| Next Wednesday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will stand before the entire Ohio General Assembly in the Ohio capitol building to deliver his annual “State of the State” speech, which is sure to reflect kindly on the year that was and look with optimism to the year that could be. As for me, I’ll stick with the ever-reflective Ohio Politics newsletter. Who needs all that pomp? If you’d like to express the state of your feelings about the state of the state of Ohio, feel free to reach out to me. I can be reached at 614-981-1422, avery.kreemer@coxinc.com or @AveryKreemer on X. You can also follow our political coverage on our website and through our Ohio Politics Facebook page. *** *** Ohio sued over 24-hour abortion waiting period: Credit: Nick Graham • At a glance: The ACLU, Planned Parenthood and others have sued Ohio over a set of laws that requires a woman seeking an abortion to receive state literature about the operation and wait 24 hours before undergoing the procedure. Here’s my story on the lawsuit. • The backdrop: These groups are at an advantage — and the state a serious disadvantage — following last November’s vote to legally enshrine abortion protections in fundamental law. The amendment didn’t automatically repeal any of Ohio’s many legal limits on abortion, but it did generally block the government from interfering in a person’s right to reproductive autonomy moving forward. • What’s next: It’s perhaps the first domino to fall in a year where many abortion restrictions are expected to be challenged here in Ohio. All of it underscores the importance both Republicans and Democrats will be putting on the three statewide races for the Ohio Supreme Court this November, the results of which could swing the court in either direction. Monday’s eclipse could bring half a million visitors (and lots of traffic) to Ohio: Credit: Handout • At a glance: From our blessed perspective in Dayton and much of the rest of the state, the moon will totally block the sun for a few minutes on Monday afternoon. It’s a celestial rarity that the Ohio Department of Transportation expects will draw anywhere from 150,000 to over 500,000 out-of-state visitors to the Buckeye state. Here’s my story. • Plan smart: According to an ODOT interactive tool, traffic may build up as early as 7 a.m. Monday morning, especially along the major freeways. If you’re going somewhere to get a better glimpse, be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get there, and bring plenty of spare patience for your travels back home. You may very well need it. Local political news of the week • Firings and misgivings in New Lebanon: Following a forced exodus of many village staffers with little indication of why, fired police chief Curtis Hensley told this newspaper that the council’s actions “have and will continue to be proven detrimental to the village of New Lebanon, where I’ve honorably served as chief of police for over two years now with no disciplinary action or personnel complaints.” Here’s the full, ever-developing story from Aimee Hancock. • Butler County sheriff calls out Biden: Butler County Sheriff and frequent Fox News guest Richard K. Jones used his office to castigate President Joe Biden for his administration’s handling of the southern border, highlighting the recent case of a man who has repeatedly entered the country illegally and is now charged with aggravated murder. Lauren Pack has the story. State political news of the week Credit: JIM NOELKER • State to begin recreational marijuana licensing process in June: It’s looking less and less likely that the Ohio General Assembly will step in to more quickly allow recreational marijuana sales in Ohio, which means the state is moving forward according to the plan approved by voters last November. License applications will be fielded in June, sales expected to begin in September. Here’s my story. • Public worker’s timesheets: Public record or not? The House is considering a bill that would block the public from accessing future, present or past work schedules of a variety of public service workers, including cops, firefighters, prosecutors and more, at least for three years. The information has been used in the past by newspapers like this one to ensure government accountability. Here’s the story from me and Josh Sweigart. • Decades later, DeWine reflects on the Xenia tornado: The Ohio governor, who was then an assistant Greene County prosecutor, spoke to this newspaper about the 1974 tornado that leveled half of Xenia and left 35 people dead, complete with his family’s home video detailing the disastrous day. Here’s the story from Nick Blizzard. The Dayton Daily News commemorated the anniversary this week with a series of stories. National political news of the week Credit: AP • Why the EPA still hasn’t declared an emergency in East Palestine: For the national agency, there’s been no evidence of widespread health problems due to chemical exposures following last year’s high-profile train wreck and subsequent chemical burn that sent smoke billowing into the sky. Local residents disagree. Josh Funk with the Associated Press has the story. • Amid VP jockeying, Vance backs Trump’s deportation rhetoric: GOP presumptive presidential nomineeDonald Trump has been campaigning, in part, on the promise of mass deportations, which has been welcomed by Congressional allies that would like to see the former president back in office, including Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, who expressed his belief that “you have to be open to deporting anyone who came to the country illegally.” Lisa Mascaro with the Associated Press has the story. *** | 