Cincinnati EnquirerView CommentsCorrection: An earlier version incorrectly listed a ZIP Code because of inaccurate information provided by the Ohio governor's office. The correct ZIP Code is 45238. COLUMBUS – Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday that novel coronavirus trends in Southwest Ohio are "worrisome."He cited Hamilton, Warren, Montgomery, Greene and Clark counties as areas where COVID-19 cases are rising while .Why is Southwest Ohio a problem? "The answers are all over the place," said DeWine, adding that there is likely community spread in those areas.  test...…Cincinnati EnquirerView CommentsCorrection: An earlier version incorrectly listed a ZIP Code because of inaccurate information provided by the Ohio governor's office. The correct ZIP Code is 45238. COLUMBUS – Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday that novel coronavirus trends in Southwest Ohio are "worrisome."He cited Hamilton, Warren, Montgomery, Greene and Clark counties as areas where COVID-19 cases are rising while .Why is Southwest Ohio a problem? "The answers are all over the place," said DeWine, adding that there is likely community spread in those areas.  test...WW…

Cincinnati EnquirerView CommentsCOLUMBUS - Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will allow high school sports to continue this fall.Both contact and non-contact sports will be permitted to move forward, but they could look quite different. DeWine's administration will issue an order this week offering more details. "It's not going to be your typical Friday night football in Ohio," DeWine said. "But the young people are going to get to play." Some changes include:Now school leaders, coaches and parents will face their own decisions. DeWine advised that schools in areas with greater...…Cincinnati EnquirerView CommentsCOLUMBUS - Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will allow high school sports to continue this fall.Both contact and non-contact sports will be permitted to move forward, but they could look quite different. DeWine's administration will issue an order this week offering more details. "It's not going to be your typical Friday night football in Ohio," DeWine said. "But the young people are going to get to play." Some changes include:Now school leaders, coaches and parents will face their own decisions. DeWine advised that schools in areas with greater...WW…

Cincinnati Enquirer COLUMBUS  Thursday marked the worst day for new COVID-19 cases reported in Ohio since the pandemic began. The state health department reported 3,590 new COVID-19 cases between Wednesday and Thursday, shattering a previous record of 2,858 cases reported on Oct. 24.Now 78% of Ohioans, including all residents in the greater Cincinnati area, live in a county where novel coronavirus exposure and spread is labeled "very high."There was some good news Thursday: Hamilton County and two others . At the level 4 or purple status, residents would...…Cincinnati Enquirer COLUMBUS  Thursday marked the worst day for new COVID-19 cases reported in Ohio since the pandemic began. The state health department reported 3,590 new COVID-19 cases between Wednesday and Thursday, shattering a previous record of 2,858 cases reported on Oct. 24.Now 78% of Ohioans, including all residents in the greater Cincinnati area, live in a county where novel coronavirus exposure and spread is labeled "very high."There was some good news Thursday: Hamilton County and two others . At the level 4 or purple status, residents would...WW…

Randy Ludlow The Columbus Dispatch Jackie Borchardt The Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORKView CommentsNow-bankrupt Ohio coal giant and House Bill 6 supporter Murray Energy Corp. provided $100,000 in “dark money” involved in the alleged racketeering and bribery scheme that ensnared former House Speaker Larry Householder and four others.The criminal complaint states “Dark Money Group 1,” previously identified by The Dispatch and The Cincinnati Enquirer as the for-profit company Hardworking Ohioans Inc., spent nearly $1.5 million to support Householder’s Republican candidates in the 2018...…Randy Ludlow The Columbus Dispatch Jackie Borchardt The Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORKView CommentsNow-bankrupt Ohio coal giant and House Bill 6 supporter Murray Energy Corp. provided $100,000 in “dark money” involved in the alleged racketeering and bribery scheme that ensnared former House Speaker Larry Householder and four others.The criminal complaint states “Dark Money Group 1,” previously identified by The Dispatch and The Cincinnati Enquirer as the for-profit company Hardworking Ohioans Inc., spent nearly $1.5 million to support Householder’s Republican candidates in the 2018...WW…

Jackie Borchardt, Cincinnati EnquirerUSA TODAY NETWORKView CommentsIn Ohio, you can go to a theater to watch a movie but not a play.You can attend a 300-person wedding reception inside a banquet hall but can't listen to live music inside a venue half that size.And you can get a private dance at a strip club – socially distanced, of course – but can't see a ballet in a hall where one-third of the seats are empty.Ohio started reopening in May, phasing in businesses and activities seemingly by the greater risk they posed for spreading the coronavirus. But there were inconsistencies in...…Jackie Borchardt, Cincinnati EnquirerUSA TODAY NETWORKView CommentsIn Ohio, you can go to a theater to watch a movie but not a play.You can attend a 300-person wedding reception inside a banquet hall but can't listen to live music inside a venue half that size.And you can get a private dance at a strip club – socially distanced, of course – but can't see a ballet in a hall where one-third of the seats are empty.Ohio started reopening in May, phasing in businesses and activities seemingly by the greater risk they posed for spreading the coronavirus. But there were inconsistencies in...WW…

Cincinnati EnquirerView CommentsCOLUMBUS – Referenda on recreational marijuana, voting rights, a minimum wage hike and more had been potentially headed to the ballot in Ohio this November.But the coronavirus pandemic has effectively ended those campaigns.Ballot initiative efforts involve armies of signature collectors – often paid – stationed on city street corners, outside libraries and on festival grounds.They walk up to strangers, speak with them about the petition and share clipboards and pens."During this pandemic, that’s dangerous," said Freda Levenson, an ACLU of Ohio...…Cincinnati EnquirerView CommentsCOLUMBUS – Referenda on recreational marijuana, voting rights, a minimum wage hike and more had been potentially headed to the ballot in Ohio this November.But the coronavirus pandemic has effectively ended those campaigns.Ballot initiative efforts involve armies of signature collectors – often paid – stationed on city street corners, outside libraries and on festival grounds.They walk up to strangers, speak with them about the petition and share clipboards and pens."During this pandemic, that’s dangerous," said Freda Levenson, an ACLU of Ohio...WW…