Human Rights
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and local advocates are defending Ohio’s child care system after comments from the Trump administration accusing another state of child care fraud.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said states would need to provide “justification” proving that federal child care funds are being spent on “legitimate” entities. The comments followed fraud allegations in Minnesota related to the state’s child care programs, stemming from a YouTube video by a right-wing social media influencer. The allegations particularly targeted child care centers run by Somali citizens of the state.
The allegations led the Trump administration to freeze federal funding going to the child care sector in Minnesota, which owners and Democrats in the state said would cause major problems in an already struggling sector.
Columbus is arguing about “public safety” again — but this time, the debate isn’t happening in a City Council chamber or on the courthouse steps. It’s happening in the gap between two artifacts floating around the city like opposing flyers for the same event.
One is a statement on Fraternal Order of Police (Capital City Lodge #9) letterhead, signed by lodge president Brian Steel, insisting that while local law enforcement doesn’t have authority to enforce federal civil immigration laws, they still have an “absolute duty” to respond when federal partners ask for assistance — and that “public safety depends on cooperation.”
The other is a Facebook post from “West Columbus ICE Watch” (also calling itself Westgate ICE Watch), introducing itself as a neighborhood network formed because residents believe ICE activity is spreading, fear is rising, and people need a way to report sightings anonymously and share mutual-aid resources. The post says it plainly: they’re organizing because they don’t want “a repeat of history.”
This article first appeared at Ohio Capital Journal
One Ohio-based Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer was convicted this year of abusing women and another was arrested on such charges. That has an advocate for immigrants calling on the agency to explain what it’s doing to screen agents as it seeks to rapidly grow its ranks.
ICE didn’t respond when asked that question.
President Donald Trump came into office promising to deport what he claimed were undocumented, violent criminals.
But NPR reported last week that more than a third of those arrested — about 74,000 — had no criminal records.
Of the rest, about half have pending charges and half have convictions. Most of the convictions are for low-level offenses such as traffic violations, the news organization reported.
This article first appeared on Substack.
Will Governor DeWine do the right thing? Or will he cower and cave to his party’s extremists?
He only has a few days left to decide.
Ohio Statehouse Republicans have sent the governor four bills that would cause immense harm to our state. He can choose to sign the bills into law or veto (reject) them.
Three of the bills (HB 129, HB 186, and HB 335) are fake property tax “relief” plans that will devastate Ohio communities while protecting politicians’ wealthy donors.
Those church bells you’ve been hearing every day aren’t an accident.
After decades of hatred, Ohio Republicans and Democrats have come together as a single force of change. Normally they fight over abortion and gun rights, but they now have a common goal; a common vision for the future of Ohio.
The death of public education.
Both parties have a different way to achieve this objective, but at least they can agree on something.
Ohio Republicans have successfully shifted over a billion dollars from funding public education (required by the state constitution) into the hands of private schools under the lie of “school choice.” None of those private schools are required to follow state standards; and many of those vouchers go to wealthy families who can afford it, but they don’t care about the details. It is just one step closer to their end goal.
Not to be outperformed, the Democrats who control Columbus destroy public education in a more covert method.
To the Editor:
Accountability is the bedrock of American justice. Yet, as I fight to end Qualified Immunity for government actors through the Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity, I am now forced to fight a similar battle on a heartbreakingly personal front. My son, Terrell Michael Raphael Brown died May 26, 2022, at just 21 years old after being served a fatal volume of alcohol by a local establishment.
Common sense says that a business profiting from recklessly overserving a young man to the point of toxicity should be held liable. However, the Ohio Dram Shop Act (O.R.C. 4399.18) acts as a shield, granting statutory immunity to businesses and attempting to block a grieving family’s right to a jury trial. This law relies on a "First-Party" bar, effectively blaming the victim for their own death while ignoring the gross negligence of the establishment that kept pouring the drinks. This is legally and morally unsound.
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A Pickaway County resident spoke out last night against re-zoning for the Anduril Arsenal-1 Hypersonic Missile plant proposed for his community, warning that a munitions facility in central Ohio could be a target in future wars.
Free Press reporters attended the Pickaway County, Madison Township Zoning Commission meeting Thursday, November 20, observing a presentation by proponents of re-zoning requests by Anduril plant representatives and witnessed the adamant remarks from the opposition.
In response to the district’s ongoing budget shortfall and the possibility of additional school closures, the Columbus Education Justice Coalition (CEJC) and a broad coalition of parents, educators, students, and community members are demanding that the Columbus Board of Education adopt a new budget shortfall policy that centers transparency, equity, and community voice in all major financial and facility decisions.
Letters have been individually sent by educators, parents, students, and community members to Board members, urging the district to publicly discuss and consider the proposed Budget Shortfall Policy submitted by CEJC on September 8, 2025, and move toward formal adoption without delay.
The proposed policy calls for:
A robust and transparent analysis of all projected costs and savings for any proposed school closure.
Consideration of the full impact on students, families, educators, and communities, including staff and resource access.
Creation of a representative decision-making committee with students, parents, educators, staff, and community organizers from each school region and high school feeder pattern.
Any time a public official makes an on-the-record pronouncement to the press, it represents an official statement. If a military man makes a false official statement, it represents a court martial offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The Fourth Commandant of The Marine Corps – Colonel Anthony Gale – was convicted by a court martial and cashiered for making just such a statement. The current commandant – General Eric Smith – should suffer similar censure for committing the same offense.
On January 15 of this year, General Smith looked members of the Pentagon press corps in the eye and told them that the Marine Corps had never signed on to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. This was a blatant falsehood. As he was speaking, his staff was frantically disestablishing the Corps' extensive DEI infrastructure and purging its websites of DEI related material. Including its personnel guidance contained in Talent Management 2030 which included the words "reinforcing diversity, promoting equity, and encouraging a culture of inclusion."
This article first appeared on the Buckeye Flame.
Ohio’s proposed drag ban received its second hearing Wednesday before members of the House Judiciary Committee.
The hearing featured public testimony in support of the bill from two anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups: Mission America and the Columbus-based Center for Christian Virtue (CCV), which is a primary driver of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation at the Ohio Statehouse.