If you’d like to reach me about politics, government or reporting, I can be contacted at 614-981-1422, avery.kreemer@coxinc.com or @AveryKreemer on X. You can also follow our political coverage on our website and through our Ohio Politics Facebook page.
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Top target in state, federal bribery investigation found dead
• At a glance: Sam Randazzo, a 74-year-old former regulator appointed to power by DeWine, died by apparent suicide on Tuesday. He faced federal and state criminal charges for allegedly accepting a $4.3 million bribe from FirstEnergy in exchange for regulatory favors, which he denied in court. Here’s the full story by the Associated Press.
• The context: If he had been found guilty of the dozens of charges he faced, Randazzo could have spent the rest of his life in prison. So far, federal convictions in the investigation have seen former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder sentenced to 20 years; while former Ohio GOP Chair Matt Borges has been sentenced to five.
• What’s next: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told reporters Wednesday that he doesn’t expect Randazzo’s death to change his investigation. The state has also charged two FirstEnergy executives and Householder in its ongoing investigation.
DeWine’s State of the State speech:
• At a glance: DeWine delivered another State of the State speech Wednesday that focused on the education, health and well-being of Ohio’s children. Here’s my story on the address.
• Local connection: The governor bragged on local Northridge Elementary for the success its seen after switching over to the “science of reading” method to teach literacy instead of the “whole language” approach. It’s a method that DeWine has championed in the face of stagnating literacy rates among young students in the state.
• Goading policy: Elsewhere, DeWine called for the legislature to move policy to remove smartphones from classrooms; mandate the use of seatbelts in cars; ban flavored tobacco across Ohio; ban the sale of psychoactive hemp products to minors; and kneecap minors’ ability to access social media without their parents’ consent.
Local political news of the week
• Residents’ acceptance of immigrants lessens: A 2023 citywide survey found that 56.6% of Dayton residents would be supportive if an immigrant household moved in next door, down from 70% in 2021. Here’s Cory Frolik’s story, in which he details Dayton’s relationship with immigrant residents.
• Squabble in New Lebanon: Following a sudden exodus of city staff in which she was terminated, former village manager Glena Madden sued the village for allegedly violating her contract. The village’s investigator fired back accusing Madden with a list of improper actions, which he said included a failure to comply with her contract renegotiation timeframe, self-dealing tactics, wrongful payments, violations of Sunshine Laws and failure to post job openings. Aimee Hancock has the full story.
State political news of the week
Credit: Avery Kreemer
Credit: Avery Kreemer
• State moves closer to defining, criminalizing “grooming”: Lawmakers have passed a bill out of committee to give prosecutors another tool in the belt when investigating an adult’s improper interactions with minors. Here’s my full story.
• A bill amendment protects journalists’ access to public records: A bill meant to protect the privacy of firefighters, cops and other public service workers would have shielded their work schedules and timesheets from public view. Following our report on the proposal and examples in which that data was used to ensure accountability, an amendment was added to ensure journalists’ access. Here’s that story, by me.
National political news of the week
• Biden faces ballot exclusion in Ohio: President Joe Biden and Democratic leaders were notified by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose that the party’s convention happens too late to get Biden on the November ballot here in Ohio. In the face of this potential political disaster, Biden’s camp said it’s confident he’ll get on the ballot, but provided no details on how. Here’s the story from me and Josh Sweigart.
• Trump declines endorsing a national abortion ban: Former President Donald Trump said he believes abortion limits should be left to the states, despite anti-abortion advocates’ hopes that Congress will place a new limit on the procedure following the decision of some states, including Ohio, to protect abortion rights in their laws and constitutions. The Associated Press has the story.