Experts Find Some Common Ground On Ohio Economy
Ohio’s economy may be improving, but in many ways the state is still struggling nearly six years after the end of the Great Recession. Experts have different ideas on how to help the economy get stronger. Ohio Public Radio’s Karen Kasler reports. Recent reports say Ohio’s economy continues to grow, and the state’s unemployment rate […]
GASB ruling will make tax breaks more transparent
Tax abatement has been a common carrot that communities use to attract development. To date, however, cities and other tax-abating governments haven’t shared much about the accumulated financial consequences of those tax breaks. Now, because of an edict from the board that oversees government accounting, they will. That means that the counties, cities and public […]
Anticipated Rules Could Rein In Payday Lending
This fall, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is expected to announce new federal rules to address predatory lending practices, regulations that some policy experts say cannot come soon enough. Credit: krosseel/Morguefile COLUMBUS, Ohio – Legislation restricting payday-lending practice was passed in Ohio more than seven years ago, but some policy experts say the industry still […]
John Kasich’s job claim accurate, but experts say it’s only one part of Ohio’s economic story
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. John Kasich likes to trumpet that Ohio has added 350,000 private sector jobs on his watch as he touts his resume on the presidential campaign trail. But his claim has prompted some grumbling. After the Republican presidential debate Aug. 6 in Cleveland, critics complained that Kasich cherry-picked a number that made […]
Tax the poor! States raise sales, cigarette taxes
Forget the millionaire’s tax. These days, states are looking to balance their budgets by raising taxes that hit the poor hardest. There’s been a notable shift in recent years — especially among Republican governors — to raise sales and other consumption taxes, which more heavily hit those at the bottom of the income spectrum. This […]
Starving cities
The new state budget continues to slash critical funding from Ohio communities Gov. John Kasich and state lawmakers boast that their new state budget will give generous tax breaks to Ohio families and small businesses. But the plan will do that partly on the backs of the poor, as well as cities and counties, which […]
Clark, Champaign counties add jobs as state sees solid gains
Clark and Champaign counties both saw job growth in May, part of a trend in which Ohio added about 12,000 jobs overall as the region’s economy continues to slowly recover. Clark County added 700 jobs last month, a state report released Tuesday shows, while Champaign County added 200 jobs. The additional jobs were likely the […]
Both ends of the political spectrum see problems with the Ohio Senate budge
Progressives and conservatives say Ohioans should be concerned Republicans who lead the Senate are preparing the final version of the budget, which is likely to come up for a vote in the Finance Committee Tuesday. But as Statehouse correspondent Karen Kasler reports, analysts with two very different viewpoints agree that there are things in that […]
Another viewpoint: Elder abuse awareness is an important cause
Another Viewpoint is a column The News-Herald makes available so all sides of issues may by aired. Brian Rice is the Chair Person for the Community Resource and Advocacy Committee of the Association of Specialists in Aging. He’s also a board member for the Lake County Council on Aging, Director /Owner of the Lake-Geauga Office […]
Report: Ohio foreclosures drop, home insecurity continues
COLUMBUS – A new report finds foreclosures in Ohio fell to their lowest level last year since 2001, but the state is still feeling the effects of the housing bubble burst. According to data compiled by the research institute Policy Matters Ohio, foreclosures in 2014 dropped 18 percent from 2013. However, Zach Schiller, the group’s […]
Young and unemployed
Young Ohioans continue to face economic difficulties, new report shows.
Why Ohio ignored its own $1M bus, rail study
Ohio lawmakers so far are refusing to increase one of the smallest state-level public transportation budgets in the U.S. – ignoring the state’s own report that calls for more spending on bus and passenger rail systems, The Enquirer has learned. Even Republican Gov. John Kasich – who’s kept a tight rein on funding for public […]