Moreno’s business dealings targeted

March 1, 2024

During the campaign for the Republican nomination for U.S. senator, Bernie Moreno has touted his record of creating jobs and his business success. But there are numerous reports that put his business dealings as a luxury car dealer and blockchain business owner in question. Moreno settled numerous wage theft lawsuits after a jury in Massachusetts ordered him to pay more than $400,000 to two former employees for failing to pay overtime in violation of state labor laws. Moreno admitted in a deposition to shredding documents containing information that was potentially relevant to the ...

The presidential motorcade adventure

February 23, 2024

Covering national political figures — including presidents and presidential candidates — when they’re in the Mahoning Valley is not one of the more pleasant parts of my job. That’s because what shouldn’t be a terribly complicated event often becomes incredibly time consuming and ...

Infighting stops GOP spending plan

February 16, 2024

A bill approved by the Ohio House to spend $350 million for projects throughout the state is far from a done deal. That’s because the state Senate disagrees with the House plan. The bill approved last week by the House was part of a supposed agreement with the upper chamber in which each ...

Campaign dollars carry impact

February 9, 2024

Being able to self-fund in a political election — particularly in a partisan primary when the timeline is condensed — is a huge benefit. So when I reported that state Rep. Reggie Stoltzfus had given $250,000 out of his own pocket to his campaign for the Republican nomination for the open 6th Congressional District seat it raised a lot of eyebrows. Stoltzfus of Paris Township is one of three Republican candidates seeking the party’s nomination in the March 19 primary. The others are state Sen. Michael Rulli of Salem and Rick Tsai of East Palestine. The primary is earlier than ...

Any benefits to Biden’s visit?

February 2, 2024

President Joe Biden certainly took his time to finally announce a visit to East Palestine, the site of a massive train derailment a year ago that garnered international attention. Biden, a Democrat, said a month after the derailment that he eventually would visit the Columbiana County community. He and his press secretary repeated the contention he eventually would show up. Finally, the White House announced Wednesday that Biden will come to East Palestine sometime in February. No date was given. If a date couldn’t be finalized it probably would have been better to wait until ...

Politics of Trump in Senate race

January 26, 2024

Despite facing four criminal indictments, former President Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee for president this year. Trump remains very popular in Ohio — which he handily won in 2016 and 2020, taking away its longtime swing-state status in presidential politics. So, it was a huge victory for Cleveland-area businessman Bernie Moreno to get Trump’s endorsement in the three-man Republican primary for U.S. Senate. Trump’s endorsement played the most significant factor in J.D. Vance’s 2022 emergence from a crowded Republican field for the state’s other U.S. Senate ...