Week in Review October 26, 2026
This report reflects the latest happenings in government relations, in and around the Ohio statehouse. You’ll notice that it’s broad in nature and on an array of topics, from A-Z. This will be updated on a weekly basis.
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DATA CENTERS
The Ohio Supreme Court has blocked a 1.65 million square-foot data center planned for 133 acres in Lordstown -- at least temporarily - stranding, for the present, a New York developer's undisclosed investment in a $3.6 billion artificial intelligence (AI) campus northwest of Youngstown. Justices ruled that the village of Lordstown was not compelled to act on permit for the data center submitted by the developer before the village instituted a moratorium on such projects.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/URBAN REVITALIZATION
The Ohio Third Frontier Commission announced Tuesday it had approved $3.3 million for research and commercialization of early-stage technology through the Technology Validation and Start-up Fund (TVSF) to seven organizations. The TVSF fund is meant to help research institutions validate unlicensed technology and aid companies in raising money.
EDUCATION
After the 10th District Court of Appeals upheld a trial court ruling earlier this week that found EdChoice scholarships unconstitutional, key figures involved in the litigation and within the court system held a press conference late Friday morning, detailing the specifics of the case and expressing optimism that the litigation will continue to prevail in court. According to former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Brown, now committee chairman of the Vouchers Hurt Ohio Steering Committee, the Ohio Supreme Court could hear the case as early as next year, with notices of appeal possibly submitted this month.
A State Board of Education (SBOE) request to create a funding item with $2.99 million in appropriation authority for teacher and school leader grants was deferred at Monday's Controlling Board after questions were raised about the purpose of that request and teacher licensure fees. Superintendent of Public Instruction Philip Wagner appeared before the board to discuss the grant, which involves a total of $16.8 million in combined federal and matching funds over three years.
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) is seeking applications for schools willing to serve as pilot sites for implementing Ohio's Career Connections Framework, for which the state was recently awarded a $9 million grant. This $9 million Career Pathways Exploration (CPE) Grant was one of five awarded nationwide and one of two to get the maximum funding amount from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and U.S. Department of Education (USDOE). The grant window opened last week and closes Wednesday, Nov. 18. DEW will host webinars at 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22 and 12 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5. Registration, applications and more information about the grant program are HERE.
All 51 of Ohio's educational service centers (ESCs) got the highest performance rating from the state for the 11th year in a row, according to the Ohio ESC Association (OESCA). To be considered high-performing by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW), ESCs must show cost savings of at least 5 percent across five primary services provided to client school districts, compared to the districts' performing the tasks themselves or using another provider. OESCA says its members far exceeded that threshold, with statewide savings of 35.87 percent in FY26, representing more than $100 million in annual savings across those services.
ELECTIONS
Every attempt to measure voter fraud in American elections has found that it's very rare, according to California Institute of Technology professor Michael Alvarez, during a SciLine webinar on Monday about evaluating claims of election fraud. For instance, the largest documented claim of registration or voting by possible noncitizens in Ohio identified 1,084 possible noncitizens who appear to have registered to vote, according to the Center for Election Innovation and Research, equating to approximately 0.0164 percent of voters statewide. Of those cases, 167 allegedly voted in a federal election between 2018 and 2024.
ELECTIONS 2026
The race between then-incumbent Sherrod Brown and now-U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) in 2024 for Ohio's U.S. Senate seat set a record at the time for a non-presidential campaign with upwards of $500 million spent between both campaigns on political advertising. With over $455 million spent on this year's race between Brown and U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, according to political ad spending tracker AdImpact, Ohio again finds itself at the top of both parties' priority list nationally, with the Washington Post reporting in September that Ohio's senate race is again drawing the most spending of any race nationwide, easily outpacing Senate races in Texas and Maine.
