Ohio’s treasurer and secretary of state want state agencies to start taking Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for certain fees and services, such as the one to form a business, they said.

At the same time, though, Republican Treasurer Robert Sprague said he is not sold on a bill suggesting he invest taxpayer dollars in digital currencies, colloquially known as cryptocurrencies or just crypto.

“We don’t want to be on the bleeding edge of things, but we want to be on the leading edge of things,” Sprague said Thursday at a news conference.

Introduced by Rep. Steve Demetriou (R-Bainbridge Twp.), would enable Sprague, or a future treasurer, to invest as much as 10% of state funds from interim sources—like those in the General Revenue Fund and the State Lottery Gross Revenue Fund—in digital assets, including crypto and nonfungible tokens.

For one, Sprague said Thursday there are technicalities that need to be worked out to ensure the state is safeguarding any eventual digital assets it invests in.

“There are some issues that we’re trying to work through on (HB 18),” he said. “I do like this idea of having some sovereign wealth or the idea of Ohio being able to hold on to assets longer term and those assets to build and grow over time.”

Chief among Sprague’s concerns, though, is determining whether Ohio is fully willing to take on the volatility of digital currencies, which are still relatively new and evolving. Sprague doesn’t own any crypto, he said.

Also under consideration at the Statehouse is , which would bar state and local governments from levying certain taxes, fees or charges that target crypto. That sets groundwork for HB 18, Demetriou said.

“I think it would be wise for us to have some definitions in the (Ohio Revised Code), if we’re going to go then say, ‘Hey, let’s go invest Ohioans money in this stuff,’” he said in a March interview.

About one in five Ohioans own some form of digital currency, according to a 2023 poll by the digital asset exchange Coinbase.

The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Apirport is preparing for enforcement of the

Starting May 7, people will have to show a compliant driver’s license or state-issued ID to board domestic flights. The acceptable cards have a star in the top right and meet security standards recommended by the U.S. government’s 9/11 Commission.

TSA Regional Spokesperson Mark Howell says if you don’t have one the next time you travel, you can use other forms of identification, listed on the .

“There are a number of things on the website that you can use as an acceptable ID — most common being the U.S. passport — but there are quite a few that you can use.”

Others include:

• foreign government-issued passports
• U.S. Department of Defense IDs
• permanent resident cards or border crossing cards

If you don’t have any of those, Howell says to expect additional screening and delays at security checkpoints.

“We typically say get to the airport around two hours ahead of time. If you do not have a Real ID, compliant license, or another accepted form of ID, you may want to get here even earlier than that,” Howell said. “Three hours would probably be the right amount of time.”

TSA employees at CVG have been training to get ready to enforce the changed identification requirements, Howell says.

“We'll continue to work on it as we get past the enforcement date to minimize the disruption at a checkpoint as best we can,” Howell said.

For travelers, Howell recommends heading to their state licensing agency to get a REAL ID-compliant ID as soon as possible. The facilities are getting busier as the May 7 enforcement date approaches.

“If you are planning to travel anytime this summer, we recommend that you get on an appointment as quickly as you can and make sure that you have everything you need before you go into that appointment,” Howell said.

You can find more information about the documents you need to get a REAL ID on the and ’s websites.

Read more:

• Here's a real fact on required REAL ID: Some Ohioans may not need one after all
• What you need to know as the May 7 Real ID deadline approaches
• LISTEN: Outgoing CVG CEO talks about how the airport has changed and what's next

Esther Price Fine Chocolates was founded by its namesake in 1926. The longtime candymaker first worked out of her kitchen and sold to coworkers and neighbors.

As the business grew, she built a factory around her home on Wayne Avenue in Dayton. Since then, her recipes have gained a dedicated following spanning generations.

The company is now nearing its centennial. Its headquarters sits at the same spot, but it has expanded, adding three floors to its factory a few years ago.

“This was a residential area, where she bought one house, bought the next house, bought the next house, tear one down and kind of just built a plant,” said CEO Doug Dressman.

Dressman has worked for the company for over 45 years. He took over as CEO from his father in law, who bought the business from Esther Price in 1976 with three partners.

The company now gets butter in 50 lb. cubes, heavy cream in 300 gallon totes, sugar in 2000 lb. totes, and chocolate in giant 10 pound bars.

Though the proportions have multiplied, Dressman said it's kept the recipes the same.

