| It’s been a fairly quiet week at the Statehouse, all things considered, but the news never seems to stop. Big steps were taken to speed up recreational marijuana sales while we conducted an investigation into the frequent absences of the state senator who represents Dayton. Below is what you need to know. As always, I can be contacted at 614-981-1422, [email protected] or @AveryKreemer on X. You can also follow our political coverage on our website and through our Ohio Politics Facebook page. *** *** Our investigation into the absences of a Dayton state senator Credit: Avery Kreemer • The story: The state senator who represents Dayton and its southwest suburbs in the Ohio General Assembly hasn’t come to work in the Statehouse in months and has one of the worst attendance records in the Senate, a Dayton Daily News investigation found. • His rationale: State Sen. Niraj Antani, R-Miami Twp., blames the bulk of his nine Senate floor absences and many more committee absences on a frayed relationship with the Senate president, a general ineffectiveness of the Senate and an unsuccessful Congressional campaign. • The upshot: Whatever the reason, Antani’s absences meant the Dayton region has lacked representation on the Senate floor and Senate committee meetings throughout much of the the 2023-2024 General Assembly. Here’s our full story. Ohio recreational marijuana sales could begin by mid-June • The news: New rules passed by the state clear the way for Ohio’s existing medical marijuana dispensaries to begin selling recreational marijuana as early as mid-June this year. Julie Carr Smyth with the Associated Press has the full story. • The context: The development means that legal-age Ohioans will be able to buy weed about two months before they otherwise would. Recreational-only dispensaries are expected to begin operating in early September, as previously reported. Local political news of the week Credit: Jim Noelker • 5 things to know about costly PFAS removal: The Dayton region’s waterways are littered with harmful forever chemicals, and the city plans to pump millions into one of the country’s biggest PFAS-specific water treatment facilities in the coming years. Josh Sweigart has what you should know about the problem. • “Can I just say that I told you so?”: New Lebanon residents comment on the alleged misconduct that saw many of the village’s staffers expeditiously fired and sparked an ongoing internal investigation. Aimee Hancock, who has covered this from the start, has the latest. • New Miami trustee stays in role despite out-of-state job: “My residence is Miami Twp., I just happen to have work out of state,” John Morris, a trustee who’s missed three of nine meetings, told Dayton Daily News reporter Eric Schwartzberg. Here’s the full story. State political news of the week Credit: AP • Ohio AG opens investigation into state’s teacher pension fund: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost believes there might be private interests attempting to “hijack” the retirement accounts of Ohio’s public school teachers. The members in question call it sour grapes. Lee McClory has the story. • Discussions over a Republican gun bill: A local Republican’s proposal to get repeat violent gun offenders off the streets by locking them up in prison for longer has gotten mixed reviews from Ohio’s county prosecutors. Here’s my report on the bill, which is in its early stages in the legislature. • Area rep. wants to make it easier to challenge across-the-aisle candidacies: A local board of elections decided to confirm a transgender woman’s candidacy even though she didn’t follow the law to a T, in part because no Democrat actually protested her candidacy. Now, her November opponent wants to change the rules. Here’s my story. • DeWine signs school cell phone bill: A new law will require Ohio schools to adopt policies to make cell phones “as limited as possible during school hours,” as a continuation of Gov. Mike DeWine’s offensive against social media. Lee McClory has details on Ohio’s newest law. National political news of the week Credit: Bill Lackey • Dayton area to get new, federally funded EV charging station: A new fast-charging station for electric vehicles will be constructed just off I-675 along Miamisburg Centerville Road (Ohio 725) at the Washington Park Plaza shopping center as part of the federal government’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program. Eric Schwartzberg has the story. • U.S. plans new major tariffs on Chinese goods: The Biden administration is planning to announce new tariffs on electric vehicles, semiconductors, solar equipment and medical supplies imported from China as the administration worries about China’s manufacturing dominance. The Associated Press has the story. *** | 