Rotunda Rumblings
Internet protocol: In response to Cleveland and other local governments around Ohio being targeted with cyberattacks and ransomware threats, the state of Ohio will soon require all counties, cities, townships, school districts, libraries, and other local governments to have a cybersecurity policy that adheres to certain standards, as well as only allow locals to approve ransomware demands during a public meeting. As Jeremy Pelzer reports, proponents of the new rules – inserted in the state’s massive new state budget – say they’re commonsense steps for local governments to protect taxpayers’ money and personal information in a transparent way. Some local-government groups, though, are concerned, both on practical grounds and on principle.
Double the fun: Organizers for a proposed Ohio Equal Rights Amendment say they will not fight the Ohio Ballot Board’s decision to split their proposed initiative into two parts but will instead forge ahead with two separate ballot initiatives, Mary Frances McGowan reports. The original singular proposal would have both added new equal rights protections to the Ohio Constitution to a wide range of protected classes, and extended those equal rights protections to marriage, removing existing language from an unenforceable same-sex marriage ban. The equal rights protections and marriage-equality question will now proceed separately, doubling both the time and resources necessary to make the ballot.
Road rage: A Westlake doctor on Monday pleaded not guilty to charges that accuse him of threatening U.S. Rep. Max Miller in a June road rage incident on Interstate 90, David Gambino writes. Feras Hamdan’s bond was reduced Monday from $500,000 to $10,000. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Peter Corrigan also ordered Hamdad to have no contact with the victim. Hamdan had posted the original $500,000 bond set by a Rocky River municipal judge following his June 20 arrest. The day before he was arrested, police say Hamdan followed Miller, yelled slurs, and videotaped the congressman as he drove to a meeting.
Planned Parenthood cuts: Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio is reducing its workforce after losing more than $10 million in federal funding, the organization announced. Mary Frances McGowan reports that the healthcare provider said it’s cutting staff positions after losing Title X funding and facing projected Medicaid losses. Without the workforce reduction, the organization could cease to exist, officials said.
Tax shift timeline: Ohio’s property tax system has changed significantly over the past five decades. Anna Staver wrote a deep dive into the history of those changes over the weekend, but here’s a timeline to catch you up. It highlights the key policy shifts that moved funding away from the state and onto local homeowners.
Propping it up: While Gov. Mike DeWine is pushing state gambling regulators to prohibit player-specific “proposition bets” in Ohio following the suspension of two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, one key state lawmaker says he’ll try to stop such a ban. As Pelzer reports, state Rep. Brian Stewart, a Pickaway County Republican, says if the Ohio Casino Control Commission approves such a ban, he’ll try to block it via the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (which he serves on). Stewart is also considering legislation to preserve prop bets, though it’s unclear whether such a bill would have veto-proof support among lawmakers.
Backing down: A Cleveland suburb has halted a $25 court fee that drivers were required to pay if they wanted to challenge a photo enforcement ticket. Willoughby Municipal Court’s change came after a civil rights group, Institute for Justice, called the fee unconstitutional and accused the court charging for due process, Molly Walsh reports.
Altered photo? Vice President JD Vance’s waistline may have gotten a digital nip and tuck courtesy of the GOP, according to The Daily Beast. To mark his 41st birthday on Saturday, the party’s official X account posted a photo of Vance overlaid with the message: “Happy Birthday Vice President J.D. Vance.”But internet sleuths quickly zeroed in on a number of oddities in the image they claim proves that the vice president had been retouched. Vance’s thumb appears to be cut off, while the stars on the flag behind him—particularly around his head—look strangely distorted and blurred. His right triceps seem almost to vanish, blending into a misshapen arm that doesn’t quite align with the rest of his physique.
Plane dealer: Unusually for an Ohio gubernatorial candidate, Republican frontrunner Vivek Ramaswamy has been doing a lot of his campaign travel via his own private jet. As Andrew Tobias of Signal Ohio found, flight records show the Columbus-area billionaire flew to other Ohio cities at least 18 times since entering the race in February. He also used the jet to fly to Washington, D.C. and West Palm Beach the same day President Donald Trump endorsed him, as well as to New Orleans in February for the Super Bowl. Ramaswamy’s campaign says using the plane, which he bought during his unsuccessful 2024 presidential run, allows him to efficiently reach voters, noting that Ramaswamy has loaned his campaign more than $200,000 to cover the cost of the trips. Democrats say it shows how he’s out of touch with struggling Ohioans.
The big cheese: Ramaswamy, along with venture capitalist Mark Kvamme and family, paid $54,000 for the grand champion Swiss cheese from the Ohio State Fair Sale of Champions. This purchase was one of many that brought in nearly $500,000. Sales in part go to 4-H and FFA programs across the state, NBC4’s Daniel Griffin reports.
Lobbying Lineup
Five organizations registered to lobby on House Bill 36, which would allow “nitrogen hypoxia” to be used as a method of execution. This requires the inhalation of nitrogen gas, leading to oxygen deprivation and death.
1. ACLU of Ohio
2. Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association
3. Catholic Conference of Ohio
4. Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
5. Ohio Society for Respiratory Care
On the Move
The White House is accepting applications until Sept. 5 for volunteers to assist with decorating the White House for the winter holidays, or to showcase their talents performing at holiday open houses. Selected applicants will be notified by 5 PM on Oct.13, 2025. All selected volunteers are responsible for their own travel, accommodation and personal expenses.
State Rep. Sedrick Denson, a Cincinnati Democrat, announced late Monday afternoon he was resigning. He said he is taking a new, unspecified position.
Birthdays
Ex-state Sen. Peggy Lehner, now the mayor of Kettering, near Dayton.
Straight from the Source
“We feel that this is something that our faith requires, that people of faith are typically law-abiding people — that’s who we want to be — but if there are laws that are unjust, if there are laws that don’t respect human dignity, we feel that our commitment to Christ requires that we put ourselves in places where we may face some of the same threats.”
– Carl Ruby, senior pastor of Central Christian Church in Springfield, who is among a group of community members training to defend the potential deportations of the Haitian community. President Donald Trump, who repeated false rumors during his campaign that Springfield Haitians were stealing and eating dogs and cats, wants to terminate their temporary protective status.
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