“We've always used good ingredients. We've always been proud of what we do. And at the end of the day, when people taste our products, they know it came from Esther Price,” Dressman said.

From sugar rationing to modern day

Esther Price opened her first store on Wayne Avenue in 1952. Since then, the company has added six more in Southwest Ohio. And ships to customers across the country.

Jessica Howard has worked at its Centerville retail store for just over a year.

“This place is a cultural touchstone,” Howard said. “Yeah, it's delicious candy and everybody loves a fun treat, but this is also history. We're a part of the community and that means a lot to people.”

She moved from out of state and hadn't heard of the candy maker. But, she says it's been easy to pick up on its history in the community. One customer shared how their relative helped Esther Price continue her business through World War II.

“During the sugar rationing, she would rip out her sugar coupon from her ration book and keep one for herself and then she would give the rest of her coupons to Esther so Esther could keep making candy during the World War,” Howard said.

Alice and Kevin Lewis visited an Esther Price store this spring. They brought their granddaughter, Lena, to shop for Easter candy. Lena is the third generation to get Esther Price Candy in her Easter basket.

“Oh, it's the best chocolate,” Alice said.

“Yeah, we've grown up on Esther Price,” Kevin said.

“So we always put it in the kids and the grandkids' Easter basket, so that's why we're here today,” Alice said.

Marilyn Schirmer is a longtime regular, who grew up in Beavercreek.

“She used to sell candy on her front porch,” Schirmer said. “She was so down to earth. Really, really special woman.”

Schirmer once packed candy for Esther Price herself. She was friends with Price’s grandson, who helped her get an interview.

“He told me to make sure I stuck my hands out the window so they'd be nice and cold when she saw me, because if you don't have cold hands, you can't pack chocolate, because you leave prints,” Schirmer said.

Now, Dressman says automation has changed much of its candy making.

“We don't have as many hands touching stuff and we're cooking in larger batches,” Dressman said.

But, Dressman said it has around the same number of employees Esther once did — around 150. A third of those work year-round in the retail stores. The factory employees work 40 weeks out of the year, overproducing and storing the rest.

Semi-loads of chocolate set to double in price

Its factory expansion has provided room for its new production lines on its first floor, packing lines on the second, and a warehouse on the third.

“So we're making everything down here, and then we'll send it upstairs to be packaged,” Dressman said. “We’ve got chocolate pumping in pipes everywhere.”

It's a precarious business, making chocolates. Once the giant bars are placed in a melter, the chocolate faces a tempering process, where machines precisely heat and cool the liquid. Then, its the sent through the factory’s unique plumbing, and irrigated to production lines, cascading over candy centers. What isn't used is cycled through again.

It's temperature is monitored through the whole process.

“If it gets too hot, it'll turn gray” Dressman said.

The chocolate now comes by the semi-load, and Dressman says those are set to double in price.

“This year it's been really crazy watching stocks. It is because you've got the bean market, we’ve got the dairy market we're looking at. We also look at the sugar market,” said Dressman.

The cost of cocoa beans more than tripled between the spring of 2023 and 2024. And, surpassed a record set in 1977. The beans can only be farmed within 20 degrees north and south of the equator. And, have been subject to extreme bouts of dry and windy weather.

Dressman says the candymaker might raise its prices soon as a result. For the smaller pieces, around 25 cents each. And for the iconic gold boxes, they’ll likely go up $3 or $4.

“We hope the price doesn't scare people off. I mean, you have to raise your price,” Dressman said.

The particular region of cocoa beans creates the unique flavor profile in gourmet chocolate sourced for Esther Price candies – part of the original recipe the company has worked to keep the same since Price passed on the business.

Dressman said what he calls “industrial” candy companies often use an oil-based coating as a replacement for chocolate, avoiding the volatile bean market and high-maintenance cocoa-based chocolate. But, the gourmet chocolate, sourced from the Sierra Leone and Côte d'Ivoire regions of West Africa create the flavor profile the company has worked hard to keep the same.

“You can taste the grittiness on it,” Dressman said. “But when you eat a piece of our chocolate, our candies, it'll be just as smooth as silk on the palate of your mouth.”

Trial and error

The company now makes around 750,000 lbs of candy a year. That amount is set by their sales and Dressman says they’ve been down since a spike around 2020.

“So we're making a little bit less at that point in time,” Dressman said. “It just all depends how, you know, we have our stores and they do fairly well. And then the mail is pretty good. So it, you know, you're kind of just hanging in there.”

