The sponsor of an Ohio measure aimed at curbing the collective bargaining rights of public workers has been named to a panel that oversees the health of the state's public pension funds. Republican State Senator Shannon Jones sponsored the 2011 law known as Senate Bill 5, which voters overwhelming rejected. Senate President Keith Faber appointed Jones to the Ohio Retirement Study Council last week. The 14-member panel advises the Legislature on the five statewide retirement systems. Senate Republican spokesperson John McClelland called Jones "one of the most knowledgeable and experienced" senators on pension issues. Groups that opposed the union restrictions have criticized her appointment. A spokesman for the We Are Ohio coalition called her a "poor choice." Other Republicans on the bipartisan panel also had supported the union-limiting law.
Mike Foley joined WCBE in February 2000, coming from WUFT in Gainesville, Florida. Foley has worked in various roles, from producing news and feature stories to engineering Live From Studio A sessions. A series of music features Foley started in 2018 called Music Journeys has grown into a podcast and radio show. He also assists in developing other programs in WCBE's Podcast Experience. Foley hosts The Morning Mix, a weekday music show featuring emerging and established musicians, our Columbus-area and Ohio-based talent, and additional artists that inspire him.