Amid criticism, Yost defends questioning rape victim story

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Abortion questions: The arrest of a 27-year-old Columbus man for the rape of a 10-year-old who had to leave the state to get an abortion has prompted criticism of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost for questioning whether the crime happened, Sabrina Eaton writes. The girls predicament became the focus of national interest as states, including Ohio, imposed stringent abortion restrictions in the wake of a recent US Supreme Court ruling. Yost told FoxNews on Monday that he hadnt heard a whisper about the case from police or prosecutors in the state. After the arrest, he issued a statement that said, My heart aches for the pain suffered by this young child.

Gone till November: The president of the Ohio State Board of Education said she prefers the group not begin a search for a new superintendent until after the November election since many of the boards 19 members are up for re-election or re-appointment. Board President Charlotte McGuire said that a new board could scrap the work of the current board, although some current board members pushed back that they must get cracking on finding a new public education leader. The state needs a new superintendent of public instruction since the last one was only in the job for 11 days until resigning amid ethics questions, Laura Hancock reports.

Power play: A federal judge in Akron overseeing a shareholders lawsuit against FirstEnergy over the House Bill 6 scandal has dismissed the lawyers representing the shareholders from the case. Per Adam Ferrise, US District Judge John Adams wrote in an order that he believes the attorneys tried to evade his oversight of the case and that they refused to offer a legitimate rationale for a settlement in a companion case filed in federal court in Columbus.

Do not pass Go: Officials in Franklin County dedicated their new, state-of-the art jail on Wednesday. Andrew Tobias looks at the jails new features, and how they may be relevant to an ongoing debate in Cuyahoga County, where officials have spent years trying to decide whether or how to renovate or replace the aging, crowded jail there.

Sick Yost: In other Yost news, he announced virtually at a conference Wednesday in Michigan that he tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday. Ben Orner of MLive.com reports that the 65-year-old made the health disclosure via a pre-recorded message at a summit on robocall enforcement along with Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. The Wednesday event in downtown Detroit was hosted by the National Association of Attorneys General and marks the second time Yost and Nessel came together for a summit on spam calls.

Redo it: Four brownfield projects in and around the southeastern edge of Midtown Cleveland have received state funding, paving the way for a concentrated revitalization of a blighted area in the city. The highest profile project of the four is the long-vacant Warner and Swasey building near the corner of Carnegie Avenue and East 55th Street. Peter Krouse reports that the states Brownfield Remediation Program recently gave money for nearly 40 brownfield projects in Cuyahoga County. It awarded the Warner and Swasey effort $1,465,052 for cleanup and remediation. The building, constructed in the early 20th century, used to make a variety of parts for planes, ships, tanks and guns. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.

Outside help: The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the 1988 presidential candidate, was in Cleveland Wednesday trying to mediate a dispute between Sherwin Williams, which is building two massive new corporate buildings in Cleveland and a nearby suburb, and Black contractor groups, who say they arent getting enough of the work , by Megan Sims.

Not in the House: Niles-area Rep. Tim Ryan missed House votes today, casting proxy votes instead due to the ongoing public health emergency, but actually spent the day campaigning for an Ohio US Senate seat, according to Spectrum Newss Taylor Popielarz. Popielarz called the move by Ryan an abuse of proxy voting, which he said both Republicans and Democrats are guilty of doing.

Apology given: After telling the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack how ex-President Donald Trumps rhetoric lured him to a riot that derailed his life, Ohioan Stephen Ayres apologized to three officers in the committee room who came under attack by the mob, the Associated Press reports.The officers had a variety of responses to Ayers overture, with Harry Dunn commenting on Apology given, over a Twitter photo of him chatting with Ayers that another user had captioned Apology given and accepted.

Rapid reversal: The select committee also released text messages at the hearing where former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale described the riot as a sitting president calling for civil war and said he felt guilty for helping Trump win in 2020. But Parscale, who recently advised Jim Renaccis unsuccessful gubernatorial bid in Ohio earlier this year, was soon urging Trump to run for president again and getting paid by Trumps campaign operation,The Washington Post reports.

Ex-state Rep. Anthony DeVitis; Rick Neal, 2018 Democratic nominee for Ohios 15th Congressional District; ex-state Rep. John Rogers

Five things we learned from the April 5, 2022 financial disclosure of state Treasurer Robert Sprague, a Republican:

1. Among his reported income is from a business he owns called Music Together of Findlay.

2. He reported receiving lobbying-related gifts from the Greater Cleveland Partnership and the Ohio Christian Alliance.

3. He is a member of a business called Vasa Capital LLC.

4. His stock holdings include Delta Airlines, Kohls, Marathon Petroleum and Intel.

5. He received $1,547.13 in free travel from the Hunt Institute.

Im watching all these headlines scroll by and thinking of how many rape survivors Ive seen testify before Ohio House and Senate committees full of Republicans who did not give a damn about them or what they went through. What the hell is wrong with people?

-Gabriel Mann, director of communications for Pro-Choice Ohio, tweeting about GOP lawmakers various statements Wednesday related to the rape of a 10-year-old Ohio girl who was forced to travel to Indiana to get an abortion. Many Republican Ohio lawmakers and elected leaders cast suspicion on the IndyStar.coms initial story.

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