Ohio U.S. Senate Race

There will be no debates for the races for Ohio governor and U.S. Senate due to the refusal of the Republican candidates to participate; Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) says the U.S. Senate will not vote until November on a bill implementing federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriage ... and more stories.

A new Ohio Senate poll shows that Ryan has only a slight edge over Vance with 6% voters still being undecided; The Fifth District Court of Appeals ruled that Eric Brunner, the wrongfully imprisoned Canton man, is entitled to a new criminal trial in light of conclusive DNA evidence; Discussions between Akron Police and community members at a recent community event shows massive distrust between the two ... and more stories.

Ohio's highest court ruled the fourth set of maps as unconstitutional; Civil rights activists joined Cleveland State students in a protest against the law school's name; and more stories

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is leading an effort to get a federal judge to dismiss suits filed by hundreds of local governments including Cleveland and Cuyahoga County against a consulting firm that helped boost the sales of opioids; the Ohio House has approved legislation targeting protesters with a provision normally used against terrorist activity; Sen. Rob Portman has endorsed Jane Timken in the crowded GOP field vying to succeed him this year; and more stories.

The Ohio Supreme Court has rejected a second set of Ohio Statehouse district maps that retained strong Republican majorities and sent them back for a third try; Hudson Mayor Craig Schubert has called a special city council meeting Tuesday to consider suspending City Manager Jane Howington, pending removal; the proposed merger of two low-cost airlines will likely impact travelers flying out of Akron-Canton and Cleveland Hopkins airports; and more stories.

The snow is tapering off, but it’s going to take crews and plows some time to clear roads and parking lots; Bernie Moreno has dropped out of the Ohio U.S. Senate race; the Summit Metro Parks is permanently closing the swim areas at Munroe Falls and Silver Creek Metro Parks; and more stories.

State officials are urging residents to stay home as the entire region is under a winter storm warning through Friday morning; while Ohio is averaging 155 COVID deaths per day; the crowded race for Ohio’s open U.S. Senate seat topped out at 13 major-party candidates on Wednesday; and more stories.

Former Ohio Republican Party chair Jane Timken is officially joining the race for U.S. Senate.

Gov. Mike DeWine says the state's goal is for every school employee to receive the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine in February; Ohio’s former health director is being floated as a potential candidate for U.S. Senate; there are more COVID-19 vaccine doses available that will go to the next group of older Ohioans; and more stories.

We are now four weeks away from Election Day where Ohioans will make several big decisions, such as who will be the next governor and whether drug crime…