Five things to know for Friday, Nov. 14

Ohio unemployment claims again increase

Ohioans filed 48,693 unemployment claims — 6,785 initial unemployment claims and 41,908 continued unemployment claims — for the week of Nov. 2 to Nov. 8, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said.

The 6,785 initial unemployment claims were 668 more than the previous week, and 1,219 of those have been flagged for additional verification to confirm they are not fraudulent. The 41,908 continued unemployment claims were 1,257 more than the week before.

Ohio to process full SNAP benefits

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service has issued new guidance to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services regarding Ohioans’ November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. The state previously processed partial payments for households that were eligible.

Following the updated guidance, “Ohio will calculate the full benefit households would have received in November and deduct the partial amount already paid,” according to a news release. “This includes households that received no partial benefits due to the previous federal guidance.”

Ohio among states spending largest share of income on education

Ohio is among the states where residents spend the highest percentage of their income on education.

According to a new analysis from personal finance site WalletHub, the Buckeye State ranked No. 10, with Ohioans spending 57% of their income on education. Nationally, Pennsylvania topped the list, with residents spending nearly 72.5% of their income on education, while Utah ranked 49th, with residents spending nearly 27.7%; Alaska was not included in the ranking.

Data: 2025 traffic deaths on pace to match last year’s tally

Crash data suggests traffic deaths this year are tracking closely with last year’s pace. Officials said they are cracking down on distracted drivers, impaired motorists, motorists not wearing seat belts, and speeding, the behaviors that most often lead to deadly crashes.

While traffic deaths rose from 2018 to a peak of 1,356 in 2021, Ohio has seen a reduction over the last three consecutive years. In 2024, 1,157 people were killed on Buckeye State roads, down from 1,242 in 2023 and 1,275 in 2022.

Buckeye files amicus brief in gun case

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in a case Gun Owners of America filed against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Columbus-based think tank wants the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to reverse a lower court’s ruling restricting the use of public documents, arguing that the Freedom of Information Act does not allow such restrictions.

“In the lower court’s ruling, the court has given itself a new power to create a new governmental right under the Freedom of Information Act that does not exist and that Congress did not authorize,” David C. Tryon, director of litigation at The Buckeye Institute, said in a release. “The Buckeye Institute urges the appeals court to reverse the lower court’s misguided ruling and uphold the Freedom of Information Act.”