It’s made some changes over the years, adding product images to its boxes and changing the script font lettering of its logo. Esther Price herself designed the iconic gold boxes and red ribbon. And, Dressman said those are here to stay.

“We bought machines that were supposed to tie ribbons on them,” said Dressman. “They haven't quite worked. We haven't got them going. It's been years.”

The company is coming up on its 100 year anniversary. In that time, it has added new products, like individually wrapped candies sold at the checkout lines of Meijers and Kroger. And, partnered with local businesses like Warped Wing Brewery to make seasonal chocolate-themed beers and The Pine Club to offer after-meal sweets.

“We've made our mistakes. But you know what, the one thing, we never stop trying. If you just give up, you always gotta keep trying,” Dressman said. “And, you know, my father-in-law, that's what he always did. That's what Esther always did. So we have the same mentality. We keep trying and we keep trying to make good stuff.”

Dressman says he has had larger companies and private equity groups interested in buying Esther Price. But he’s not planning to sell any time soon.

“It takes away that candy store or that home business or that family-started business, and once you're only worried about the price of the stock of something, what does that do?” Dressman said. “I don't want this company to do that, because we have people that want to buy us all the time, but I think, what would that do to my employees? Would they be like little robots on a line?”

On an early spring day, kids lined up outside the Cincinnati’s Zoo’s giraffe habitat, waiting for an opportunity to feed the animals over a fence.

One of the giraffes, Zoey, ambled over, sticking her purple tongue out, swiping a leaf and biting down with a crunch.

Her afternoon snack wasn't grown on a farm thousands of miles away.

Instead, it was produced hydroponically in a storage container less than a mile from her habitat.

Last year, the Cincinnati Zoo started growing some food for its animals on-site. It cultivates rows of lettuce and kale without soil in two hydroponic pods. The plants get nutrients from fertilizers, water and LED lights.

Hydroponics technician Zack Burns said the initiative began as an effort to be more sustainable and resilient to food supply disruptions, like supply chain issues.

“Then, also, to give us a little bit of a backup, just in case there were something to happen in the world – natural disasters, pathogenic recalls, like E. coli, Salmonella, things like that – that might shorten the supply,” Burns said.

The zoo has grown more than 10,000 pounds of produce hydroponically since then, Burns said. That’s been enough to supplement the giraffes’ diet with visitor feedings of homegrown lettuce.

“We also grow kale to feed our manatees, and then we usually have a little bit of excess lettuce that will send other herbivores, like the elephants,” Burns said.

Who else is using hydroponics?

Cincinnati is not the only zoo producing its own food and sourcing items locally. Mike Maslanka, senior nutritionist at the Smithsonian National Zoo and chair of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ nutrition advisory group, estimates every one of the is growing or sourcing at least some of their animals’ food locally.

“So, that's whole prey, that's insects, that's bamboo and brows, hay, produce,” Maslanka said.

But, the number of zoos using hydroponics is smaller. Neither of zoos in Cleveland or Columbus currently grow food hydroponically.

Maslanka said that could be due to high costs of the technology.

“The hydroponic thing is cool, but I don't necessarily know if there's a ton of places that are doing it, just primarily because of the break-even expense,” Maslanka said. “But, as that becomes better and more affordable, that may end up being something that people look at down the road, especially on a seasonal basis for providing different types of leafy greens.”

The Cincinnati Zoo said despite the up-front investment, it’s already seeing a financial benefit.

Sustainability project manager Megan O’Keefe said over the past year, the zoo tracked the price of outsourced lettuce. One week, it would cost $35 a box, then the next it would be double that because of a drought or disease outbreak.

“Not relying on vendor lettuce, having a constant fresh, healthy supply here at the zoo is actually proving to be fiscally beneficial for us in ways, because we don't have to stress out about that market variability,” O’Keefe said.

Ideas for the future: ‘a massive food production facility’

While the zoo’s current hydroponic system can’t completely feed the giraffes, let alone all the animals, O’Keefe said the zoo is now considering how to increase its food production.

One idea is to make a bigger growing pod, and even combine it with the zoo’s traditional farming operations in Warren and Clermont Counties, O’Keefe says. There, the zoo is already growing thousands of barrels of hay and close to 100,000 pounds of other food for the animals every year.

