Hamilton Journal News
Batter up!
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Andrew Abbott (seen here in a spring training game earlier this month) will lead the Cincinnati Reds as the Opening Day starter against the Boston Red Sox at 4:10 p.m. today. The game will have the usual activities of...
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Lawmakers seek to rein in Medicaid home liens
For state lawmakers advocating for change within the Medicaid estate recovery program, it’s not just an issue affecting families, but one that impacts the community when the state tries to recoup costs through a lien on someone’s home. “Community...
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Butler County has $13M more for roads, bridges
Butler County Engineer Greg Wilkens plans to spend nearly $13 million more this year replacing, upgrading and maintaining the county’s ground transportation system thanks to grant awards. Wilkens plans to spend nearly $37.4 million on 41 bridge, road,...
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What’s at stake with earned income tax vote in Fairfield
When early voting begins for the Ohio primary election, it will mark a key decision point for Fairfield Schools as residents decide the fate of a proposed 1.25% earned income tax. School ofÏcials have already laid out millions of dollars in program...
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OHIO FACES A CHILD CARE CRISIS
Families across Ohio struggle to cover the cost of child care, and the situation may soon worsen. Advocates argue eligibility for publicly funded child care should be on par with other states to support working families and the economy. Child care...
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StreetSpark to become ofÏcial Hamilton program
A public partnership that aims to enhance Hamilton’s creative identity through murals and public art recently was formally adopted as an ofÏcial city program. Hamilton City Council, at its most recent meeting, heard the presentation of a measure...
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Trump, DeWine pay respects to 6 killed in war
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. — President Donald Trump and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine paid their respects Wednesday at a Delaware military base where the remains of six U.S. service members, including three from Ohio, killed in the crash of a refueling...
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Aviation school opens: Ribbon cut on $15M center
A big crowd — including Butler County school, political and business leaders — gathered Monday at the region’s newest and largest aviation career school designed to help local teens explore life-long jobs in a booming industry. The ofÏcial ribbon...
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DeWine says career schools need even more investment
Ohio’s governor spotlighted a school problem in his recent “State of the State” address Butler Tech ofÏcials have been battling for years: Too few openings for too many high school students. Gov. Mike DeWine pointed to a series of needed changes in...
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Honda plans to cancel new U.S.-built EV models
Citing declining profitability, Honda said it is canceling the planned launch of three U.S.-produced electric vehicles, including one model that would have been made in Ohio. A spokesman for Honda in Ohio said the company will be flexible in response...
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Complaints about jail again ruled unfounded
Complaints lodged against the Butler County Jail for alleged unsuitable conditions by three Democratic state lawmakers from Columbus have been deemed unfounded for a second time. Sen. William DeMora and Reps. Christine Cockley and Mark Sigrist filed a...
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KROGER COULD BREAK GROUND THIS SUMMER
City ofÏcials recently told the Journal-News that construction on the nearly 123,000-square-foot Kroger Marketplace store at 182 N. Brookwood Ave. in Hamilton is projected to start this summer. It’s been nearly a year since the city approved the $35...
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DeWine visits New Miami to promote vision program
The director of operations for Vision to Learn said a new state vision program for underserved school districts will change the trajectory of “an entire generation of students.” Mark Scaramuzzi said the Ohio Student Eye Exam program, Gov. Mike...
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Trump touts region’s manufacturing in visit
President Donald Trump visited southwest Ohio and northern Kentucky Wednesday afternoon to tout his efforts to bring down prescription drug prices and boost the economy — while throwing weight behind an effort to unseat U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie in...
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Middletown building owners look to rebuild
Owners of an historic Middletown building are looking to rebuild after a fire destroyed apartments and displaced tenants. Shane Scott, owner of the building at 1700 Central Ave. and of The Slice Pie Middletown, said he started receiving calls at 5...
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Trenton City Council votes to limit public comments
Trenton City Council has voted to limit the public comment portion of its meetings, approving new rules that take effect immediately. The motion, proposed by Vice Mayor Floyd Croucher, passed 4-1. Councilmember Ray Nichols voted against the change,...
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Tech companies sign pledge to lower electricity costs
Representatives from leading AI and tech companies signed an agreement Wednesday pledging to protect Americans from higher electricity prices due to data center expansion. President Donald Trump gathered leaders from Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft,...
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Fairfield Schools approve sweeping budget cuts
If a May school tax hike is rejected by voters, Fairfield Schools will start classes in August with $4.5 million in budget cuts after the school board voted Thursday evening to approve a sweeping financial reduction package. The Fairfield Board of...
