document.write("<p><a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-04-04/social-justice/oh-environmental-group-fears-federal-cuts-will-hurt-job-opportunities/a96102-1\"> <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">OH environmental group fears federal cuts will hurt job opportunities</span></a><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-color:grey; font-size: x-small;\">Public News Service - April 4, 2025</span><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-size: normal;\">More protest rallies are occurring in response to President Donald Trump\'s executive orders alongside Elon Musk\'s Department of Government Efficiency.\n\nMany of these directives will reverse current environmental projects and stoke fears about the consequences of increased air and water pollution.\n\nOn Saturday, <a href=\"https://www.mobilize.us/handsoff/\" target=\"_blank\">\"Hands Off!, A National Day of Action\" demonstrations</a> will be held in defiance of Trump\'s actions.\n...<a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org//2025-04-04/social-justice/oh-environmental-group-fears-federal-cuts-will-hurt-job-opportunities/a96102-1\">(Read More)</a></span></p>");
document.write("<p><a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-04-03/civil-rights/arrest-of-u-of-cincinnati-student-fuels-national-free-speech-debate/a96119-1\"> <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Arrest of U. of Cincinnati student fuels national free speech debate</span></a><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-color:grey; font-size: x-small;\">Public News Service - April 3, 2025</span><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-size: normal;\"><span style=\"color:gray\"><i>UPDATE: A statement about the arrest from the University of Cincinnati has been added. (8:10 a.m. MDT, Apr. ...<a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org//2025-04-03/civil-rights/arrest-of-u-of-cincinnati-student-fuels-national-free-speech-debate/a96119-1\">(Read More)</a></span></p>");
document.write("<p><a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-04-02/glbtq-issues/ohios-new-law-what-it-means-for-educators-lgbtq-students/a95960-1\"> <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Ohio\'s new law: What it means for educators, LGBTQ+ students</span></a><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-color:grey; font-size: x-small;\">Public News Service - April 2, 2025</span><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-size: normal;\"><span style=\"color:gray\"><i>By Vanessa Davidson / Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi reporting for the Kent State NewsLab-Ohio News Connection Collaboration.</i></span>\n\nOhio’s House Bill 8, known as the “<a href=\"https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/135/hb8\">Parents’ Bill of Rights</a>,” will take effect April 9.<br/>\nThe bill was signed into law in January. It requires K-12 public schools to adopt a policy for parents to be notified by their child’s school if they have “any substantial change in the student\'s services, including counseling services,” or in their “mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being.”<br/>\nThis includes any request by the student to “identify as a gender that does not align with the student\'s biological sex,” meaning if they are not already out to their parents, schools will be required to do it for them.<br/>\nAdvocates for LGBTQ+ youth worry the bill will cause unnecessary anxiety for students.<br/>\n“It’s part of such a long string of attacks against [queer and trans students’] identities and their very right to exist,” said Mallory Golski, civic engagement and advocacy manager at <a href=\"https://www.kycohio.org/\">Kaleidoscope Youth Center</a>. She says young people are considering leaving the state because, “while this legislation just targets K-12 schools right now, they know it’s only a matter of time until their lives are impacted beyond that.”<br/>\nAnd educators worry that the bill will cause conflicts between district guidelines and state law.<br/>\n“It really puts counselors and other people in this rock and a hard place position because it’s so absolutist,” said Carrie Frederick, a school counselor at East Columbus High School.<br/>\nThe bill says parents have “a fundamental right” to make decisions about their children in schools.<br/>\nOhio State Rep. ...<a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org//2025-04-02/glbtq-issues/ohios-new-law-what-it-means-for-educators-lgbtq-students/a95960-1\">(Read More)</a></span></p>");
document.write("<p><a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-04-01//reproductive-justice-takes-more-than-passing-laws-in-ohio-u-s/a95903-1\"> <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Reproductive justice takes more than passing laws in Ohio, U.S.</span></a><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-color:grey; font-size: x-small;\">Public News Service - April 1, 2025</span><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-size: normal;\"><span style=\"color:gray\"><i>By Jade Prévost-Manuel for <a href=\"https://www.yesmagazine.org/body-politics/2025/03/05/progress-2025-beyond-roe\" target=\"_blank\">Yes! Media</a>.<br/>Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi for Ohio News Connection reporting for the Yes! Media-Public News Service Collaboration</i></span>\n\nTaylor Young has never wanted to be a mom. ...<a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org//2025-04-01//reproductive-justice-takes-more-than-passing-laws-in-ohio-u-s/a95903-1\">(Read More)</a></span></p>");