“It would make sense to put a custom facility where we can grow hydroponic lettuce on one of those farm properties, and really have a massive food production facility, essentially,” O’Keefe said.

In the meantime, the giraffes will keep enjoying their homegrown treat, courtesy of visitors and a hydroponic farm just down the road.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced its 2025 class of inductees. The group of performers receiving the honor include a 1960s hitmaker who spent decades advocating for his own induction, a trailblazing Southern rap duo and a 1980s flamboyant pop superstar currently on her farewell tour.

"Each of these inductees created their own sound and attitude that had a profound impact on culture and helped to change the course of Rock & Roll forever," said John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, in a press release. "Their music gave a voice to generations and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps."

To be eligible for nomination, artists have to be at least 25 years out from the release of their first commercial recording. Inductees are awarded through four categories: performers whose music and cultural impact has changed the course of rock and roll, influential musicians whose innovative styles have propelled cultural change, a "musical excellence" award designated for writers, producers and session musicians who've played a key role behind the scenes of some of rock's most important songs and the Ahmet Ertegun award honoring industry professionals who are not performers but have made a sizeable impact on the business of music. In recent years, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has expanded its definition of rock icons to include artists from a wider range of genres and backgrounds, but it still continues to recognize artists from a traditional rock lineage.

Ryan Seacrest announced the performers receiving the honor during a themed episode of American Idol.

Here is the 2025 class of inductees:

Performer Category

According to the Rock Hall, this category recognizes "artists who have created music whose originality, impact, and influence has changed the course of rock & roll."

Bad Company

The English rock band released its self-titled debut album in 1974, which included its hit song "Can't Get Enough." The supergroup's original lineup featured vocalist Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke, who'd both been in the band Free, as well as former Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and former King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell. Though they've been eligible since 1999, Bad Company won induction on its first-ever nomination for the Rock Hall.

Chubby Checker 

Chubby Checker's 1960 cover of "The Twist" (which had been a minor hit for Hank Ballard and the Midnighters two years earlier) landed him at the top of Billboard's Hot 100 chart on two separate occasions. It's a definitive hit of the early rock era, but Checker spent decades feeling underappreciated for his contributions to the genre. In 2001, he a full-page ad in Billboard magazine requesting not only induction to the Rock Hall, but also a separate courtyard statue in his honor. "I want my flowers while I'm alive," he wrote. "I can't smell them when I'm dead." It took a while for the Hall to prepare that bouquet — but like Bad Company, Checker is getting in on his first nomination.

Joe Cocker

The late English musician became a star in the U.S. with his raspy rendition of "With a Little Help from My Friends" at Woodstock in 1969. But he spent decades releasing albums and major hits, including "Feelin' Alright?," "Up Where We Belong" and "You Are So Beautiful," which he �������� in 2012 was among his favorites. Cocker was another first-time nominee this year.

Cyndi Lauper

Cyndi Lauper became a household name in the 1980s with a remarkable string of hits like the off-kilter girl power anthem "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and the pop ballad "Time After Time." But the eccentric, rainbow-haired Lauper reinvented her sound and image over the course of several decades, dabbling in genres like country, blues and rock and establishing herself as an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ rights. Announcement of her induction coincides with her ongoing farewell tour across the U.S. and Europe, and follows her second nomination for the Rock Hall. Whereas several members of Lauper's cohort of '80s hitmakers — like Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson — were inducted more than a decade ago, several of her contemporaries (George Michael, Duran Duran) did not make the cut until recently.

OutKast

When much of hip-hop's attention in the mid-1990s was focused on the west coast vs. east coast rivalry, OutKast turned heads in a completely new direction: towards the South. The groundbreaking duo made up of Big Boi and André 3000 released its debut album in 1994, when they were still teenagers, and marked Atlanta as an epicenter of musical innovation with albums like ATLiens, Aquemini and the Grammy-winning Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Over the last few years, the Hall has been admitting one hip-hop act each year — A Tribe Called Quest last year, Missy Elliott and Eminem and LL Cool J before that. But the Rock Hall isn't the only pop music institution who has failed to adequately reward the genre: In the 21 years since OutKasttook the prize, no other rap album has won the album of the year prize at the Grammys. OutKast has been eligible since 2019. The group received its first nomination this year.

