Tag: ohio

Trump administration funds $10 million study on health effects of East Palestine train derailment

The Trump administration has launched a study of the long-term health consequences for residents of East Palestine, Ohio, from a train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals in 2023.

The initiative, spearheaded by Vice President J.D. Vance, comes after he was brushed off by Biden administration officials when he urged a study on any detrimental environmental and health effects on the East Palestine community. Mr. Vance was a U.S. senator representing Ohio at the time.

Under President Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Director of the National Institutes of Health Jay Bhattacharya have launched a five-year, $10 million research initiative to investigate the disaster’s long-term health impacts.

“I’ve been to East Palestine a number of times, and they’re very worried about, what are the long-term impacts of these chemicals in the water, in the air, what effect does it have on their kids and grandkids after five years, 10 years, 15 years of exposure?” Mr. Vance said during an announcement of the initiative, while flanked by Mr. Kennedy and Dr. Battacharya.

“I tried as a United States senator to work with the Biden administration, and they refused to do anything to actually study the effects of these long-term exposures on the people of East Palestine,” he said.

Mr. Kennedy called the effort “the first large-scale, coordinated, multi-year federal study focused specifically on the long-term health impacts of the East Palestine disaster.

“The program will support robust community-engaged epidemiological research to understand the impacts of exposures on short and long-term injuries,” he said.

According to Mr. Kennedy, the program will also “support public health tracking and surveillance of the community’s health conditions to help us make informed health care choices and take appropriate preventative measures.”

Keep reading

Ohio Republicans Introduce ‘Prenatal Equal Protection Act’ to Abolish Abortion in the State

Ohio State Representatives Levi Dean and Johnathan Newman have filed a bill to abolish abortion in the state by granting pre-born babies equal protection under the law.

The Ohio Prenatal Equal Protection Act, House Bill 370, points to the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states “no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws’ to protect the life of preborn persons.”

“This bill recognizes that we are a country and state governed by laws, and that our laws must be constitutional,” Rep. Newman said in a press release. “Article I, Section 22 of Ohio’s Constitution, which was adopted by popular vote in 2023, has created an obvious conflict between the Ohio Constitution and U.S. Constitution.”

“We have a mandate from God to protect human life, which is of higher authority than any constitution,” Newman said. “Proverbs 24:11 commands us to ‘rescue those who are being carried off to death.’ Proverbs 17:15 says it is an ‘abomination’ to God for those who are guilty of doing harm to be called innocent.”

Keep reading

Ohio GOP Lawmakers Can’t Agree On How To Amend Marijuana Law, Causing Planned Vote To Be Canceled

Despite efforts in the Ohio legislature to pass a bill to significantly change the state’s voter-approved marijuana law, last-minute disagreements between the House and Senate Republicans seemed to have derailed that plan for now—with House lawmakers signaling that a deal won’t be struck before the summer recess.

After taking public testimony and adopting certain changes to the Senate-passed legislation, SB 56, in recent weeks, the House Judiciary Committee ultimately declined to advance the proposal as scheduled at a Wednesday hearing, making it so the measure couldn’t advance to a floor vote planned for that day. Evidently, the revisions didn’t sit well with key senators, according to several legislators.

“Apparently the Senate changed their mind,” Rep. Jamie Callender (R), a pro-legalization lawmaker, told News 5 Cleveland.

Changes approved at a hearing late last month, for example, rolled back some of the strict limits included in a version of the measure passed by the Senate in February, including a criminal prohibition on sharing marijuana between adults on private property.

“They wanted to make a mandatory jail sentence for passing a joint between friends,” Callender, who has spent weeks working on additional changes to the legislation, said. He also complained about the Senate’s proposal to put all cannabis tax revenue in the state’s general fund, which would have prevented local municipalities from getting a share of those dollars as is currently the law.

Keep reading

Rwandan Genocide Perpetrator Busted in Ohio After Fraudulently Entering the United States

A Rwandan national has been arrested in Ohio for hiding his role as a perpetrator of the 1994 genocide in his home country.

An estimated 500,000 to 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed during the three-month-long ethnic cleansing campaign.

Vincent Nzigiyimfura, also known as Vincent Mfura, 65, was arrested in Dayton on Wednesday after a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment charging him with lying on his U.S. immigration and naturalization applications.

The Department of Justice said in a press release about the case, “Nzigiyimfura participated in the genocide that took place between April and July 1994, when members of Rwanda’s majority Hutu population killed hundreds of thousands of the country’s minority Tutsi ethnic group in an attempt to eradicate the ethnic group.”

