Five things to know for Wednesday, Jan. 7

Ramaswamy taps McColley for lieutenant governor

Presumptive Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy has chosen Ohio Senate President Rob McColley as his lieutenant governor. Ramaswamy is set to formally announce his running mate at an event in Cleveland this evening.

McColley has served in the Senate since 2017. He served in the Ohio House for two years before that.

“I’m an entrepreneur, not a politician, and selected Rob to be a governing partner who can help advance our ambitious legislative agenda,” Ramaswamy said in a release. “Rob is a proven conservative leader, and he is committed to my vision to make the American Dream a reality for every Ohioan.”

Pureval now wants crime prevention measures. Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, who began his second term on Tuesday, wants to raise the city’s income tax to fund crime prevention measures, Cincinnati.com reported. “New revenue will allow us to fund and further prioritize public safety investments and support our police and fire in a historic way,” Pureval said, per the report. The city was at the center of controversy last year amid high-profile violence that made national headlines, and state officials launched a partnership with the city to address crime.

Yost co-leads challenge to California’s ammunition restrictions. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is co-leading with Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador a coalition of 25 states fighting California’s restrictions on ammunition. “California has spun a web of burdensome laws designed to stop residents from buying ammunition,” Yost said in a release. “The right to bear arms includes the right to buy ammunition – and we’re asking the court to once again declare these laws unconstitutional.”

Ohio Supreme Court hears solar farm arguments. The Ohio Supreme Court heard arguments on a case involving the proposed Circleville Solar solar farm on 1,289 acres in Jackson Township, northwest of Circleville in Pickaway County, WOSU reported. According to the report, the issue is whether a decision to deny the project runs afoul of state law because it was based on local opposition.

PUCO sets three meetings on Aqua Ohio and Aqua Ohio Wastewater changes. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has scheduled three public hearings for customers to weigh in on Aqua Ohio and Aqua Ohio Wastewater’s application to increase waterworks and sewage disposal services rates and charges. Aqua Ohio wants to increase its annual water service revenues in applicable service areas by 16.4%, $13.4 million. Last month, PUCO’s staff recommended a revenue increase of 10.63% to 12.14%, or $8.7 million to $9.9 million, over current revenues.