Medicaid expansion obstacle for Ohio House budget

House Republicans on Monday threw up a bureaucratic obstacle for Gov. John Kasich's administration to get around to access the state's share of the cost of expanding Medicaid under the endangered federal health-care law. A proposed two-year budget, passed by the House Finance Committee, heads for a full House vote today.

Leaders cheer Great Lakes funding survival

Area activists, water-quality experts, and public officials were thrilled to learn the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative not only remained intact, but will continue to be funded at its current level of $300 million under the new federal spending plan. President Trump wanted to eliminate the program, often referred to as the GLRI.

VA office could hurt, not protect, whistleblowers

President Donald Trump is correct to hold federal employees accountable, even as he and his folks make every effort to squirm away from a steady flow of ethical quandaries. His executive order on "Improving Accountability and Whistleblower Protections" would create an office in the Department of Veterans Affairs to identify barriers to bouncing bad workers from an agency whose ethical reputation was shredded during a scandal over the cover-up of long patient wait times.

Ohio’s spending on opioid addiction treatment drugs Vivitrol and Suboxone spikes, spurs…

Judges, doctors and lawmakers on the front lines of the opioid addiction crisis have a problem: Three types of medications are available to help the estimated 200,000 Ohioans struggling to recover from addiction and yet there are no clear answers as to which, if any, drug works best. The skyrocketing demand for treatment has spurred competition among drugmakers for a piece of the growing market, which in Ohio is worth well over $100 million a year in public money alone.

Diners may have to wait longer for restaurant calorie counts.

New government rules to help people find out how many calories are in their restaurant meals are set to go into effect next week after years of delays. But they could be pushed back again if grocery stores, convenience stores and pizza delivery chains get their way.

Critics question top US prosecutor’s style after blunt words

With two dust-ups in a week, first with a judge in Hawaii and another with leaders of the nation's largest and most powerful police department, Attorney General Jeff Sessions sounds to some more like the conservative senator from Alabama he once was rather than the top prosecutor he is today. And some observers say the Republican's blunt style could strain relationships with the very law enforcement officials whose partnerships he contends are vital and risks politicizing criminal justice issues that demand the Justice Department's attention.

Ashtabula man indicted on drug and firearms charges

An Ashtabula man was charged in federal court with drug trafficking and firearms crimes, said Acting U.S. Attorney David A. Sierleja and FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony. George R. Williams, 35, was indicted on one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, methamphetamine and crack cocaine; possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and of being a felon in possession of a firearms and ammunition.

Diners may have to wait longer for restaurant calorie counts

New government rules to help people find out how many calories are in their restaurant meals are set to go into effect next week after years of delays. But they could be pushed back again if grocery stores, convenience stores and pizza delivery chains get their way.

U.S. appeals court grants Trump request on climate regulations case

A U.S. appeals court on Friday granted a Trump administration request to put on hold a legal challenge by industry and a group of states to former President Barack Obama's regulations aimed at curbing greenhouse emissions mainly from coal-fired power plants, rules that the Republican president is moving to undo. A 10-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit granted the request to put the litigation involving the regulations, known as the Clean Power Plan, in abeyance for at least 60 days while the administration plans its next steps.

Court agrees to hold off ruling on carbon restrictions

At the Trump administration's request, a federal appeals court agreed Friday to postpone a ruling on lawsuits challenging Obama-era restrictions on carbon emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency had asked the court to put a hold on the case shortly after President Donald Trump signed an executive order vowing to roll back the Clean Power Plan.

Sandra Sunderland Bodil Tvede James Liese Susan Liese Carolann…

SANDRA SUNDERLAND, BODIL TVEDE, JAMES LIESE, SUSAN LIESE, CAROLANN DONOFRIO, JOHN DONOFRIO, JACQUELINE GLUCKMAN, BARBARA DRUMM, JOHN VIRGADAULA, THE FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF THE DEAF, INC., Plaintiffs - Appellants, v. BETHESDA HOSPITAL, INC., d.b.a. Bethesda Memorial Hospital, d.b.a. Bethesda Hospital West, BETHESDA HEALTH, INC., Defendants - Appellees.

Sanctuary-city ruling not activist

An executive order signed by President Donald Trump attempted to penalize so-called sanctuary cities. The order - one of an unprecedented 32 to be signed by Trump in 100 days of office, despite his attacks on his predecessor's use of executive orders - threatens to cut off federal funding from local governments that refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities.

EPA chief to skip Republican gala after ethics complaint

In this Feb. 21, 2017, file photo, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt speaks to employees of the EPA in Washington. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse filed an ethics complaint on April 25 against EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt over a planned May 5 appearance as the keynote speaker at the Oklahoma Republican Party's annual gala dinner.