State budget director Tim Keen is pushing back on the budget that the House passed and sent on to the Senate, which featured more money for schools, a smaller income tax cut and almost none of the tax increases proposed by Gov. John Kasich. But House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville) is defending the GOP House's spending plan. And the governor’s task force studying police and community relations released its recommendations this week, including a first-ever police standards board governing the proper use of deadly force, recruiting and hiring.
In the last fiscal year in Ohio, there were more than 13,000 reports of abuse, exploitation and neglect of people over the age of 60. There are many ways that elderly men and women can be abused – they can be physically hurt or left to fend for themselves, often resulting in self-neglect. They can be harmed and shamed through sexual abuse. They can be manipulated by people they trust into giving money or revealing personal and financial information that can be used against them. They can be taken in by con artists posing as home remodelers, charity fundraisers, agents trying to find lost money and other seemingly helpful people. And they can be robbed of their life savings and valuable possessions and left destitute by scammers, which can result in all sorts of problems with their health, their housing and their safety – not to mention their peace of mind and security. In January 2007, Ramona Wilson of Columbus shared her story of marrying a younger man who ended up stealing $50,000 from her. She was ready to end her suffering through suicide when David Kessler, an investigator from the Attorney General’s office, showed up at her door. Wilson and Kessler are back to update on their story and to talk about what’s being done to stop elder abuse in Ohio now.
This week brought a unique commemoration to the Statehouse. Wednesday marked the 150 th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s repose in Columbus, when 50,000 people came to the capitol building to see his funeral train on the way from Washington DC to Springfield, Illinois. This week's commemoration featured black-wrapped columns on the west side of the Statehouse, Civil-War era costumes and activities, and the firing of the Statehouse cannons.