A campaign advertisement featuring attacks on Dr. Amy Acton by her estranged mother created a firestorm in Ohio politics this week. The spot features Donna Arthur saying her daughter, the Democratic nominee for governor, lied about her childhood experiences, including Acton's recounting of time the family spent living in a tent. The advertisement does not explicitly address Acton's statements about abuse she suffered at the hands of her stepfather, Arthur's late husband, but the Acton campaign sharply criticized the spot's featuring of Arthur, noting she "remained married to Dr. Acton's rapist until the day he died." The Acton campaign released a statement from Acton's younger brother, Phil Stearns, attacking the Ramaswamy campaign and later Tuesday also put out a counter-attack advertisement featuring Stearns. Gov. Mike DeWine was among Ohio Republicans who criticized the ad, although he noted he was still endorsing Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign for governor. The ad is a "black eye" for the state, Rep. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) told reporters Wednesday morning following an Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN) press conference announcing the release of the network's 2025 Fatality Data Report in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Don Kissick said Ramaswamy should drop out over the ad.
The Columbus office of U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Columbus) is reported to have received a "suspicious" package on Saturday, Oct. 17. The incident follows a report of a powdery white substance mailed to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office last week, which was intercepted by the U.S. Postal Service before reaching LaRose's office.
Multiple media outlets are reporting that President Donald Trump will make his third trip to Ohio this campaign season for a stop in Chillicothe on Wednesday, Oct. 28. He has already held rallies in the Dayton area and Youngstown. Another recent campaign stop was Ohio-adjacent in Northern Kentucky.
Despite a large gap in the amounts separately spent by the Vivek Ramaswamy and Amy Acton gubernatorial campaigns in the final month before Election Day, the campaigns' final pre-election campaign finance reports for the same period show that contributions to the Acton campaign more than doubled those reported by Ramaswamy. With election day now less than two weeks away, Ohio candidates had an end-of-day Thursday deadline to file their final pre-election campaign finance reports of their activity since last reporting after September. The campaign of Democrat Acton reported $3,947,123 in contributions in October, compared to $1,537,042 reported by Republican Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy's campaign vastly outspent Acton for the month, however, reporting $51,172,291 in expenditures compared to Acton's $26,283,511. As the campaigns wind down, Ramaswamy's campaign has $2,437,794 remaining on hand, and Acton reports $3,594,799 remaining. Fundraising in the past month was much closer between candidates in other statewide races, however.
In the closing weeks before the 2026 general election, a strong majority of Ohioans would like to see less political campaign advertising, according to a recent poll from Bowling Green State University (BGSU), with most voters reporting that seeing negative political ads causes them to tune campaign ads out altogether. According to the BGSU poll of 1,000 likely Ohio voters released on Oct. 16, 56 percent of respondents said they've seen "a great deal" of political campaign ads roughly during the month of September before the poll was conducted. Additionally, 24 percent said they had seen "quite a bit" of political advertising, seemingly making the amount of ads at least notable for 80 percent of respondents.
The following endorsements were made over the week:
The Columbus Dispatch endorsed Democrat Dr. Amy Acton for governor.
EMPLOYMENT/UNEMPLOYMENT
Ohio's unemployment rate increased slightly to 3.4 percent in September, up from 3.3 percent in August and matching the July level, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) said Friday. Nonagricultural wage and salary employment decreased 5,000 over the month. The September 2025 unemployment rate was 4.3 percent. ODJFS said the number of workers unemployed in Ohio in September was 196,000, up from 195,000 in August 2026. The number of unemployed has decreased by 62,000 in the past 12 months from 258,000.
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
The Ohio Credit Union League (OCUL) Advocacy Action Committee promoted letters it sent to the Acton and Ramaswamy gubernatorial campaigns on OCUL's affordability agenda to help Ohioans. The letters were signed by credit union leaders in Beavercreek, Cincinnati, Columbus, Findlay, Kettering, Lima, Miamisburg, Painesville, Portsmouth, Smithville and Toledo. "Ohio credit unions are proud to serve 3.3 million Ohioans, and we work every day to meet the financial needs of each of those Ohioans, as well as the families they love, the communities they live in, and the small businesses they patronize. As not-for-profit, member-owned financial institutions, Ohio credit unions are uniquely positioned to help make life more affordable for Ohioans and help them keep more of their hard-earned money in their own pockets," they wrote.
