Jo Ingles (Ohio Public Radio)

The woman in charge of the state agency that administers the unemployment system was on the hot seat yesterday as a panel of state lawmakers questioned her about inefficiencies in the system.

As Ohio opens for business again, many workers have qualms about returning to their jobs. Some Democrats are proposing a bill they say will protect those workers.

COVID-19 closed down the March primary election, and lawmakers extended the absentee ballot deadline to late April.  Voter rights groups are asking state lawmakers to reform voting laws now, to avoid confusion before the November election. But Statehouse correspondent Jo Ingles reports they are not necessarily on the same page when it comes to which reforms should be made.   

Non-essential businesses that were closed during the past month due to COVID-19 are now starting to reopen. But as Statehouse correspondent Jo Ingles reports, some worry that’s happening too quickly without proper safeguards.

Ohio’s retail businesses that were shut down as non-essential are being allowed to open Tuesday. And by the end of next week, many restaurants, bars and hair salons will also reopen. 

Ohio is among the top states for several agricultural crops and for food production and processing. But while farming is considered an essential business under the various shutdown orders, it's a tough time for those who run the state's 76,000 farms. Statehouse correspondent Jo Ingles has more.

The Ohio National Guard’s Military Reserve soldiers have been helping out at food banks, but they are also collecting and distributing personal protective equipment to people who need it. 

Small business leaders throughout the state are telling a House panel looking at how to lift Ohio’s Stay Home order they need to allow businesses to open now. Statehouse correspondent Jo Ingles has details.

The state has filed a lawsuit against a Cleveland-area man for hoarding personal protective equipment that is sorely needed by health care workers fighting coronavirus.

A dozen Ohio prisons are on full quarantine right now. A prisoner and at least one corrections worker has died and many staffers and inmates have tested positive for COVID19. Gov. Mike DeWine has recommended more than 200 prisoners be released but as Statehouse correspondent Jo Ingles reports, advocates for those behind bars say much more needs to be done.

Social distancing and the stay-at-home order have caused a lot of people to change their plans. But some tenacious Ohioans aren’t letting the pandemic get in their way. And they are getting creative about finding alternatives.  

Among the many things Ohio lawmakers will have to decide when they come back to the Statehouse this week is what to do with Ohio’s primary election, delayed last week because of coronavirus concerns. Statehouse correspondent Jo Ingles reports.

There has been an increase in the number of deaths on Ohio's roads due to distracted driving. At least 51 more people have died already this year. That's why the Ohio Highway Patrol will be stepping up enforcement efforts on the state’s roads this holiday season.

The Ohio Library Council is responding to a letter House Speaker Larry Householder sent the organization in recent days, reminding them they receive state funds and demanding they stop libraries from offering classes featuring drag queens. Two Central Ohio libraries have cancelled such events after backlash from their communities. 

Gov. Mike DeWine is requesting help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for ten counties that suffered damage from the tornadoes that ripped through Ohio earlier this week. 

A total of $5 million dollars will be paid to male employees at JP Morgan Chase who were denied the same parental leave policies as female employees if a federal court approves a class action lawsuit settlement filed today in a federal court in Ohio. Statehouse correspondent Jo Ingles reports. 

Still no word on who the next speaker of the Ohio House might be.