Hundreds of Ohioans rallied in Springfield Thursday to support Haitians hours after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump can end legal status for Haitians who’ve left the violence in their home country. More than a dozen people spoke at a rally outside of Springfield’s City Hall Thursday night.
Every morning in the Ohio Capital Journal’s free newsletter, The Eye-Opener, we round up the news and commentary from across Ohio and around the country and world that is catching our attention. We call this feature Catching Our Eye, republished here. Please subscribe to our free daily newsletter to get all the Ohio news you need to know […]
According to analysis of national census data, black-owned businesses in Ohio continue to increase payroll, and drive jobs and income in the state. The Health Policy Institute of Ohio analyzed the most recent U.S. Census data to find that the more than 5,600 Black-owned businesses in Ohio employed more than 64,000 employees.
Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a measure Wednesday that would’ve set the terms for utility submetering companies in Ohio. Those companies purchase electricity in bulk at a lower rate and then sell it to a multi-unit complex like apartments or condos at a higher residential rate.
America greets our 250th birthday not as the last, best hope of Earth, but under a noxious cloud of broken promises, betrayed ideals, hateful discourse, public corruption, and petulant, petty public leaders peddling horrendous lies without shame. A great bulk of everyday people are sinking in a quicksand of endless struggles, feeling desperate, helpless, hopeless, […]
Jennifer Brooks, a history professor at Auburn University, had barely unpacked from a trip out of town earlier this month when the messages started blowing up her phone. Texts from colleagues and rumors on social media delivered the unsettling news: The Auburn Board of Trustees had voted to dissolve the school’s faculty senate and give […]
Workers in more than 20 cities and states will see the minimum wage increase next month as local governments continue to raise the wage floor amid federal inaction. The federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour has not increased since 2009, losing more than 30% of its purchasing power since then because of inflation. Alaska […]
Recent polling from the Democracy Defense Project found that three out of every 10 Wisconsin voters aren’t confident this year’s elections will be conducted accurately. U.S. Rep.
The Ohio cities of Columbus and Springfield are bracing for impact after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that President Donald Trump can end legal status for Haitians who’ve fled the violence in their home country. About 330,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians are living in the United States with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a program […]
A federal judge blocked major portions of President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting voting by mail on Thursday, finding he had exceeded his constitutional authority. The decision halts, at least until a nearly certain appeal is heard, efforts by the U.S. Postal Service to require states to submit the names of likely mail voters before it […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court Thursday allowed the Trump administration to move forward with its plans to strip temporary legal status from 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians, a move that opens them up to deportation. The 6-3 conservative court ruled that the Haitian and Syrian immigrants are not “entitled” to orders postponing an end to their […]
State courts cannot find liability for labeling shortcomings in pesticides and related products because such products are covered by federal law, the U.S. Supreme Court said Thursday in a decision backing agricultural giant Monsanto. The justices, in a 7-2 decision, threw out a $1.25 million verdict a Missouri court awarded to a man who said long-term […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court sided Thursday with the Trump administration’s request to turn away asylum-seekers who present themselves at ports of entry at the U.S.-Mexico border. The question the justices considered was whether migrants have to fully cross into the United States in order to have the right to apply for asylum and be processed, […]
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration sent Congress a request Wednesday for $87.6 billion in emergency funding to cover the cost of the war in Iran and other expenses. White House budget director Russ Vought wrote in a letter that in addition to addressing “urgent needs” for the Defense Department, the funding would help the U.S. government […]
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump kicked off his administration’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary Wednesday night with a rally speech nearly mirroring his days on the 2024 presidential campaign trail to a crowd of loyal supporters waving American flag placards. The president delivered remarks for roughly 25 minutes on the National Mall against the backdrop […]
