Op-ed
BY DAKOTA SAWYER When Larry Householder was sentenced to twenty years for the House Bill 6 scheme, Ohioans got the story they thought they understood. A Speaker of the House took $60 million funneled through a dark money nonprofit, rammed a billion-dollar nuclear bailout through the legislature, and went
BY NICK ROGERS Almost one year ago, a charter amendment was submitted to the Westerville, Ohio city council. The amendment – spearheaded by former councilman Tim Davey – sought to require the city to continue offering analogue electric and water meters amidst Westerville’s “decade-long” transition to Smart meters. The amendment,
Local
PERRY - Last month, The Ohio Register reported on the official response from Perry Village regarding a detailed public records request, specifically targeting land-use impact studies and email correspondences surrounding the development of the planned Champion Farm data center. At that time, TOR was informed by the village that it
Findlay
BY CAREY MORGAN FINDLAY — Amid fractured split votes and an aggressive debate over a massive reduction in municipal cash balances, the Findlay City Council moved forward Tuesday with a series of controversial tax incentives and high-density rezoning measures, prompting intense pushback from residents. The contentious session exposed sharp ideological
Education
PERRY - The Perry Board of Education confirmed on Monday, June 29, it has received no new updates or formal proposals regarding a controversial data center project that was approved without any due diligence on record with the village. The short update was delivered during the board's regular meeting,
Findlay
FINDLAY - Although our referendum petition did not meet Ohio’s new signature requirement, our community accomplished something remarkable. In September 2025, HB96 was passed. Within the large bill, a change was slipped in that changed O.R.C. 731.29. This changed the minimum signatures required by citizens to put
Local
BY JEFF SKINNER SPRINGFIELD - In a surprising turn of events, The FBI has denied a request to expedite the release of investigative records concerning the past bomb threats in Springfield, Ohio, putting citizens in the city in the dark regarding the inner workings of what transpired and what investigative measures
Springfield
BY JEFF SKINNER SPRINGFIELD — Following the abolition of Temporary Protection Status for many in the Haitian community of Springfield Ohio, local commissioners may be shifting their priorities on technocratic surveillance systems in the city. A sweeping debate over the city’s network of automated license plate readers (ALPR) exposed deep
smart meters
BY STAFF CONTRIBUTOR STATEWIDE - Earlier this month, The Ohio Register reported about growing opposition to wireless smart meter installation. While some utility providers are offering “opt out” programs for consumers willing to pay fees, Ohio Administrative Code 4901:1-10 allows electric providers to install digital meters with the RF
Ohio's Leading Citizen Journalism Outlet
This post was originally made on The Heartland Beat STATEWIDE — In the heart of Ohio’s suburbs and bustling interstates, a quiet expansion of surveillance technology is reshaping how unaccountable entities and foreign nations track everyday drivers. Defense contractor Leonardo US is promoting ELSAG SignalTrace, a signals intelligence upgrade that
BY JEFF SKINNER SPRINGFIELD - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the Trump administrations' efforts to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Syrians can proceed, rejecting lower court injunctions and limiting judicial challenges to the program’s termination. In a 6-3 decision written by Justice
BY JEFF SKINNER STATEWIDE— As reports indicate Iran has again closed the Strait of Hormuz amid fresh Israeli strikes in Lebanon that appear to violate a fragile ceasefire, Ohioans are staring down the barrel of higher gasoline prices at the pump, pricier groceries at the supermarket and mounting electricity bills
BY JEFF SKINNER NEWBURY— The Voice of Geauga radio program and podcast will host a “Fun-Raiser” fundraiser Wednesday, June 24, at Veterans Legacy Woods to support ongoing production and distribution costs. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. with a $25 cover charge. Proceeds will help the local
BY NICK ROGERS CINCINNATI - On February 11, 2026, the Cincinnati City Council voted to unanimously institute an Interim Development Control Overlay (IDC) on approvals for new data centers there; essentially pressing pause until further studies into the sites’ impacts have been conducted. The initial IDC, which lasted only three months,
BY CAREY MORGAN FINDLAY — As a central Ohio developer advances plans for major residential and mixed-use projects in northwest Ohio, a dispute surrounding one of the company's most prominent developments in northeast Ohio is drawing renewed attention from local officials and residents examining the developer's
BY JEFF SKINNER SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — Despite years of promises that a massive influx of Haitian immigrants would revitalize the local economy, Springfield city officials on Tuesday confronted a sobering financial reality: income tax revenue, the backbone of the general fund, has flattened and is now projected to decline, forcing
BY CAREY MORGAN FINDLAY, Ohio (AP) — Tensions flared at the Findlay City Council meeting Tuesday night as members clashed over a proposed $1 million city purchase of 21 acres of partially wetland land from interests linked to a major developer, with critics warning the deal risks subsidizing private growth that
STATEWIDE - As wireless smart meters continue expanding across Ohio, a growing coalition of grassroots advocates and consumer protection groups is launching a coordinated pushback, urging residents to demand utility meter choice legislation from state and federal lawmakers. Advocates argue that the automated metering infrastructure (AMI) has been deployed without adequate
BY CAREY MORGAN FINDLAY, Ohio — Resolute local housing advocates have launched a rapid-response petition drive to fight a controversial city annexation plan, battling a massive signature hurdle triggered by an undemocratic change in state law. The grassroots group, Put It on The Ballot Findlay, filed referendum paperwork on June
BY NICK ROGERS GEAUGA - Over two weeks ago, this author received a pamphlet in his mailbox from FirstEnergy (you know, the electric utility company at the heart of the HB 6 scandal?). The pamphlet features a wireless “Smart” meter on the cover with the title, “Your power is about to
GEAUGA COUNTY, Ohio — The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio is coming under increased scrutiny for what consumer advocates describe as a pattern of delays, technical glitches and procedural roadblocks that appear to shield FirstEnergy subsidiaries from accountability over disputed smart meter deployments. Residents who previously secured opt-out protections for
