Five things to know for Monday, Sept. 22
Republican Lt. Governor Jim Tressel visited Scioto Elementary in Commercial Point as part of the Team Tressel Fitness Challenge. (Photo courtesy of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's office)
Tressel won’t run for governor in 2026
Republican Lt. Governor Jim Tressel won’t run for governor next year, effectively all but giving the Republican nomination to entrepreneur and Cincinnati native Vivek Ramaswamy.
“After considerable thought and prayer, we have decided not to run for Governor in 2026,” the former Ohio State football coach and president of Youngstown State University said in a post to X. Tressel assumed his post in February, replacing now Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted.
Buckeye Institute: Ohio lawmakers must rein in spending
Ohio policymakers must acknowledge the strain many Ohioans face amid soaring property taxes, the executive director of a Columbus-based think tank said following the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services’ release of new jobs data.
“Significant structural reforms are needed to rein in spending at the local level, end automatic property tax increases not approved by voters, and increase transparency of property taxes and local government spending,” Rea S. Hederman Jr., executive director of the Economic Research Center and vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute, said in a statement. “Without these reforms, Ohio will struggle to attract workers and employers.”
Stewart: Make firing squad a form of execution in Ohio
In a post to X, state Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, said he would work with state Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Dayton, to amend House Bill 36 “to authorize the firing squad, in addition to nitrogen hypoxia, as an alternative means of capital punishment whenever lethal injection is (allegedly) unavailable.”
Group wants passenger rail to return to Columbus
The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission is preparing to advance to the second step of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor ID Program. Proponents hope the process will lead to the return of passenger rail service to Columbus, which ceased in 1979.
“As Central Ohio grows, adding passenger rail connections is a strategic part of growing better,” MORPC Executive Director William Murdock said in a release.
Report: Most law enforcement agencies meet standards
A majority, 90%, of Ohio’s population is now served by a law enforcement agency that meets or is working to meet Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board-developed standards, the Office of Criminal Justice Services said.
The agency’s latest findings show that 615 law enforcement agencies have adopted the first two standards involving the use of force and hiring and recruiting. Since the standards’ establishment, 477 agencies, an increase of 26 since 2024, have earned recertification in those same standards.
