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Rotunda Rumblings Static shock: A longtime Cleveland attorney who drafted a revision to the state’s public records act believes Cleveland State University broke the sunshine law when its board privately discussed transferring operations of WCSB to Ideastream. David Marburger said that an Aug. 7 meeting when the board discussed the deal for four hours in executive session was improper. He believes the radio deal could unravel if challenged in court. CSU, meantime, maintains it followed law, Laura Hancock reports. Lines drawn: The Ohio Redistricting Commission on Friday passed a bipartisan, six-year-long congressional redistricting plan that gives Republicans an advantage in 12 of Ohio’s 15 U.S. House districts starting next year. The plan, Jeremy Pelzer reports, passed unanimously as a result of a last-minute deal between Republican and Democratic legislative leaders to avoid giving GOP lawmakers the chance next month to unilaterally push through a more lopsidedly advantageous map. Read more Ohio politics stories East Wing demo to make way for Trump’s ballroom took many by surprise: Editorial Board Roundtable Sports gambling is a scourge we inflicted on ourselves: Ted Diadiun Finally, Statehouse must-dos are clear - the Browns, private schools, a tax sop for the people: Thomas Suddes Trip recovery: Eighth-graders from Fort Recovery Middle School in Ohio arrived in Washington D.C. for a long-planned field trip only to find most attractions closed due to a government shutdown, Sabrina Eaton writes. Rep. Bob Latta stepped in to provide a private tour of the House floor and Capitol building, an experience most tourists never get. While the personal tour offered unique access, students still missed the Smithsonian museums, Ford’s Theatre, and other sites they had spent months fundraising to see. Shutdown showdown: The Ohio Department of Administrative Services sent nearly 9,000 letters to state employees Friday afternoon, warning of potential furloughs in 14 days if the federal government shutdown continues. The actual number of employees who would be potentially affected is about 4,500, although the six agencies that would be affected are trying to determine the actual figure, Hancock and Pelzer report. Shopping strike looms: A grassroots campaign called “Blackout the System” is urging Americans to stop spending money from November 25 through December 2, targeting Black Friday and Cyber Monday to demonstrate economic power and pressure businesses and policymakers, Eaton writes. Organizers, including celebrity supporter Rosie O’Donnell, cite historical boycotts like Montgomery and Delano as inspiration, though economists note those lasted months or years with specific targets rather than a week-long general boycott. Energy credits: Ohio lawmakers are considering a way for people who don’t own their homes to get the benefits of solar power. As Anna Staver reports, the idea is to let more people, including renters and those without suitable rooftops, buy into local energy projects and earn credits on their electric bills. Facts vs. politics: U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno falsely claimed that Mentor schools allowed a 15-year-old student charged with pornography offenses to return to campus, posting the accusation on social media before school board president Maggie Cook could even read his letter, Molly Walsh reports. Cook formally responded that the student had not returned to any district property since his Oct. 17 arrest and is no longer enrolled, directly refuting Moreno’s claims. Despite the correction, Moreno’s press release containing the false statement remained unchanged on his Senate website days later. Brotherly love? Campaign finance reports filed in October indicate Vice President JD Vance hasn’t donated to the Cincinnati mayoral campaign of his half-brother, Cory Bowman, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Bowman, a pastor of a church in the West End, is the Republican-endorsed candidate running against Democratic incumbent Aftab Pureval in the Nov. 4 election. Break ahead: General Motors is planning to indefinitely lay off 1,750 employees and temporarily lay off another 1,650 in Ohio, Michigan and Tennessee after Congress and President Donald Trump ended on Sept. 30 a $7,500 federal tax credit for the purchase and lease of new electric vehicles. The company expects sales to drop, the New York Times’ Neal Boudette reports. Lobbying Lineup Five organizations that are registered to lobby on state House Bill 122, which would create an income tax credit for employers that provide paid leave to organ donors. UC Health The Ohio State University Ohio Chamber of Commerce LifeCenter Organ Donor Network Department of Taxation On the Move Gov. Mike DeWine announced that he is nominating Scott R. Partika to be the director of the Ohio Department of Medicaid, following the announcement that Director Maureen Cocoran is retiring. Partika began working for DeWine in 2020 as assistant policy director covering health and human services before stepping in to his current role of policy director for DeWine. Birthdays Danny O’Connor, Franklin County Recorder State Sen. Tom Patton Anna Staver, cleveland.com reporter Straight from the Source “Are we going to start undoing mandates for rabies vaccinations? We’re kind of at a pivotal time here.” -Simon Haeder, a health services and policy researcher at Ohio State University who has studied veterinary vaccine hesitancy, in a New York Times story about animals increasingly dying from preventable diseases because their humans are anti-vaxxers.
