Ohio hands out billions of American Rescue Plan dollars and looks at addressing the lack of housing in the state.  Gov. Mike DeWine signed a spending bill with nearly $6 billion in federal and state dollars to support programs like mental health services, hospitals, and school coronavirus relief.  The spending bill set aside $500 million to assist Ohio’s childcare industry.  It also had a controversial provision to allow county auditors the authority to set values for low-income housing projects, which could affect real estate tax collection.  But DeWine says addressing low-income housing will be one of his priorities in his next two-year budget that need to be completed this summer.

Governor Mike DeWine talked to Your News Now about the recent attempted to reduce the power of the state board of education by Ohio lawmakers.   The bill passed the Ohio Senate and would have given a governor the power to appoint a director of education, instead of the board picking a superintendent for the state.  The director would be the authority on curriculum, and other educational decisions in the state.   The Ohio House did not pass the bill before the session ended in December, and it will need to be reintroduced in the new session starting in January if it will be come law in the state.

Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted, who serves as the Director of InnovateOhio, announced the launch of the new electronic system for entering warrants and protection orders into state and national databases. DeWine ordered the development of the eWarrants technology after it was discovered that an untold number of Ohio arrest warrants and protection orders were slow to be or never entered into state and national law enforcement databases.

The marker for William Ellsworth Hoy was unveiled in Houcktown Tuesday afternoon. Hoy became deaf and mute after he had contracted spinal meningitis as a toddler. But he grew up to be one of the great baseball players of the 19th century. Racking up good numbers as a player, including leading the league with 82 stolen bases when he played for the Washington Senators in 1888. But Hancock County Engineer Doug Cade wanted to do more to make sure the legacy of Hoy is remembered.

Law enforcement agencies in Ohio will be given more access to technology to help identify suspects involved in gun violence throughout the sta…

After a two-year hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic; a normal Ohio State Fair is expected to return this summer. Gov. Mike DeWine making that announcement last week, along with state fair manager Virgil Strickler. The fair will run from July 27th to August 7th. Fair officials say all your fair favorites will return, from the livestock barns to midway food.  Announcements concerning big name entertainment for the fair, will be made starting on Monday, March 7th. This will be the 167th Ohio State Fair.  

Governor Mike DeWine says Ohio’s Universities and Community College will be working to build a curriculum for associate and four-year degree students to train for this new workforce. Rhodes State College is ready to step up and help train this new workforce that will be needed and continue to help local manufacturers fill their jobs.

Chip maker Intel said it will invest $20 billion to build a new factory in Ohio, an attempt to help alleviate a global shortage of chips powering everything from phones to cars to home appliances while also signaling the giant company's commitment to manufacturing crucial technology products in the U.S.  The new Intel site is expected to create 3,000 company jobs and 7,000 construction jobs, and to support tens of thousands of additional jobs for suppliers and partners.  Governor Mike DeWine says this is huge for the state of Ohio. 

Mercy Health-St. Rita's has gotten help from 20 members of the national guard. Lima Memorial Health System has requested assistance but has not been approved as of yet. The Ohio National Guard have been on the front lines of the pandemic in the state since the start, helping with food distributions, testing sites, and assisting with other staffing issues.

Starting December 20th, there will be a little over 1,000 guardsmen deployed in hospitals, mostly in the Northeastern part of the state. 150 of the members have medical training and will be helping on the front lines, the other 900 will be used with other duties like transportation and food service. The Ohio Department of Health is also working with a staffing company to bring in additional medical help from outside the state. As for the Lima hospitals, staffing is an ongoing concern.