Ohio considering workers' comp reform

Apr. 19, 2012, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette

By Jessica Alaimo
CentralOhio.com

Ohio lawmakers want to attract more employers to the state, and one key to doing so is improving the state's workers' compensation system.

State Rep. Jay Hottinger, R-Newark, is overseeing hearings on three bills that would do just that. Hottinger is chairman of the House Insurance Committee.

The bills do not involve privatization of or competition for the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation.

The state's main goal is to make sure injured employees get access to better medical care so they can go back to work sooner, Hottinger said.

Read more in the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette.

Census: Population in Ohio, area counties grows, but only slightly

Apr. 6, 2012, Lancaster Eagle Gazette

By Jessica Alaimo
CentralOhio.com

Central Ohio continues to grow.

Franklin County and surrounding communities in Licking, Fairfield, Knox and Delaware counties all saw population increases between 2010 and 2011, according to estimates released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Officials in Fairfield and Licking counties say Columbus commuters are driving the growth, and the population hikes are a boon to the local economies.

Read more in the Lancaster Eagle Gazette. 

Competition for grants intensifying as local funds fade

Jan. 29, 2012, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette

By Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

Local governments have been hit hard through the recession, and as a result have delayed construction projects, cut services and laid off public safety officials.

It’s because of dwindling revenue sources. The state has cut aid. Tax collections are down, and voters aren’t passing levies.

Now another funding source has become more difficult to come by: grants. This means competition has become more fierce among governments, said Kent Scarrett, communications director for the Ohio Municipal League.

State to promote teamwork between entities

Jan. 29, 2012, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette

By Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

In western Ottawa County, several local governments share a fire department and they are looking at sharing a law enforcement district.

That’s the kind of collaboration the state wants to see more of, so much so that officials are willing to either give or lend local entities the seed money to get started.

The Local Government Innovation Fund is a new state program with $45 million to offer entities some grants, but mostly loans. To qualify for the funds, governments must find new and innovative ways to work together.

The goal is to create a more-efficient system of local governments that will save taxpayers money.

Ohio enacts tax break for college students receiving grants

Dec. 13, 2011, Lancaster Eagle Gazette

By Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

If an Ohio college student’s Pell Grant or Ohio College Opportunity Grant is applied toward room and board or a meal plan, it no longer is considered taxable income by the state.

Gov. John Kasich signed a bill Friday that will allow students to take an income tax deduction for these situations. There was no opposition in the Legislature, and it takes effect immediately so students can take advantage of it on their 2011 tax returns.

Rep. Tim Derickson, R-Oxford, sponsored the bill.

Building understanding between poor, middle class

Dec. 8, 2011, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette

By Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

Fatina Evans grew up in a middle-class family on the poor side of a mid-sized Ohio city. Surrounded by poverty, her family followed the same unwritten rules regarding money: If you have it, you spend it, because stressful circumstances make it hard to plan beyond the present.

One day it clicked that her family could afford something nicer, so they moved to a nicer neighborhood. Once there, she said they realized a shift in social norms — people were more likely to save money and maybe refinance a mortgage when money ran short. Neighborly expectations were different, too, because people were more aware of the effect of neighborhood conditions on property values.

While the neighbors were accommodating, the Evans family ultimately decided to move back to their original neighborhood, where they were more comfortable.

Evans said poverty brings about a different code, which drives behaviors the middle class might not understand or even scorn.

11 vie for new congressional seat

Dec. 8, 2011, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette

By Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

Eleven people are eying the new congressional district that includes the southern part of Fairfield County.

However, the field could change.

Wednesday was the filing deadline for partisan congressional candidates looking to run in the 2012 primary election.

Under the maps passed this fall, Fairfield County is divided between congressional districts.

Homeland security grants help agencies prepare for disasters as well as terrorism

Sept. 11, 2011, Lancaster Eagle Gazette

By Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

If terrorists were planning another large-scale attack against the United States, it’s unlikely their next target would be in Chillicothe.

Still, Sept. 11, 2001, was a wake-up call to public safety officials in this southern Ohio community.

As Assistant Fire Chief Steve Gallagher pulled out the key to the padlock that secures the county’s hazmat trailer, he said he has had one more question at each local disaster in the county since 9/11: Did someone do this on purpose?

The U.S. government has given Ross County agencies $1.3 million in homeland security grants in the decade since the Sept. 11 attacks.

While the money helped mitigate potential terrorist threats, much of it also helped the county be more prepared for any kind of disaster — natural, accidental or intentional.

Ohio unions fight dwindling numbers, Issue 2

Sept. 5, 2011, Lancaster Eagle Gazette

By Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

As members of organized labor face what they see as a major threat to their existence, they will have 222,000 fewer Ohio members this Labor Day to promote their cause, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Placing the figure in the realm of the total employed, Ohio is losing union members at a rate faster than most states.

In 2000, 17.4 percent of those employed in Ohio were labor union members. In 2010, 13.7 percent of those employed belonged to unions, according to the bureau.

As unions deal with declining membership, they face yet another threat this year — Issue 2, also known as Senate Bill 5 — which would curtail the rights of public sector bargaining units across the state.

Some AEP clients may see rate hike

June 19, 2011, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette

By Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

American Electric Power wants to raise its rates on customers and decrease rates for small businesses.

The utility has submitted a plan for approval by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, which will make a decision by the end of the year.

AEP said an increase in costs and new environmental mandates are behind the increase. A consumer watchdog agency said unnecessary additional costs might be in the plan.

CHEERY PART OF SCHOOL FUNDING PICTURE RELEASED

Mar. 25, 2011, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette

BY JESSICA ALAIMO

CentralOhio.com

Most school districts could expect increases in basic state aid under Gov. John Kasich’s proposed budget, Ohio executives told school districts Thursday.

