Axios Columbus

December 16, 2022
πΊ It's Friday! Time for a happy dance!
π¨οΈ Today's weather: A slight chance of rain and snow. High of 39, low of 28.
π Situational awareness: Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, begins Sunday evening. Scroll down for a list of events during the eight-day celebration.
Today's newsletter is 890 words β a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Sleepy solons pull an all-nighter
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
Ohio's post-election political period is characterized by a flurry of activity, backroom negotiating and, toward the end, 132 very tired lawmakers.
Driving the news: Both hurried and seemingly endless, this year's lame-duck session culminated in a 16-hour legislative marathon that wrapped up yesterday morning.
- "I rise in opposition to this β¦," one lawmaker said around 5:15am, "for a lot of reasons which I can't even think of right now."
Why it matters: While you slept, legislators passed laws impacting your voting rights, Columbus' new flavored tobacco ban and safety on the roadways.
What passed:
β An election overhaul to:
- Require photo ID to vote.
- Shorten the absentee ballot request period.
- Eliminate early voting the Monday before Election Day.
- End August special elections in most cases.
π Criminal justice reforms, including:
- Decriminalizing fentanyl testing strips.
- Banning cell phone use while driving, except for hands-free or single-swipe actions.
π¬ Eliminating municipal tobacco bans.
- This targets cities like Columbus, which recently banned the sale of flavored tobacco starting in 2024.
π Allowing fracking on public lands.
π΅ $6 billion in federal relief funding, including:
- Money for nursing homes, rural hospitals, an adoption grant program and arts programs.
What didn't pass:
β Stricter abortion policies.
- Republicans opted against pursuing a total abortion ban this fall, but may do so in 2023.
π³ Tougher ballot initiative rules.
- Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) sought to raise the voting threshold for constitutional amendments to pass.
- Stewart openly said the proposal was meant to block future ballot attempts protecting abortion access and reforming the redistricting process.
π« Major education changes.
- Lawmakers wanted to shift power away from the state school board toward the governor's office.
π Anti-trans laws.
- GOP members wanted to prohibit transgender athletes from competing in high school girls' sports and ban gender-affirming care for minors.
Separately, proposals to legalize recreational marijuana and enact gun control measures failed to gain traction.
What's next: Approved bills head to the governor's desk for a signature, while all other legislative efforts start over next year.
2. Ohio's weirdest proposed laws
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
For every major policy proposal is an obscure one that tends to go overlooked.
- Take House Bill 379, which pitched a new "Weirdo Cat Lovers of Cleveland" license plate.
The intrigue: We scoured the Statehouse for the most unusual items proposed this two-year term:
π No love for Ralphie. A bipartisan bill wanted to designate Nov. 18 as "Christmas Story Family Day" for the date in 1983 that the movie was released.
π¬ Don't eat Fido. Six lawmakers unsuccessfully tried to ban pet food from containing the remains of dead cats and dogs.
π Go Buckeyes? One resolution promoted former OSU player Dick Schafrath's candidacy to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, while another sought to get the program's vacated victories from 2010 reinstated.
- The House passed the latter resolution by a 51-31 vote, but the Senate failed to take it up.
πͺ Lawmakers considered making the humble sugar cookie Ohio's official state cookie.
Yes, but: Sometimes these efforts are successful.
- They designated the All-American Soap Box Derby as Ohio's official gravity racing program.
3. Central Ohio Hanukkah events
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
Hanukkah begins Sunday night and Chabad Columbus has prepared Eight Nights of Fun, with a celebration event each night.
Some highlights:
π Watch a Maccabee hero skydive to light the menorah, followed by a helicopter dreidel drop and a giant candy cannon.
- 2:30pm Sunday, Bevelhymer Park, New Albany. Free! Register here.
π Cheer on the Blue Jackets at Jewish heritage night.
- 7pm Monday at Nationwide Arena. $33 standing room tickets include Kosher food and CBJ hats with Hebrew lettering.
π₯ Light the menorah at the Ohio Statehouse, followed by a party inside the Museum Gallery.
- 6pm Tuesday. Free!
βΈοΈ Ice skate alongside giant dreidels at Easton and enjoy doughnuts, cider, crafts, music and an ice menorah.
- 6:30pm Wednesday. $10. Register here.
4. π Ohio is No. 2 for running
Runners in the 2010 Columbus Marathon. Photo: Amy Sancetta/AP
Well, there goes our excuse to be lazy this winter.
Jogging the news: A new report from Fitness Volt ranks Ohio as the second-best state for runners.
What they found: We're complimented for having frequent organized races as well as optimal average temperature and elevation.
- Most days, it's not too hot and not too cold. All you need is a light running jacket.
π Tyler's thought bubble: That's generally true, but I'm still a total wimp who hates running in the cold.
- With all respect to Fitness Volt's research, this weekend warrior is sticking to the Peloton until the snow melts.
Pro tip: Get a head start on any fitness-related resolutions by connecting with a local running group and registering for an upcoming race.
- Tyler plans to brave the cold by running the 5th Line 5K on Feb. 5, which ends on center ice inside Nationwide Arena.
New jobs to check out
πΌ See whoβs hiring around the city.
- Qualitative Project Director at Ipsos.
- Product Owner at Quantum Health.
- Legislative/Admin Associate - Temporary at PoliTemps.
Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.
Hiring? Post a job.
5. What to do this weekend
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
π Laugh at cheesy holiday films during the Christmas in December: A Hallmark Parody improv show.
- 9:30pm tonight. The Nest Theatre, 2643 N. High St.
β½ Check out a new sport and cheer on the Columbus Futsal men's team at their home opener.
- 7pm Saturday. Westwood Fieldhouse, 3932 Brown Park Drive, Hilliard. $7-23.
π€ Put on your cowboy boots and giddy up to the Dolly Party, a "Dolly Parton-inspired country western diva dance party."
- 9pm Saturday. The Bluestone, 583 E. Broad St. $16.
π‘ Reminder: Our guide to the best local holiday light displays.
This newsletter was edited by Everett Cook and copy edited by Kate Sommers-Dawes and Keely Bastow.
Editor's note: Yesterday's top story was corrected to note that the amount paid via transactions on Stripe β rather than online transactions β increased by 40 times over the past five years in Columbus.
Our picks:
πͺ Tyler's career as a Statehouse cookie lobbyist finally paid off.
πΏ Alissa is seeing "Avatar: The Way of Water" tonight!
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