Free Republic

Ohio lawmakers are weighing a new energy program that would let utilities temporarily adjust household thermostats and water heaters — but only for customers who sign up. House Bill 427, introduced this week in the General Assembly, would create an opt-in “demand response” program aimed at cutting strain on the state’s power grid during peak usage, such as summer heat waves or winter freezes. Rep. Roy Klopfenstein (R-Haviland), the bill’s sponsor, said the plan extends a proven tool already used by the industry. “Demand response programs have proven to be a vital tool for our large commercial users, and it’s...

In light of an opinion issued Tuesday by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, the American Civil Liberties Union said that eight Ohio counties don’t have legal contracts with U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement. That being the case, the ACLU of Ohio said, those detainees must be released. However, one Ohio sheriff’s office said its contract with the feds meets the legal standards Yost laid out. Another said he’ll fix any problems, but he’s not releasing anybody. For its part, Yost’s office declined to answer questions. After taking office in January, President Donald Trump swiftly began implementing his policy of mass...

US President Donald Trump says he will issue an executive order to require voter identification from every voter. “Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every Single Vote. NO EXCEPTIONS! I Will Be Doing An Executive Order To That End!!!” Trump says on Truth Social. “Also, No Mail-In Voting, Except For Those That Are Very Ill, And The Far Away Military,” he adds.

Vance starts the 2028 race with advantages in the Rust Belt and Sun BeltAs we settle into the second Trump administration, eyes are already turning toward 2028. With President Donald Trump barred from a third elected term by the 22nd Amendment, the Republican nomination looks like a coronation for Vice President JD Vance. Polling shows Vance dominating the GOP field, with 46% support in a recent survey. That's far ahead of potential challengers. Vance, the Ohio senator and author of "Hillbilly Elegy," embodies the Trumpian blend of populism, economic nationalism and cultural conservatism that has reshaped the GOP. Operationally, his...

Two of the seven suspects arrested in connection with the disgusting beating of two white people in downtown Cincinnati have been freed from jail. 24-year-old DeKyra Vernon and 25-year-old Aisha Devaughn were released on Friday. Both were (allegedly) active participants in the savage beating. Vernon is believed to be the woman in the viral video who punched the female victim, Holly, from behind, while Devaughn is believed to be the woman who stomped on the male victim’s head. This comes after a woke judge cut each suspect’s bond to $25,000, of which they only have to pay $2,500 upfront. Vernon’s...

Former Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio announced Monday he is launching a comeback bid, giving Democrats a boost in their longshot campaign to win back control of the Senate. With no serious primary competition, Brown’s announcement effectively kicks off a nearly 15-month general election face-off against Sen. Jon Husted, a Republican appointed earlier this year by Gov. Mike DeWine to fill the seat vacated by JD Vance when he became vice president. Brown, 72, was heavily courted by Democrats who saw him as their only hope to flip a Senate seat in an increasingly out-of-reach red state. Brown has cultivated...

The United States Pirate Party has endorsed independent candidate Timothy Grady in his 2026 bid for governor of Ohio, following a unanimous vote at its most recent national committee meeting. In a statement published Tuesday, August 12, the Pirate National Committee said members voted to back Grady’s campaign during their regular monthly meeting held over the past weekend. Grady attended the session in person to outline his platform and take questions from party members. The party also pitched the recorded meeting as a chance for Ohio voters to hear directly from an independent candidate in the race. While noting that...

Democrats are making a play for Ohio in next year’s Senate race as former Sen. Sherrod Brown prepares an expected comeback attempt. The Buckeye State was once firmly purple but has become increasingly red in the Trump era. President Trump won the state in 2024 with 55 percent of the vote, and Brown lost his bid for reelection to Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), winning 46.5 percent of the vote. Those totals show Brown was much more popular with Ohio voters than former President Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, and Democrats think a lower-turnout midterm election could carry him...

A former physician at one of the nation’s most respected pediatric institutions is facing federal charges for allegedly amassing one of the largest known personal collections of child sexual abuse material in recent history. Howard M. Saal, 73, a former geneticist and dysmorphologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, appeared in federal court this week after investigators say they uncovered a horrifying trove of over 153,000 images and 470 videos of child pornography, with some victims reportedly being as young as newborns. According to charging documents, the nightmare began when a Hamilton County Sheriff’s detective assigned to the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task...

Black community leaders in Cincinnati are furious over what they claim is a racial double standard in the aftermath of last month’s brawl in the city and want the white man involved to pay as well. As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, a group of black individuals smacked around a bald white guy at the intersection of West Fourth Street and Elm Street in downtown Cincy and beat him so bad that he could not get up. Then, a white woman got slugged by one of the cowards. Her head slammed down onto the concrete, and she lost consciousness. Blood...