Soundgarden

Three-time Rock Hall nominee Soundgarden is finally being awarded for taking the Pacific Northwest's grunge scene with songs like "Black Hole Sun" and "Fell on Black Days." The Seattle-born band stood out for singer Chris Cornell's aggressive vocal style and a tortured edge that worked in the group's favor as metal turned grunge towards the late 1980s. Soundgarden broke up and reunited over the course of several decades and was reportedly working on new material at the time of Cornell's death in 2017.

The White Stripes

The White Stripes led the garage rock revival of the early '00s with songs like "Seven Nation Army" and "Fell in Love With a Girl." The guitar, drums and vocal duo made up of Jack and Meg White — who initially pretended to be siblings but were actually married, and then divorced — are being inducted after their second nomination to the Rock Hall of Fame. Although the group achieved modest commercial success by Rock Hall standards, their influence remains monumental. The guitar riff in "Seven Nation Army" has become one of the most recognizable pieces of music released in the 2000s thanks to its .

Musical Influence Award

The Hall distinguishes this category from the "performer" field — acts who have been selected by its contingent of voters — in order to recognize "artists whose music and performance style have directly influenced, inspired, and evolved rock & roll and music impacting culture."

Salt-N-Pepa

Salt-N-Pepa was not only the first female rap group to have a platinum album and to win a Grammy — they also led an emblematic crossover from hip-hop to mainstream pop with hits like "Push It," "Shoop," and "Whatta Man." The group, made up of Cheryl "Salt" James, Sandra "Pepa" Denton and Deidra Roper, a.k.a. DJ Spinderella, was honored by the Rock Hall during a special 2023 exhibit celebrating hip-hop's 50th anniversary.

Warren Zevon

Warren Zevon's first love was classical music. But he became a bona fide rock star in the 1970s with hits like "Werewolves of London" and "Lawyers, Guns and Money." Eligible for induction as far back as 1994, Zevon — who died in 2003 — has long been a favorite of other musicians (and, notably, former Late Night host David Letterman) more than a true commercial star, and was first nominated in 2023 after Billy Joel to the Hall's nominating committee on his behalf.

Musical Excellence Award

Once known as the "sidemen" award, the hall uses this category to recognize the kind of names who you'll find in liner notes, but who might not be well known to most fans: "artists, musicians, songwriters and producers whose originality and influence have had a dramatic impact on music."

Thom Bell

The Jamaican-born producer and songwriter was a pioneer of the Philadelphia soul scene of the 1970s, writing and producing for artists like the Delfonics, Dionne Warwick and the Spinners. Bell was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006.

Nicky Hopkins

The English session musician played piano on some of rock and roll's most emblematic songs, from the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" to the Beatles' "Revolution." A highly-respected pianist and organist, he was a member of bands like Quicksilver Messenger Service, the Jerry Garcia Band and the Jeff Beck Group.

Carol Kaye

A member of the famed "Wrecking Crew," L.A.-based session musicians who played on hundreds of hit recordings in the 1960s and '70s, Carol Kaye had already played guitar on Ritchie Valens' hit "La Bamba" and several Sonny & Cher songs when a bassist failed to show up for a session at Capitol Records in 1963. She decided to give the instrument a shot, and since then has played bass on thousands of recordings, including some by the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra and fellow 2025 Rock Hall inductee Joe Cocker.

Ahmet Ertegun Award

This category recognizes "non-performing industry professionals who have had a major influence on the creative development and growth of rock & roll and music that has impacted culture."

Lenny Waronker

The record producer-turned-music executive served as Warners Bros president for much of the 1980s and 1990s, leading the label out of an industry-wide slump by bolstering the careers of artists like Talking Heads, ZZ Top and Madonna. Known for his artist-first approach to leadership, Waronker went on to work at DreamWorks Records.

The official induction ceremony will take place on November 8 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles and will be streamed live on Disney+, with an ABC special to follow.

Copyright 2025 ��������

In a major reversal, the federal government is restoring the records of hundreds, and possibly thousands, of international students whose entries in a crucial database the government had abruptly terminated in recent weeks, a move that had complicated their ability to stay in the country.

Even before Friday's announcement, dozens of judges across the U.S. had already issued temporary orders directing the government to restore students' records in a database that Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, uses to monitor international students while they're in the U.S. The database, known as the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, tracks whether they are complying with the requirements to maintain their legal status. The SEVIS database also tracks schools' disciplinary action against students or any criminal charges filed against them.

