRI Report for America/Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Gov. Mike DeWine issued a health order Tuesday requiring masks for children returning to in-person classes this fall. The governor pleaded with concerned parents and educators across the state to abide by the state’s health orders as K-12 schools begin to open.
During his briefing Tuesday, DeWine said the mask order for students “gives us the best shot to keep Ohio’s kids and educators safe and physically in school.”
New cases in Ohio remain high, with 1,143 reported Tuesday, up from over 900 on Monday, marking a 21-day daily case average of 1,291. More…
By 1812Blockhouse
Revised levels for Ohio counties under the state’s Public Health Advisory System were announced today in Columbus.
The news was generally positive throughout the state. Of those counties with elevated levels (Level 3 and higher), 13 remained at Level 3, and nine counties were downgraded from Level 3 to Level 2.
The one county that showed the biggest downgrade in severity was Richland County, which fell from Level 3 to Level 1, the lowest level available. More…
By FARNOUSH AMIRI Report for America/Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican lawmakers on Thursday chose former state Supreme Court justice and current Rep. Bob Cupp to lead the Ohio House, replacing the speaker ousted hours earlier amid a scandal.
House members voted in favor of the veteran lawmaker from Lima on Thursday afternoon after a private Republican caucus. It followed a historic, unanimous House vote earlier in the day to remove Rep. Larry Householder as speaker because he was indicted in an alleged $60 million bribery scheme.
Cupp was elevated in a more divided vote and then was immediately sworn in by Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judith French. He said he was sorry to be leading “in such difficult and trying and unprecedented times” but promised to do so fairly and humbly and to prioritize transparency and accountability. More…
By FARNOUSH AMIRI and JULIE CARR SMYTH Report for America/Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio House plans to vote Thursday on the removal of the disgraced House speaker arrested last week in connection with a $60 million federal bribery probe, after Republicans took a secret vote on the matter Tuesday that was prompted by Larry Householder’s refusal to resign.
It wasn’t immediately clear under what authority the remaining members of Householder’s leadership team called the session. Under House rules, only the speaker can call or schedule a session. The power falls to his No. 2, Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Jim Butler, if the speaker is absent. More…
County Fairs, Day Care, New Case Plateau; OEA Calls For Remote Learning; Latest Numbers
By 1812Blockhouse
Tuesday was a particularly busy day for announcements and news coverage related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re sharing several of these items here.
County Fairs. Sharing that the experience to date with county fairs has proven problematic in minimizing the spread of the virus, Governor Mike DeWine announced that county fairs and independent fairs taking place on or after July 31 will be limited to junior fairs where children can show livestock, 4-H projects, etc., but without rides or grandstand entertainment. Unless modified before then, this will impact the Richland County Fair next month and possibly the Bellville Street Fair in September. More…
By FARNOUSH AMIRI and JULIE CARR SMYTH Report for America/Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican state representatives in Ohio planned to meet Tuesday for the first time since their leader was arrested in connection with a $60 million federal bribery probe to discuss whether to remove disgraced House Speaker Larry Householder and what the investigation’s fallout might mean for their fall legislative campaigns.
The meeting in a downtown hotel is open to all members of the House Republican Caucus, said Majority Floor Leader Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican who helped organize the gathering. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a fellow Republican; Jane Timken, chair of the Ohio Republican Party; the clerk of the Ohio House and the lawyer for House Republicans’ campaign committee are also invited, Seitz said. More…
By FARNOUSH AMIRI Report for America/Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio House lawmakers on Friday moved to address the power vacuum created by the arrest of current Republican Speaker Larry Householder amid a $60 million federal bribery probe.
The names of potential candidates to take the reins of the House of Representatives are spilling out — two days after federal officials arrested Householder and four associates over alleged bribes to shepherd an energy bill into law.
One of the candidates for Ohio House speaker is GOP Rep. Bob Cupp. The former Ohio Supreme Court justice and four-term state senator has served in the House since 2015 and is being promoted as someone who could bring what Householder could not to the House floor: unity. More…
By: Jake Zuckerman, Ohio Capital Journal
Hospital rolls of COVID-19 patients soared to a record high Wednesday as a month-long surge in new cases has spilled over into Ohio’s hospitalization counts.
On Wednesday, the Ohio Department of Health reported there are nearly 1,100 Ohioans currently in the hospital with COVID-19, the respiratory and vascular disease caused by the new coronavirus.
The active patient load peaked in early May (when the state began reporting the data point) with about 1,050 people hospitalized. It then tumbled down to a low in late June before marching upward ever since. More…
By: State of Ohio; 1812Blockhouse
The Governor of Ohio covered a number of topics during his Wednesday briefing. Afterward, the following was released by the State of Ohio.
Topics covered include: the new statewide mask mandate, a statewide travel warning, informal gatherings, county fairs, a congressional letter, unemployment rates, hospital indicators, new public service announcements, and current COVID-19 data:
STATEWIDE MASK ORDER
Governor DeWine announced that beginning on Thursday, July 23, at 6:00 p.m., a statewide mask mandate will go into effect for citizens living in all 88 Ohio counties. More…
By: 1812Blockhouse
A whirlwind day at the Ohio Statehouse found Governor Mike DeWine making a call for the resignation of Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder.
The move came shortly after US Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, David DeVillers, revealed details of a year-long investigation resulting in racketeering charges being levied against the Speaker and others.
Allegations are that Householder operated an organization, Generation Now, that funneled a substantial sum from an unidentified company to 21 political candidates, and also to an effort to thwart a referendum designed to repeal House Bill 6, a $1.3 billion dollar energy bailout eventually passed by the Ohio General Assembly and signed by the Governor. More…
(The Center Square)
Ohio concluded the 2020 fiscal year with General Revenue Fund tax revenues of $1.1 billion, or 4.6 percent, below estimates, a clear indication of the impact the COVID-19 restrictions have had on the state.
Tax revenues in June were $50.5 million, or 2.2 percent, below estimate. However, state officials noted that revenues were better than a month earlier when they were 13 percent below expectations.
To balance its budget, state officials implemented several cost-cutting measures, including reducing state agency budgets. State officials also shifted Medicaid expenses using the enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), which Congress authorized with the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. More…
By FARNOUSH AMIRI Report for America/Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A company partly owned by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is among those that received loans from a $600 billion-plus coronavirus aid program.
The data released Monday shows DeWine Seeds-Silver Dollar Baseball received a loan under the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program for a range of $150,000 to $350,000.
The company owns the Asheville Tourists, a minor league baseball team in North Carolina, which was purchased by the governor’s family in 2010. DeWine’s son, Brian DeWine, currently serves as president of the baseball team. More…
By: MahoningMatters Staff; 1812Blockhouse
In response to the statewide spike in coronavirus cases, Ohio will adopt a county-by-county strategy for containing the virus.
Govenor Mike DeWine announced Thursday the state’s implementation of a Public Health Advisory System. It consists of four levels, and levels are determined by seven indicators: More…
By: 1812Blockhouse
The Governor of Ohio began his Thursday COVID-19 briefing with a look ahead — specifically, at the 2020-2021 school year that grows closer each day.
DeWine took the opportunity to unveil newly released guidance for school districts as they make plans for the new school year, laying out both requirements and what DeWine referred to as “strong recommendations.”. The State of Ohio also issued the new “Reset and Restart Education Planning Guide for Ohio Schools and Districts”to provide additional guidance (can be accessed below). More…
Coronavirus, Education, Featured, Public Health, State of Ohio
