Free Republic

An Ohio high school discovered that a proclaimed 17-year-old Venezuelan migrant student is actually a 24-year-old illegal immigrant, authorities say. Police in Perrysburg, Ohio, arrested Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra on Monday for identity fraud, according to a police report obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. Police say Labrador Sierra ... falsely posed as a minor and successfully enrolled himself in a local high school for more than a year before an investigation uncovered his actual identity. Labrador Sierra approached Perrysburg Schools in November 2023 and requested to be enrolled as a student, according to police. The Venezuelan national told...

Vivek Ramaswamy is cruising toward the Ohio GOP gubernatorial nomination after the Ohio attorney general dropped out of the race. "Columbus needs re-engineering, not demolition," Dave Yost wrote in a letter to supporters on Friday. "Sherrod Brown and the risky progressive ideas of his party will unwind all of the good that the last 15 years of Republican leadership has brought. This is a time to protect Ohio, not a time for a family squabble." Ramaswamy released a statement about Yost dropping out. "Congratulations to Dave on running a thoughtful campaign," Ramaswamy said in a statement. "He has served Ohio...

A radical proposal to eliminate all property taxes in Ohio is gaining momentum, and it’s revealing something profound about the state’s political climate: Ohioans are furious with their government. In a recent episode of Today in Ohio, the daily news podcast from cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, the hosts dissected this controversial ballot initiative and the public reaction it’s generating. “Citizens for Property Tax Reform can now start collecting 413,000 signatures for a ballot issue that would eliminate property taxes in the state of Ohio,” said Lisa Garvin. The Ohio Ballot Board unanimously agreed it was a single-subject issue, clearing...

Move over Karmelo Anthony, there’s a new accused killer darling on the scene. Rodney Hinton, Jr., a black man from Ohio, reportedly ran down a retired white police officer who was directing traffic for a college graduation—and Hinton has garnered generous support, both from the black community and the left. The officer allegedly murdered by Hinton was a man named Larry Henderson, a public servant who dedicated more than three decades of his life to his community, serving across a number of different law enforcement agencies. Prosecutors allege a “calculated and premeditated” motive: just prior to Hinton running Henderson down,...

Term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) is reportedly moving to block the Ohio Republican Party from endorsing Vivek Ramaswamy’s bid to succeed him. DeWine and his advisers hope to prevent the state party from endorsing Ramaswamy to replace DeWine in the governor’s mansion in Columbus. President Donald Trump endorsed Ramaswamy on the night he announced his campaign to govern the Buckeye State. The move pits DeWine sharply against Trump and Vice President JD Vance, NBC noted: The moves place DeWine sharply at odds with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, an Ohioan who has directed his political team to steer Ramaswamy’s...

The US Air Force is urgently searching for a Florida-based airman accused of possessing and distributing disturbing child sexual abuse materials. Airman First Class Branden Cecil Standifer, 27, was due in court on April 18 for a hearing related to the charges but failed to appear, prompting officials to believe he is evading prosecution, according to KTTC. Standifer is wanted for military desertion, as he is believed to have gone into hiding to avoid facing the charges. According to a warning from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), Standifer fled Hulburt Field in Florida and was last seen...

A Chinese-owned and operated factory complex in Ohio illegally imported workers from China, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio. Last week, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio released a statement saying that federal officials had seized $126 million in assets related to an investigation into illegal staffing and money laundering. “It is alleged that many of the workers were illegally smuggled into the United States, primarily through Mexico, and encouraged to travel to the Dayton area to be employed by one of the target entities and serve as a workforce...

Cory Bowman was feeling inspired in January as he headed home after watching his half brother, JD Vance, be inaugurated as vice president. The 36-year-old Bowman, who shares a father with Vance, was already active in the community, starting an evangelical church in Cincinnati's West End and later opening a coffee shop. But he hadn't thought politics was his calling. Now, suddenly, he did. He decided to launch a campaign for mayor. "There was nobody that pushed me into it, nobody that told me that this is a pathway I should go," he said in an interview one recent morning....

A bombshell report from the America First Policy Institute has exposed a staggering $100 million in foreign dark money laundered through the Sixteen Thirty Fund to bankroll radical ballot initiatives across 25 states. The Sixteen Thirty Fund, a notorious hub for progressive causes, has been caught funneling foreign cash into state ballot measures targeting divisive issues like abortion, election law, and drug policy. According to the America First Policy Institute: Non-citizens can influence U.S. elections and domestic policy through donations to ballot initiatives. Instead of the ballot initiative process being decided by state residents who are affected by the result,...

Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s bid for governor has gained significant momentum following a full endorsement from President Donald Trump, who praised Ramaswamy as "Young, Strong, and Smart" and a "very good person who truly loves our Country." The endorsement is expected to bolster Ramaswamy's campaign against Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who has launched his own gubernatorial bid. Ramaswamy's platform includes policies such as banning cell phones in schools and closely aligning himself with Trump’s agenda. His endorsement is seen as a strategic move to solidify his position in the race and appeal to conservative voters in the...

