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Historic Vote Possible On Medical Marijuana Ahead, And Gov. Kasich Ends His Quest For The White House

Next week could be historic at the Statehouse – a proposal to legalize medical marijuana has cleared a legislative panel and appears headed for a full House vote.  After several months of inaction, a bill that would ban local hiring requirements and restrict labor agreements for local community projects has passed the House.  The state’s highest court will decide whether internet retailers which have no offices or employees in Ohio but sell products to Ohio residents have to pay a tax that nearly all Ohio businesses pay. And a new report by the Children’s Defense Fund of Ohio shows little improvement for low income children in the state’s Appalachian region.

After nine months, 13 debates, hundreds of speeches, rallies and town hall meetings, 153 delegates, more than $42 million raised and one just primary win, Gov. John Kasich has ended his quest for the White House.Kasich announced his sudden decision to suspend his campaign for the Republican nomination for president less than 24 hours after he came in third in the Indiana primary. Critics and pundits had been calling for him to get out of the race – in the last two weeks, the Toledo Blade and the Akron Beacon Journal had said he should quit. Kasich never clearly said what led him to abandon his campaign. Ohio Republican Party chairman Matt Borges has been behind Kasich since the beginning. And the head of Ohio’s Democratic Party, David Pepper, says he’s hoping the kind, gentle persona Kasich embodied on the presidential campaign trail will be evident now as he comes back to Ohio.

Kasich’s departure leaves the Republican leaders trying to decide who they back now, including Senate President Keith Faber (R-Celina) and House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville). But if current polls hold, there could be trouble ahead for Sen. Rob Portman re-election bid. With all that in mind, David Niven, a professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati, talks about Kasich’s now-dead campaign and what happens next.

This week the annual Peace Officer memorial was held at the state’s training academy in London. More than 700 Ohio peace officers who have died in the line of duty since 1823 were honored this week, including three who died in the last year - Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputy Michael A. Brandle, Cincinnati Police Officer Sonny Kim and Ohio University Police Officer Nathan Van Oort Sr.