Democracy dies in darkness, which is why I’m honored to win Best Government/Political Reporting & Best Education Reporting from Ohio Society of Professional Journalists.
So proud of
@OhioCapJournal
for our work at the Statehouse! Thank you
@WEWS
for making this possible🕵🏻♀️
@RepWeinstein
Hi all.
When I was interviewing a lawmaker about her bill that would ban “divisive concepts” being taught in school, she said we should hear “both sides” of Holocaust.
She said we should hear the “German soldier” pov.
Here is my full investigation
BREAKING: The first truck of signed abortion petitions is here.
Pro-abortion rights advocates have dropped off 100,000s of petitions to the Ohio Sec. of State to put the question of abortion legality on the Nov. ballot.
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
After Ohio enacted a six-week abortion ban, tens of thousands of women in the state have registered to vote, making the Buckeye state one of the fastest-growing in the country in terms of new women voters.
⬇️
@WEWS
@OhioCapJournal
OHIO: Here are the gun laws your legislators are considering this General Assembly.
I'll be putting which party proposed it, what it does and the status 🧵
BREAKING: Former OH House Speaker Larry Householder has been found GUILTY in the $61M bribery scheme.
Former OH GOP Leader Matt Borges also found GUILTY.
They each face up to 20 years, + LH's potential perjury charge.
@WEWS
@OhioCapJournal
@PaulaChristian_
@martyschladen
Finally got Sub HB 151, which includes Ohio's "Save Women's Sports Act." This passed close to midnight.
Section C has the verification process if accused of being trans.
- External and internal genitalia evaluation
- Testosterone level check
- Genetic makeup test
@WEWS
In case you don’t see my quote tweet:
I am a news reporter — NOT a lawmaker. This is not my bill.
The reason why I said “finally” is because no one would give me the document yesterday and it wasn’t online for the public. It was a surprise addition to a totally different bill.
BREAKING NEWS: It's official — recreational marijuana will be on the Ohio ballot this November.
This means both abortion rights and weed will be voted on in just two months.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
SCOOP: 34 Ohio House Republicans have signed onto a letter asking Rep. Bob Young (R-Green) to resign following his 2nd arrest.
Speaker Stephens asked for Young to resign following his 1st arrest.
"He is unable to provide effective representation."
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
BREAKING: Vanessa Joy, the transgender candidate for the Ohio House who was disqualified for using her legal name and not her former name on ballot petitions, was denied after appealing to her county board of elections.
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
BREAKING NEWS: Ohio Republican
@GovMikeDeWine
has vetoed H.B. 68, legislation that would have banned LGBTQ+ youth from accessing gender-affirming care and participating in athletics.
Article coming shortly.
@WEWS
@OhioCapJournal
@WCPO
@scrippsnews
My beloved grandmother passed away peacefully last night after her fight against pancreatic cancer. She was surrounded by our entire family.
She called me Mini-Me, & she never missed a story I did — even in her final days. I will be taking some time off to be with family🖤
NEW: Two felons will be sentenced to prison next month.
Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder & former GOP leader Matt Borges are facing up to 20 years. This comes after the men missed post-verdict motions deadline.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
BREAKING:
@senrobportman
(R-OH) is cosponsoring the Senate's version of the Respect for Marriage Act.
Portman was the first Republican U.S. senator to support same-sex marriage in 2013 after his son came out as gay.
⬇️
@WEWS
@OhioCapJournal
Fmr. Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, a Republican, has sent out a letter condemning state GOP actions to make it harder to amend the Constitution.
"Especially bad public policy... Cease further action."
My latest reporting:
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
SCOOP: Three GOP candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court are being accused of breaking ethics code after the candidates told a political group they don't believe abortion is a constitutional right.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
The Ohio lawmaker who wrote the bill requiring gun training for teachers owns a gun training business.
GOP state Sen. Frank Hoagland's company seemingly fits all the required steps in the bill.
INVESTIGATION⬇️
@WEWS
@OhioCapJournal
@WCPO
Just asked the gov to walk my through why he appointed Joe Deters, a friend of fam who hasn’t been a judge, to SupCo.
Deters has a wealth of knowledge, he said.
Just none as a judge, I added.
