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 attention. We call this feature Catching Our Eye and have published it here.
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Catching our eyes
• The Gold Star Family. WOSU’s Mark Ferenchik reports: “The father of a Colombian pilot who died in a March crash remembers his son as an “American hero.”“
Tyler Simmons, 28, was a boom operator on the KC-135 refueling plane that crashed on March 12. He died along with five other members of the plane’s crew, including Capt. Seth Koval of Stoutsville and Capt. Curtis Angst of Columbus.
Koval, Angst and Simmons served in the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus.
Charles Simmons, Tyler Simmons’ father, said Thursday during an interview with WOSU that his son initially wanted to be a pilot and even helped fly a plane with former Tuskegee Airman James Yarbrough when he was in ninth grade.
• Elections. Kaitlin Durbin of Cleveland.com reports: “The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections may need an additional $1 million from the county’s already strained budget“
Cuyahoga County Board of Elections officials say they may need an extra $1 million this year to cover unexpected bills related to the fresh headquarters, putting fresh pressure on a county already struggling with a severe budget deficit.
Director Anthony Perlatti warned board members about the funding shortfall at Tuesday’s regular meeting, saying the county did not anticipate all utility and other building-related costs when setting the board’s 2026 budget. But these bills are still due.
• Congress. Haley BeMiller of the Columbus Dispatch reports: “Ohio’s Republican primary is setting the stage for a high-stakes congressional contest“
The crowded Republican primary is underway against Democrat Marcy Kaptur of Ohio’s 9th Congressional District.
Republicans rebuilt the district more favorable to their party, making it a key GOP target.
The winner will face Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in Congress.
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