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31-0 MIAMI BEATS OHIO, COMPLETES PERFECT REGULAR SEASON T
he Miami men’s basketball team is still perfect and silencing the doubters. The No. 19 RedHawks beat Ohio 110-108 in overtime Friday night at the Convocation Center, ending a 14-game losing streak in Athens and completing a perfect 31-0 regular...
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ODOT to weigh nearly $55M in road projects
Ohio Department of Transportation decision-makers will consider advancing a proposed $54.6 million of Dayton-region highway projects in a vote set for March 25. In all, that amount in funding for a quartet of proposed southwestern Ohio projects will...
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Middletown to reclaim Cincinnati State building
Middletown city council has approved the purchase of the vacant Cincinnati State building in downtown. The building, formerly the home of Cincinnati State Technical and Community College and Cincinnati Gas & Electric Company, last saw students in...
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Edgewood school district prepares for funding hit
The Edgewood City School District has announced a plan to address a looming funding shortfall and steady enrollment decline. ECSD Superintendent Curtis Philpot said in a statement Thursday recent changes to the state funding formula through property...
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Trenton holds public forum about data center
Trenton residents packed into Edgewood High School seeking clarity on a planned data center coming to the city. The public forum Monday allowed residents to ask questions directly to representatives from Prologis, the real estate company that bought...
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Habitat for Humanity building effort advances
New homes will soon rise in Hamilton’s Jefferson neighborhood as part of a push to deliver more affordable houses and spark fresh investment there. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati will build seven homes, one on Maple Avenue and six on...
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$281M OK’d for arena to replace Millett Hall
Miami University’s board of trustees voted Friday to authorize up to $281 million in funds for a proposed sports arena. It will replace Millett Hall, a long-time rec space at Cook Field at the Ohio 73 roadway entrance to school’s main Oxford campus’s...
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Oxford couple fought for Black students’ education
Perry and Sarah “Sallie” (Dickerson) Gibson tenaciously saw to it that their children were educated in spite of seemingly insurmountable and, at times, violent opposition. Perry Gibson was born, presumably into slavery, in 1839 in Gallatin County,...
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11 million visitors short: Inside America’s tourism slump
Michelle Cowley, a London-based communications specialist, and her husband spent nearly two years planning a $16,000 vacation to Walt Disney World in Florida. Then their children, ages 7 and 11, heard about Renee Good and Alex Pretti being killed by...
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House bill would cut university funds over DEI programs
A local GOP lawmaker is touting a bill that would withhold funding from Ohio public universities that do not adhere to the state’s new ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs on campus and other state regulations. Rep. Tom Young, R-Washington...
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Iran accuses Trump of ‘big lies’ ahead of Geneva talks
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran pushed back Wednesday against U.S. President Donald Trump’s pressure tactics ahead of critical talks in Geneva over Tehran’s nuclear program, alternating between calling his remarks “big lies” to saying negotiations...
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Do TPS holders help or hurt area?
The federal government cited national security, including “economic considerations,” as one of the reasons why Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem decided to terminate Temporary Protected Status for more than 300,000 Haitian nationals...
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District seeks input on possible cuts
Officials with the Fairfield City School District conducted a public forum Wednesday evening and asked nearly 100 attendees to share their budget cut priorities should a proposed earned income tax on the May ballot fail. The “Expenditure Reduction...
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Trump has other tariff options after Supreme Court strikes down his worldwide import taxes
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump still has options to keep taxing imports aggressively even after the Supreme Court struck down the tariffs he imposed last year on nearly every country on earth. The Justices didn’t buy the president’s sweeping...
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DATA CENTER DEBATE: THE PRICE OF POWER
Massive data centers — sprawling facilities that are hungry for electricity, thirsty for water and supported with tax breaks — are proposed across southwest Ohio. Supporters say they create jobs and are needed to position Ohio for the future. Others...
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Bill would end ‘autopilot’ levies, imperil most taxes
The bulk of levies on the local property tax rolls are “continuing” levies, meaning they can go on forever. Two state lawmakers say people should know where their money is going so are trying to abolish continuing levies by 2030. The House Ways and...
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Charter, private school numbers rising
Private and charter school enrollment in Ohio has soared in the last five years while K-12 public school enrollment has fallen by nearly 26,895 students, or 1.8%, according to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. Still, the vast majority of...
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Trump recruiting thousands of officers to aid immigration effort
Over the past 18 years, officers at Maryland’s Frederick County jail have asked thousands of inmates two standard questions: What country are you a citizen of ? And where were you born? If the answer was anything other than the United States, local...