document.write("<p><a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-03-31/youth-issues/ohio-struggles-to-retain-young-adults/a95859-1\"> <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Ohio struggles to retain young adults</span></a><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-color:grey; font-size: x-small;\">Public News Service - March 31, 2025</span><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-size: normal;\"><span style=\"color:gray\"><i>By Vanessa Davidson / Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration.</i></span>\n\nAround 1,000 more people moved into Ohio than moved out of it in 2023, according to Census data. <br/>\nAt the same time, Ohio is aging: Between 2010 and 2024, the percentage of Ohioans aged 65 and older increased from 14.1% to 18.7%, which is about one percentage point higher than the national average.<br/>\n“Younger people are more likely to move to pursue job opportunities, and there are lots of opportunities in Ohio, but they\'re not all evenly distributed,” said Robert J. Graham, senior research scholar and associate director of Scripps Gerontology Center at Ohio’s Miami University. <br/>\nBecause younger adults tend to concentrate in urban areas for jobs, rural areas are experiencing the impact of an aging population the most. <br/>\n“There are some [people] that say, ‘Hey, I want to go to college. I want to increase my education and get new opportunities,’ or ‘I\'m looking for jobs,’ and those jobs tend to be created in more urban areas, or suburban [areas], and the rural areas in particular are seeing the face of that,” Graham said.<br/>\n“They\'re having an increasing aging population and decreasing number of young adults and people to fill important services that are needed in their communities,” he added.<br/>\nOn the other hand, according to a 2025 data study from <a href=\"https://smartasset.com/data-studies/where-millennials-moved-2025\">SmartAsset</a>, Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland saw an influx of new residents in 2023. ...<a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org//2025-03-31/youth-issues/ohio-struggles-to-retain-young-adults/a95859-1\">(Read More)</a></span></p>");
document.write("<p><a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-03-28//report-oh-reclaim-a-model-for-juvenile-justice-reform-in-other-states/a96000-1\"> <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Report: OH RECLAIM a model for juvenile justice reform in other states</span></a><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-color:grey; font-size: x-small;\">Public News Service - March 28, 2025</span><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-size: normal;\">A <a href=\"https://www.aecf.org/resources/transforming-juvenile-justice-through-strategic-financing\" target=\"_blank\">new report</a> examined differences in state juvenile justice system financing, looking at how local control can improve outcomes.\n\nThe report, \"Transforming Juvenile Justice Through Strategic Financing,\" compared seven states and highlighted Ohio\'s <a href=\"https://dys.ohio.gov/courts-and-community/RECLAIM\" target=\"_blank\">RECLAIM</a> initiative as influential. RECLAIM began in 1993 and encouraged courts to implement community-based alternatives to youth incarceration, with the aim of decreasing the likelihood of repeated arrest.\n...<a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org//2025-03-28//report-oh-reclaim-a-model-for-juvenile-justice-reform-in-other-states/a96000-1\">(Read More)</a></span></p>");
document.write("<p><a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-03-27/budget-policy-and-priorities/debate-intensifies-over-major-cuts-to-ohios-fair-school-funding-plan/a95827-1\"> <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Debate intensifies over major cuts to Ohio\'s Fair School Funding Plan</span></a><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-color:grey; font-size: x-small;\">Public News Service - March 27, 2025</span><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-size: normal;\">At the Ohio Statehouse, proposed budget cuts to the <a href=\"https://www.ohea.org/cms/assets/uploads/2019/03/Ohio_Fair_School_Funding_Plan_Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Fair School Funding Plan</a> have sparked debate among lawmakers and educators.\n\nAlso known as the Cupp-Patterson plan, it is in its fourth year of a six-year implementation, designed to address disparities in school funding across the state. Backers are urging the full completion of its phase-in.\n...<a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org//2025-03-27/budget-policy-and-priorities/debate-intensifies-over-major-cuts-to-ohios-fair-school-funding-plan/a95827-1\">(Read More)</a></span></p>");
