Five things to know for Friday, Oct. 3

Initial unemployment claims rise in Ohio

Ohioans filed 4,482 initial unemployment claims for the week of Sept. 21 to Sept. 27, 126 more than the previous week. Of those, 931 were flagged for further identity verification to ensure they are not fraudulent.

According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Ohioans filed 41,353 continued unemployment claims, which was 800 fewer than the previous week.

Ohio’s August unemployment rate was 5%, higher than the national rate of 4.3%. Ohio’s labor force participation rate in August was 62.5%, higher than the national rate of 62.3%.

Bill would reform natural gas project approval process

Ohio lawmakers are contemplating a measure to reform Ohio’s regulatory procedures for approving natural gas projects. Senate Bill 103 is pending before the Ohio Senate Public Utilities Committee.

In prepared testimony to the committee, Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, said that delays in approving natural gas projects undermine Ohio’s “economic and technological growth by delaying utilities and on-site energy hook-ups for significant energy consumers like data centers and advanced manufacturing companies.”

DeWine order allows more access to drug overdose prevention tools

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed an executive order to forego the rulemaking process and allow the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to adopt a rule authorizing more access to tools to prevent drug overdoses. The tools include test strips and reagent kits for fentanyl, and the rule also exempts tests for several compounds, including Xylazine and Medetomidine, from Ohio’s definition of drug paraphernalia.

Cornyn departing as Behavioral Health director

Ohio Department of Behavioral Health Director LeeAnne Cornyn informed the governor that she will leave her position. She was appointed in December 2023, and her departure is effective Oct. 8.

“I want to thank Director Cornyn for her advocacy on behalf of people with mental health and substance use disorders,” DeWine said in a statement. “LeeAnne has been a champion for some of our most vulnerable citizens and has been tireless in advocating for our work building out a system of care across the state.”

Ohio EMA receives accreditation

The Ohio Emergency Management Agency has again achieved consecutive accreditation via the Emergency Management Accreditation Program. The voluntary, peer-reviewed process assesses emergency management programs against 73 best practices.