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Local GOP senator wants to boost access to ivermectin
A local Republican lawmaker is hoping to make it easier for Ohioans to obtain ivermectin after a pharmacy denied him the drug despite it being a regular part of his treatment for Stage 4 colorectal cancer. Senate Bill 249, introduced by Sen. George...
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Where do many Olympians keep medals? Not where you might think
MILAN — Olympic medals are among the most coveted prizes in sports. Athletes can spend decades in their pursuit, and only the greatest in the world succeed. So it might be surprising to learn that after the sweat and tears, the triumph and glory, so...
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DeWine: Nixing property tax would be ‘crisis’
The grassroots effort to eliminate property taxes entirely is gathering steam, and elected officials — including the Ohio governor and others — say if it comes to fruition, it would be a crisis. “It would just be devastating to all kinds of local...
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FIRE CREW HAS SOLID PLANS FOR THIN ICE
Being ready for an emergency ice rescue is something the Middletown Division of Fire keeps high on its checklist. This past week, the team trained on the ice at Smith Park, reacquainting water techs and shore-based crew on what their job is in the...
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Trump erases federal power to fight climate change
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he was erasing the scientific finding that climate change endangers human health and the environment, ending the federal government’s legal authority to control the pollution that is dangerously...
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APPLE Act would mandate abortion drug disclaimer
Anti-abortion advocates were at the Ohio Statehouse Wednesday making their case for a bill that would require doctors to give patients a state-written disclaimer outlining their right to sue the manufacturers and medical providers of abortion-inducing...
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AP finds patterns of abuse by ICE employees, contractors
Investigators said one immigration enforcement official got away with physically assaulting his girlfriend for years. Another admitted he repeatedly sexually abused a woman in his custody. A third is charged with taking bribes to remove detention...
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Fewer local entities the aim of some lawmakers
School and governmental entities in six southwest Ohio counties filed 40 different tax issues last week to be voted on in the May primary. And that’s one of several reason state lawmakers are building legislation to rein in local spending. “Ohio has...
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DeWine, lawmakers expect more legislative focus on data centers
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and state lawmakers from both parties anticipate an increased focus on legislating resource-guzzling data centers, which have proliferated throughout much of the state in recent years as demand for computing power surges. DeWine...
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Trump appeals block to end of Haitian TPS
The Trump administration has appealed a federal district court’s decision that stopped the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from canceling Temporary Protected Status for Haiti. A judge in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia ruled last...
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MAY PRIMARIES WILL HAVE BROAD IMPACT
Ohio’s May 5 primary election will decide issues that could impact your property and income taxes and set the stage for a November election with national, statewide and local repercussions. Voters will elect new faces to every statewide executive...
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Trump strips job protections from federal workers
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration finalized a new policy Thursday that would strip job protections from up to 50,000 federal workers, a move that would make it easier for President Donald Trump to remove or discipline them, in his latest effort to...
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GOP, Dems offer 15 bills at state level
The Ohio House returned from a winter break this week amid a fiery national conversation on federal immigration enforcement, with proposals from both sides of the aisle aimed at impacting enforcement in Ohio. Democrats took the break to brainstorm...
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House Dems want rules for ICE
Ohio House Democrats are backing a package of bills that they say would reaffirm the rights of American citizens and immigrant populations, informed by a calamitous federal immigration enforcement campaign that has unfurled in Minneapolis. Most of the...
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Locally owned Ohio Kings to play two games here
The opportunity to showcase their professional basketball team at the renovated Robert “Sonny” Hill Jr. Community Center was too much for two Middletown natives to ignore. Team owners Kevin S. Aldridge and his cousin, Kevin L. Aldridge, both...
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Speaker faces tough choices on shutdown, ICE
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson faces tough days ahead trying to muscle a federal funding package to passage and prevent a prolonged partial government shutdown as debate intensifies over the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration...
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Iran’s supreme leader warns U.S. attack would spark war
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s supreme leader warned Sunday that any attack by the United States would spark a “regional war” in the Mideast, further escalating tensions as President Donald Trump has threatened to militarily strike the Islamic...
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‘I WANT TO BE PART OF THE CHANGE’
Hamilton School Board President Shaquila ‘Pastor Shaq’ Mathews recently earned an associate degree in criminal justice to better understand the legal system. Inspired by her brother’s unsolved homicide, the former Citizen of the Year remains dedicated...
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Senate passes funding deal despite GOP backlash
WASHINGTON — The Senate voted Friday to fund most of the government through the end of September after President Donald Trump made a deal with Democrats to carve out Homeland Security funding and allow Congress to debate new restrictions on federal...