document.write("<p><a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-03-26/budget-policy-and-priorities/federal-job-cuts-could-affect-thousands-of-ohio-workers/a95961-1\"> <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Federal job cuts could affect thousands of Ohio workers</span></a><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-color:grey; font-size: x-small;\">Public News Service - March 26, 2025</span><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-size: normal;\">A report indicated layoffs in federal agencies by the ad hoc Department of Government Efficiency could affect a significant number of Ohioans and substantially undercut the state\'s budget.\n\nThere are approximately 114,000 federal employees in the state. A Center for Community Solutions study found if all federal employees in Ohio were to lose their jobs, the unemployment rate would <a href=\"https://www.communitysolutions.com/resources/federal-funding-by-ohio-congressional-district\" target=\"_blank\">increase by almost 40%</a>.\n...<a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org//2025-03-26/budget-policy-and-priorities/federal-job-cuts-could-affect-thousands-of-ohio-workers/a95961-1\">(Read More)</a></span></p>");
document.write("<p><a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-03-25/consumer-issues/older-ohioans-struggle-with-rising-credit-card-debt/a95831-1\"> <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Older Ohioans struggle with rising credit card debt</span></a><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-color:grey; font-size: x-small;\">Public News Service - March 25, 2025</span><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-size: normal;\">Nearly half of Americans age 50 and older are using credit cards to pay for basic living expenses, according to a <a href=\"https://press.aarp.org/2025-3-10-AARP-Survey-Highlights-Credit-Card-Debt\" target=\"_blank\">new AARP survey</a> but experts said there are ways to keep debt from mounting.\n\nIn the same national survey, almost nine in 10 respondents said unexpected expenses have contributed to their credit card debt.\n\nKevin O\'Laughlin, a certified financial adviser, said the results are not surprising, as rising consumer costs take a bite out of people\'s savings and Social Security payments cannot always keep pace. ...<a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org//2025-03-25/consumer-issues/older-ohioans-struggle-with-rising-credit-card-debt/a95831-1\">(Read More)</a></span></p>");
document.write("<p><a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-03-24/health-issues/doula-access-in-ohio-at-risk-in-nursing-board-certification-controversy/a95832-1\"> <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Doula access in Ohio at risk in Nursing Board certification controversy</span></a><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-color:grey; font-size: x-small;\">Public News Service - March 24, 2025</span><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-size: normal;\">Tensions are rising in Ohio between doulas and the state Board of Nursing, as only a small number of doulas have been able to be certified for Medicaid reimbursement - despite a statewide push to reduce infant mortality. \n\nMore than 60,000 births in Ohio each year are covered by Medicaid. Research shows <a href=\"https://www.nwica.org/blog/black-maternity-mortality-and-how-doulas-can-help\" target=\"_blank\">having a doula can lower risks</a> for both moms and babies. ...<a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org//2025-03-24/health-issues/doula-access-in-ohio-at-risk-in-nursing-board-certification-controversy/a95832-1\">(Read More)</a></span></p>");
document.write("<p><a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-03-21//ohios-rural-gen-z-faces-job-dilemma-will-talent-stay-or-go/a95830-1\"> <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Ohio\'s rural Gen Z faces job dilemma: Will talent stay or go?</span></a><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-color:grey; font-size: x-small;\">Public News Service - March 21, 2025</span><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-size: normal;\"><a href=\"https://news.gallup.com/poll/656876/fewer-jobs-college-options-may-push-rural-gen-zers-move.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">New research</a> indicated less than half of rural Gen Zers believe they can find a good job in their communities.\n\nDespite Ohio\'s predominantly <a href=\"https://ers.usda.gov/sites/default/files/_laserfiche/DataFiles/53180/25590_OH.pdf?v=20177\" target=\"_blank\">rural landscape</a>, more than 50% of its residents live in just 10 of the 88 counties, including Butler, Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Lorain, Lucas, Mahoning, Montgomery, Summit, and Stark.\n\nZach Hrynowski, senior education researcher for Gallup, noted while rural Gen Zers are not more likely to move than their urban peers, they often face limited access to certain opportunities.\n...<a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org//2025-03-21//ohios-rural-gen-z-faces-job-dilemma-will-talent-stay-or-go/a95830-1\">(Read More)</a></span></p>");
document.write("<p><a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-03-20/civil-rights/ohios-sb-1-parallels-national-administrations-anti-dei-sentiment/a95829-1\"> <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Ohio\'s SB-1 parallels national administration\'s anti-DEI sentiment</span></a><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-color:grey; font-size: x-small;\">Public News Service - March 20, 2025</span><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-size: normal;\">Debates over academic freedom and diversity initiatives have intensified nationally and in Ohio.\n\n<a href=\"https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/sb1\" target=\"_blank\">Senate Bill 1</a>, known as the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, proposes significant changes to the state\'s public higher-education system. The bill aims to ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs, prohibit faculty strikes and mandate post-tenure reviews for professors.\n...<a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org//2025-03-20/civil-rights/ohios-sb-1-parallels-national-administrations-anti-dei-sentiment/a95829-1\">(Read More)</a></span></p>");
