Mayor from Ohio. (Getty image file photo.)
Each morning in the Ohio Capital Journal’s free newsletter, The Eye-Opener, we round up the news and commentary from across Ohio, the country and the world that catches our eye. We call this feature Catching Our Eye and have published it here.
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Catching our eyes
• Traffic stops in Ohio. Avery Kreemer of the Dayton Daily News reports: “New Ohio law requires drivers and passengers to disclose their name, address and date of birth during stops“
Beginning in early October, anyone traveling in a stopped vehicle will be required to disclose certain identifying information, such as name, date of birth and address, if an officer “reasonably suspects” that the person may have violated Ohio traffic laws.
This up-to-date crime, charged with a fourth-degree misdemeanor, is part of House Bill 492. The bill was recently signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine after passing the Legislature largely with support from Republicans and law enforcement advocates.
HB 492 would also make it a second-degree misdemeanor to obstruct an officer in the process of arresting a person for a traffic violation.
• School transport. Ideastream’s Conor Morris reports: “‘Under the hood’ of Ohio’s school transportation challenges“
As the nation continues to face a shortage of bus drivers, Ohio is considering changes to its school transportation system.
A state task force recently sent recommendations for change to the state Legislature. Not everyone is ecstatic with their report.
• Herd cameras. WOSU’s Katie Geniusz reports, “Activists renew calls for stronger policies and greater transparency when it comes to Flock cameras“
Activists are renewing their calls for stronger policies and more transparency around police surveillance after the Columbus Police Department’s audit of Flock surveillance cameras was released Friday afternoon.
The department’s summary audit analysis shows that the Columbus Police Department’s network was searched for possible immigration-related reasons as many as 15,577 times, prompting Mayor Andrew Ginther to order the Columbus Police Department to stop making Flock cameras, which are automatic license plate readers often mounted on poles, available statewide.
• Hubba hubba hubba who do you trust, who do you trust. In a Cleveland.com opinion column, Thomas Suddes writes: “The “trust me” from the gubernatorial candidates is not reassuring.“
Through bouncing, weaving and uncompromising dodging, Ohioans are expected to elect a up-to-date governor knowing nothing more than the names of the mayor’s party candidates.
One of them is Dr. Amy Acton, M.D., a Bexley Democrat, a Youngstown native who served for a time as state health director in Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s office.
The second is Vivek Ramaswamy, an Upper Arlington Republican, Cincinnati native and successful high-tech entrepreneur.
• Embarrassing the Ohio gang. The Washington Post reports: “Trump’s sons are investing heavily in defense technology while their father’s administration is pouring money into it“
President Donald Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, have amassed a portfolio of defense technology startups that benefit from up-to-date Pentagon priorities and spending, further entwining U.S. interests with the Trump family’s financial fortunes in an area with enormous stakes for national security.
As the current administration has made modernizing the tools of war a central part of its national security agenda, funds linked to the Trump brothers have invested in more than a dozen defense technology companies and other companies seeking clients from the Pentagon and federal agencies, according to a Washington Post analysis based on public federal procurement databases and press releases, as well as data from PitchBook, a venture capital research database.
Most of the investment has occurred since Trump was elected president for a second time. Since the sons’ investment, the companies have generated a total of at least $3.2 billion in direct government business and an additional $3.1 billion in future contract options. Some of them have gained coveted spots on miniature lists of pre-approved contractors who can only bid on future work worth up to nearly $200 billion.
