Abortion restriction suspended • Driving the news: A court in Franklin County has temporarily blocked Ohio’s law requiring patients to wait 24 hours in order to obtain an abortion. Samantha Wildow has the full story. • Key takeaway: Elections matter. This is one of several state laws that were expected to be challenged following Ohioans voting last year to enshrine abortion access into the Ohio Constitution. • Quote from abortion rights group: “This ruling is a huge win for Ohioans and a major step toward accessible reproductive health care. The elimination of this medically unnecessary waiting period will undoubtedly ease the strain on patients, especially those traveling long distances to receive care,” said Nan Whaley, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio. • Quote from abortion foe: “A 24-hour waiting period for an irreversible, life altering decision does not interfere with a mother’s ability to abort her child,” said Ohio Right to Life President Michael Gonidakis. • Notable detail: This comes as clinics in Ohio are seeing an increased demand for abortion care from travelers coming from out-of-state. For visits related to abortion care, Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio sees around 400 visits a month, which is a 10% increase since May, the organization said, with many of those coming from other states. Judges to decide fate of county clerk • Driving the news: The Ohio Supreme Court has selected a special committee of three judges to consider the suspension of Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Mike Foley following his felony indictment. Sydney Dawes has the full story. • How this works: In a previous story, Sydney explained how certain state officers can remove an elected county official charged with a crime. • Next steps: The judges will be tasked with determining if Foley’s charges “adversely affects the functioning” of his office and have 14 days to come to a decision, according to Ohio law. This decision could be appealed by Foley, according to Ohio law. • Political angle: If the special commission were to recommend a suspension of Foley, the Democrat-led Montgomery County commission would be responsible for appointing an interim official to replace Foley, a Republican. • November election: Foley has maintained his innocence and intent to stay on the ballot in November against a Democrat challenger, though the Montgomery County GOP says he won’t appear on their candidate slate card, website or any other campaign material. Local political news of the week • Miami County recorder: There will be no names on the November ballot for Miami County Recorder after the incumbent dropped out and two people filed only write-in candidacies. Nancy Bowman has the details, including who the write-in candidates are. • ADAMHS cuts: Funding cuts being implemented by Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) are having major consequences for local mental health agencies including the closing of group homes. Tensions ran high at the last ADAMHS meeting. Sam Wildow was there and filed this report. • Hate speech: Tensions also ran high at a recent Springfield city council meeting where a man who says he helped bring demonstrators with swastika flags to Springfield recently made racist comments and was kicked out of the meeting. Vicky Forrest was there and filed this report. • Make America Corn Again: A New Paris, Ohio farm has created a corn maze that features twists and turns in the shape of former U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s face. Here’s that story. State political news of the week • NIL legislation: A bill to update Ohio’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) law for student-athletes was announced on Wednesday by state Reps. Adam Mathews, R-Lebanon, and Jay Edwards, R-Nelsonville. Lynn Hulsey has that story. • Banking on weed: Sydney Dawes is continuing her coverage of the state of Ohio’s rollout of its recreational marijuana program. Her latest story looks at difficulties marijuana companies are having in banking, and how one Dayton-area credit union is looking to dominate that space. National political news of the week • How campaigns would help families: That families are suffering is not up for debate. As the economy emerges as a theme in this presidential election, the Democratic and Republican candidates have sketched out ideas for easing costs that reveal their divergent views about family. • Big ballot issues: In addition to a redistricting reform proposal in Ohio, many other states have consequential issues on the ballot in November. The Associated Press has this roundup. | 