ICE had begun suddenly terminating thousands of students' SEVIS records in recent weeks, in many cases over what lawyers say were minor disciplinary records that the government uncovered after running background checks. Without an entry in the SEVIS database, international students cannot easily adjust or extend their legal status, meaning many of those whose records were terminated would likely soon be forced to leave the country.

The database terminations were just one of many steps the Trump administration has taken to ramp up efforts to expel noncitizens – including those with and without legal status. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also said he has revoked hundreds of visas, many for students who participated in pro-Palestinian campus protests last year.

International students whose SEVIS records were cancelled have filed nearly a hundred federal lawsuits across the country, a government lawyer said in a court hearing Friday.

At the start of that hearing before a federal judge in Washington, D.C., the lawyer read a statement announcing that students' terminated SEVIS records would be restored, at least temporarily, while the government adopts a formal policy for revoking records in the database.

Brian Green, the attorney representing the plaintiff in that case, provided �������� with a copy of the statement that he said the government lawyer, Joseph Carilli, emailed him.

Green represents an American University student whose SEVIS record was canceled over an arrest that resulted in no charges, he said. He called the government's announcement reversing course on its blanket revocations "a sigh of relief" for international students across the country. He said immigration attorneys have documented close to 5,000 students whose SEVIS records have been terminated in recent weeks. It's unclear whether the government will restore all of them, or only those of students who have sued.

"The SEVIS records for plaintiff(s) in this case (and other similarly situated plaintiffs) will remain Active or shall be re-activated," the government's courtroom statement read.

The Departments of Justice and Homeland Security did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Copyright 2025 ��������

Indiana teachers will receive a of $45,000 starting in July if Gov. Mike Braun signs a measure passed by state lawmakers. That would boost the state’s minimum teacher pay by $5,000 a year. The final measure also strips a provision that would have required schools to provide .

In addition to raising teacher salaries, says 65 percent of districts’ state funding must be used for teacher compensation. That’s an increase from the in current law.

The measure also creates the Indiana Teacher Recruitment Program. It will provide grants to programs that train and recruit teachers in areas with critical teacher shortages. However, the bill does not appropriate funding for the program so the number of grants awarded, as well as their amounts, will be determined by the Indiana Department of Education.

IDOE could use a portion of its new Freedom and Opportunity in Education fund in the to pay for the program. The fund allocates $50 million to the IDOE each year to “improve academic performance and increase freedom and opportunity in education.”

Join the conversation and sign up for our weekly text group: . Your comments and questions help us find the answers you need on statewide issues, including our project  and our .

However, that money can also be used to fund numerous other IDOE priorities like expanding the state’s ILEARN checkpoint pilot program statewide, piloting evidence-based literacy programs, creating an interactive advising tool for Indiana’s new high school diploma, providing literacy grants, supporting science of reading initiatives and expanding computer science programs.

The original bill also required at least 20 days of paid paternity leave for most full-time teachers. That provision was ultimately removed due to the cost.

Sen. Andrea Hunley (D-Indianapolis) urged schools to consider adding parental leave policies anyway if they don’t already have them.

“I would just take this as an opportunity to urge school districts that are not doing that yet to look at their policies and for all of our districts to look at how they can expand that to be more inclusive of a variety of family types,” she said.

Hunley said she’s hopeful lawmakers will reconsider paid parental leave when the is .

Kirsten is our education reporter. Contact her at kadair@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at .

Protests have been happening around the state since President Donald Trump took office, but the Ohio Democratic Party isn't visible at them. And the state party doesn't organize them. Instead, those protests are usually organized by other grassroots organizations. The chair of the Ohio Democratic Party said while the views of many protestors may align with party ideals and positions, it's focusing its efforts elsewhere.

Ohio Democratic Party Chair Liz Walters said other progressive leaning and grassroots groups have been behind the protests thousands of Ohioans have been participating this year. But she said the statewide party has not been involved in organizing them.

“We can’t do everything so we have to pick the things that we know," Walters said. "One is our responsibilities to the candidates we support, both the incumbents and the challengers at all levels of government—but also to make sure that we are really focused on some of the critical attacks happening that people may not notice.”

Walters said one of those things people might not notice is the party's effort to make sure Ohioans who are in danger of being removed from voter rolls are able to take steps to make sure they remain registered.

“We are focused on organizing phone banks to make sure that we get a hold of as many of those voters as possible to get them to re-certify their registration so they can participate in our democracy," Walters said.

