ACLU sues over battleground Ohio’s congressional districts

The ACLU filed a constitutional challenge to Ohio's congressional map on Wednesday, using Republican Gov. John Kasich's statements opposing gerrymandering as ammunition. A suit filed in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati challenges district maps in effect through 2020 for "an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander" that violates voters' rights to democratically select their representatives.

Leetonia cuts court clerk hours

Council Wednesday night agreed to change the mayor's court clerk to an as needed position, determined by the mayor. The move is in response to former magistrate Kathleen Bartlett resigning after being appointed by Gov. John Kasich to the Seventh District Court of Appeals, making the clerk position not needed unless the magistrate position is filled.

Kasich unsure how much he’ll back GOP nominee for Ohio gov.

Fresh off a victory in Ohio's primary election, the Democratic nominee for the state's top office is reaching out to supporters of outgoing Republican Gov. John Kasich, whose policies have alienated many GOP supporters in recent years. Democrat Richard Cordray, who led the federal consumer protection bureau under President Barack Obama, pledged in a video his campaign released Friday that he'll maintain Kasich's expansion of Medicaid and the state's privatized economic development office, which critics say lacks accountability.

TV warfare: New DeWine ad calls Taylor a ‘phony conservative’

The campaign of Mike DeWine calls out Mary Taylor as a "phony conservative" in a new TV commercial underlining a $1 million media buy ahead of the Republican gubernatorial primary on May 8. The 30-second DeWine spot, which will air statewide on broadcast TV, cable TV and radio buy, paints the lieutenant governor as a "career politician" who refused to endorse President Donald Trump, supported Medicaid expansion as part of Obamacare - "then lied about it" - and claims "she used used your tax dollars to benefit her family business." The commercial concludes: "Lt.

Kasich shores up bipartisan credentials, arriving in NH

Republican Gov. John Kasich restored Ohio's membership in the National Governors Association as he seeks to shore up credibility for bipartisan deal-making that could bolster a 2020 bid for president. An invoice produced in response to a public records request shows Ohio rejoined the bipartisan policy group in January for the first time in eight years.

Kasich’s New Hampshire trip will create buzz

John Kasich's return to New Hampshire this week is likely to get widespread media coverage as a significant milestone toward what many view as his inevitable 2020 presidential campaign. Within the past month, the state that traditionally hosts the nation's first presidential primary already has had visits from President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake - all potential GOP rivals for Ohio's governor.

Competition fierce for open mid-Ohio congressional district

Eighteen candidates are vying for a U.S. House seat in central Ohio that Republicans have held for 35 years and Democrats now see as competitive. Democrat Conor Lamb's razor-thin victory earlier this month in a Pennsylvania congressional district that heavily supported GOP President Donald Trump is buoying Democrats' hopes they could seize the 12th congressional district long controlled by Republicans.

Governor spares life of man who killed woman in robbery

Ohio Gov. John Kasich Monday spared a condemned killer who was set to die April 11 for fatally shooting a woman more than three decades ago during a robbery after questions were raised about discrepancies in the case and the fairness of the trial. The Republican governor's release said his decision followed the report and recommendation of the Ohio Parole Board, which voted 6-4 on March 16 in favor of clemency for death row inmate William Montgomery.

States: Federal money for opioid crisis a small step forward

The federal government will spend a record $4.6 billion this year to fight the nation's deepening opioid crisis, which killed 42,000 Americans in 2016. But some advocates say the funding included in the spending plan the president signed Friday is not nearly enough to establish the kind of treatment system needed to reverse the crisis.

Kasich: GOP Should Be Wary of Protesters’ Rising Tide

Republicans should be worried about young Democratic voters who are energized to vote in the midterm elections, Ohio GOP Gov. John Kasich said Sunday. In an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," Kasich said massive protests advocating gun control Saturday show younger voters might defy their usual pattern of low turnout in off-year elections.

Death row inmate found dead in cell

A twice-convicted murderer whose execution in November had to be halted when a usable vein couldn't be found to administer execution drugs died Saturday morning of natural causes, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction said. Alva Campbell, 69, was found unresponsive in his death row cell Saturday morning at a prison in Chillicothe and was pronounced dead shortly before 5:30 a.m. at a hospital, prison department spokeswoman JoEllen Smith said.

Planned Parenthood to focus on Ohio races for U.S. Senate and governor

Planned Parenthood political organizations announced Thursday that they'll spend at least $20 million in this year's elections, with a particular focus on gubernatorial and Senate races in Ohio and seven other states. Planned Parenthood Votes executive director Deirdre Schifeling says the organization decided to intervene in Ohio because it hopes to "elect reproductive health champions who will fight with us to expand ..