Electric bills hit new highs across Ohio, state data shows
An average Ohioan’s July electric bill will be 12% higher than 2025 and 62% higher than 2015, new cost data show. Experts don’t expect the trend to relent.
LATEST NEWS FROM SIGNAL STATEWIDE
Election 2026
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.
Cincinnati-area Republican’s abrupt exit from Ohio House race leaves GOP scrambling
Elizabeth Maier said she decided to end her campaign after a conversation with one of her kids. She is the second Republican to end their campaign for a competitive suburban Ohio House district this month.
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.
GOVERNMENT
Investors are buying Ohioans’ unpaid property tax debts, with 18% interest
Ohio counties are selling record levels of residents’ property tax debts to private investors, who charge up to 18% interest when they collect. Bipartisan lawmakers have proposed eliminating the lien sales outright, while gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton has called for a crackdown.
EDUCATION
Ohio State just renewed its Flock camera contract. Here’s what it will cost and why
Public records show the state’s flagship university began its third contract for the license plate reader cameras July 1.
HEALTH
Ohio will soon get new Medicaid work requirements. Here’s what we know and don’t know
The One Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law last year, will require many Ohio residents with Medicaid to prove that they work or volunteer. But advocates still have a lot of questions about how it will work.
STATE SIGNALS NEWSLETTER
Ohio’s largest police union backs entire GOP slate
Ohio politics news and insights from the State Signals newsletter. Plus, Ohio regulators back off plan to streamline data center water permits.
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