He said nowhere is it written that Supreme Court justices should be judges.
SCOOP: Ohio Sec. of State Frank LaRose sent out a fundraising request disguised as an important letter.
Voters were worried when they received the official-looking mail, but were surprised when he asked for $5,000.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
Ohio GOP passed a bill aiming to root out 'suspected' or 'accused' transgender female athletes through genital inspection.
Yes, you read that right.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
Not the first person to bring this up:
Why were gov officials so ready to jump on the bandwagon that a 10-year-old girl being raped, traveled out of state for an abortion wasn't true? What was to gain?
Ohio PR crisis gone wrong? Culture of victim blaming? Hatred of media?
NEW: Local boards of elections in Ohio are stressed following the announcement of the Senate budget, which underfunds the August special election.
Some lawmakers argue this is being done purposely to suppress voters.
⬇️
@WEWS
@OhioCapJournal
@WCPO
BREAKING: Rec. marijuana advocates submit an additional 6,545 signatures.
They fell short 679 signatures when trying to get their effort on the ballot. They had ten days to make the deficit up.
This means they got nearly 10x more than they needed.
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
SENTENCING: Fmr. Ohio Speaker Larry Householder has arrived for his sentencing at 1 p.m.
He is facing up to 20 yrs for the largest bribery scheme in OH history.
I will be live tweeting with my team
@martyschladen
&
@PaulaChristian_
.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
NEW: A Republican attorney in Cleveland was found guilty of voting twice in both 2020 and 2022.
Sec. of State Frank LaRose decided to pull Ohio out of the voter database system that caught him.
@Iantcross
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
HEADS UP: Tomorrow, Ohio Democratic lawmakers will release plans to repeal current restrictions on abortion.
These bills will coincide with the newly passed constitutional amendment protecting abortion access.
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
NEW: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine repeatedly ignored my questions about gun safety.
The questions came on a day a 7-year-old girl was shot in the head in Cleveland, & as the state is suing Columbus over a safe gun storage law.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
NEW: Labor unions are fighting against a bill in the Ohio Senate that would ban striking for university employees.
Union members say GOP shouldn’t mess with the working class, & they should have learned that in 2011.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
NEW: Ohio Senate wants to stop you from growing weed; House fights back
While Senate GOP moves to change rec. marijuana policy, the House is fighting back in bipartisan fashion — saying will of the voters must be followed.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
NEW: One day after the major decision to reinstate August special elections in an attempt to thwart a possible abortion ballot, leading constitutional law experts have weighed in that the resolution is illegal.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
A group of religious leaders in Columbus is holding an event to urge Ohioans to vote YES on Issue 1 — the amendment to support access to abortion & contraception.
One leader had an abortion in the 80s. She says government has no place in her freedom.
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
Democratic-affiliated candidates won control over the State Board of Education in Ohio, and one week later, Republican lawmakers moved a bill forward to strip their powers.
⬇️
@WEWS
@OhioCapJournal
@WCPO
NEW: A transgender candidate for the Ohio House has been disqualified because she only circulated petitions with her legal name, instead of her former/dead name.
She also happens to be a lawmaker's estranged stepdaughter.
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
NEW: The Ohio Senate president has floated the idea of a 15-week abortion ban following voters decisively choosing to keep lawmakers out of their reproductive care.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
“Moderately” conservative Republican Jason Stephens, with the help of the Democratic party, snatched the coveted Ohio House Speaker job from a far-right lawmaker who was already elected speaker in a non-official party vote.
@WEWS
@OhioCapJournal
@WCPO
NEW: Former Ohio Chief Justice continues fight against gerrymandered maps
In our interview, Maureen O'Connor discussed
- her new proposal
- what Ohio would look like with fair maps
+ thew some shade at GOP leaders.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
Once again, great work by
@JimLaPorta
and
@BrianSlodysko
.
"They indicate Majewski’s punishment and demotion were the result of him being stopped for driving drunk on a U.S. air base in Japan in September 2001."
⬇️
NEW: The resolution to make it harder to amend the Ohio constitution is not being voted on this week, apparently after some GOP House members started to get cold feet.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
Advocates have thought this for months, but LaRose consistently denied any relation to efforts to legalize abortion.