Walters said the party has been hosting town halls, including bringing in the Minnesota governor who was Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris' running mate.

“We had the big national one with Tim Walz in Lorain and Youngstown but we have been doing a ton of empty chair debates with both our Congressional delegation. We’ve been holding no-show Republican Congress members accountable," Walters said. "And our state reps are out there every day and our county parties are out there right now, organizing for the local elections that are happening this year.”

Walters said she realizes a lot of Democrats are anxious, concerned, angry and maybe afraid of the Republican dominated politics they see in play right now. She said the state party believes it is important in this moment to allow people to "find their activism home."

She added: “What we want to do is find ways to plug people in in activities that are going to make the most use of their time and help them feel like they are making a difference.”

Ohio has been under Republican control for most of the past two decades. Republicans scored big wins last fall by taking near-total control of the Ohio Supreme Court and unseating U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, who had been running for his fourth term but was defeated by now-Sen. Bernie Moreno.

Ohio Republican Party Chair Alex Triantifilou said in a statement: "The Ohio Democratic Party, led by Sherrod Brown, encourages disruptive protests but dodges accountability when they go too far."

"Their leaders and failed policies are out of touch with everyday Ohioans," Triantifilou wrote.

There have been no reports of arrests at the protests organized by the national movement 50501, which have been held mostly on weekends or after working hours. Groups affiliated with that movement plan another nationwide day of protest in Ohio communities and across the country on May 1.

Soon to be unemployed government workers and their supporters gathered in Bridgetown Friday afternoon to protest dramatic cuts by the Trump administration.

Micah Niemeier-Walsh says she's one of the unionized employees who's been told she'll be let go from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Cincinnati. The end date could be as soon as May 1. She’s the vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3840.

The cuts come from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.

“I’m sure if you ask any government worker they could give you some pointers on ways that things could be more efficient,” she says. “There’s always red tape and bureaucracy in very large institutions like the federal government. But they never asked us what the problems were. They never asked us where things could be streamlined and more efficient.

"Instead, they just took a sledgehammer to everything,” she says.

Niemeier-Walsh says NIOSH saves employers billions of dollars by finding ways to prevent illness and injury in the workplace. She says Congress needs to enforce the law it passed creating NIOSH in 1970.

NIOSH employees and union members waved signs outside Congressman Warren Davidson's Hamilton County office Friday afternoon. Hannah Echt says she's another one of the hundreds of workers who've been told they're being let go.

“They’re trying to get rid of our institute. That’s about 90% of us nationwide they’re trying to get rid of,” Echt says. “I just think, and many of us think, we’re too important to be gotten rid of like this.”

There are two NIOSH facilities in Cincinnati. They were supposed to be consolidated into a new campus near Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Reading Road in Uptown. Funding for that $110 million project was appropriated, but its future is now up in the air.

“I’m assuming if there’s no NIOSH employees, there’s no new NIOSH building,” Niemeier-Walsh says.

Representative Davidson's office did not return a call asking for comment.

Read more:

• Trump Administration cuts NIOSH jobs in Cincinnati
• Cincinnati finalizes land sale for new NIOSH facility in Uptown
• Anti-Trump demonstrators take to Cincinnati streets again

A small portion of The Banks in downtown Cincinnati will be off-limits to anyone under age 21 starting Friday, April 25.

The policy aims to make the area safer and more controlled during high-traffic hours. Private security will enforce the restricted area; visitors will have to show photo ID to enter the area during the restricted timeframe.

It only applies to the public plaza located between Great American Ball Park and Walnut Street, and only between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Tracey Schwegmann with The Banks says the effort is 100% privately funded.

"It is funded by the private property owners, the retail businesses, the apartments, all the private property owners in between the two stadiums," Schwegmann said. "It’ll probably cost us about a quarter-million dollars to do this for about six months."

Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge says she fully supports the idea.

"By limiting the people under 21 going in this restricted area, that will allow us to hopefully use our resources more on the perimeter and concentrate on other areas like Smale Park and the things outside of the restricted area," Theetge said.

Theetge says crime in Cincinnati, including Downtown, has been declining over the past few years.

Read more:

• Bengals and Hamilton County reach deal on Paycor Stadium renovations
• Efforts to reduce youth violence at Downtown transit center appear to be working
• LISTEN: Hospital-based violence intervention program seeks to reduce re-injury