Moreno doesn’t hold back on Democrats

July 3, 2026

When U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno spoke to a crowd at the Mahoning County Republican Party headquarters, he didn’t hold back. Moreno, a Republican, took direct aim at Democrats. That included Democratic Congressional leadership in Congress — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — as well as a few Democratic candidates for federal office. Moreno also targeted Sherrod Brown, who he defeated in the 2024 election and is running in this year’s Senate race against Republican Jon Husted, and Amy Acton, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate who ...

Taking a deeper dive into Trump Reflecting Pool mess

June 25, 2026

There are two variations on an old saying about the Mahoning Valley and news. One is “All roads lead to the Mahoning Valley,” and the other is “There’s always a Valley connection.” While it’s certainly not the case, it does happen considerably more times than you’d expect — ...

Legislature won’t answer call to abolish death penalty

June 19, 2026

Gov. Mike DeWine’s call to end capital punishment in Ohio doesn’t have a chance of passing the state Legislature, which won’t even consider it at this point. But DeWine’s long-awaited and expected announcement Tuesday at least renews the conversation. There’s been a de facto ban ...

Infighting among Trumbull Republicans on full display

June 12, 2026

The dysfunction, discord, disharmony and division plaguing the Trumbull County Republican Party was on full display during its recent reorganizational meeting. Practically every person who spoke at the meeting either addressed the infighting that splits its members into two factions or got into arguments over it. But, at least for now, the faction led by Denny Malloy, who lost reelection in the Republican primary for his county commissioner seat, and political consultant Regina McManus controls the party as their candidates, most of them running unopposed, were elected to officer ...

Tressel reflects on enormity, complexity of his state post

June 5, 2026

Gov. Mike DeWine surprised many people when he announced Feb. 10, 2025, that he was nominating Jim Tressel, the retired Youngstown State University president and a former football coach at YSU and Ohio State University, to be lieutenant governor. While a longtime Republican like DeWine, Tressel had never held or run for elected office before the selection. During Tressel’s time as lieutenant governor, DeWine repeatedly said he had the utmost confidence that he would do a great job and if something happened to the governor, he was certain Tressel could run the state. A couple of days ...

Amy Acton runs as unifier while criticizing state GOP

May 29, 2026

One of the main talking points of Democratic governor nominee Amy Acton’s campaign is rather than being a partisan politician, she is a unifying force who will work with Republicans to move Ohio forward. Republicans see Acton quite differently. During a Wednesday campaign stop in Boardman, Acton said: “Above all, a governor is a convener and a catalyzer and a problem solver. I actually trained for this work I do. You saw me do it in COVID, running all of government and all of society in some ways during our crisis. But I did a residency in preventative medicine in public health ...