Max Miller (politician)

An Ohio appeals court has ruled that the state's EdChoice and EdChoice Expansion voucher programs, which direct more than $1 billion in taxpayer money to private schools, violate the Ohio Constitution's requirement for a "thorough and efficient" system of common schools. The unanimous three-judge panel found private schools face less oversight, can selectively admit students, and divert funding from public schools, which have limited options in rural areas. The ruling is stayed pending appeal, and outgoing Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson says he will take the case to the Ohio Supreme Court, arguing the program supports family choice rather than harming public schools.

The decision was welcomed by Policy Matters Ohio, teachers' unions, and a coalition of roughly 300 school districts that sued over the programs, who say lawmakers should return to a bipartisan school funding formula left unfunded for two years. The case now heads to Ohio's Supreme Court, where the outcome could have major political implications given mounting public frustration over vouchers, property taxes, and rising electricity costs ahead of the state's upcoming elections.

Brook Park Mayor Ed Orcutt, a Democrat, says he and his family have faced threats and harassment after he endorsed Republican U.S. Rep. Max Miller over Democrat Brian Poindexter in Ohio's congressional race. Orcutt said one message sent to his wife used a photo of their daughter and referenced violence against her. Brook Park's police chief confirmed Orcutt reported harassment but said no formal report has been filed. Orcutt cited his working relationship with Miller on economic development, including NASA's Glenn Research Center and highway funding tied to a proposed domed Browns stadium in Brook Park, as reasons for his endorsement.

Miller and Poindexter both condemned the threats. The race has drawn scrutiny after Miller's ex-wife accused him of physical abuse, allegations he denies; no charges were filed, and a House Ethics Committee probe is underway at his request. Ohio's two Republican senators have called for him to resign, but Miller retains backing from President Trump, who campaigned for him in Youngstown this week.

President Donald Trump held a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, urging supporters to back Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jon Husted against Democrat Sherrod Brown and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy against Democrat Amy Acton ahead of the November midterms. Speaking at the Covelli Centre, Trump framed the races as a choice to "Put Ohio First" and asked attendees to treat the contests as if he were personally on the ballot. He also announced federal assistance for SOBE Thermal Energy Systems and disclosed that Cleveland will host a new 46,000-square-foot U.S. Navy submarine component repair facility, crediting Husted with securing the project. Jon Gruden introduced Trump, with boxer Jake Paul also appearing.

A new co/efficient poll of 925 likely Ohio voters, taken Oct. 5-6, found both races within the margin of error: Ramaswamy led Acton 45%-43% in the governor's race, while Husted led Brown 44%-43% in the Senate contest, a special election to fill the seat J.D. Vance vacated. Analysts continue to rate both races as toss-ups.

The troubled execution of Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike has drawn comparisons to Ohio's own failed execution attempt of Romell Broom, highlighting ongoing concerns about how states carry out lethal injection and other execution methods. Broom's 2009 execution was called off after executioners spent roughly two hours unable to find a usable vein, leading to years of legal fights before he ultimately died of other causes while still on death row.

The parallels between the two cases have renewed scrutiny of execution protocols and how botched procedures affect the families of victims and the condemned alike. Such incidents continue to fuel broader debate over the reliability and humaneness of capital punishment methods used across multiple states, including Ohio and Tennessee, and often prompt renewed calls for moratoriums or procedural reforms. Ohio has not carried out an execution in years amid difficulties obtaining lethal injection drugs, a situation that cases like Broom's and now Pike's keep in the public conversation.

Ohio's 90-day gas-tax holiday takes effect Sunday after Gov. Mike DeWine signed the measure into law, though officials caution drivers may not see the full savings reflected at the pump, and lawmakers may face pressure over letting prices rise again when the holiday ends in early January. Separately, U.S. Rep. Max Miller is resisting calls from Ohio's two Republican senators to resign amid a domestic abuse investigation by the House Ethics Committee, a notable reversal from his own past calls for colleagues accused of misconduct to step down.

Elsewhere, federal regulators delayed a PJM power auction over concerns about data centers' share of rising electricity costs, and Ohio transportation officials unveiled a preferred, $1 billion-plus route for a new U.S. 23-I-71 connector north of Columbus meant to ease rush-hour congestion. In the state's closely watched Senate race, crypto-industry super PACs, including one backed by the Winklevoss twins, are spending heavily to oppose Democrat Sherrod Brown and support Republican Sen. Jon Husted.

Ohio's governor race intensified this week as Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy and Democratic rival Amy Acton both proposed suspending the state's gas tax amid a spike in fuel prices, with statewide averages topping $4.52 a gallon and diesel hitting a record $6.77. Ramaswamy, joined by GOP legislative leaders Rob McColley and Matt Huffman, unveiled a plan for a 90-day tax suspension that lawmakers could act on before Election Day, funded initially through ODOT reserves and the state's rainy-day fund. Acton called for an "emergency gas tax holiday" but offered fewer details on duration or funding. It remains unclear whether the GOP-controlled legislature will reconvene early or whether Gov. Mike DeWine, who has raised the gas tax before, would sign such a measure.

Separately, prediction markets continue to show Acton leading Ramaswamy by a wider margin than public polling suggests. Ohio lawmakers are also pursuing a bid to bring the U.S. Space Academy to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, with a decision due to NASA by October 26 and final approval resting with President Trump.