Latest from Laura A. Bischoff

A week after Republican Cliff Rosenberger’s abrupt resignation, state lawmakers moved to push through the strongest reforms on payday lending that Ohio has seen in a decade. House Bill 123 calls for closing loopholes, limiting monthly payments to no more than 5 percent of the borrower’s monthly income, limiting fees to $20 or...

Democrat Dennis Kucinich is under attack for his association with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and now disclosure of a $20,000 payment he received from a pro-Assad group. Former Ohio governor Ted Strickland accused Kucinich of deliberately trying to hide the $20,000 payment by listing the income on his ethics statement without disclosing...

Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger’s resignation in the wake of FBI questions over his activities is only the latest high-profile inquiry by a public corruption investigation team that has honed in on everything from bribery among top state officials to dirty cops. Under then-FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III, the bureau in 2008...

The fight to win over voters in the Ohio governor’s race is bitter, ugly and personal. And that’s just on the Republican side. The May 8 GOP primary for governor is shaping up as one of the nastiest intra-party battles in recent years. Across Ohio, Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor is on a “made tough” tour, pushing her conservative...

Republican Cliff Rosenberger’s resignation is effective immediately, not May 1 as he had announced earlier this week, Ohio House GOP spokesman Brad Miller said in a statement. Miller said that Speaker Pro Tempore Kirk Schuring, R-Canton, number two legislative leader, “felt it was in the best interest of the institution that Cliff...
Cliff Rosenberger stepped into the job of Ohio House speaker in January 2015 with the largest GOP majority in nearly half a century and what appeared to be a long political career ahead of him. His resignation Tuesday night, which came after the FBI began asking questions about his activities in office, shows how quickly the powerful can...
The Ohio House is in turmoil — Republican Cliff Rosenberger is resigning as speaker, other lawmakers are fighting over who will replace him, a hot primary is weeks away, and there are big issues facing the state. Casting a cloud over all of it a Federal Bureau of Investigation inquiry into Rosenberger, who led the Ohio House since January...

Less than 24 hours after Republican Cliff Rosenberger announced his resignation as Ohio House speaker, lawmakers delayed action on the strongest restrictions for payday lending that the state has considered in a decade. State Rep. Kyle Koehler, R-Springfield, urged the House Government Accountability and Oversight Committee to amend and pass...

At 5:46 p.m. Friday, April 6, Dayton Daily News Columbus Bureau reporter Laura Bischoff broke the story that Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger was hiring a defense attorney after the FBI started asking questions. By Tuesday night, April 10, Rosenberger announced his resignation. Here’s a look at how we got here: April 6: Rosenberger...
Facing an FBI investigation, Republican Cliff Rosenberger announced Tuesday that he is stepping down as Ohio House speaker and resigning his seat as of May 1. “First and foremost, I believe that all of my actions as Speaker have been both ethical and lawful. However, I understand that the nature of this inquiry has the potential to...
Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Tuesday met with Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter Jaime was gunned down in the Parkland massacre, to advocate for new gun restrictions. After the Parkland shooting that killed 17 on Feb. 14, the NRA-endorsed Kasich changed his position and began calling for gun controls. State Rep. Mike Henne, R-Clayton...

After sitting dormant for more than a year, action is expected on legislation that aims to crack down on payday lending practices — just as Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger confirmed he hired a criminal defense attorney because the Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking questions about his activities. House Bill 123, sponsored...

Insurance companies are required by federal law to cover mental health and drug addiction issues on par with physical illness, but some advocates for mental illness don’t give Ohio high marks for enforcing the law. “Their approach has been very much hands off: If consumers aren’t telling us there’s a problem, there...

Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger said he hired a criminal defense attorney because he heard the Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking questions about him. “Quite frankly, I’ll be up front: I think politics is a pretty dirty place right now. I have not been subpoenaed,” Rosenberger told this newspaper in an exclusive...

Victims of dating violence — often young women — will soon be able to get civil protection orders against their ex-partners as a tool for ending physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed House Bill 1 into law on Thursday. It will take effect in 90 days. State Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Akron, a primary sponsor...

Ohio State University is investigating a now deceased doctor who worked for decades as an athletic trainer for the wrestling team. The university said on Thursday it notified law enforcement about allegations of sexual misconduct against Dr. Richard Strauss, a former wrestling team doctor who died in 2005. The allegations include incidents...

Five months away from the deadline for the new medical marijuana industry operations in Ohio, state regulators are managing expectations and redefining what “operational” will look like on Sept. 8. “We have to temper our view of what this program will look like on Day One,” said Ohio Department of Commerce Director...

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a lifelong politico, will appear on NPR’s quiz show “Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me!” under the segment where the hosts ask famous people about obscure things. Kasich is scheduled to record the segment called “Not My Job” before a live audience Thursday at the Palace Theatre in...

The Ohio Supreme Court will consider a lawsuit against the University of Notre Dame and the NCAA for failing to protect a former player from brain injuries during his college career. Steven T. Schmitz, a former running back and receiver, played for the Fighting Irish from 1974 to 1978. Schmitz and his wife Yvette filed suit in October 2014...

Nurses and doctors, including specialists such as psychiatrists, working in Ohio’s prisons and mental health system dominate the list of 108 state employees who pulled in more than $190,000 in gross pay last year. Dr. Zinovi Goubar, a psychiatrist for the Ohio Department of Mental Heath and Addiction Services, often is the highest paid...
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