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Snowstorm broke 2 area records but was far less severe than ‘78 blizzard
The snowstorm that dropped a thick blanket of snow across the region this week broke records and disrupted lives, but depended on multiple factors before and during the event to reach its high snow totals. National Weather Service Meteorologist Andy...
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Springfield warned of possible targeted 30-day ICE surge
A message sent to Springfield City School District staff obtained by the Springfield News-Sun says school officials are expecting a federal immigration enforcement operation lasting at least 30 days may begin in Springfield sometime after Tuesday, the...
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Backlash for latest killing prompts White House turnabout
Prominent Republicans and gun rights advocates helped elicit a White House turnabout this week after bristling over the administration’s characterization of Alex Pretti, the second person killed this month by a federal officer in Minneapolis, as...
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Driver in triple-fatal crash still hospitalized
A man who was behind the wheel of a vehicle that killed a family of three last month near the intersection of River Road and Hooven Avenue in Hamilton’s Lindenwald neighborhood remains in the hospital a month after the crash. “They haven’t proceeded...
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Deep freeze grips most of United States as winter storm’s fury spreads
Snow, sleet and blistering cold descended across much of the eastern half of the country Saturday as a severe winter storm took hold and officials warned of days of frigid and treacherous conditions to come. Moving east from the Rockies, freezing...
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PROJECT’S GOALS: VALUE, STABILITY, OPPORTUNITY
For the first time in about 50 years, new homes are rising in Hamilton’s Jefferson neighborhood as part of the city’s Build Back the Block initiative. More construction is set for the coming spring. Despite initial challenges such as debris during...
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Non-union county employees receive less in raises
The Butler County commissioners have awarded $444,994 in performance pay to non-union employees under their direct control, which is 31.5% less than the raises awarded last year. The commissioners recently approved performance pay raises for 150...
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$15M pledged to ‘reignite’ downtown Middletown
Downtown Middletown development could see a new spark with the infusion of $15 million from three local entities. The city of Middletown, Butler County commissioners and the Middletown Community Foundation will each chip in $5 million to a shared...
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Trump won’t use force to attain region
DAVOS, Switzerland — President Donald Trump insisted he wants to “get Greenland, including right, title and ownership,” but said he wouldn’t employ force to achieve that — using his speech Wednesday at the World Economic Forum to repeatedly deride...
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U.S. citizen says ICE removed him from his home
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Federal immigration agents forced open a door and detained a U.S. citizen in his Minnesota home at gunpoint without a warrant, then led him out onto the streets in his underwear in subfreezing conditions, according to his family and...
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Source says Congress targeting Fuyao in bill
The U.S. House and Senate sent the White House a package of government funding bills that include a call for the Trump administration to detail investigative steps involving labor practices by Chinese automotive glass producers operating in the United...
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Health care subsidy talks stalled
For weeks, U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio has been the relentlessly positive voice in bipartisan talks to help over 20 million Americans avoid dramatic health insurance price increases this year, as lawmakers look for ways to extend extra health...
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$31M project transforms business park into school
High school students from around Butler County are learning in a former corporate headquarters as part of a unique $31 million business-to-school transformation. For the first time, classes for Butler Tech students in advance manufacturing recently...
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Area doctors decry vaccine schedule changes
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control last week cut the number of vaccines it recommends for every child — a move that is concerning to local public health experts who worry this will create confusion for parents or lead to fewer children getting...
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Ex-husband charged in killings of Columbus couple waives right to extradition hearing
COLUMBUS — The ex-husband of an Ohio woman charged this weekend in the killings of her and her husband waived his right to an extradition hearing Monday in Illinois. Michael David McKee, 39, a doctor from Chicago, has been charged with premeditated...
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‘Super flu’ worsens influenza season, says ODH director
A new strain of influenza is causing Ohio flu cases and related hospitalizations, according to the Ohio Department of Health. “We’ve heard a lot about this new strain of the flu that many have dubbed the ‘super flu,’” ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff...
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Twin cities on edge after fatal ICE shooting
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis was on edge Thursday following the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer taking part in the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown, with the governor calling for people to...
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DeWine: Child care program can last 8 weeks amid freeze
Ohio has enough money to continue its subsidized child care program for at least another eight weeks without further financial support from the federal government, according to Gov. Mike DeWine. That window may be tested following the decision of...
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Rubio, Trump send mixed messages about who’s running Venezuela
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Sunday that the United States would not govern Venezuela day-to-day other than enforcing an existing “oil quarantine” on the country, even as President Donald Trump again insisted that the U.S....
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