Trump admin to give $175 million to six coal plants, including two in Ohio
Among the recipients of ‘modernization’ money are two aging, debt-laden coal plants in Ohio. Environmentalists say it’s a handout.
LATEST NEWS FROM SIGNAL STATEWIDE
Election 2026
Ohio legislative Democrats show signs of life in campaign fundraising
Democrats say stronger fundraising ahead of 2026 puts them in position to challenge the GOP’s legislative supermajority, even as Republicans reported far more cash.
Amy Acton’s fundraising surges after potential Democratic rivals bow out of Ohio’s governor’s race
Acton’s campaign will report having $3 million in campaign cash heading into the May 5 primary election. That’s stronger than recent Ohio Democratic governor candidates, although it significantly trails the $12.9 million in cash reported by Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.
Amy Acton picks former party chair as running mate in Ohio’s governor race
David Pepper, a Cincinnati-based writer and longtime party strategist, led Ohio Democrats from 2015 through 2020
GOVERNMENT
FirstEnergy defendants say $4.3 million wasn’t a bribe; senior Ohio official stole it
In their most comprehensive explanation of their innocence to date, lawyers for FirstEnergy’s ex-CEO and ex-senior vice president say their money was intended for legal clients of a now-dead ex-PUCO chairman, who stole it.
EDUCATION
What happens if ICE agents show up at Ohio’s public universities?
Few of the state’s 14 four-year institutions publicly share this information online.
HEALTH
Ohio’s hemp, marijuana crackdown to begin after DeWine signs bill
Governor signed legislation to add new criminal penalties around marijuana possession and restrict sales of ‘intoxicating hemp’ products. He also killed an exemption for hemp beverages. Opponents have announced a repeal effort.
STATE SIGNALS NEWSLETTER
On ICE, Sherrod Brown goes on offense while Jon Husted urges a ‘reset’
Sherrod Brown calls for Kristi Noem’s firing while Jon Husted urges a “reset” at ICE, highlighting shifting immigration politics in Ohio.
Read this and other Ohio political news and insights from the State Signals newsletter.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Springfield prepares for an ICE raid it can’t confirm: ‘You become powerless in a situation like this’
Temporary legal status for 12,000-plus Haitian immigrants in the city was set to expire on Wednesday until a federal judge intervened. The expectation that federal enforcement was looming upended daily life for some.
NEWS FROM NOTUS
Republicans’ Push for the SAVE America Act Could Disenfranchise Eligible Voters
The legislation would require voters to prove their citizenship when registering to vote, potentially putting barriers up for many groups of voters who are U.S. citizens.
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