“Nzigiyimfura, a Rwandan businessman and butcher, was allegedly a leader and organizer of the genocide against Tutsis in the area in and around Gihisi and Nyanza. Nzigiyimfura allegedly provided weapons, transportation, and material inducements to other Hutus and directed them to search for and apprehend people to be killed based on their status as Tutsis. He allegedly set up roadblocks to detain and kill Tutsis, using his personal vehicle to transport materials to build the roadblocks. According to the indictment, Nzigiyimfura devised a scheme to trick Tutsis in hiding to believe that the killings had stopped only to have them rounded up and murdered.”

The DOJ says that while submitting his immigrant visa and alien registration, Nzigiyimfura submitted an affidavit in which he claimed he “left Rwanda in 1994 due to the Genocide,” when in reality, he fled the country because of his role in the massacres.

Keep reading

Supreme Court Issues Unanimous Ruling In Key Case

The Supreme Court handed down a unanimous decision on Thursday involving an Ohio woman who alleges reverse discrimination. The decision could become a key victory in ongoing ideological wars against diversity, equality, and inclusion initiatives.

In a 9-0 decision that, believe it or not, was penned by left-leaning Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the highest court in the land ruled that Marlean Ames was not required to meet a “higher burden of proof to prove that she was discriminated against despite being part of a ‘majority’ group,” the New York Post said.

Ames filed a lawsuit against the Ohio Department of Youth Services in November 2020. In the suit, she made allegations that she was wrongfully passed over for a promotion in favor of a lesbian. This individual, she claims, was not qualified for the position, and Ames was later demoted and then replaced by a gay man. This individual was also not qualified for the job, she said.

Ames’s complaint will now be sent back to the lower courts for review.

“The ruling from the Supreme Court makes it easier to pursue claims of reverse discrimination in 20 states and the District of Columbia that are covered by federal courts of appeals that still applied the standard,” CBS News reported.

In the decision, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote that SCOTUS’ case law “makes clear that the standard for proving disparate treatment under Title VII does not vary based on whether or not the plaintiff is a member of a majority group. … The ‘background circumstances’ rule flouts that basic principle.”

She also pointed out that the requirement places all majority-group plaintiffs under “the same, highly specific evidentiary standard in every case.”

A federal district court had previously ruled in favor of the Ohio Department of Youth Services after it found that it offered “legitimate, nondiscriminatory business reasons” for not giving Ames the promotion.

Keep reading

Ohio Investigation Finds Evidence Of Noncitizen Voter Registrations And Double-Voting

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose on Tuesday revealed his office found evidence of 30 noncitizens registered to vote in the state. The election chief also discovered that individuals from seven different states and Washington, D.C., may have illegally voted in multiple jurisdictions.

“We must send a clear message that election fraud won’t be tolerated,” said Secretary LaRose in a Tuesday press release. “The only way to maintain Ohio’s high standard of election integrity is to enforce the law whenever it’s broken. Through the investigations of our Public Integrity Division’s Election Integrity Unit, we are rooting out lawbreakers so we can bring accountability and justice.”

According to Fox News, “Ohio’s Election Integrity Unit conducted the investigation by reviewing Ohio’s voter registry and comparing it with federal and state data.” The state is now pursuing legal action as LaRose “sent letters to the attorneys general of all states involved in the investigation and referred the individuals for prosecution.”

In a letter to Ohio Attorney General Yost, LaRose noted how “Even one illegal vote can spoil the outcome of an election for the citizenry at large, whether it be a school levy, majority control of a legislative chamber, or even a statewide election contest,” according to the Tuesday press release.

The Ohio General Assembly is “currently considering legislation to make the division’s Election Integrity Unit a permanent function of the office,” the release adds.

Keep reading

Ohio podcaster files to reverse conviction for felony intimidation

A true crime podcaster convicted of felony intimidation for attacking the reputations of Norwalk, Ohio, city employees in a social media post is asking an Erie County judge to reverse that decision, the law firm that filed the motion announced on Tuesday.

The Pattakos Law Firm argues that Ashli Ford’s Facebook post is free speech protected by the First Amendment and is not a threat that should warrant her conviction. The firm also claims the conviction has had a “chilling effect” that silences the “non-threatening expression” made by Ford.

According to court documents, the September 2023 Facebook post made allegations against multiple city officials in Norwalk: Mayor David Light, the city’s law director and prosecutor Stuart O’Hara, the city’s safety and service director Michael White and former Norwalk police chief David Smith.

“Ford stated she had the four men ‘on [their] knees,’ and she would ‘slowly crumble the reputation of every person who stands in the way of justice,’ according to court documents. “She went on to claim she would ‘escort [them] to [their] demise in a manner more akin to Malcolm X than Martin Luther King Jr.'”

The Akron-area law firm claims “the Facebook post for which Ford was convicted consists entirely of classic political speech and does not contain any content that could be reasonably construed as a ‘true threat’ so as to overcome the First Amendment’s robust protections for such speech.”

Keep reading

Biden White House insisted families were safe after toxic East Palestine derailment — but behind the scenes, admin warned of ‘cancer cluster’

The Biden administration admitted possible cancer-causing toxins were spread in East Palestine, Ohio, following the Norfolk Southern train derailment in 2023, explosive new emails show, despite the White House insisting residents were safe.

“The occurrence of a cancer-cluster in EP [East Palestine] is not zero,” FEMA recovery leader James McPherson wrote in a March 29, 2024, email to other public health officials — a little more than a year after the crash.

“As you all are aware, the first 48 hours of the fire created a really toxic plume,” he said in the chain of communications, which were first reported by News Nation.

Just two months earlier, President Biden had excoriated “multimillion-dollar railroad companies transporting toxic chemicals” for the fiasco — but praised his administration’s “herculean efforts” to resolve the “vast majority” of East Palestine’s problems.

The crash spewed harmful chemicals into the air and resulted in 115,000 gallons’ worth of carcinogenic vinyl chloride undergoing an open burn — displacing residents and leading to reports of strange illnesses as well as the death of livestock in the weeks following the Feb. 3, 2023, disaster.

Keep reading

Ohio Is More Than Doubling The Amount Of Marijuana That Adults Can Legally Buy Per Day

Ohio adults will soon be able to buy more than double the amount of marijuana that they are currently allowed to purchase per day, with state officials determining that the market can sustainably supply both medical cannabis patients and adult consumers.

In a notice released last week, the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) said that its priority “continues to be ensuring medical marijuana patients have adequate supply and maintain their medical marijuana card, and the Division knows that licensees share that priority.”

“Since non-medical cannabis sales began in August 2024, the market has demonstrated the ability to support both medical marijuana patients and non-medical consumers alike,” it said.

Accordingly, DCC said that, effective June 4, adults will be able to buy up to 2.5 ounces of flower cannabis per day, a significant increase compared to the current daily transaction limit of one ounce. This will make it so consumers could buy marijuana in an amount that matches the 2.5 ounce possession limit under state statute.

“At this time, when calculating 2.5 ounces of plant material, the only approved form that may be applied to the 2.5 ounces of cannabis plant material is dried cannabis plant material for vaporization,” the new notice says. “All other products apply towards the non-medical consumer’s cannabis product limitation of 15,000mg of total THC content.”

“Dispensaries are permitted to dispense in accordance with the statutory per day transaction limits but are not required to,” DCC said. “The Division reminds dispensaries of their responsibility…to serve and accommodate medical patients/caregivers and non-medical consumers alike, and maintain ongoing inventory sufficient to maintain an adequate supply of medical marijuana.”

The purchase limit for medical cannabis patients will not change under the updated guidance. Patients and caregivers can continue to buy up to a 90-day supply of marijuana for medical purposes.

If a retailer decides to raise its daily transaction limit for adult consumers in accordance with the guidance, the licensee must first submit a “Change of Operation” request to DCC.

Keep reading

Move over Karmelo Anthony, there’s a new accused killer darling on the scene

Move over Karmelo Anthony, there’s a new accused killer darling on the scene.

Rodney Hinton, Jr., a black man from Ohio, reportedly ran down a retired white police officer who was directing traffic for a college graduation—and Hinton has garnered generous support, both from the black community and the left. The officer allegedly murdered by Hinton was a man named Larry Henderson, a public servant who dedicated more than three decades of his life to his community, serving across a number of different law enforcement agencies.

Prosecutors allege a “calculated and premeditated” motive: just prior to Hinton running Henderson down, Hinton had watched bodycam footage from an officer-involved shooting in which Hinton’s own son, 18-year-old Ryan, was killed. Ryan had been caught up in a foot-pursuit police chase after officers were investigating reports of a stolen vehicle (the one in which Ryan, and three others, were sitting) and when the group was approached by law enforcement, Ryan ran and hid. When officers closed in, Ryan jumped out, brandishing a gun, and was, understandably, shot.

Of course it’s horribly tragic—no one wishes this is how this young man’s life ended—but as Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge said of the incident, “We do not expect the officers to wait until they’re fired upon” before neutralizing threats, and rightfully so. At least, until progressives can have their way, and completely hamstring our law enforcement like they’ve done with our military. (Let’s not forget Barack Obama’s ridiculous, and frankly criminal, changes to the rules of engagement which were masterfully manipulated by the enemy; this is the end goal for our cops too.)

The black community is disproportionately dysfunctional, but I can say without hesitation I desperately want them to get it together, for everyone’s sake. And of course, Hinton is a major part of the problem. If your son is a gang-banging thug at 18, that certainly speaks to how poorly you parented as a father.

Keep reading