News

On Dec. 7, Ohio Issue 2 officially went into effect after Ohioans voted in favor of the proposal in November. The proposal, which legalized the use of recreational marijuana seven years after the state legalized medicinal use, allows Ohio residents age 21 or older to consume recreational marijuana and grow …

Ohio’s recently revamped education department has a new director, approved by the Republican-majority Senate. Steve Dackin, who will head the new Department of Education and Workforce, was already appointed by Gov., DeWine earlier this month, but required the final go-ahead from upper chamber lawmakers. Dackin said in an emailed statement …

Ohioans are now in a land of limbo for recreational marijuana use. Adults can now legally grow and possess cannabis at home, but cannot legally buy it. Gov. Mike DeWine urged lawmakers to quickly set parameters for Issue 2, the citizen initiative voters approved in November. While the state Senate …

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost wants to continue fighting an appeal of the state’s Heartbeat Act, despite the act now being unconstitutional, saying the case is about more than just abortion. The Heartbeat Act, which forbids abortions after detection of a fetal heartbeat, became unconstitutional after State Issue 1 passed …

The Williams County Port Authority will be getting help from an outside accounting firm to help file state-mandated reports. Dawn Fitzcharles, vice chair of the authority, says the group’s finances are set up on “a three-legged stool” with Fitzcharles, a book-keeper and help from the Ohio Auditor’s Office. Last year, …

One person dies in a mobile home fire in Paulding County. The Cecil Fire Department is dispatched to a N. Stafford St address. When first responders arrived, the structure was “fully involved,” and witnesses believed a resident was still inside. Firefighters did find one person dead inside the mobile home. …

After a three-day bench trial, defendant Jochua A. Z. Smallwood, 31, was convicted Monday, December 4, by Williams County Common Pleas Court Judge J.T. Stelzer of multiple felony offenses of violence, including Attempted Murder, arising out of an incident that occurred on May 4, 2022.  Smallwood was found guilty and …

Two are seriously injured following a DeKalb County crash, late Thursday. Officials say Gregory Sheets, 64 of Wilcottville, was northbound on County Road 35. Without yielding to oncoming traffic, officials say Sheets tried to make a left turn, onto County Road 72. That’s when a pickup truck, driven by Justin …

Norfolk Southern railroad plans to stop paying relocation aid to people displaced by last February’s fiery derailment in eastern Ohio, right after the one-year anniversary of the crash. Railroad officials announced the change this week as they reiterated their long-term commitment to helping the town of East Palestine and the …

Sen. Sherrod Brown, of Ohio, is heading a bipartisan effort to convince the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider three rules he says will damage Ohio’s steel industry. While Brown says “there’s no stronger advocate for the environment in Ohio” than him, he also says the U.S. steel industry is already …