Tornado season in Ohio and across the country got off to a nasty, early start, but that isn't an indication of a bad season to come, weather experts say.
The early spurt of tornadoes during the unseasonably warm weather this year is unusual but not unprecedented, said Mike Kurz, a National Weather Service forecaster in Wilmington.
Of the 75 tornadoes that raged through the Midwest March 2, seven touched down in Ohio.
Read more in the Marion Star.
Showing posts with label marion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marion. Show all posts
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Who will chair GOP's state central committee?
Mar. 8, 2012, Marion Star
By Jessica Alaimo
CentralOhio.com
Even though there were 120 names on ballots Tuesday across the state, the Republican Party’s state central committee races were about only two men — Gov. John Kasich and state party chairman Kevin DeWine.
In that contest, we still don’t know who won, and we won’t for quite some time.
The intra-party dispute goes back to when Kasich first took office and asked DeWine to resign, DeWine told the Ohio News Network in December. When DeWine refused, Kasich backed his own slate of candidates to run for state central committee.
The 66-member committee wields a lot of power within the party. They decide which candidates to endorse, and how to spend party resources. They also pick the state chairman.
Kasich wanted candidates who would support DeWine’s ouster. As of Wednesday afternoon, however, spokesmen for DeWine and Kasich wouldn’t say which candidates were on their respective sides they both declared victory.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Study: Jobs follow wireless Internet
Jan. 25, 2012, Marion Star
By Jessica Alaimo
CentralOhio.com
If businesses are going to come to Ohio, with jobs in tow, they’re going to want access to high speed Internet.
A report by the national think tank NDN looked specifically at wireless broadband, examining communities that recently saw increases in network speeds. The study notes that communities that saw this increase then saw an increase in employment the following quarter.
According to the study, the shift from 2G to 3G networks between 2007 and 2011 helped bring about 1.6 million jobs nationwide.
The study estimates that communities investing in 4G networks will see more than 231,000 jobs in one year.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
State officials consider ways to boost highway construction funding
Jan. 19, 2012, Marion Star
By Jessica Alaimo
CentralOhio.com
The Ohio Department of Transportation needs more money if it’s going to put a dent in the list of necessary construction projects around Ohio, state officials say.
On Tuesday the department issued a list of projects that it currently has the means to fund — and it painted a dismal picture, with some projects delayed for nearly a generation.
“If Ohioans are saying, ‘We can’t live with that,’ we have to come up with additional revenue for construction projects,” said state Rep. Jay Hottinger, R-Newark.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
State pushes back funding for major road projects
Jan. 18, 2012, Marion Star
By Jessica Alaimo
CentralOhio.com
It will take Ohio until 2036 to complete its top priority transportation projects.
As for the construction dates on second-priority projects, which include efforts in Licking, Pickaway and Marion counties?
“After that,” said Steve Faulkner, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Transportation.
The Ohio Department of Transportation on Tuesday released the Transportation Review Advisory Council's draft list of projects to be funded starting in 2013. The list is much shorter than previous versions.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Anti-abortion measures gaining traction in Ohio
Jan. 15, 2012, Marion Star
By Jessica Alaimo
CentralOhio.com
If you have been out and about over the weekend, there’s a good chance you were approached about the Personhood Amendment, a ballot measure that could effectively end abortion in Ohio.
It’s just another step forward in a successful yet contentious era for Ohio’s abortion opponents. The Ohio Legislature passed seven anti-abortion measures last year — the most in recent memory of Ohio Right to Life Society President Mike Gonidakis.
“Elections have consequences,” Gonidakis said. “In 2010 every Ohio Right to Life-endorsed candidate was elected.”
These candidates pursued the organization’s legislative agenda, he said. But there’s more on the horizon, with pending measures so volatile the anti-abortion movement is fractured. The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio is already promising legal action.
Monday, January 2, 2012
12 for ’12: Key issues for Ohio
Jan. 2, 2012, Marion Star
By Jessica Alaimo
CentralOhio.com
If Ohio's New Year's resolution is to have even more political bickering, maneuvering and nasty ads, 2012 could very well be its year.
Once again the state will be a hotbed for presidential campaign activity. There will be at least one referendum on the fall ballot, and the attacks are already flying in the U.S. Senate race.
And nobody will be snoozing in Columbus, either.
