Ohio

The New Plans to Remake Appalachia’s Economy

Mayors from the region and others want the Biden administration to embrace their proposals for billions of dollars of spending, with a heavy emphasis on clean energy projects, as a way to reinvent the region as coal declines.

  • By Bill Lucia

Americans Aren’t Actually Quarantining

Many states have quarantine requirements for visitors, but only one really enforces them: Hawaii.

  • By Olga Khazan, The Atlantic

Ohio Bans Dancing at Weddings to Curb Covid-19 Spread

The state is implementing new restrictions on weddings and other events as cases swell and as more coronavirus infections are being linked to social and family gatherings.

  • By Andrea Noble

Two Ohio Cities Sue State Over Gun Background Check System

Dayton and Columbus officials announced their lawsuit on Monday, saying the state attorney general’s office needs to fix a system that doesn’t always contain information about people with felony convictions.

  • By Emma Coleman

Ohio Just Ordered GM to Repay $28 Million in Tax Breaks for Closing the Lordstown Auto Plant

General Motors received more than $60 million in tax credits to operate a massive assembly plant in Lordstown until 2040. But after the facility closed last year, the state says GM must pay back roughly half of those tax benefits.

  • By Dan O'Brien, ProPublica

Two Months Out from Election Day, Ohio Nailing Down Vote-By-Mail Procedures

Officials decided Monday the state will not pay for postage on absentee ballots, and a pending appeal will determine whether voters can request absentee ballots by email.

  • By Andrea Noble

Ohio Policy Aims to Detect Vulnerabilities in Election Websites

Elections officials and vendors are moving forward with plans to roll out vulnerability disclosure programs to help detect problems before the presidential election.

  • By Andrea Noble

Seven States Band Together to Purchase Rapid-Result Covid Tests

The compact, negotiated by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, aims to increase production of the tests, which can deliver results in less than a half hour.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Facing Poll Worker Shortage, One State Offers Credit Hours to Lawyers Who Volunteer

The Ohio Supreme Court approved a rule change to grant four hours of continuing education credits to practicing attorneys who work a full shift at the polls on Election Day.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Ohio House Speaker Accused by Feds in $60 Million Bribery Scheme

STATE AND LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP | New York transit warns of $16 billion shortfall … After months of debate, Minnesota legislature passes sweeping criminal justice bill … Florida governor gets the Lincoln Project treatment.

  • By Laura Maggi and Emma Coleman

The Nation's Marquee 'Smart City' Program Continues to Evolve

Experts and people involved in the Columbus, Ohio project say it provides a chance for the city and others to learn more about what works and what doesn't with emerging transportation technology.

  • By Bill Lucia

Ohio County Sets Up Mask Violation Hotline

STATE AND LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP | Florida coronavirus cases top one-day high for a single state … Seattle City Council majority pledges to support 50% cut to police department … South Carolina county could report 4,000 missing school Chromebooks to police.

  • By Laura Maggi and Emma Coleman

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State CIOs in 2020

Ohio Suicide Study Finds Alarming Rise Over Past Decade

STATE AND LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP | Atlanta mayor tests positive for Covid-19 … Governors’ businesses got PPP loans ... Black Lives Matter mural defaced.

  • By Laura Maggi and Emma Coleman

One City’s Plan to Help Local Businesses by Funding a Cash Rewards Program

As Akron, Ohio grapples with fallout from the coronavirus, the city is working to launch a mobile app where people will earn “blimp” credits for local purchases. The credits can then be used like currency at other area establishments.

  • By Bill Lucia

State Fairs Are the Latest Casualty of Covid-19

At least 15 states have canceled their annual fairs due to public health concerns amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, while others are moving ahead with modified, pared-down events.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

The Prison Was Built to Hold 1,500 Inmates. It Had Over 2,000 Coronavirus Cases.

Prison overcrowding has been quietly tolerated for decades. But the pandemic is forcing a reckoning.

  • By Dara Lind, ProPublica

Black Lawmakers Are Getting Pepper Sprayed at Protests

A county commissioner, a city councilman and a U.S. congresswoman attended a protest in Columbus to support demonstrators and encourage peaceful tactics. Then police showed up.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Governors Ask Residents to Stop Mask-Shaming

Two Republican governors asked residents to stop harassing people who choose to wear face coverings in public, saying the decision to do so should be separate from politics.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Why a Struggling Rust Belt City Pinned Its Revival on a Self-Chilling Beverage Can

Welcome to Youngstown, Ohio, home of Chill-Can, the self-chilling beverage container you’ve probably never heard of. Officials have gambled millions of dollars and demolished a neighborhood for the product. Not one job has been created yet.

  • By Dan O’Brien, ProPublica

New Hampshire Latest State to Try to Limit Out-of-State Tourists

New Hampshire is reopening certain recreational sites, but trying to limit them to residents. Other states have attempted similar measures, with mixed results.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Governors Immortalized as Bobbleheads for Coronavirus Response

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum immortalized four governors as bouncy-headed figurines for their state leadership during the coronavirus pandemic.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram