Columbus-area lawmakers unveil amendment that could halt casino

By William Hershey | Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 04:02 PM

It’s probably a longshot but four Columbus-area lawmakers on Tuesday, Nov. 24, unveiled a proposed constitutional amendment that appears aimed at blocking a casino for Columbus.

The proposed amendment would require the legislature “to enact laws that authorize the submission of a question to the electors of a county on whether to approve the operation of casino gaming within the county before casino gaming may be conducted in that county.”

Getting the proposed amendment on the May 2010 ballot could be an uphill struggle. It would require approval of three-fifths majorities in the legislature - 60 votes in the 99-member House and 20 votes in the 33-member Senate.

Voters on Nov. 3 approved a constitutional amendment to permit casinos in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo.

However, voters in Franklin County, which includes Columbus, rejected the amendment while voters in the counties containing the other casino cities approved it.

“Cleveland, Toledo and Cincinnati voters should not be in a position to make development decisions for Columbus any more than Columbus residents should be weighing in on Cleveland projects,” Sen. David Goodman, R-New Albany, said in a press release. “This amendment gives local communities more control as Ohio takes its first steps into casino gaming.”

Bob Tenenbaum, spokesman for the pro-casino Ohio Jobs and Growth Committee, had this response:

“We anticipate there will be several proposals that are discussed in the wake of passage of Issue 3. But our focus in on working with the General Assembly to gain passage of legislation that will implement the voters’ approval of four casinos for Ohio and ensure that the state establishes an effective mechanism for regulating the casinos.”

Goodman and Sen. Jim Hughes, R-Columbus, introduced a resolution calling for a vote on the amendment in the Senate while Reps. Cheryl Grossman, R-Grove City, and Kevin Bacon, R-Minerva Park, unveiled the House version.

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Palin recalls her Nutter Center debut in “Going Rogue”

By William Hershey | Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 03:24 PM

Sarah Palin made her debut as a national candidate at Wright State University’s Nutter Center and the former Alaska governor describes that scene in her new book, “Going Rogue An American Life.”

“The tunnel thundered with ten thousands voices, and the air inside felt electric,” Palin wrote of the Aug. 29, 2008 rally. “I stood behind John and Cindy as he waited for the cue to step onstage at the Ervin J. Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio.”

She described waiting with her family - husband Todd and four of her five children - as she waited for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to introduce her to the crowd and to the country as his vice presidential running mate.

“Now the crowd’s roar poured backstage like a powerful locomotive,” Palin wrote. “An electric guitar whined under the steady drum of thousands of stomping feet.”

She got ready.

“We passed a whisper between us: ‘Say a prayer!

“Glancing out through the end of the tunnel, I could see the crowd, and flashes of red, white, and blue. John’s blue-and-gold posters, emblazoned with his campaign message, ‘Country First,’ rippled in the stands.”

Then came McCain’s introduction.

“My friends and fellow Americans, I am very pleased and very privileged to introduce you to the next vice president of the United States - Governor Sarah Palin of the great state of Alaska.”

Here’s how she reacted to the introduction.

“That was amazing, not nerve-wracking, and even sort of funny to me, because it meant John had a little explaining to do right off the bat. Who in the heck is she?”

Then came Palin’s moment in the Nutter Center spotlight.

“I gave my speech, and it was an absolute blast. The kids had fun, and Piper waved to the world. And as my family left the stage, I whispered to my husband, ‘Happy anniversary, Todd! Twenty years ago today - who’d have thought?”

Related links:

• Photos: McCain unveils Palin as his running mate during visit to Nutter Center
• Photos: See who was spotted at the John McCain rally at the Nutter Center

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Rep. Lehner bill would help some seniors stay out of nursing homes

By William Hershey | Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 12:07 PM

Rep. Peggy Lehner, R-Kettering, on Tuesday, Nov. 24, helped launch a bipartisan effort to help some Ohioans receive care at home instead of in nursing homes.

“It recognizes their desire to be in their homes,” Lehner said after a Statehouse press conference.

The proposed legislation is narrowly focused and would affect possibly “hundreds” not thousands of Ohioans, said Sen. John Carey, R-Wellston.

It would allow Ohioans who qualify for Medicaid - the federal-state government health insurance program - and who are at imminent risk of being admitted to nursing homes to instead receive services at home, Carey and Lehner said.

Lehner said an example might be a 90-year-old man in the hospital with a broken hip who was ready to be released but had no one at home capable of caring for him. He would qualify for home care under the companion bills to be introduced in the House and Senate, she said.

