Ohio Republicans loosen rules for sawed-off shotguns, gun silencers
In their first major legislative act after losing power in Ohio’s midterm elections, Statehouse Republicans voted to allow the possession of sawed-off and short-barreled shotguns without federal registration. The bill goes to Gov. Mike DeWine to sign or veto.
LATEST NEWS FROM SIGNAL STATEWIDE
Election 2026
Ohio Democrats gain long-lost statewide offices, including attorney general
A blue wave went beyond top-of-the-ticket wins in the governor and U.S. Senate races, giving Democrats new influence in state government and on the Supreme Court.
Democrat Allison Russo wins Ohio secretary of state race
Her victory represents the first time the party will control a lower-profile statewide executive office in more than a decade.
Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown wins U.S. Senate seat in comeback election
The populist Democrat, who lost a Senate seat in 2024, knocked off Trump-backed Republican Jon Husted in a campaign where affordability issues and data center expansion played heavily. The seat is up for re-election in 2028.
GOVERNMENT
Gas drillers ask Ohio to open public-owned Monroe Lake Wildlife Area for fracking
The request comes as the industry-receptive Oil and Gas Land Management Commission has opened 22,000 acres of state parks and wildlife reserves to oil and gas exploration since 2021. The next governor could shape future deals.
EDUCATION
Kent State president makes the case for Ohio’s investment in public colleges
As the future of higher education gets debated in Ohio and across the country, Todd Diacon is defending the track record of the state’s public universities.
HEALTH
Ohioans receive Obamacare ‘rebate’ checks from Trump
Nearly 1 million ACA enrollees are getting $500 checks weeks before the November election, including in Ohio and other U.S. Senate battlegrounds.
STATE SIGNALS NEWSLETTER
Ohio Democrats won big. What comes next?
Ohio politics news and insights from the State Signals newsletter. Plus, Republicans have begun grumbling about Vivek Ramaswamy’s surprisingly big loss.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Christian conservative podcaster detained by ICE at Columbus airport
A Department of Homeland Security official said Samuel Sey, 39, is set for removal from the country. He has publicly praised Trump’s mass deportation agenda as just and compatible with Christian beliefs.
NEWS FROM NOTUS
DOGE Cut Off Small Town America’s 250th Birthday Money
Ohio Humanities was planning history projects for the 250th when DOGE axed its funding last year. Then Trump redirected federal money for his own beautification projects.
Local Newsrooms
Signal Ohio is a nonprofit statewide network of local newsrooms.
Why Local News
Local news is in crisis. Across the country, including here in Ohio, the commercial news industry has been on the decline, leading to the loss of nearly three-quarters of journalism jobs since 2005, leading to less accountability, more polarization, and more government waste. With the volume of original reporting in Ohio communities reduced to a small fraction of what it once was, nonprofit news offers a path forward