Ohio is facing a major affordable housing shortage, and lawmakers on each side of the aisle have teamed up to propose assistance to local governments. State Reps. Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) and Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon) introduced legislation to create an annual housing fund of up to $200 million a year dedicated exclusively to providing grants to municipalities that adopt "pro-housing" policies. "We need to be laser-focused on making sure that everyone in Ohio has access to a home that they can afford and feel safe and secure," Isaacsohn said. How it would work The Ohio Housi ..read more

Ohio lawmakers are trying to protect homeowners from "squatters," people trying to claim rights over someone else's residence. However, housing advocates worry that the proposed legislation will have unintended consequences that could hurt individuals facing homelessness. In the state, property owners have to serve squatters eviction notices and then take them to court to kick them out. The police department can only arrest people if they have warrants. "If they waive a lease in front of law enforcement, even if it's a false lease, it puts law enforcement in a position where they essentially h ..read more

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is drafting a bill to strengthen seat belt laws and allow law enforcement officers to pull people over for not buckling up. Republican lawmakers aren't interested, arguing that it goes against personal liberty. During his State of the State address Wednesday, the governor said that Ohio has an obligation to keep children safe on roads and highways. WATCH: Gov. Mike DeWine delivers State of the State "We also know that a primary seat belt law would protect people traveling on Ohios roadways," DeWine said. Seat belt laws in the state fall under secondary enforcement, meanin ..read more

Emergency departments within hospitals in Ohio will be required to report non-fatal overdoses to the Ohio Department of Health beginning in April, Governor Mike DeWine announced Monday. The new rule is a change to the Ohio Administrative Code and goes into effect on April 8, according to a press release for DeWine's office. DeWine said the rule will help state officials analyze overdose data in the state more accurately, allowing them to possibly identify trends within overdoses, like repeat incidences or geographic areas disproportionately affected. "The purpose of this new rule is to improve ..read more

Residents in Whitewater Township voted against a tax levy aimed at "providing and maintaining a police department and fire department." The levy proposed an annual tax rate increase at a rate not exceeding 9.8 mills for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $343 for each $100,000 of the county auditor's appraised value. It was the township's first proposed levy in years. If it passed, the levy would have covered the $1.4 million per year needed to secure three deputies to respond to emergency calls throughout the community 24 hours a day. Township Trustee Guy Schaible said it would have o ..read more

Ohioans took to the polls to decide who would represent the 8th district in the U.S. House of Representatives. Vanessa Enoch has secured the Democratic party nomination and will now run against Warren Davidson, who won the Republican seat, in the November general election, Decision Desk HQ projects. The 8th district spans through Hamilton and Butler Counties and up into Preble and Darke counties. It also dips into Miami County, just north of Dayton. When the votes were counted, Warren Davidson won the primary against Republican Kay Rogers, a newcomer to the race. Rogers was born in Cincinnati ..read more

Decision Desk HQ projects Bernie Moreno as the winner of the Republican primary for U.S. Senate. Moreno will face incumbent Sherrod Brown (D) at the November general election after defeating Matt Dolan and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. Brown is running for his fourth term. He tried to run for a Senate seat in 2022 but was unsuccessful, losing to J.D. Vance in 2022. Here is how Ohio voted in the primary: Moreno is a businessman with a background in auto sales. He moved to the U.S. at age 5 from Bolivia and became a U.S. citizen at 18. According to his campaign website, Moreno is running ..read more

Former President Donald Trump has won the Ohio presidential primary, inching one step closer to a general election rematch with incumbent President Joe Biden in November. Trump won the GOP primary, Decision Desk HQ projects. The 77-year-old has won every primary thus far minus Vermont, where former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley narrowly won. Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Cincinnati native Vivek Ramaswamy were also on the Ohio ballot but previously dropped out of the race. The former president is also expected to easily win his primaries in Arizon ..read more

President Joe Biden on Tuesday easily won the Democratic primary in Ohio as he and former President Donald Trump prepare for a rematch of the 2020 election. Biden won the Ohio primary, Decision Desk HQ projects. The only other candidate on the ballot was Dean Phillips, who dropped out earlier this month. The 81-year-old is expected to also win his primaries in Arizona, Illinois and Kansas Tuesday night. Florida Democrats canceled their primary, instead electing to award all 224 of their delegates to Biden. The president has faced few challenges in his bid for reelection, falling only to Jason ..read more

It's been nearly four decades since liberal-leaning justices held a majority on Ohio's supreme court. Democrats hope this is the year that changes, in a campaign that will begin to take shape with Tuesday's primary. They'll be choosing a candidate to compete for an open seat on a court that will be at the center of fights over redistricting, public education, health care, environmental issues and criminal justice. But it's abortion that Democrats hope will be a game-changer in a state that has swung from centrist to reliably Republican over the past decade. The Ohio Supreme Court is expected t ..read more