Here are your morning headlines for Monday, June 28:
- J.D. Vance expected to enter Ohio Senate race
- State lawmakers face Wednesday deadline on budget deal
- Breeze Airways officially lands in Akron
- Trump returns to rally stage in Lorain Co.
- Ohio House approves legislation aimed at protest behavior
- State trooper to fill vacant House seat left by Householder
- DeWine criticizes GOP advancing transgender girl sports ban
- North Olmstead native pole vaulter qualifies for Olympics
J.D. Vance expected to enter Ohio Senate race
Cincinnati venture capitalist J.D. Vance is expected to announce that he’s running for the Republican nomination for Senate in Ohio. The 36-year-old “Hillbilly Elegy” author is planning an announcement in his hometown of Middletown on Thursday. It’s already a crowded field in the race to replace Republican Senator Rob Portman, who is not seeking re-election next year. Former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, former Ohio Republican Party Chair Jane Timken, Cleveland businessmen Bernie Moreno, and Mike Gibbons have all announced their candidacy.
State lawmakers face Wednesday deadline on budget deal
State lawmakers have just two days to come to a deal on a new two-year budget for Ohio. A budget must be in place on July 1. The House wants to put $2 billion into school funding over the next six years, $190 million into broadband, and implement a 2% income tax cut. The Senate wants a 5% income tax cut, no money for broadband, and a short-term school funding plan. Leaders are also considering what to do with a $3 billion surplus, with some looking at possibly increasing tax cuts.
Breeze Airways officially lands in Akron
New low-cost airline Breeze Airways began service in Akron over the weekend. The first flight from Tampa landed at the Akron-Canton Airport on Saturday. The Utah-based Breeze Airways is starting service from 16 airports, including Akron-Canton, Columbus, and Pittsburgh. The Tampa flight is once per week on Saturdays. Service to Charleston, S.C., begins July 8 with four flights per week, and beginning July 15 will fly twice per week to New Orleans. Akron-Canton, which was battered by the pandemic, worked with state officials and JobsOhio on efforts to bring Breeze Airways to the airport.
Trump returns to rally stage in Lorain Co.
Donald Trump reprised his baseless election grievances in his first campaign-style rally since leaving the White House. Trump spoke Saturday night at the Lorain County Fairgrounds in Wellington. He came to support Max Miller, a former White House aide who is challenging Republican Rep. Anthony Gonzalez for his congressional seat. Gonzalez was one of 10 GOP House members who voted to impeach Trump for his role in inciting the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol building. Trump complained anew about the legitimacy of President Joe Biden's victory. But his own election officials and officials in Republican-led states affirmed the validity of Biden's win.
Ohio House approves legislation aimed at protest behavior
The Ohio House has passed a bill to include not following a police officer’s order or diverting an officer’s attention into obstruction of justice. Sponsors say will protect police officers and protestors, but opponents say it could create more problems between those groups and even endanger people. Sponsoring Rep. Shane Wilkin (R-Hillsboro) said the bill doesn’t infringe on protestors’ First Amendment rights or restrict bystanders from recording video or audio of an officer on the job. But he said it requires them to give officers space and to not do things to distract them. Opponents, including the Ohio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, call it an effort to discourage free speech and the right to protest.
State trooper to fill vacant House seat left by Householder
An Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper will be sworn in today to fill the House seat of disgraced former lawmaker Larry Householder. A select committee of GOP lawmakers chose Kevin Miller out of 18 other applicants to take over the vacancy left after the House took a historic, bipartisan vote to expel Householder earlier this month for his alleged role in a $60 million federal bribery scheme. Miller is a lifelong Republican and 22-year veteran of the patrol, most recently working as the agency's legislative liaison. He will be sworn in on Monday.
DeWine criticizes GOP advancing transgender girl sports ban
Gov. Mike DeWine has questioned the need for a legislative ban on transgender girls competing in sports. The proposal, titled the Save Women’s Sports Act, would require schools and higher education institutions in the state to designate “separate single-sex teams and sports for each sex.” The bills’ sponsors say it is an effort to maintain fairness and protect the integrity in women’s sports in Ohio. The association governing Ohio school sports say there are no examples of transgender girls causing issues in competition. House Republicans on Thursday added the ban to a bill that would allow college athletes to receive compensation.
North Olmstead native pole vaulter qualifies for Olympics
Northeast Ohio has another track and field star to watch at the Tokyo Olympics. Pole vaulter Katie Nageotte of Olmsted Falls qualified for the games with a record Olympic Trials vault of 16 feet, 2 3/4 inches on Saturday. This will be the first Olympics for the Ashland University graduate, who is ranked 5th in the world in the women’s pole vault. University of Akron track star Clayton Murphy, who lives in Cleveland, will compete in the 800-meters.
