Though there’s been no official kickoff for the Republican candidate, the governor’s race is well underway with the launch of the first TV ad by incumbent John Kasich. Not to be outdone, the campaign of his likely Democratic opponent, Ed FitzGerald, launched a statewide ad campaign on radio this week as well.
A federal judge has put on hold the majority of what attorneys have called a "momentous" change to Ohio's law on same-sex marriage. Obviously, the ruling has a tremendous impact on some couples, and also on those who disagree with it. Caleigh Bourgeois looks inside this debate, which could eventually make its way to the highest court in the land. (Caleigh Bourgeois is a fellow in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism Statehouse News Bureau.)
There are 88 county courthouses in Ohio, and many of them are spectacular historic buildings. And while they all house different agencies and host a variety of offices, all of them have at least one common purpose – to conduct the judicial business of the county common pleas court. Next month interested agencies and groups will host a Ohio County Courthouses Symposium. Talking about it is the Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, Maureen O’Connor.
The state’s alternative energy standards have been law since 2008. They require that 25 percent of the electricity sold in Ohio come from alternative energy sources by 2025. And at least half of that must be generated by renewable sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower or biomass, and half of that must be generated within Ohio. Some have praised those standards as environmentally sound and a good plan for diversification of energy sources, which they say will save ratepayers money. But others have advocated a revisiting of that law, saying the energy landscape has changed and that the standards are costing utilities, and ratepayers, more money than the benefits they’re receiving. Now there’s a bill that would freeze those standards at the end of this year, while a task force looks into the costs of the standards and the benefits of them. That bill is sponsored by Sen. Troy Balderson (R-Zanesville), who shares some thoughts about it.
There are many businesses that would be affected by the standards – whether they continue on schedule or are frozen at this year’s levels. On this week's show, the second part of a conversation with Ted Ford, the president of Ohio Advanced Energy Economy, which represents more than 400 renewable and energy efficiency companies and Sam Randazzo with Industrial Energy Users Ohio, which represents big and small companies such as McDonald’s and Marathon Refinery.