Lawmakers in Cincinnati are calling for a white man seen on video slapping a black man before a now viral brawl erupted to face prosecution. The violent melee that unfolded two weekends ago in the downtown area of the Democrat led city has so far led to the arrest of six individuals. On Monday night, Ohio State Rep Cecil Thomas led a discussion inside the New Prospect Baptist Church and raised concerns that the man had yet to be arrested.

The Democrat will run for the seat held by GOP. Sen Jon Husted, who was appointed to serve the remainder of Vice President JD Vance's term. Former Sen. Sherrod Brown has decided to run for the Senate next year in Ohio, according to three sources familiar with his plans, potentially putting the Republican-leaning state in play for Democrats. Brown lost his race for a fourth term last year by about 3.5 percentage points as President Donald Trump carried Ohio by 11 points. But a midterm year is typically tougher for the president's party, and Democrats have been aggressively recruiting Brown...

All six Cincinnati mob attack suspects were indicted Friday and hit with additional charges, WLWT-TV reported. The station said all six suspects were indicted on eight charges each: three counts of felonious assault, three counts of assault, and two counts of aggravated riot. WLWT said each suspect faces up to 29.5 years in prison if convicted on all eight charges. "What I saw on video is not the Cincinnati I know and love," Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich said when announcing the indictments, the station reported. "These charges hold those involved in the attack accountable." WLWT said the following five...

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, is introducing "Holly’s Act" after a woman was violently attacked by a mob in Cincinnati late last month – a move aimed at ending what he calls the justice system’s revolving door for repeat offenders. The attack happened around 3 a.m. on July 26 at the intersection of Fourth and Elm streets in Cincinnati’s central business district. Bystander video captured the moment a large group turned on several individuals early that morning, and in one video obtained by Fox News Digital, an unidentified man could be heard yelling racial slurs while being beaten in the street....

Cincinnati mob violence victim who goes by ‘Holly,’ blasted Democrat leaders for being soft on crime during a press conference with GOP Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno on Wednesday. Earlier this week Holly said she is suffering “very bad” brain trauma after the horrific attack by a mostly black mob at a jazz festival last weekend. A white man was brutally beaten and stomped on by a violent gang of black suspects. When Holly ran to the victim’s aid, she was also beaten and knocked out. Six people have been charged so far in the violent attack. The FBI and the...

President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that Vice President JD Vance is “most likely” the heir apparent to the Make America Great Again movement, the furthest he’s gone in backing Vance as a future presidential candidate. Trump also proposed that Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio join for a future Republican ticket. “Well, I think most likely,” Trump told reporters when asked whether Vance was MAGA’s “heir apparent.” “In all fairness, he’s the vice president.” “I think Marco is also somebody that maybe would get together with JD in some form,” he went on. “I also think we have incredible...

An entrepreneur who is fleeing downtown Cincinnati in the wake of an appalling mass brawl showed Daily Mail the abject squalor that has driven him out.Victor Louis, founder and CEO of local firm One Logistics Network, took the Mail on a grim tour of the beleaguered Ohio city on Monday. He said Cincinnati's woke leaders were entirely to blame for its demise.The city has been thrust into the national spotlight following the mass brawl that erupted on the night of July 26, with a man and a woman being violently assaulted by violent men. Further outrage ensued when Cincinnati Police...

A woman who was severely beaten following a street brawl in Cincinnati is suffering from a 'very bad' brain trauma after the horrific attack. The woman, known only as Holly, was attacked in the downtown area of Ohio city alongside an unidentified man - and the shocking attack was captured on camera.In her first remarks since the assault, Holly, who is still severely bruised, said it has left her with trauma to the brain. In an emotional message, she said: 'I want to say thank you to everyone for all of the love and support. 'It's definitely what's keeping me...

A fourth person has been busted in connection with the vicious brawl in Cincinnati that left two people seriously injured, as new video shows the victims lobbing racial slurs at their attackers moments before the beatdown. Dominique Kittle, 37, was arrested around 6:20 p.m. Friday, nearly a week after he allegedly pummeled a Russian woman and an unidentified man, police announced. Kittle was charged with felonious assault and aggravated riot. His bond was set at $150,000.

Disturbing new images have revealed the horrific injuries sustained by a woman after she was attacked during a mass brawl in Cincinnati last weekend. Footage surfaced online over the weekend showing the woman, known only as Holly, and a man being savagely attacked in the downtown area of the Ohio city. Republican state Senator Bernie Moreno said in a post on X that Holly had given him permission to share the damning pictures of her horrific injuries. Both sides of her face were extremely bruised following the assault, with her right eye a dark shade of purple and almost closed...