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a bill that would have required absentee voters to provide a copy of their driver’s license or state ID starting with the November 2027 election. “House Bill 472 would not discourage fraud, would not add any real security, and would create an additional and significant burden for Ohioans who vote […]
Ohio saw a small loss of jobs in May, but more significant are the large numbers of Ohioans leaving the state’s workforce. The United States added 172,000 jobs in May, more than doubling economists’ expectations. But Ohio saw a modest decrease, losing 2,400, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
For the 1 in 10 Ohioans who identify as LGBTQ+, media representation and social acceptance may have improved, but stigma and discrimination still impact them in large aspects of their lives, including healthcare access, a new report shows. State data cited by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio showed that 10.6% of Ohioans are a […]
More than 130 medical calls have been made from the Butler County, Ohio jail since their Immigration and Customs Enforcement contract resumed last year, records obtained by the Ohio Capital Journal show, a 25% increase from the year before. Located in Hamilton, Ohio, the Butler County jail is separated into three facilities: the Corrections Center […]
Being a mom of eight children has taught me a lot. The experiences that my 23-year old had growing up were very different from the way my 10-year old experiences them today, but one thing remains the same. To protect my kids, I need to listen carefully and take the time to understand the things […]
With two members of the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission on the ballot this year, a Republican lawmaker is proposing a constitutional amendment to bar commissioners from seeking partisan state or local office until after the next census cycle. The commission was a new concept for Michigan in 2021, when 13 Michigan citizens — four […]
A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled the Department of Justice isn’t entitled to access the sensitive personal data of Michigan voters, a setback in President Donald Trump’s push to assert power over state-run elections. The decision moves the country closer to a potential fight at the U.S. Supreme Court over state voter rolls ahead […]
WASHINGTON — Parties, protests, displays of historic documents, odes to the Founding Fathers — and a massive political rally by the president — will mark a deeply polarized nation’s 250th anniversary on this Fourth of July. Pomp and circumstance will abound for the semiquincentennial as the similarly named America250 and Freedom 250 offer different slates […]
Ohio Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign for governor has racked up more than half a million dollars in credit card bills without disclosing what it’s purchasing. The campaign’s credit card spending has jumped dramatically in recent months. Just since April, Ramasawamy’s campaign has put $280,892 on an American Express card.
When local newspapers shut their doors and no reporters are there to watch school boards, city councils, and county commissioners, taxes go up, according to a new study. The increase is $12 million a year in Ohio and $1.1 billion nationally — and that doesn’t even count the money that gets stolen or the cost […]
As Gov. Mike DeWine is being asked by voting rights groups to veto a new bill requiring a photo ID to cast an absentee ballot, Ohio’s secretary of state candidates differ on what they think he should do. While both Republicans and Democrats support requiring identification to vote, Ohio’s secretary of state candidates differ on […]
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As we pause to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, we should take the time to evaluate her well-being. All is not well in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Why isn’t it?
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to review Arkansas’ limits on assistance for voters at the polls, a decision that advocates say further erodes the landmark 1965 law preventing discrimination against racial minorities at the ballot box. The decision leaves in place last July’s ruling by an 8th U.S.
An Ohio voting-rights group is insisting it did nothing to justify the “swarms” of FBI agents who fanned out across the state on June 12, searching offices and visiting the homes of employees and volunteers with the Ohio Organizing Collaborative. Meanwhile, the FBI hasn’t given any public hint of its reasons for the action or […]
The number of people experiencing homelessness in Ohio in 2025 increased more than 3%, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. There were 12,196 people experiencing homelessness in Ohio last year, according to HUD’s annual Homelessness Assessment Report.
Kids 16 and under may soon be restricted from accessing social media after a federal appeals court upheld an Ohio law requiring parental consent to make an account. A panel of judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has allowed for the state’s social media regulations to go into effect.