The proposals would expand an existing program that allows Ohioans living in nursing homes immediate access to home and community care, she said. Now the 90-year-old man in her example would first have to be admitted to a nursing home before becoming eligible to be released to get home care, she said.

The plan would save money, Lehner and Carey said. It costs about $20,000 a year to care for someone at home, compared to $60,000 in a nursing home, they said.

Carey estimated that the plan could save as much as $60 million annually.

Lehner and Carey appeared at the press conference with Sen. Dale Miller, D-Cleveland.

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Prisons donate to food pantries

By Laura Bischoff | Monday, November 23, 2009, 12:39 PM

Inmates harvested 106,734 pounds of winter wheat, corn and other crops this fall from state prison farms and donated it to the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Food Banks, according to prison officials.

The offenders harvested the food between August and October at four of Ohio’s prisons. And 100 acres of winter wheat had been planted specifically for the food bank donation.

The food was valued at roughly $23,500.

“By growing and harvesting crops for the Second Harvest Food Bank, offenders are given an opportunity not only to give back to their community, but by working on the farms they are learning a valuable skill that can assist them upon their release,” Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections Director Terry Collins said. “We look forward to continuing and expanding this partnership in the years to come.”

Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, Second Harvest’s director, called it a first of its kind effort.

The food banks reported a 21 percent increase in demand for emergency food assistance and a new report said 13.3 percent of Ohioans are “food insecure,” meaning they don’t have consistent access to adequate, nutritious food, according to Hamler-Fugitt.

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Gov. Strickland: Senate GOP budget plan “ridiculous, pathetic”

By William Hershey | Monday, November 23, 2009, 12:31 PM

Gov. Ted Strickland on Monday, Nov. 23, intensified his war of words with Senate Republicans over their proposal to fill an $851 million budget hole.

“What they have put forth is ridiculous, pathetic and they need to get serious about the needs of Ohio,” Strickland said after participating in a ceremony to celebrate the completion of the $145 million I-70, I-75 interchange north of Dayton.

Maggie Ostrowski, spokeswoman for Senate Republicans, said there aren’t enough votes in the Senate to pass Democrat Strickland’s plan. Republicans control the Senate, 21-12.

“So the only way to get through this impasse and make sure (funds for) Ohio schools aren’t cut is if the governor and the leadership in the Senate can sit down and work out a compromise,” said Ostrowski.

Strickland’s plan calls for postponing for two years a 4.2 percent personal income tax cut. The Senate GOP plan would accept two-thirds of the tax cut freeze but adds provisions such as drilling for oil and gas at Salt Fork State Park and taking money from the Ohio Housing Trust Fund. It also projects savings from sentencing reforms at Ohio prisons.

Strickland said the Senate GOP plan is based on “phantom revenue and make-believe resources” and that Republicans couldn’t even get “three or four” Republicans members to go along with it.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman John Carey, R-Wellston, said he thought at least five Senate Republicans would have supported the plan. If all 12 of Strickland’s fellow Democrats support a plan in the Senate, it would take at least five Republican votes to get the 17 needed for passage.

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Jay Goyal gets White House invite

By Laura Bischoff | Monday, November 23, 2009, 10:39 AM

State Rep. Jay Goyal, D-Mansfield, scored an invitation to the first official state dinner held by the Obama administration.

Goyal, who has served in the Ohio House since 2006, will attend the dinner at the White House on Tuesday, Nov. 24, when President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama welcome the prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh and his wife, Gursharan Kaur.

Goyal, 28, will take his mom as his guest.

Goyal said, “The work ethic and patriotism my parents displayed throughout my life was crucial in my decision to enter public service and is a continuing example to me today.”

Goyal’s parents immigrated to the United States from India and started Goyal Industries.

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Chief Justice Moyer, allies promise campaign to change selection of Supreme Court justices

By William Hershey | Friday, November 20, 2009, 04:24 PM

Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer, the Ohio State Bar Association and the Ohio League of Women Voters want to change the way state Supreme Court justices are selected.

On Friday, Nov. 20, they announced that they will work to build a coalition to support a constitutional amendment to replace statewide elections of the justices with a new system where justices are appointed and stand for a retention election.

“Early next year we will propose a specific plan that we will take back to the partner organizations for formal consideration,” Moyer said in a press release.

The announcement came at the end of a two-day conference in Columbus, “A Forum on Judicial Selection: A Time for Action.”

“What we have learned these two days is that we can do better in Ohio,” Moyer said.

Moyer has said the current system needs to be replaced to remove the perception that campaign contributions influence judicial decisions.

For more information, click here.

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