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

• Ohio voters say no to public school levies. Signal Ohio’s Jake Zuckerman reports, “Ohio voters reject school levies, tax hikes around the state.”

Ohio voters around the state overwhelmingly rejected property and income tax hikes requested by local districts to fund K-12 public schools.

Only 24 of 66 local school district property and income tax levies passed, according to a count from the Ohio School Boards Association based on preliminary election results.

• Restricting healthcare for transgender adults. WCMH’s David Rees reports, “Ohio bill would restrict public insurance coverage for transgender surgeries.”

A newly introduced bill in the Ohio House would restrict certain healthcare coverage tied to gender-affirming procedures, adding to an ongoing legislative focus on transgender-related policies.

• Doesn’t believe Jim Jordan. NBC News reports, “Former Ohio State official testified he doesn’t believe Rep. Jim Jordan’s denials about Strauss abuse.”

A former Ohio State University athletic director said in a deposition that, in his opinion, Rep. Jim Jordan “probably knew” that campus doctor Richard Strauss was abusing the wrestlers Jordan coached more than two decades ago.

“I believe that the conversation about Dr. Strauss was active — with the wrestlers,” Andy Geiger testified in a sworn deposition unsealed Monday by the Southern District of Ohio. “Particularly loud and clear, I heard all about the unhappiness with the showering situation.”

“For somebody who was part of the program, it doesn’t seem credible to me” that Jordan was unaware that Strauss allegedly preyed on male athletes, Geiger said in the deposition.

“I don’t know for sure,” Geiger added. “But my opinion is that he probably knew.”

• Financial ruin. In a Columbus Dispatch guest column, Bill Shkurti, Greg Browning, Tom Johnson, and Pari Sabety write, “Banning property taxes would blow a $21 billion hole in Ohio.”

As former Ohio budget directors for Republicans and Democrats alike, we don’t always agree on everything. But on one thing we are united: a proposed constitutional amendment to eliminate property taxes in Ohio is one of the most reckless proposals we have ever seen.

Ohioans are fed up with rising property taxes, and more must be done to help homeowners. But eliminating the largest local revenue source for local governments and schools would set Ohio on a collision course toward financial ruin.