The oil and gas boom has brought in lots of activity to eastern Ohio – and perhaps lots of out of state workers, which has Gov. John Kasich worried. But Tom Stewart, the executive vice president of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, says the oil and gas companies have invested over $3 billion in Ohio and need to bring in highly trained workers. Meanwhile, the governor also says he’s weighing whether to participate in the influential World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January.
Another busy few sessions for the lame duck session of the legislature, as the clock ticks toward the end of the year. The House moved the state closer to a virtual ban on Internet cafes that offer computer games that operate like slot machines with cash prizes. And state representatives also passed a bill setting training requirements for a the professionals who will be help guide consumers through the new health insurance exchange. In the Senate, lawmakers approved a complicated and technical bill designed to curb duplicate lawsuits over on-the-job asbestos exposure. And Senators also approved a bill requiring high school coaches or officials to remove a player from a game or practice if the athlete shows signs of a concussion or is suspected of having one.
A law legislators on both sides of the aisle passed last summer was aimed at decreasing the number of inmates in Ohio's prisons and saving taxpayers money. And Ohio Public Radio and Television special correspondent Michael Locklear reports the legislation hasn't worked as quickly as some had hoped.
Former Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner was the first woman to hold that office, and when she was elected, she was just the fifth woman ever voted in to a statewide executive office in Ohio. Since she left the Secretary of State’s office, she’s written a book, which was released about a month before the election. It’s a memoir called “Cupcakes and Courage” – the latter word hearkening back to her 2010 campaign for the Democratic nomination for US Senate. She talks about that campaign for US Senate, when she ran against the party favorite and eventual primary winner, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher.