Redistricting map satisfies few

Oct. 3, 2011, Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum

By Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

How hard is it to divide Ohio into 16 equal parts?

When politics are involved, it's a decennial political brouhaha.

The Ohio Legislature completed the politically charged redistricting process last week, in which politicians draw up the U.S. Congressional and Ohio legislative districts where they'll seek election for the next decade. It's a process that brings about a lot of numbers, confusing terms, political warfare and squiggly lines.

It's complicated, and much of it is classic inside political baseball.

So why should you care?

County keeping Balderson

Oct. 1, 2011, Zanesville Times-Recorder

By Carl Burnett Jr. and Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

ZANESVILLE — State Sen. Troy Balderson, R-Zanesville, will continue to represent all of Muskingum County, providing he runs for re-election and wins in 2012.

He also will represent Lancaster — the hometown of State Sen. Tim Schaffer, who no longer will represent his home county after his fellow Republicans swapped districts and moved borders of Ohio’s new legislative districts Friday.

The state’s Apportionment Board approved changes to several districts after lawmakers approached them with concerns about original maps released Sept. 23., said State Rep. Jay Hottinger, R-Newark. Those maps placed Muskingum County in Schaffer districts.

Map shift brings Schaffer back

Oct. 1, 2011, Newark Advocate

By Jessica Alaimo and Carl Burnett Jr.

CentralOhio.com

NEWARK — Republicans moved the borders of Ohio’s new legislative districts Friday, putting state Sen. Tim Schaffer back into Licking County, although he won’t live in his remodeled district.

The moves cleared the way for state Rep. Jay Hottinger, R-Newark, to seek his former Senate seat in 2014 when term limits force Schaffer, R-Lancaster, out of the Senate and Hottinger out of the House. Hottinger confirmed he might run for the Senate in 2014, a seat he once had for eight years.

Friday’s changes came after several politicians didn’t like what they saw when the new state legislative districts were announced this past week by the Apportionment Board.

State changes rules for unpaid child support

Sept. 18, 2011, Coshocton Tribune

By Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

Non-custodial parents will be able to continually pay just half of their child support obligations with no risk of losing their driving, recreational or professional licenses starting Oct. 1.

From Jan. 1 to Aug. 31 of this year, 100,533 parents lost their drivers’ license, 83 lost their professional license and 997 lost their recreational license for failure to pay child support, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. A parent could have more than one license suspended.

Those who lost their drivers’ licenses between Sept. 30, 2010, and Aug. 31, 2011, collectively paid just 19 percent of their child support obligations, according to the department.

This change is one of three the General Assembly made this year to child support enforcement. They were enacted as part of the state budget.

OSU games, other events featuring beefed up security

Sept. 11, 2011, Newark Advocate

By Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

COLUMBUS — As you try to balance a drink and a hot dog in your hands while forming the “O,” you never know — the “H” next to you could be a plain-clothes security officer.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, security has been beefed up at Ohio State University football games, and any other event in the state that attracts thousands of people.

“Football games have a high concentration of people. Certainly that’s something that al-Qaida or those supported by them may want to target,” said Robert Glenn, head of Ohio’s Homeland Security office.

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.