Here are 12 public policy issues that will be upcoming this year. They range from Medicaid, to school funding, to public pensions, to regulating our four-legged friends big and small.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Union membership rules could change
Oct. 30, 2011, Marion Star
By Jessica Alaimo
CentralOhio.com
CentralOhio.com is examining the most important facets of Issue 2 in a 10-day series. Our goal is to dive into the specifics of the bill so you will have the facts when you go to the polls.
Topic: Who can join a bargaining unit
Currently: Lower-level supervisors are able to join a bargaining unit, along with department heads in colleges and universities. To dissolve a union, 50 percent of its members must petition for decertification.
What Senate Bill 5 would do: The bill would prohibit some people from joining unions. These include lower-level supervisors in police and fire departments, and department heads in state colleges and universities. The bill also states that supervisor pay cannot be tied to union contracts.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Ohio law mostly silent on regulating wild animals
Oct. 20, 2011, Marion Star
By Jessica Alaimo
CentralOhio.com
When animal sanctuary officials in neighboring states found out what happened in Zanesville, they said they weren’t surprised.
Ohio has some of the most lax laws regarding private ownership of exotic animals, being one of fewer than 10 states with no regulation.
“My reaction was, ‘Here we go again.’” said April Truitt, director and founder of the Primate Rescue Center in Nicholasville, Ky. “Ohio is simply full to the brim with exotic animal breeders. ... You can buy anything you want in Ohio.”
The same response came from Ohio’s eastern neighbor.
“We knew something like this was going to happen, we just hoped it wouldn’t be on this scale,” said Melissa Bishop, of the East Coast Exotic Animal Rescue in Fairfield, Pa.
Truitt and Bishop were responding to a situation that broke late Tuesday, when authorities killed 49 of 56 exotic animals that escaped from a Zanesville farm after owner Terry Thompson killed himself.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Throwing away ‘throw away the key’
May 8, 2011, Marion Star
By Jessica Alaimo
CentralOhio.com
Judge Richard Berens knows there are problems with Ohio’s corrections system and more needs to be done to help ex-prisoners adjust back into society.
But the Fairfield County Common Pleas judge also thinks the people he sends to prison belong there.
State lawmakers have proposed sweeping reforms to Ohio’s corrections system. A comprehensive bill passed the House on a 96-2 vote Wednesday, and it’s been the subject of ongoing Senate committee hearings. Gov. John Kasich supports the measure.
While Berens supports the bill’s efforts to reduce recidivism and boost rehabilitation, he fears some provisions will tie judges’ hands and put more stress on county departments.
The legislation would mean first-time, nonviolent, low-level felony offenders could not be sent to state prison, and instead would get three years probation. The bill also doubles the threshold for felony-level thefts, meaning more would head to the county jail on theft charges.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
State tax revenues exceed estimates
Apr. 13, 2011, Marion Star
By Jessica Alaimo
CentralOhio.com
Ohio’s General Revenue Fund is slowly getting healthier.
Tax revenues collected in March exceeded expectations by $157 million, according to the state’s monthly financial report released Tuesday.
Among the highlights:
» Income tax collections exceeded expectations by $80 million.
» Sales tax collections exceeded expectations by $69 million.
» Corporate franchise taxes exceeded expectations by $21 million.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
SB 5 revision protects death benefits
Mar. 30, 2011, Marion Star
BY JESSICA ALAIMO
CentralOhio.com
Sara Winfield,whose husband was killed in the line of duty in Marion County, told a legislative committee that Senate Bill 5 might keep her and other survivors of slain police officers from getting their full benefits.
The controversial legislation seeks to curtail collective bargaining rights of public employees. On Tuesday, Republican lawmakers added a clause to protect the benefits of surviving spouses and families of officers and firefighters who die in the line of duty. The legislation goes before the full House for a vote today.
However, one Fraternal Order of Police representative said he is not sure if the complex Senate Bill 5 language would interfere with death benefits, even with the change.
School districts learn how deep state cuts might be
Mar. 30, 2011, Marion Star
BY JESSICA ALAIMO
CentralOhio.com
Local school officials figured they would have less state and federal aid in 2012. Tuesday, they learned what the cuts could be.
Last week, Gov. John Kasich touted more state aid for local districts. However, the slight increases in state foundation aid don’t make up for what school districts stand to lose from the expiration of stimulus funds and an accelerated phase-out of the personal property tax reimbursement.
