Signal Statewide

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources proposed renaming 128 acres of Pickaway County to the “Trump Wildlife Preserve.” signalnews.info/4rHXdeB

A Cincinnati-area Republican has executed 59 trades of $1,000 or more this year alone. One analysis finds he’s among the top 10% of congressmen by trading volume. signalnews.info/3PxgTVb

The hemp industry-backed Ohioans for Cannabis Choice announced they didn’t collect enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. The ban on intoxicating hemp products will take effect on Friday. signalnews.info/4cVj1Qr

An unidentified natural gas driller filed four applications Friday that would collectively open more than 8,300 more acres of Egypt Valley Wildlife Area in eastern Ohio. signalnews.info/4bLBw8M

Former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chief of Staff Jason Rafeld testified that he saw himself as FirstEnergy’s preferred commissioner candidate, not the lawyer the company allegedly bribed. signalnews.info/47rCtR5

The playbook is familiar to Sherrod Brown. After one roundtable talk in Columbus, he estimated he’d held roughly 600 similar events over the course of his political career, stretching back to the 1970s. signalnews.info/4rpQBBJ

Ohio State officials didn’t name an interim leader, saying only the university will share more about next steps in the coming days. signalnews.info/4ukAKXI

A Signal Statewide review finds inconsistent reporting and missing data across institutions when it comes to fulfilling one of the requirements of a controversial state higher education law. signalnews.info/4cPMmf9

Legislation would explicitly allow submetering at apartments while offering tenants some, but not all, protections that other ratepayers get. Democrats and utilities say it allows an industry that shouldn’t exist. signalnews.info/40fGWSY

The move sets up a big leadership change at the Ohio GOP as the national party gears up for the 2028 presidential election. signalnews.info/4l63LCj

A major Ohio electric company wants to get into the nuclear business. And over the long term, its proposal could leave customers footing the bill. signalnews.info/3MYpteE

Ohio Libertarians, alleging Republican political meddling, are trying to prevent a Cleveland-area man from appearing on the May primary ballot as a U.S. Senate candidate. signalnews.info/4aTHXVN

While Democrats lack the votes to kill legislation, they threw sand in the gears of a time-sensitive tax bill over an “egregious” tax cut for wealthy investors. signalnews.info/40ntiNB

House Bill 698 calls for tying some of public colleges’ and universities’ state funding to their compliance with the sweeping higher education law passed last year. signalnews.info/3OqCwpF

A top FirstEnergy lawyer testified that she advised the company CEO against making a $4.3 million payment. Prosecutors say that money was a bribe to a top state regulator. signalnews.info/46b7ybk

The court’s decision to accept the case Tuesday means it will make two rulings in coming months that will control the state’s and cities’ right to regulate nicotine products increasingly popular with teens. signalnews.info/4rXK6Xn

In the years before Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Sam Randazzo to lead the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Randazzo skimmed millions of FirstEnergy’s money from his legal clients, one consultant testified. signalnews.info/4tyb49M

As a 142-acre Amazon data center looks for new approaches to its massive power demands, a Columbus suburb is suing to stop what it says would be the largest fuel cell project in North America. signalnews.info/3ZXOgm1

While Ohio’s politicians and business leaders plead for the return of millions in federal manufacturing grants frozen last December, newly released public records shine additional light on why the money may have been pulled in the first place. signalnews.info/4r44170

Ohioans for Cannabis Choice has until around March 20 to collect nearly 250,000 voter signatures. If it succeeds, voters will decide in November whether to repeal Senate Bill 56. signalnews.info/49YjnUz