Something happened in Cleveland recently that needs our attention, regardless of political affiliation. The headline about the event was concise, specific and, in the end, alarming: FBI Raids Ohio Voting Rights Organization. With so many crises facing the nation now, do we have to read that six-word headline again to fully understand what we have […]
  Key points Federal courts blocked Alabama’s use of nitrogen gas in executions earlier this month, ruling that it created “air hunger” and suffering that went beyond what the Constitution allows. Only a handful of states had followed Alabama in using the execution procedure, but experts say the ruling will complicate future attempts to use […]
Ohio will lose 51,000 jobs and $5.3 billion from the state economy in 2029, according to a new analysis. That’s the effect that cuts to Medicaid and food assistance under a massive 2025 spending law will have when they’re fully phased in. It’s also the consequence of Republicans allowing Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire […]
Ohioans will not have a chance to vote to eliminate the same-sex marriage ban in the Ohio Constitution in the November election. Ohio Equal Rights recently announced they will not try to get two amendments on this year’s ballot, but will instead sight their sights on the 2027 election. Their other proposed amendment would add […]
This story was originally published in The 74. Letting students decide how they learn is almost as important a goal of Mayfield High School near Cleveland as learning itself. The school lets students skip traditional classrooms and lectures if they don’t fit how a student learns best.
This month, Gov. Mike DeWine officially proclaimed June 1 to June 7 as Ohio State Parks Week, celebrating the natural beauty, outdoor recreational opportunities, and award-winning excellence of Ohio’s 76 state parks. “These parks belong to all of us, and they offer every Ohioan a chance to connect with nature, spend meaningful time outdoors, and […]
The Trump administration told states last week it will exercise more stringent financial oversight of waivers that states use to design pilot programs under Medicaid, the state-federal program for low-income people and those with disabilities. In letters sent to state Medicaid directors, the administration announced the changes to Section 1115 “demonstration waivers,” which states apply […]
The National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association and a family planning organization in Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Health and Human Services agency on Thursday alleging that it is politicizing the Title X grant funding program and violating the intent of the law. Attorneys from the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Civil […]
Voting rights advocacy groups warned last week that a North Carolina House bill proposing extensive changes to state election laws is “harmful” to voting rights. Representatives from Common Cause North Carolina, Democracy North Carolina, Forward Justice, North Carolina Asian Americans Together, and North Carolina Black Alliance gathered outside the state Legislative Building at the hour […]
Democrats are growing hopeful they can recapture the U.S. Senate in this fall’s midterm elections amid President Donald Trump’s plummeting approval ratings. But they still need nearly everything to break their way against a map that put them at a starting disadvantage, analysts and campaign officials say.
Final peace negotiations between the United States and Iran officially began Thursday, Vice President JD Vance said at a late morning press conference in Washington, starting a 60-day countdown for the Islamic Republic to safely open the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. to lift a blockade on Iranian oil, and for the two nations to […]
American teens are driving less than in previous decades, prompting civic advocates to warn that fewer young people may register to vote. Yet at least one state — New Hampshire — offers insight into how civic groups can work around a lack of registration opportunities to ensure young people can register, as well as the […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education will temporarily reduce interest rates for federal student loan borrowers enrolled in auto pay starting July 1, the agency announced Thursday. Borrowers who enroll in auto pay — the optional feature that allows a borrower to have their monthly loan payment automatically deducted from their checking or savings account — […]
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Ohio Legislative Black Caucus lawmakers railed against a potential constitutional amendment on voter photo ID and defended an Ohio voting-rights group whose offices were searched by the FBI, in a news conference this week commemorating Juneteenth. Juneteenth recognizes the final emancipation of enslaved African Americans on June 19, 1865, at the end of the Civil […]
Ohio voters will not have a chance to vote to ban data centers in the November election. Conserve Ohio, the grassroots organization behind the proposed constitutional amendment, said they are now hoping to make the 2027 ballot. The amendment would prohibit building data centers with a peak load of more than 25 megawatts per month, […]
A new national study of childcare policies gave Ohio positive marks for efforts being made to increase payments and assistance, but still urged more work on the part of states and federal agencies. The childcare field has been in what has been described by state and national advocates as a crisis as facilities struggle with […]
The abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass is known for many things, but perhaps among the most significant is his views on education’s relationship to slavery. Douglass himself was born into slavery in Maryland in 1818. Douglass described in his 1845 autobiography how one of his enslavers, Mrs.