Ohio Public Radio

Controversy continues over the lack of weekend voting hours planned for this November's election.

Democrats are not giving up on the fight to restore some of the weekend voting opportunities that have been wiped out by the Republican dominated Ohio legislature during the past year.

A progressive group says it’s concerned about the influence held in Ohio by a national organization of state lawmakers, lobbyists and corporate officials.

There’s news on Ohio’s unemployment front today, but it’s not particularly good or bad. The newly-announced official jobless rate for July is unchanged from June.

Republican Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan criticized President Obama on U.S. trade with China during a campaign stop in Stark County Thursday.

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted’s directive that election boards in all of Ohio’s 88 counties must keep the same hours leaves some Democrats wondering whether that’s really fair for all Ohioans. Ohio Public Radio’s Jo Ingles explains some Democrats say equal is not necessarily fair where voting rights are concerned.    

The fight over whether all Ohioans should have the opportunity to vote in person at boards of elections the weekend before Election Day has had its day in court. Ohio Public Radio’s Jo Ingles reports there isn’t a quick and easy answer to that question.  

The state’s criminal investigation team is branching out by going underwater. Ohio Public Radio’s Karen Kasler went out for an afternoon with a group of crime scene investigators hoping to bring their skills to counties that need them. 

The Ohio Democratic Party is suing Governor John Kasich in a Franklin County Court, saying he’s illegally hiding documents that should be made available to the public. Ohio Public Radio’s Jo Ingles reports. 

If President Obama is to win re-election, he'll need to hang on to the youth vote he captured in 2008. Some young voters are frustrated with The President because they think he's deserted the political left. More than one hundred of them are attending a national conference this week at Ohio State University. Statehouse correspondent Bill Cohen reports. 

There’s a controversy over extended in person early voting hours in Ohio. Democrats are crying foul because some Republican leaning counties have put in place evening and weekend hours while other counties with more Democratic leanings are offering early in person voting only during normal business hours. Ohio Public Radio’s Jo Ingles reports .

The state department of transportation has been coming up with ideas on how to plug a $1.6 billion hole in its road construction budget. One proposal has brought in interest, but not the way officials were hoping.

Republican Mitt Romney campaigns in Ohio tomorrow with stops in Beallsville, Zainesville and Chillicothe. Romney's visit to the Buckeye State comes after his decision on a running mate -  Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.

There was a surprising development in the progress of the public-private entity JobsOhio - one of Gov. John Kasich's key programs. But as Statehouse correspondent Karen Kasler reports, the administration is saying it's not as shocking as it might seem.

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted says voters will now be able to update their addresses online. Husted says it should help voters meet the requirement of being registered at their current address 30 days before an election. He said it will also save tax dollars by reducing the workload at county elections offices and improve the security of voter rolls, leaving less room for fraud. But Democrats say they have some concerns about the new system. Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles reports. 

A new survey shows a majority of voters over age 50 in Ohio and across the country have serious reservations about when or if they'll be able to retire. Because of that, they're saying the presidential candidates need to talk more about Social Security and Medicare. The poll was commissioned by AARP, and surveyed voters in Ohio and five other states. Pollster Guy Molyneaux says 50 percent of baby boomer voters in Ohio believe they will retire at some point, but 64 percent think they will have to delay retirement. Molyneaux says overall, boomers are pessimistic.  

The idea of a temporary sales tax holiday surfaces periodically in the General Assembly, and it's cropped up again.   This time, it’s two Democratic state lawmakers from northeast Ohio who are suggesting that a two-day state sales tax moratorium for back-to-school shoppers.

When voters go to the polls this fall, their vote for President will not only determine who leads the country but also who will decide the makeup of the nation’s highest court. That point is not lost on groups that take sides on issues involving women….like contraception and abortion. Ohio Public Radio’s Jo Ingles reports.

Researchers are studying whether stress effects how the bodies of young Ohio and West Virginia women respond to the vaccine for the human papiloma virus. The sexually transmitted virus has been linked to cervical and other cancers. Fred Kight of member station WOUB in Athens reports. 

The state's Office of Budget and Management says July tax revenues are up 5 percent over estimates. That means 69 million additional dollars for state coffers. State budget director Tim Keen also says Medicaid spending for July met previous estimates, but it's too early in the fiscal year to know what affect it will have.  Keen spoke about the numbers with Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler.