Amy Acton would put conditions on new Ohio data centers – but not the size of their tax breaks
Acton’s plan would require union labor, end secret agreements and push new projects onto abandoned industrial sites.
LATEST NEWS FROM SIGNAL STATEWIDE
Election 2026
Top Ohio Democrats retreat on trans issues, leaving some transgender activists feeling abandoned
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur voted for a GOP-backed measure requiring parental notification on gender identity in schools. Governor candidate Amy Acton said she opposes “boys playing in girls’ sports.” Both moves have drawn criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates within their own party.
Ohio progressive group turns FBI raid into voter mobilization pitch
Allies of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative are launching a social media ad campaign portraying the FBI investigation as an attempt at voter suppression that they say will backfire on Republicans this fall.
Why Democrats think they can compete in this ‘sleeper’ Ohio congressional race
Democrats hope Brian Poindexter will give voters in the Trump-supporting 7th Congressional District a blue-collar alternative to Republican Rep. Max Miller. The race could test how a Bernie Sanders-backed candidate plays in pro-Trump territory.
GOVERNMENT
Feds advance plan to open 2,800 acres of Ohio’s Wayne National Forest to fracking
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management scheduled a September 2026 lease sale for 2,800 acres of Wayne National Forest, a preserve long sought by the oil and gas industry. This could mean fracking Ohio’s only national forest for the first time.
EDUCATION
As defaults on student loans surge, millions are trying to get their lives back on track
Nearly 1 in 4 Ohio residents with student loans are more than 360 days delinquent, according to an Associated Press analysis.
HEALTH
Deadly neglect lawsuits and fines follow Ohio nursing home chain
In courtrooms and Ohio Department of Health inspections, Arbors at Ohio facilities have repeatedly been accused of neglectful care with fatal outcomes. The chain has paid hundreds of thousands in regulatory penalties.
STATE SIGNALS NEWSLETTER
Vivek Ramaswamy touts plan to quickly axe Ohio taxes on capital gains
Ohio politics news and insights from the State Signals newsletter. Plus, Elon Musk and other billionaires spend big to help elect Ramaswamy.
PUBLIC SAFETY
What Ohio’s new traffic stop law means for drivers and passengers
Starting this fall, drivers and passengers who are lawfully stopped for suspected traffic violations must provide identifying information or risk criminal charges.
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