Although this may not be a shock for some, it is the first time he is "saying the quiet part out loud," according to pro-abortion groups.
BREAKING: Ohio SB 83, the bill overhauling higher ed. system, is likely dead.
"It doesn't have the votes," Speaker Jason Stephens said.
@WEWS
@OhioCapJournal
@WCPO
PREV REPORTING:
SCOOP: Anti-abortion advocates say they are working with Ohio lawmakers to put forward a total abortion ban.
This comes after the Ohio Supreme Court dismissed the state's appeal to enforce a ~near-total~ abortion ban.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
BRAND NEW:
Ohio House Rep. Gary Click introduced HB 704, which would give total rights to "unborn human individuals from the moment of conception."
Recognizing "personhood" at conception already caused concern during abortion hearings. Doctors believe this could prohibit IVF.
SCOOPish: Ohio lawmakers plan to go over the House speaker's head to repeal the scandal-ridden bill that forces ratepayers to spend millions funding "dirty" coal plants.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
NEW: Over 100 families with transgender members are trying to leave Ohio amid the new gender-affirming care ban.
A Statehouse GOP leader says their departure won't make a difference.
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
@RepWeinstein
And if you would like to see my follow-up story, where Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur said her comments (the ones she said out-loud) had "been wrongfully attributed," please click below.
BREAKING: The Ohio Supreme Court has rejected the GOP effort to prevent abortion amendment from being on the ballot.
In Nov., Voters will choose if they have a constitutional right to abortion and contraception.
Article coming soon.
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
NEW: A lawsuit has been filed against Ohio's legally questionable August election, which is specifically meant to stop abortion from becoming legal.
Yesterday, I reported legal experts think opponents have a strong case.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
There may be the House speaker vote today... But the Ohio Radio and TV Correspondents Association also had an election!
For the first time ever, the leadership team is all women.
President:
@joingles
VP:
@karenkasler
Secretary:
@MorganTrau
Treasurer:
@NatalieFahmy
BREAKING: Republican State Rep. Bob Young has been arrested... AGAIN.
He allegedly broke one of the restraining orders against him. Young was charged with domestic violence and assault back in July.
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
@beaconjournal
NEW: The U.S. Supreme Court decided today that billions in student loan debt can be forgiven.
This comes after
@OhioAG
tried to block this and another debt forgiveness plan, worrying some Ohioans.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
Taylor lyrics for the broadcast girlies
- He never thinks of me, except when I’m on TV
- Can I ask you a question?
- Get it off my desk
- I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say
- It must be exhausting
- F’ing politics and gender roles
#TSmidnightTS
This also comes as a private meeting between Republicans and lobbyists took place, in which everyone was urged not to say the word "abortion," three lobbyists told me.
Read more about it from
@AndrewJTobias
BREAKING: A discharge petition is filed to put HB 120 on the floor. It would repeal scandal-ridden HB 6.
I broke the news last night that Ds & Rs were working together to go over the speaker’s head.
What this means:
@WEWS
@OhioCapJournal
@WCPO
Mugshots for today's H.B. 6 indictments are here.
From left to right: Former PUCO Chair Sam Randazzo, former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones, former FirstEnergy VP Michael Dowling.
Credit: Summit Co. Sheriff's Office.
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
It has been two years since I joined
@WEWS
and started reporting at the Ohio Statehouse!
With the News 5 hiring, I joined the
@OhioCapJournal
team — & became the state reporter for
@WCPO
&
@scrippsnews
.
I am so grateful to be able to report on democracy🕵🏻♀️
TODAY: Ohio senators passed the controversial resolution to make it harder to amend the state constitution. Chants that echoed around the Ohio Statehouse all had the same goal: shaming the GOP lawmakers.
⬇️
@WEWS
@OhioCapJournal
@WCPO
I am so honored to win two 1st-place awards from the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists for my 2022 digital coverage.
I received Best Government/Political Reporting and Best Education Issues Reporting.
🕵🏻♀️
@OhioCapJournal
@WEWS
Incredible coverage by
@MacFarlaneNews
.