The Office of Budget and Management unveiled projections of how much less schools would get from the reimbursements under Kasich’s proposed budget.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Sweet home far away from work
Mar. 6, 2011, Marion Star
BY JESSICA ALAIMO
CentralOhio.com
MARION — Jessica Abrams has a job she enjoys.
But to maintain gainful employment, she spends two hours in her car each day. She doesn’t want to move from Marion to Columbus.
The cost of living is lower where she lives, and she prefers the school system. But it puts a strain on her family.
“I don’t think I could find a job here making the kind of money that I do now, but I hope to eventually,” said Abrams, 31.
The average commute for Ohio workers has increased from 20 minutes in 1990 to 22.6 minutes in the past five years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
It doesn’t sound like much on the surface, but that amounts to an additional 21 hours in the car each year.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
A matter of public concern
Feb. 20, 2011, Marion Star
BY JESSICA ALAIMO
CentralOhio.com
The firefighters union claimed it needed 13 people every shift to keep its community safe.
City leaders said they couldn’t afford the cost. There was impasse over wages and health insurance costs, too.
The disagreement could have led to a strike 27 years ago. But in January 2010, the city of Marion and its union went in front of a neutral arbitrator. He gave the final word, siding with the union on some issues and the city on others. One public labor attorney called it a“rare” good arbitration decision.
That process is at the heart of the debate over public employment that erupted in recent weeks when Ohio’s new Republican leaders introduced a bill to overhaul the process.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
What are Marion County legislators working on?
Feb. 6, 2011, Marion Star
BY JESSICA ALAIMO
CentralOhio.com
The legislative session is under way in Columbus, and lawmakers are preparing to tackle some of the state’s biggest issues.
An $8 billion budget hole could mean major changes to local governments, jails and prisons, state employees and schools.
The Ohio General Assembly returned to work last month. As of Thursday evening, 86 bills have been introduced in the House, and 61 in the Senate.
What have Marion County lawmakers been up to these last few weeks?We contacted them to find out.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Proposed change in speeding law likely won’t affect enforcement
June 27, 2010, Marion Star
BY JESSICA ALAIMO
CentralOhio.com
Getting a speeding ticket based on radar is bad enough. But what about one based on a police officer’s observations?
A recently publicized development in state law means police officers need no more than a trained eye to issue a speeding ticket. A state lawmaker fears this leaves a door wide open to abuses in the system.
Passing legislation requiring officers to use a mechanical device while issuing speeding tickets will take some time, however — the General Assembly is on summer recess.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Travel is pricey for public workers
Apr. 11, 2010, Marion Star
By Jessica Alaimo and Russ Zimmer
CentralOhio.com
While some money-crunched Ohioans enjoyed the full “staycation” experience in 2008 and 2009, many public employees took business trips.
However, some of these business trips were to Disney World, Palm Springs and points in between, and frequently involved stays at luxury hotels and meals at top-notch restaurants.
It was all on your dime.
Stevens was an advocate for women, minorities
Apr. 11, 2010, Marion Star
By Jessica Alaimo
CentralOhio.com
Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has a legacy of standing up for women's rights, the disabled and minorities, Ohio court watchers said. However, others characterized him as someone who cannot be labeled.
Stevens announced Friday he would retire from the U.S. Supreme Court at the end of this term. President Gerald R. Ford appointed Stevens in 1975.
He handled emergency matters for the 6th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, meaning his desk was one of the final stops for Ohio death row inmates seeking a stay of execution.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Pleasant only local district to apply for ‘Race to the Top’ grant money
Jan. 13, 2010, Marion Star
By JESSICA ALAIMO
Central Ohio.com
The federal government is poised to give Ohio school districts up to $400 million to improve education, but 60 percent of them said no thanks.
The “Race to the Top” grant money is intended to create programs that will help students participate in the global economy, find innovative ways to track student success, reward teachers who are most effective and improve the lowest-achieving schools.
While state officials touted the grant program as positive in all aspects, local school officials had mixed reactions. Grant language is vague, and as a result officials had different interpretations of what it meant.
In Richland County, Clear Fork Valley Superintendent Daniel Freund said he’d like to use grant money to find ways to make quarterly assessments of both teacher and student performance. He also supports provisions in the grant that allow expansion of technology in the classroom.
“It’s an opportunity for school districts to look at and formally assess our evaluations of student programs, and teacher impact,” Freund said.
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