But school officials knew not to get excited, because these numbers only reveal the cheerier half of an otherwise grim picture. School districts will lose funds in other places, most likely resulting in a net loss, school and union officials say. Districts don’t know how those losses will be divided.

Barbara Shaner, associate executive director of the Ohio Association of School Business Officials, said the group cautioned its members as the numbers came out: The big picture could look a lot different.

These projections make for strange bedfellows: The Ohio Education Association, the largest teachers’ union in the state, echoed the business officials association in calling the figures misleading. Union spokeswoman Michele Prater referred to the calculations as “sleight of hand” that seeks to disguise an overall drop in state funding for schools.

County’s growth since 2000 almost unparalleled

Mar. 10, 2011, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette

BY JESSICA ALAIMO

CentralOhio.com

LANCASTER — Fairfield County is the fourth-fastest growing county in Ohio, and has one of the lowest housing vacancy rates, according to U.S. Census data released Wednesday.

Most of this growth occurred in the communities closest to Columbus. The county had 146,156 people in 2010, a growth rate of 19 percent since 2000.

The Census Bureau counted every person in the country in 2010 collecting data on age, race and housing.

Grim numbers join December trend: 24 hours, six fire deaths in Ohio

Dec. 11, 2010, Lancaster Eagle Gazette

BY JESSICA ALAIMO

CentralOhio.com

Three fatal fires killed six people in 24 hours in Ohio. That’s the most one state fire official said he has ever seen happen at once.

In Bucyrus, a mobile home burned, killing three people early Friday morning. In Zanesville, two died in a house fire early Thursday. Another house fire early Friday in Butler County killed one person.

These six deaths mean 137 people have died this year in fires. In 2009 a total of 153 were killed, and 188 died in 2008.

Portman, Fisher disagree on Ohio’s job plight

Oct. 24, 2010, Lancaster Eagle Gazette

BY JESSICA ALAIMO

CentralOhio.com

Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, says it’s difficult to brag about his administration’s economic achievements, because of all the Ohioans left jobless during the national recession.

In an uphill battle to remain employed himself, he came in front of CentralOhio.com editors and reporters and boasted about his achievements, in bringing new jobs to the state and keeping existing ones from leaving.

His Republican opponent, former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, does not share Fisher’s viewpoint. In a separate interview, he was highly critical of Fisher and Gov. Ted Strickland, contending the recession in Ohio was worse than other states as a direct result of failed leadership.

Jobs and Fisher’s economic record are the central issues in the race to replace retiring Sen. George Voinovich, a Republican.

Candidates agree on most issues

Oct. 10, 2010, Lancaster Eagle Gazette

BY JESSICA ALAIMO

CentralOhio.com

In any other year, the secretary of state’s race would be a snoozer, overshadowed by the often high-profile governor’s race. But it’s not a normal year; 2010 is the beginning of a decade.

That means it’s redistricting time. The next secretary of state will be one of five people who will help draw legislative districts in 2011, which will carry considerable influence over which party controls each chamber of the Ohio General Assembly.

This year, it’s an open race. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner decided not to seek re-election and instead ran for the U.S. Senate, losing the Democratic primary to Lee Fisher.

Candidates discuss plans to boost state

Sept. 30, 2010, Lancaster Eagle Gazette

BY JESSICA ALAIMO

CentralOhio.com

NEWARK — As a Democratic candidate for governor, Ted Strickland promised to fix Ohio’s unconstitutional school funding formula.

“If I do not solve this problem if I am elected governor, then I will be a failure, no matter what else I achieve,” he told editorial boards for Gannett’s Central Ohio properties in September 2006.

Fast forward four years. Embroiled in a tough re-election battle, Gov. Strickland appeared in front of CentralOhio.com editors and reporters Wednesday, defending his education reforms and other policies.

Later in the day, his Republican opponent, former U.S. Rep. John Kasich, appeared in the same setting, arguing Strickland’s policies had failed and his own ideas could breathe life into Ohio’s troubled economy.

Congressional lines at heart of state races

Jan. 4, 2010, Lancaster Eagle Gazette

BY JESSICA ALAIMO

CentralOhio.com

The reason control of the Ohio House of Representatives after the 2010 elections is so important has something to do with U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner.

In 2011, Ohio lawmakers will redraw congressional districts. They can start with a clean slate and draw the lines any way they’d like, providing they follow the population apportionments. Ohio stands to lose one or two seats after the 2010 U.S. census.

The Ohio Senate is likely to remain in Republican control. In the Ohio House, Democrats currently have a seven-seat majority. If Republicans gain control, they will have authority on who draws the congressional lines. They will also have the upper hand on all the important Ohio policy issues — the state budget, education and health care.

Hooked in the womb

Dec. 6, 2009, Lancaster Eagle Gazette

BY JESSICA ALAIMO

CentralOhio.com

Dr. Jonathan Wispe has treated nearly two dozen patients addicted to opiates this year.

As if that weren’t tragic enough, they’re newborns.

They tend to be agitated, have high-pitched, irritable screams, sweat profusely and not feed well. Their addictions are seldom fatal, although the children can suffer lasting effects.

Stimulus-tracking Web site includes made-up districts

Nov. 19, 2009, Lancaster Eagle Gazette

BY JESSICA ALAIMO

CentralOhio.com

NEWARK — There are 18 congressional districts in Ohio.

According to Recovery.gov, however, $1.2 million in stimulus funds was spent in the 21^st Congressional District, $660,000 was spent in the 99th District and $400,000 was spent in the 69^th District.

Recovery.gov is the federal government’s site detailing where stimulus money is spent.