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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2011 > January > 31
Monday, January 31, 2011
3,000 ODOT snowplow drivers ready
All 3,000 Ohio Department of Transportation snowplow drivers are scheduled for 12 hour shifts for the duration of the winter storm expected to wallop the state between Monday night and Wednesday, state officials said. Additional workers will be on hand to clear downed tree limbs blocking roadways.
The Ohio Emergency Management Agency and ODOT are working with the National Weather Service to determine the storm severity. State officials urge Ohioans to be prepared with additional blankets, flashlights with batteries, a battery-powered radio and non-perishable food.
And the Ohio Highway Patrol is telling drivers to make safety their first priority and allow plenty of time to travel. Motorists in need of assistance should call 1-877-7-PATROL.
Road conditions will be available on ODOT’s website, www.buckeyetraffic.org
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TweetJudge’s ruling on federal health care law sparks contrasting reactions
A second federal judge ruled Monday that the requirement in the new federal health care law that Americans get insurance is unconstitutional.
Ohio is part of the lawsuit in Florida challenging the constitutionality of the law.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, who acted to make Ohio part of the lawsuit, praised the ruling while Brian Rothenberg, executive director of ProgressOhio, a liberal advocacy group, blasted it.
“This ruling confirms the alarming overreach made by the federal government and sends a clear message that the federal government cannot regulate commerce by forcing citizens into the marketplace to buy a product,” DeWine said in a press release.
“It is disappointing that Judge Roger Vinson, a conservative appointed judge, chose to legislate from the bench,” Rothenberg said in a release. Rothenberg called it a “political ploy” to “resurrect” a political debate that was resolved with passage of the bill.
The fate of the law ultimately is expected to be determined by the U.S. Supreme Court. Vinson’s ruling lets the law stay in effect while President Barack Obama’s administration appeals.
In December U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson in Virginia also ruled against the insurance requirement.,
Click here to see an AP story on Vinson’s decision.
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TweetHusted names former Strickland cabinet member to top secretary of state job
Secretary of State Jon Husted on Monday announced that Douglas E. Lumpkin, a member of former Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland’s cabinet, will be chief operating officer in the secretary of state’s office.
“Doug Lumpkin is one of the best managers in state government and we are honored to welcome him to the Secretary of State’s office,” Husted, a Republican, said in a press release.
Lumpkin, 53, was director of the department of Job and Family Services under Strickland.
Husted’s announcement that Lumpkin, who is black, will be in a top job for the secretary of state comes as Republican Gov. John Kasich continues to face criticism for so far appointing an all-white cabinet.
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TweetBuckeye Institute adds federal salaries to databases
Want to know how much federal employees in Ohio earn?
Now you can search for the answer on a database maintained by the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions.
The Columbus-based conservative research institute announced Monday that it had added the salary information for 2008, 2009 and 2010 to data already available on U.S. Postal Service workers.
The federal salary database is one of eight searchable databases available on the institute site, www.buckeyeinstitute.org. The databases provide information on salaries for teachers and state employees, among other things.
In 2010, more than 5,858 Ohio federal employees earned salaries greater than or equal to $100,000, with several making over $350,000 annually, according to the institute.
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