GAMING/GAMBLING
The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) meeting Wednesday saw an update from Interim Executive Director Andromeda Morrison on prediction market litigation, as she said the OCCC received a "favorable ruling" from the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. That led OCCC to send on Oct. 2 cease and desist letters to 10 prediction market companies that appeared to offer sporting-related event contracts to Ohioans, Morrison said. Those letters asked the companies to confirm their compliance by Oct. 16; "productive" conversations are underway with several.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE
Flags were lowered Friday for the late Rep. Gerald Stebelton (R-Lancaster) on order of Gov. Mike DeWine following the late Ohio House Education Committee chairman's death. Stebelton, married to wife Becky for more than 63 years after meeting her during a Christmas Eve service at First Methodist Church in Lancaster, succumbed to a long battle
with Parkinson's disease. He was 87.
HANNAH NEWS RACES TO WATCH
A local city councilman and a former state representative who both have never held statewide office are looking to take over the Ohio Treasurer's office with an eye on improving existing programs and making Ohio's investments work better for Ohioans. Democratic Cincinnati Councilman Seth Walsh will face Republican former Rep. Jay Edwards on Nov. 3 in the race to succeed the term-limited Robert Sprague, who is running for secretary of state. Both said in interviews that they want to improve existing programs in the office and make sure the funds that the Ohio treasurer stewards invest back into Ohio
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Gov. Mike DeWine and Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Friday announced Rural Health Transformation Program awards totaling $92 million to manage chronic illnesses and expand access to preventive, primary, maternal, and behavioral health care in rural areas at a news conference at Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky.
County-level sampling from spring 2026 shows monthly payment error rates in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on both sides of a key federal threshold for whether Ohio will be on the hook for a share of program benefits next year. A recent federal court ruling also could mean changes for how those rates are calculated.
Health leaders are advising Ohioans across the state to stay up-to-date with routine immunizations heading into the late fall and winter months when risk for respiratory infectious diseases is highest. A virtual roundtable hosted by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) last week brought together Ohio physicians and health care leaders including Dr. Bob Frenck, pediatrician and medical director of immunization programs for the AAP Ohio Chapter; Tiffany Marie Haddad-Azzi, a pharmacist and the manager of clinical pharmacy operations at Buckeye Health Plan; and Eddie Pauline, president and CEO of Ohio Life Sciences (OLS). The panel stressed the importance of maintaining up-to-date vaccinations, with Frenck explaining how vaccines have helped protect against infectious diseases over the course of history.
HIGHER EDUCATION
The Senate Majority Caucus said Monday it is reviewing National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) claims that Gov. Mike DeWine breached the U.S. Constitution and state and federal law by granting the entering college class of 2022 a fifth year of eligibility in purported contravention of its rules. The association says last week's executive order violates the ultra vires doctrine by promulgating state policy "beyond the powers" of his office -- its first lawsuit against a sitting governor in 33 years. NCAA recently sued DeWine in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio in a 39-page complaint alleging his executive order commits several transgressions.
The Columbus Metropolitan Club (CMC) hosted a one-on-one conversation between Ohio State University (OSU) President Ravi Bellamkonda and Columbus Dispatch higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix on Wednesday, with topics including higher education's future and the influence of artificial intelligence (AI). The forum opened with CMC President Sophia Fifner announcing "a bold new partnership" between OSU's Office of Outreach and Engagement and CMC to expand OSU's leadership in "civic engagement, public discourse and community impact" across Central Ohio.
The University of Dayton (UD) recently announced Darlene Weaver, UD's provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, as the institution's next president beginning July 2027. Paul Haught, the university's vice provost for faculty, graduate and professional education, will serve as interim provost, effective Sunday, Nov. 1.
JUDICIAL
The Ohio Supreme Court is reporting a first for aspiring lawyers. The state bar exam was offered in not one but four locations this summer, when Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University and Capital University delivered a statistical tie. An average of 100 students passed from each school, followed by Cleveland State University (80), University of Cincinnati (72), University of Akron (60), University of Dayton (50), University of Toledo (37) and Ohio Northern University (27).
The Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on Continuing Legal Education has sanctioned 83 attorneys for failing to comply with continuing legal education (CLE) requirements, the Court announced Monday. According to the Court, "Attorneys need to stay informed of changes in laws, legal technology, and developments in their practice area to provide the best service to clients." Of the 83 attorneys sanctioned, 12 were suspended from the practice of law.