document.write("<p><a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-03-19/energy-policy/ohio-supreme-court-case-could-set-precedent-for-solar-energy-projects/a95856-1\"> <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Ohio Supreme Court case could set precedent for solar energy projects</span></a><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-color:grey; font-size: x-small;\">Public News Service - March 19, 2025</span><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-size: normal;\"><span style=\"color:gray\"><i>By Kathiann M. Kowalski for <a href=\"https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/ohio-supreme-court-weighs-high-stakes-solar-permitting-case\" target=\"_blank\">Canary Media</a>.<br/>Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi for Ohio News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service Collaboration</i></span>\n\nA regulatory board’s rejection of a permit for a large solar farm in southwestern Ohio has “essentially rewritten” state law to give local governments veto power over clean energy projects, an attorney for the project’s developer argued last week before the Ohio Supreme Court.<br/>\nThe Ohio Power Siting Board’s 2022 decision denying Vesper Energy the right to build a 175-megawatt solar facility in Greene County is the subject of a high-stakes legal challenge with potentially “devastating” consequences for the state’s ability to grow its electricity generation capacity, the developer’s attorney said.<br/>\n“All of Ohio’s energy infrastructure will be affected by this decision,” said Michael Settineri, who represents Vesper’s Kingwood Solar project, in an oral argument before the court on March 13.<br/>\nThe company claims the siting board failed to follow state law in its analysis of whether its project is in the public interest — <a href=\"https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-4906.10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">one of eight criteria</a> that power generation projects must meet to receive a site permit. Instead of evaluating the merits of opponents’ arguments, the board used the mere existence of local government opposition as reason to deny the permit, Kingwood Solar’s attorney said.<br/>\nA lawyer for the Ohio Power Siting Board argued that it has wide discretion to make policy judgments and that members used “a broad lens” to make their decision.<br/>\n<strong>Local criticism has killed multiple Ohio solar projects </strong><br/>\nRenewable energy permitting has become especially difficult in Ohio over the last four years. ...<a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org//2025-03-19/energy-policy/ohio-supreme-court-case-could-set-precedent-for-solar-energy-projects/a95856-1\">(Read More)</a></span></p>");
document.write("<p><a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-03-18/education/ohio-educators-alarmed-over-proposed-elimination-of-doe/a95824-1\"> <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Ohio educators alarmed over proposed elimination of DOE</span></a><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-color:grey; font-size: x-small;\">Public News Service - March 18, 2025</span><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-size: normal;\">The potential dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education has sparked concern in Ohio.\n\nThreatened moves by the Trump administration\'s so-called Department of Government Efficiency have Buckeye educators and union leaders worried about the effects on <a href=\"https://www.ohea.org/protect-public-schools/\" target=\"_blank\">students and schools</a> across the state.\n...<a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org//2025-03-18/education/ohio-educators-alarmed-over-proposed-elimination-of-doe/a95824-1\">(Read More)</a></span></p>");
document.write("<p><a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-03-17/health-issues/fixing-one-problem-creating-another-ohios-lead-pipe-replacements/a95821-1\"> <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Fixing one problem, creating another? Ohio\'s lead pipe replacements</span></a><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-color:grey; font-size: x-small;\">Public News Service - March 17, 2025</span><br>");
document.write("<span style=\"font-weight: normal; font-size: normal;\">Ohioans are seeing changes in their water infrastructure as cities work to replace lead service lines, a requirement under federal regulations. \n\nBut concerns have risen over <a href=\"https://informed.habitablefuture.org/product-guidance/13-water-pipes\" target=\"_blank\">the materials being used for replacements</a>. \n\nTeresa McGrath, chief research officer with the group Habitable, said while lead exposure poses significant health risks, she cautions against replacing these pipes with polyvinyl chloride due to its environmental and health implications.\n...<a href=\"https://www.publicnewsservice.org//2025-03-17/health-issues/fixing-one-problem-creating-another-ohios-lead-pipe-replacements/a95821-1\">(Read More)</a></span></p>");