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, has endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy to become governor of Ohio.Ramaswamy, a former 2024 presidential primary candidate who briefly co-chaired President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, formally launched his 2026 gubernatorial campaign on Feb. 24.Trump threw his support behind Ramaswamy's bid nearly immediately, and now the biotech entrepreneur has received another key endorsement from Moreno, one of the Buckeye State's two senators.

On May 6, 2025, Ohio will hold its primary election, featuring numerous local issues and a significant statewide measure to fund public infrastructure projects.​ Engaging in this election allows Ohioans to have a direct impact on both state and local governance. Ensure your voice is heard by participating in the upcoming primary.Voting Information:Early In-Person Voting: Begins April 8 and includes the Saturday and Sunday before Election Day.Absentee Voting by Mail: Starts April 8.Applications for absentee ballots must be received by your board of elections by April 29.Military & Overseas Absentee Voting: Began March 21.Election Day: May 6, 2025. Polls will...

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed Rep. Darrell Issa’s (R-CA) No Rogue Rulings Act, which will place restrictions on federal District Court judges from issuing nationwide injunctions. One Republican voted to empower activist judges. The new law will stop a single district court judge, one out of 677 across the nation, from dictating policy for the entire country, as we’ve seen countless times from Trump-hating activist judges. This comes after the Supreme Court vacated Judge James Boasberg’s orders barring the Trump Administration’s removals of Venezuelan gang members under the Alien Enemies Act. They ruled that Boasberg, as a single...

Washington -- America’s craft brewers already have enough problems. Hard seltzers and cocktails are muscling into beer sales. Millennials and Gen Z don’t drink as much as their elders. Brewpubs still haven’t fully recovered from the shock of COVID-19 five years ago. Now there’s a new threat: President Donald Trump’s tariffs, including levies of 25 per cent on imported steel and aluminum and on goods from Canada and Mexico. “It’s going to cost the industry a substantial amount of money,” said Matt Cole, brewmaster at Ohio-based Fat Head’s Brewery. Trump’ trade war “will be crippling for our industry if this...

An Ohio appeals court panel has blocked a state law prohibiting the prescription of puberty-blocking drugs and cross-sex hormones for kids with gender dysphoria, overturning a lower trial court decision. A three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals of Ohio, Tenth Appellate District unanimously ruled Tuesday in the case of Moe v. Yost that Ohio's House Bill 68 — also known as the Saving Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act — violated the state constitution's Article I, Section 21, which guarantees the freedom to choose one's healthcare. "In enacting H.B. 68, the legislature has categorically prohibited appellants from accessing treatment protocols...

LOCKLAND, Ohio — One person has died and another person has been taken into custody after a multi-county police chase ended in a shooting involving police on Interstate 75 in Lockland Wednesday morning. The incident shutdown all northbound lanes near the end of the Lockland split for hours, but the roadway reopened just before 7:40 a.m. It started at 2:45 a.m. West Chester police say a license plate reader flagged the suspect vehicle as stolen. When officers attempted to pull the vehicle over, it fled, leading to a pursuit. Lockland police say they were called to assist in locating multiple...

A bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers urged the Trump administration on Tuesday to consider moving NASA headquarters from Washington, DC, to Cleveland, Ohio — arguing that the Buckeye State would be “uniquely advantageous” for the government’s space program. The lawmakers – all from Ohio – presented their idea to Vice President JD Vance and NASA Administrator-designate Jared Isaacman in a letter making the case for Cleveland to serve as the new home for the space agency when NASA’s current building lease in Washington expires in 2028. “While we recognize that other states, including Florida, Alabama, and Texas, may pursue similar...

Democrat Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) this week blocked a border reform bill introduced by freshman Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), despite his plea to Democrats to unite on something so common sense. “I know that my Democrat colleagues are in a mode where they want to fight everything that we’re doing, Mr. President, but we should at least come together on this,” Moreno said on the floor. “As I look over at my democratic colleague, there’s only two of us — two of us as entire chamber — that are naturalized U.S. citizens,” he said of himself and Hirono. “We know...

ASHLAND, Ohio (WJW) — Ashland County sheriff’s deputies said two people, whom they described as illegal immigrants from Honduras, were held in jail following a crash near Pleasant Hill Lake. One provided an identification card with the Social Security number of a deceased U.S. citizen. Edwin Lazzsano was arrested on misdemeanor charges after deputies say he resisted arrest and obstructed official business, following a March 4 crash on Township Road 2916. Reports from Ashland County Sheriff deputies said Lazzsano was not cooperative and struggled with deputies as they tried to handcuff him. “He was here illegally,” said Ashland County Sheriff...

Ohio Republican Senator Bernie Moreno is blasting a handful of judges in his state for claiming that “emergency” powers allow them to invalidate federal immigration laws and to prevent ICE from rounding up and deporting illegal aliens... In his March 4 letter, the senator criticized Franklin County Judge Kim Brown and warned her that “no one is above the law,” but added, “And yet, you’re giving illegal aliens a pass.” Moreno expressed his “sincere shock and disgust” at Judge Brown’s position that a county judge has the power to block federal immigration laws and called Brown and her colleagues “rogue...