Loud and Clear

Top of Mind

Loud and Clear

Issue 1, which would have raised the threshold for passing new constitutional amendments from 50% to 60%, was soundly rejected this week.

Ohio’s big day at the polls garnered national attention as everyone from the New York Times to the BBC seized on the implications for abortion policy.

Republican lawmakers framed Issue 1 as a way to strengthen the influence of silver-tongued demagogues protect Ohio’s constitution from the influence of out-of-state lobbyists, but some elected officials acknowledged the timing was not coincidental; it was meant to thwart November’s abortion referendum.

President Biden called it a "blatant attempt to weaken voters' voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own health care decisions.”

Across the state, 57% of voters rejected Issue 1, a tantalizing count for the lawmakers who believe that’s still shy of a “definitive” threshold.

Here in Franklin County, 75% voted no, and all of Ohio’s largest cities followed suit with only the more rural counties supporting it.

The special election is behind us, but don’t count on a long break from Thanksgiving table fodder come November.

Ohio’s referendum on abortion comes on Nov. 7.

Plus, Republican lawmakers are not going to give up so easily on Issue 1, Ohio’s senate president said the issue will “probably” go before voters again.

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Scarlet Letter Trivia

Question: And we’re BACK a year later with some Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival trivia. What was the original one called back in 1966?

A. Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival
B. Heritage Holiday Festival and Tomato Show
C. Tomato Smackdown
D. Tomatopalooza

In the News

Last Dance
Ohio State’s athletic director is calling it a career. 

Gene Smith this week said he’ll retire on June 30, 2024, after one last go-round and 19 years at OSU.

The 67-year-old, who signed a four-year contract extension in 2021, said it’s been a recent topic of discussion with his wife, Sheila.

“I've always felt, and my mentors have always said, you'll know when it's time,” Smith said at a press conference. “This summer, Sheila and I sat down and she was asking me a million questions, and I just said, 'It's time.' There's a right time for certain leaders and the right time (for) an institution.”

Grand Scheme
An Ohio charity apparently has been scammed out of $33 million by a Georgia man who said he was using charitable donations to supply bibles to China but instead spent the money on sports gambling and 16 life insurance policies (really necessary?), according to a federal indictment.

Officials from the Holmes County-based Christian Aid Ministries called the news a shock. 

“We have been advised by the federal government that formal charges have been filed against one of the trusted contacts that we worked with in a restricted country for allegedly embezzling millions of dollars from several charities,” officials said in the statement. “If proven true, this alleged fraudulent activity would be a shock to us, considering the recommendations by others who worked with this contact and the long-term, trusted relationship we had with this contact, including many face-to-face meetings.”

Festival Latino
Festival Latino will bring as many as 100,000 people downtown this weekend. The free event, in its 26th year, will kick off with a dance party at Lower.com Field tonight and then run from 11 am to 8 pm on Saturday and Sunday at Genoa Park. More than 40 food vendors will be on hand over the weekend.

Quotable

Trivia Answer

B. The Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival was originally called the Heritage Holiday Festival and Tomato Show when it debuted in 1966. There was a tomato fight between the Republicans and Democrats, a dog show, queen’s pageant (probably not a drag queen’s pageant), and a parade.

Signing Off