The Ohio Supreme Court's reissue of its 2025 consumer guide to hiring legal counsel underscores both the public and profession's duties in managing client-attorney interactions and urges open communication during the initial interview and subsequent contacts to help ensure a productive relationship and mitigate potential disputes over representation, outcomes or fees. The Court recently announced the rerelease of “A Consumer's Practical Guide to Managing a Relationship With a Lawyer”, a 40-page manual covering everything from the advantage of professional assistance over pre-made legal forms and self-help books; identifying lawyers and practice areas to meet your needs; interviewing potential counsel about years in the profession and cases handled; varying legal fees and costs; client complaint options, misconduct investigations, and attorney discipline; public reparations for professional malfeasance; and more.
The Ohio Supreme Court says it is irrelevant whether the General Assembly wants law enforcement to arrest Ohioans experiencing a mental health crisis and place them behind bars when assisting a court-ordered civil commitment to behavioral health treatment, charges that could land a Hamilton County woman in jail for several years. In a 6-1 opinion rejected by Justice Jennifer Brunner Wednesday, the Court stated that officers had both the right and the responsibility not only to detain Kiersten Dowell of Harrison, who minutes before had informed her doctor of a suicide attempt, but subsequently arrest her for obstructing official business under R.C. 2921.31 and resisting arrest when she refused to go quietly.
The Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) is issuing a new resolution recently approved by its Board of Governors admonishing judges and judicial candidates not to endorse candidates for elective office and all jurists to refrain from political speech that could damage public trust in the courts and threaten the safety and security of judges and judicial institutions. The announcement follows this year's Ohio Supreme Court opinion written by Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy striking down former Rule 4.1(A)(3) of the Code of Judicial Conduct's ban on political endorsements by sitting judges or their election opponents.
LIBRARIES
The Ohio Library Council (OLC) 2026 Convention and Expo took place at the Kalahari Convention Center in Sandusky. More than 750 people were expected for the three-day event that runs through Friday, Oct. 23 and includes educational sessions, exhibits, author presentations and opportunities to celebrate the people and organizations advancing Ohio's public libraries. Hannah News' Executive Editor Noah Blundo participated on a panel Wednesday addressing the role of public libraries and journalism in helping people access reliable information. The conversation also featured two other Ohio journalists: Tom Suddes, assistant professor of instruction at Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and member of the editorial board of The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com; and Jo Ingles, journalist and producer for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau.
LIQUOR/ALCOHOL
The U.S. Supreme Court decided this week it will consider one of two cases advanced by the Buckeye Institute to challenge the federal prohibition on home distillation of liquor. In the McNutt case, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the federal ban, finding it was not authorized by Congress' taxing powers nor the necessary and proper clause of the U.S. Constitution.
NATURAL RESOURCES
The waters along Ohio's southern border stretching from near Portsmouth to the Indiana border were designated this month among the state's havens for open water paddlers as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) officially listed the Ohio River at the state's 18th Ohio Water Trail.
Ohioans of all ages are invited to learn about the history and forces that laid the ground they walk on as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) will host Ohio Geology Discovery Day on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Alum Creek State Park.
OHIO HISTORY
Given the cultural and economic significance of agriculture in Ohio's history, the state's recognition of its own history through the lens of America's 250th anniversary recently paid tribute to agricultural legend Louis Bromfield with a new mural decorating a barn on the grounds of Malabar Farm State Park, where Bromfield operated a sustainable agriculture laboratory. Reminiscent of barns statewide that were painted to celebrate Ohio's bicentennial and other commemorations, one of Malabar Farm's barns was recently painted by muralist Scott Hagan, widely known as "The Barn Artist," who has completed large-scale paintings on barns, buildings and gym walls in more than 25 states over the past three decades.
PENSIONS
State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) members still bear a relatively large share of the cost to maintain Ohio's public pension plan compared to other states, according to a presentation heard at Wednesday's STRS Board meeting. The aggregate funding level of approximately 125 PPPs monitored by the National Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA) in FY25 is at the highest level it has been for all PPPs since FY09, according to Keith Brainard, NASRA external advisor. STRS's overall funding condition has also substantially recovered during that time.
