Early voting is now on track to exceed the turnout in August where voters knocked down an issue to make it harder for citizens to amend the constitution. The biggest issue for next week's vote is Issue 1, the proposed amendment to place abortion and reproductive health protections in the state constitution. There's also a statute to legalize recreational marijuana.
Governor Mike DeWine, a staunch opponent of abortion, now says voters should reject Issue 1 with the promise that the state could tweak existing abortion restrictions to allow exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. Supporters say the governor's words ring hollow.
Democratic lawmakers want Secretary of State Frank LaRose to restore more than 27,000 voter registrations he removed from the rolls for inactivity. LaRose directed elections boards to remove inactive registrations in late September---after the early voting window for military and overseas voting began. The timing, and lack of usual notice from the Republican secretary has drawn criticism from Democrats.
Rival amusement park operators Cedar Fair and Six Flags announced yesterday they are merging. The new combined company will operate under the Six Flags banner and own 27 amusement parks, 15 water parks and nine resorts. Cedar Fair includes the flagship park Cedar Point in Sandusky as well as King's Island near Cincinnati. The combined company will be headquartered in Charlotte, but with significant administrative and finance operations remaining in Sandusky.
After a raucous protest by Gaza supporters Monday, Cleveland City Council may tighten rules regarding public behavior at council meetings. Protesters packed the meeting and disrupted proceedings as they called on Mayor Justin Bibb to denounce a social media post he made in support of Israel after the Hamas terrorist attack October 7. As some spoke during the public comments session, demonstrators held up signs with names and ages of Palestinian children they said had been killed in the war.
This weekend we will set our clocks back one hour—ending daylight saving time. And right on schedule, as we prepare to "fall back," there is another push by lawmakers to put an end to springing forward and falling back. This week the Ohio House State and Local Government Committee passed House Concurrent Resolution 7 urging the federal government to make daylight saving time permanent.
We will discuss these stories and other headlines on this week’s Reporters Roundtable.
Guests:
-Abbey Marshall, Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
-Josh Boose, Associate Producer for Newscasts, Ideastream Public Media
-Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV
Watch the Roundtable in the player below.
