Donald Trump wanted to head to the U.S. Capitol on Jan 6, Ohios Max Miller testifies: Capitol Letter – cleveland.com

Rotunda Rumblings

Jan. 6: A pair of Ohio politicians featured prominently at Tuesdays surprise hearing into the Jan. 6 incursion into the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters. As Richardson reports, former White House aide Max Miller, who is running for Congress in Rocky River, testified that then-President Donald Trump wanted to go to the Capitol following his speech to supporters that immediately preceded the overrunning of the Capitol. And Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, said Rep. Jim Jordan, a Champaign County Republican, called Meadows as the Trump supporters breached the halls of Congress chanting Hang Mike Pence.

Blast from the past: Ohio Auditor Keith Faber released a report Tuesday saying that the shuttered Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow owes the state more than $117 million, Seth Richardson reports. That includes more than $106 million to the Ohio Department of Education and another $10-plus million to the Attorney Generals office.

Toxic relationship: Cuyahoga County residents live near 141 facilities that release toxins into the land, water and air. Zachary Smith looked at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency records and found the steel industry comprises a large percentage of the toxins released. However, not all toxins have equal health harms. For instance, the zinc compounds released by steelmakers are less harmful than lower levels of chromium.

Power on: In addition to Columbia Gas of Ohio, which is seeking a rate increase on Ohio customers to raise $221 million more a year, other utilities AES Ohio, Duke Energy and Aqua Ohio -- have increase requests before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, in all seeking an extra $400 million. This comes at a time when Ohio families have to pay more for goods and services because of inflation and after the U.S. Department of Justice twice subpoenaed PUCO records after the House Bill 6 scandal, Ohio Capital Journals Jake Zuckerman writes.

Sub way: In the Cincinnati area, the need for substitute teachers decreased in the spring, down from January, when the omicron variant resulted in teachers calling in sick, reports the Enquirers Madeline Mitchell. In March, the legislature passed a bill allowing people to obtain temporary substitute teaching licenses without having bachelors degrees.

Moving on: Although the site for the future Intel semiconductor plant outside Columbus has been described as barren, families who lived on that land are sad to leave. They described stressful negotiations with the company, which offered them sums above market value for their homes, the Associated Press Andrew Welsh-Huggins and Patrick Orsagos report.

Drug money: The OneOhio Recovery Foundation was set up as a private nonprofit to spend $440 million the state secured from lawsuits against opioid distributors. However, notices of board meetings are hard to find, and some of its working groups arent meeting in public, the Dispatchs Titus Wu reports. This has a leader at Harm Reduction Ohio, which works to reduce overdoses, concerned about whether the money will be actually spent to mitigate the effects of the opioid crisis.

Appalachian cash: Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 377, which offers $500 million for 32 Ohio counties in Appalachia. Money will be spent on infrastructure, including downtown Main Street development, health care behavioral health, workforce development and job training.

Open your checkbook: Chinedum Ndukwe, a former Bengals player who is now a developer in Cincinnati, testified in court Tuesday that he felt preyed upon by local politicians who insisted on contributions before approving his real estate deals. Ndukwe is a prosecution witness in the trial against Cincinnati Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, Kevin Grasha and Sharon Coolidge report for the Enquirer.

Lobbying Lineup

Five organizations lobbying on Senate Bill 227, which would establish a committee to study public assistance benefits cliffs, or points when workers get pay raises that make them ineligible for benefits even if the wage increases arent enough to be able to afford food, health care or other types of aid. The Democratic-sponsored bill has only received one hearing, last year.

1. Funders Collaborative on COVID Recovery, which is part of the Cleveland Foundation

2. Mount Carmel Health System

3. Ohio Chamber of Commerce

4. Philanthropy Ohio

5. Ohio Department of Medicaid

Birthdays

Maya Majikas, Ohio House Democrats deputy communications director

Straight From The Source

Today we saw a patient in Dayton who has cancer. Her doctors told her she would have to terminate before she received chemotherapy treatment. She will have to travel to Indiana. A mom brought her daughter in and doesnt own a car. She will have to rent one to get her daughter to her appointment in Indianapolis later this week.

-A representative of Womens Med Center in Dayton, who asked not to be named for her safety, talking to the Dayton Daily News amid a chaotic scene Monday as women who had scheduled abortions were not legally allowed to obtain them if they were beyond six weeks, or when fetal cardiac activity can be detected.

Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.

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Donald Trump wanted to head to the U.S. Capitol on Jan 6, Ohios Max Miller testifies: Capitol Letter - cleveland.com