The outlook for paying down unfunded liabilities at the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) improved last year after some backsliding the year prior, according to outside actuaries. STRS Executive Director Steve Toole told trustees the system has a plan to stay on a stable trajectory after decades of beneficiaries' being "whipsawed." Actuarial firm Cheiron presented its system asset valuation as of the end of FY26 at Thursday's Board of Trustees meeting, showing the system on track to pay down its unfunded liabilities in 10.3 years. That's an improvement from 11.8 years as of the FY25 valuation but roughly on par with the 10.1 years reported as of the end of FY24.
PEOPLE
The Ohio Municipal Electric Association (OMEA) announced it re-elected multiple people to leadership positions at its recent meeting. Wadsworth Mayor Robin Laubaugh was re-elected president, while Bryan Mayor Carrie Schlade and Montpelier Mayor Steve Yagelski were re-elected to the Executive Committee.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) Trooper Samuel Hammon took first-place honors in firearms at the Second Annual "National Top Trooper Competition" held last month at the OSHP Training Academy in Columbus, further distinguishing himself after a standout performance in his patrol academy class.
National Teen Driver Safety Week runs through Sunday, Oct. 25 and the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO), a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, is reminding parents and guardians to talk with teens about safe driving habits. "This week highlights one of the most critical public safety issues facing young people: vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death among teens. Ohio is committed to reducing these preventable tragedies through education, awareness, and stories that show the real impact of dangerous decisions behind the wheel," the Department of Public Safety (ODPS) notes in a release.
The Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) of the Ohio Department of Public Safety has released updated fact sheets summarizing local-level driving trends, dangerous roads and intersections, and seatbelt usage targeting teen drivers. These educational tools also include practical tips for new drivers to help reduce risk. They are available to the public HERE and they are also distributed to all driver training schools in the state so that instructors can adapt behind-the-wheel training to their local area.
SECRETARY OF STATE
Secretary of State Frank LaRose is expanding his role as election czar and business registrar to address cybersecurity threats to local utilities on which Ohioans and other Americans depend. He welcomed National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross this week to a panel discussion at American Electric Power (AEP) Transmission headquarters on unique risks to "under-resourced" providers in Ohio and other states. LaRose joined Cairncross; AEP Chairman, President and CEO Bill Fehrman; Ohio Power Company President and COO Marc Reitter; Cybersecurity Lead Harpreet Sidhu of Dublin, IRL-based Accenture; and Founder Chairman, CEO Robert Lee of Washington, D.C.-based Dragos Inc. at AEP's New Albany campus to announce the joint creation of the Community Cyber Resilience Foundation. The secretary of state commended the Trump administration and guests for their focus on the security of critical infrastructure, citing his own success and that of his predecessors in securing elections in the Buckeye State.
TRANSPORTATION/INFRASTRUCTURE
A little over two weeks into Ohio's gas tax holiday, the average per-gallon price of regular gasoline reached $4.04 Monday, according to data from AAA. Nationally, the average price per gallon was $4.30 on Monday.
The repairs needed for some of the pavement and bridges along Ohio's 70-plus-year-old turnpike are much larger than routine maintenance, and traditionally available revenues will not be sufficient to complete the work, Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission (OTIC) Executive Director Ferzan Ahmed told the commission on Monday. In previous commission meetings this year, OTIC discussed the need for a long-term asset management plan to maintain and rebuild the system's pavement, bridges and other buildings for the next decade. Ahmed told the commission on Monday that OTIC's previous ideal plan to resurface an area five times before that section is rebuilt cannot be implemented because of the turnpike's size. That plan would require a larger investment than OTIC has funds available, and it would require too many concurrent work zones to maintain turnpike quality and safety, Ahmed said.
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
The Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) announced Monday it is making $29 million available under the Workforce Safety Innovation Grant program, supporting research and development of cutting-edge personal protective equipment (PPE) and personal protective technology (PPT). Grants cover early-stage research through proof-of-concept and prototype stages. Eligible applicants can include nonprofit higher education institutions and standalone research organizations in Ohio. Applicants are required to partner with an Ohio-based industry partner to strengthen collaboration among industry, academia, and research institutions.
WORKFORCE
The City Club of Cleveland heard remarks Friday from Cameron Sublett, senior director of innovation and incubation at the Foundation for California Community Colleges, on how artificial intelligence (AI) may affect workers as it develops.
[Story originally published in The Hannah Report. Copyright 2026 Hannah News Service, Inc.]
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