Coach (sport)

Tallahassee's city commission, led by Mayor John Dailey, moved forward last year with hiring Karen Jumonville as city manager before a newly elected commission took office in November, prompting criticism over the timing and terms of the process. Critics, including commissioners Jack Porter and Jeremy Matlow, had pushed for the incoming commission to make the decision or for a shorter one-year contract that could later be formalized; instead, Jumonville received a five-year deal with a supermajority requirement to remove her, departing from the city charter's usual process.

Supporters argue Jumonville, a longtime city employee, is highly qualified and likely would have been chosen by a new commission regardless. Opponents say the rushed process has undermined public trust and placed her leadership under scrutiny from the outset rather than giving her a clean mandate. The controversy comes as the city faces major decisions ahead, including the potential impact of a ballot measure (Amendment 3) on city services and ongoing questions over indigent care funding tied to the FSU Health partnership.

University Heights, Ohio, City Council has completed key hires ahead of its planned police and fire station construction project, budgeted at about $17 million. Council voted to retain Squire Patton Boggs as bond and election counsel, paid up to $30,000, and MAS Consulting as municipal financial adviser. The city will ask voters in May to renew an existing 0.7-mill levy, originally tied to Purvis Park pool and Walter Stinson Park funding, to help finance the project rather than raise taxes. Grants are also being pursued.

Design plans will be presented by architects DLR Group at an Oct. 20 council committee meeting. Construction on the roughly 13,850-square-foot police station, on a site the city bought in 2024 for $1.05 million, is expected to begin in May, with an attached fire station to follow in a second phase. Elford Inc. was previously hired as construction manager.

In other business, council approved new contracts with the police union and service workers granting 2 percent annual raises through 2028, and formed a new Tree Commission and Sustainability Committee.

Jakob Blodgett, a 9-year-old with Type 1 diabetes, died in 2022 after staff at an Arizona group home run by Sunshine Residential Homes missed two doses of his long-lasting insulin and told an employee to give him water instead of medication. He developed brain swelling and died on a ventilator. Despite a licensing violation from the Department of Child Safety, the state imposed no fines, suspension, or license revocation, and no criminal charges have been filed, though a sheriff's investigation continues.

The case has become entangled in Arizona politics ahead of Gov. Katie Hobbs' reelection bid. Sunshine, the state's largest group home provider, made $550,000 in political contributions benefiting Hobbs, including gifts to her inaugural and legal defense funds, before receiving a 30% rate increase. Attorney General Kris Mayes found no evidence of bribery, attributing the increase to Sunshine's leverage as a dominant provider. Republican challenger Andy Biggs has seized on the scandal, while a state auditor general investigation and a county attorney probe remain ongoing. A separate diabetic teen died at another Arizona group home in 2024.

Jakob Blodgett, 9, died in 2022 after staff at a Sunshine Residential Homes group home in metro Phoenix missed two doses of his long-lasting insulin and reportedly told him to drink water instead. He was later hospitalized with brain swelling and died of complications from Type 1 diabetes. Arizona's Department of Child Safety issued a licensing violation against Sunshine but imposed no fines or license action.

The case has become entangled in political controversy as Gov. Katie Hobbs seeks reelection. Sunshine made roughly $550,000 in political contributions benefiting Hobbs, including funds tied to her inaugural committee and legal defense, before the company received a 30% rate increase from the state. Attorney General Kris Mayes found no evidence of bribery, attributing the increase to Sunshine's leverage as Arizona's largest group home provider. Republican challenger Andy Biggs has made the scandal central to his campaign, and Arizona's auditor general and a Maricopa County criminal investigation are ongoing. No one has been charged, and a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Blodgett's family remains active.

U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has named Clermont County, Ohio Commissioner David Painter to chair the agency's Local Government Advisory Committee, a 22-member body being revitalized after largely sitting dormant since early 2025. Its first meeting under Painter, set for Sept. 25, will focus on artificial intelligence and data centers — specifically how local governments should site and regulate this fast-growing infrastructure. Painter, a member since 2023 with a 40-year background in environmental project management, is the only Ohioan on the committee; two Indiana officials also serve.

In an interview, Painter said the committee will examine issues including water use and closed-loop cooling systems, noise complaints from residents near facilities, and coal combustion residuals. He emphasized that siting decisions should remain with local townships, villages, and school districts through negotiated development agreements, and stressed planning for waste disposal and environmental impact from a project's outset rather than after the fact.