If you haven’t been following him, he is THE investigative reporter covering the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Watch his full interview with one U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. who was injured in the attack. ⬇️
I asked Sen. Frank Hoagland if his business will be benefited by HB 99, since he owns a training school. He said no, but wouldn’t elaborate.
When pressed, he called me “young lady.” I’ve never heard a male reporter called a “young man” when asking an important question.
@WEWS
On the first day of permitless carry in Ohio,
@GovMikeDeWine
is providing an update on the status of HB 99, which would allow any approved adult to carry a firearm in a school.
@WEWS
When Silicon Valley Bank failed, the pension system for Ohio’s retired teachers lost between $27 and $40M.
That appears to be by far the biggest investment by a public pension system in the U.S.
Great reporting by
@martyschladen
@OhioCapJournal
NEW: Cincinnati wants to require residents to lock up their guns and is suing the state to make it happen.
As the case is being heard, Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation to make guns safer.
⬇️
@WEWS
@OhioCapJournal
@WCPO
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine wrote an Op-Ed denouncing neo-nazis as they continue to "protest" outside drag brunch.
"It is both incomprehensible and scary to me that there are people today in America who think that discrimination, hate, and bigotry are OK."
Ohio GOP passed a bill aiming to root out 'suspected' or 'accused' transgender female athletes through genital inspection.
Yes, you read that right.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
Time really does fly when you love what you do!🕵🏻♀️💙
It has been six amazing months covering the Ohio Statehouse with
@WEWS
! I am so lucky to work with my fantastic teams at News 5,
@OhioCapJournal
and
@WCPO
.
I put together a short vid of a few of my favorite stories⬇️
NEW: OH Gov. DeWine is defending his advisor Laurel Dawson after an indictment alleges she knew about millions going to now-charged Sam Randazzo.
Also, she helped vet him after her family had received a $10k loan from him.
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
TODAY: A bipartisan group of former OH Attorneys General has condemned the resolution to make it harder to amend constitution.
"The 60% proposal is bad for Ohio."
Signed by Richard Cordray, Lee Fisher, Betty Montgomery, James Petro & Nancy Rogers.
⬇️
@WEWS
@OhioCapJournal
@WCPO
With
@GovMikeDeWine
at his 1st appearance since elex, where voters protected abortion.
I asked if GOP plans to repeal Issue 1 would be going against will of people.
He avoided question; he respects voters but there is process.
(Sorry for audio)
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
The nation's eyes are on Ohio as the Larry Householder public corruption trial begins.
Starting Monday: I'll be in Cincinnati doing team coverage with
@PaulaChristian_
! Follow along.
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
NEW: Ohio politicians are proposing gassing & suffocating death row inmates as a way to restart the state’s capital punishment system.
I asked how they could all say they are pro-life while supporting the death penalty.
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
There were five men originally charged.
Householder: Found guilty - facing 20+ years
Borges: Found guilty - facing ≤20 years
Jeff Longstreth: Pleaded guilty - facing 0-6mos
Juan Cespedes: Pleaded guilty - facing 0-6mos
Neil Clark: Committed suicide after pleading not guilty
NEW: Bipartisan fmr Ohio governors say voters deserve a choice on legality of abortion, & they oppose Aug. election & amendment vote change.
Gov. DeWine responds that he didn't ask for proposal & it isn't a priority for him.
⬇️
@WEWS
@OhioCapJournal
@WCPO
SCOOP: Republican state Rep. Jamie Callender introduced a new bill on rec. weed policy during a ‘skeleton session,’ this morning.
This bill would follow the “will of the people,” he said. This contrasts the Senate’s version that eliminates home grow.
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider has flown in to testify against Ohio’s HB 454, which would severely limit healthcare for trans youth.
“I don’t know if I could go on living,”
@Jeopardamy
said, if she didn’t have access to care.
⬇️
@WEWS
@OhioCapJournal
NEW: Ohio politicians behaved badly in 2023
In my last story of the year, I created a list of the public figures who ran into legal issues.
I encourage you to watch the video.
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
TODAY:
After a 7-year-old was shot in the head in Cleveland, I asked
@GovMikeDeWine
about his thoughts on current gun laws and the cities that are being blocked from putting forward firearm safety regulations.
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal