The Ohio burgee. (Getty images file photo.)
Every morning in the Ohio Capital Journal’s free newsletter, The Eye-Opener, we round up the news and commentary from across Ohio and around the country and world that is catching our attention. We call this feature Catching Our Eye, republished here.
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Catching Our Eye
• Battleground? WFMJ’s Leslie Huff reports, “Is Ohio emerging as a battleground state again? A political expert weighs in.”
Retired professor of political science from Baldwin Wallace University, Tom Sutton believes Ramaswamy’s close ties to President Donald Trump could become a political challenge depending on how national issues develop over the coming months.
On WFMJ Weekend Today, Sutton indicated that if the war overseas continues and prices keep rising, voters could begin to shift their focus toward economic concerns heading into the fall.
At the same time, Sutton says Acton could face hurdles of her own. “With Amy Acton, her healthcare background and as a doctor is an advantage, but there are many conservatives and independents who blame her for the restrictions of COVID during 2021 and so it could go either way,” Sutton said.
• Court allegations. The New Republic reports, “MAGA congressman accused of beating and burning his ex-wife.”
Trump-endorsed GOP Representative Max Miller has been accused of physically abusing his ex-wife Emily Moreno—daughter of GOP Senator Bernie Moreno—for years. Miller has denied the allegations.
Court filings obtained by the Daily Mail revealed that Emily is attempting to change their custody situation due to Miller’s “dangerous physical behavior” while their 2-year-old daughter was present. Moreno stated that Miller hit her during a custody exchange with their daughter in February, bruising Moreno’s arm and torso, as shown in photos obtained by the Daily Mail. Moreno also claims that Miller threw a pot of boiling water on her in 2024 while their daughter was present.
• New school levies rejected. The Statehouse News Bureau’s Karen Kasler reports, “District leaders digging into data after two-thirds of school levies fail across Ohio.”
A little over a third of school levies statewide passed in Tuesday’s primary, which is half of the passage rate last May. But school officials said even with homeowners’ concerns about rising property taxes, they don’t think the two-thirds failure rate shows a voter revolt on levies.
• Rural cops and ICE. The Ohio Newsroom’s Kendall Crawford reports, “Rural Ohio police signed up to help ICE. But staffing shortages limit their role.”
Unlike major cities, who have been rethinking cooperation with ICE, 10 rural Ohio police departments have signed voluntary 287(g) Task Force Model agreements. These Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs) allow rural police officers to aid in enforcing federal immigration law.
These kinds of partnerships have multiplied across the state since last year. Several county sheriffs have also inked agreements. A recent report from the ACLU found partnerships across 17 Ohio counties.
But, for departments in small villages, staffing challenges are limiting their participation.
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