Ohio News Network Daily

Ohio House and Senate push through congressional map that gives Republican candidates a 13-to-2 advantage in elections, Gov. Mike Dewine under public pressure to veto it; GOP lawmakers take aim at coronavirus vaccine mandates with new bill expanding exemptions; Republican lawmakers approve two bills that would loosen gun restrictions in schools and remove license requirement for concealed carry.

Debate over GOP-drawn congressional map continues at Ohio Statehouse; Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer died suddenly at the age of 65 on Tuesday; AAA says holiday travel expected to rebound to near pre-pandemic levels; Ohio Department of Health reports worrisome trend of increasing COVID-19 cases only continuing, around the state.

President Joe Biden's new infrastructure law expected to bring more than $10 billion in investments to Ohio; Ohio's GOP senator, Rob Portman, was instrumental in crafting the bill with the White House; a federal trial in which two Ohio counties sued pharmacies over their role in the opioid crisis is garnering national attention from other municipalities considering legal action.

Northwest Ohio counties seeing the highest incidence of new COVID-19 cases, says the Ohio Department of Health; coronavirus-related hospitalizations skyrocket across the date, increasing eight-fold over the past week; state senator introduces bill that would vastly expand access to medical marijuana as recreational cannabis ballot initiative looms.

Number of kids aged 5-to-11 tops the 34,000 mark, says the Ohio Department of Health; National Veterans Memorial in Columbus holds special ceremony on Thursday; suspected remains of couple missing for three years in eastern Ohio recovered from Ohio River.

Gov. Mike Dewine travels the state to honor veterans and fallen service members; Ohio State highlights efforts to help veterans with physical and mental scars suffered during combat; veteran-led effort sheds light on prevalence of gambling addiction among service members.

Bipartisan panel begins final push to approve new congressional map for Ohio; medical professionals say young Ohioans are getting vaccinated in encouraging numbers, since shots opened up to 5-to-11-year-olds; Cleveland-area priest sentenced to life in connection with pornography, child exploitation charges.

Murder in broad daylight at Easton Shopping Center in Columbus on Monday brings city's homicide total for the year even with all of 2020; one dead, two wounded in shooting at southwest Ohio bar; audit of FirstEnergy Corporation comes under scrutiny for not investigating company's role in state's largest-ever bribery scheme, now that former regulator has been connected to scandal.

University of Dayton student among eight killed in a crowd surge incident at Astroworld Music Festival, over the weekend; lawsuit by Ohio Attorney General and other GOP officials in other states succeed in delaying implementation of Biden administration vax mandate for millions of workers; bomb threats at Ohio University, Miami of Ohio deemed not credible, as authorities say dozens of colleges nat...

OSU back-up quarterback Jack Miller suspended from the team indefinitely following a DUI citation early Friday morning; eyes of the college football world descend on Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday as ESPN Game Day comes to U of C; Gov. Mike Dewine applauds the rollout of vaccinations for children aged 5-to-11, this week;

Ohio political, business leaders push back against Biden administration mandate that would require millions of workers to get vaccinated by Jan. 4; Republican lawmakers in the Ohio House propose a gerrymandered congressional map on the heels of a controversial state legislative district map.

Gov. Mike and First Lady Fran Dewine cancel events after being exposed to COVID-19 from two staffers who have tested positive; Republican Mike Carey rides Trump endorsement to victory in Ohio's 15th Congressional District while Democrat Shontel Brown takes seat in Cleveland area's 11th Congressional District.

Two major congressional races to be decided by voters in northeast, central Ohio today; recent Zanesville High School graduate killed in double murder in east-central Ohio; Ohi doctors urge parents to get their young children vaccinated as soon as federal gov't issues approval.

Northwest Ohio authorities urge parents to be on-the-lookout after needles were found in several trick-or-treat candy bars on Sunday; November election packed with contentious school board races and levies, statewide; two different crashes in central Ohio left teenagers injured or dead over the weekend, with alcohol suspected to be a factor.

Doctors worry about a winter-time surge of COVID-19; two members of the Ohio Board of Education step down; a long-time talk radio host in Cleveland dies; Cleveland prepares to take center stage in the music world.

The Ohio House has passed a domestic violence bill named for a slain suburban Cleveland school teacher; Ohio Attorney General announces sex solicitation bust of Columbus City Schools teacher; Ohio has record number of job openings and jobs listed that pay more than $50,000 or more.

Ohio health officials applaud FDA decision to approve Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for younger children; Ohio's deaths outpaced its births in 2020 for the first time since records began being kept in 1909, largely due to COVID-19 deaths; Ohio penny stock trader charged with fraud for using Twitter to manipulate stock prices to benefit his wallet.

Ohio Attorney General sues Biden Administration over rule that would allow federally-funded family planning organizations to make abortion referrals; Mason, in southwest Ohio, has become second city in the region to declare itself a "sanctuary for the unborn"; Ohio School Board Association leaves national body over disagreements in how to handle vocal and sometimes violent debates over mask mandat...

Ohio Department of Health issues new guidelines for keeping kids safe in school amidst the COVID-19 pandemic; 17 missionaries with Ohio ties remain captive in Haiti; daughter of Cleveland mayor dies just weeks after her son was gunned down in the city.

State will recycle 35,000 newly-designed license plates after glaring mistake in graphics pointed out by Ohioans; Haitian gang boss says he will execute 17 hostages belonging to Ohio-based missionary group if demands for $17 million in ransom are not met; woman who served 18 years for the killing of a 9-month-old baby has been cleared of the conviction and released from prison.

Gov. Mike Dewine unveils new license plate design for Ohio for the first time in eight years; Ohio Department of Health says it is taking steps to prepare for the rollout of vaccinations for 5-to-11-year-olds; Sen. Sherrod Brown says he has offered his help in securing the release of an Ohio-based missionary group kidnapped by a gang in Haiti.

State Dept. officials release new info about missionary families kidnapped in Haiti, saying they range in age from 8 months to 48 years old; a stabbing victim was killed and the suspect wounded following an incident at an Ohio Turnpike service plaza near Sandusky; two sexual assaults under investigation at the Ohio University, following weekend reports.

Haitian gang holding 17 missionaries with Ohio ties demands ransom of $17 million for their safe return; authorities in Marion County say they have solved a cold case dating back to 1989, identified the victim; Columbus woman killed while hiking in Mohican State Park over the weekend.

FBI now assisting in negotiating the release of 17 missionaries with Ohio ties after the group was kidnapped in Haiti; four Ohio counties battered by a string of tornadoes late Friday, early Saturday; Ohio's overall COVID-19 cases down, but some counties still considered at a very-high risk for infection.

Man accused of illegal funeral operations in at least four Ohio counties indicted on more than three-dozen criminal charges; Ohio health officials say they are prepared if and when the federal government approves coronavirus vaccines for younger age group; Democratic lawmakers push for movement on a bill that would help survivors of sexual assault.