On Monday, Governor Mike DeWine announced that 51 local courts will receive a total of $10.2 million in grant funding to help reduce accumulated backlogs of pending court proceedings.

Governor DeWine is awarding the funding as part of the Ohio Court Backlog Reduction Program, which launched earlier this year to help local courts reduce the time-to-disposition of pending cases, remove barriers to the timely resolution of cases, and apply creative solutions to improve case flow. 

"I'm grateful for all the hard-working people in our courthouses who work every day to uphold the right to a fair trial," said Governor DeWine. "The funding we are awarding on Oct 28th, will support this work and ensure that justice is served in a timely manner."

On Tuesday, Governor DeWine and Ohio EPA Director Laurie A. Stevenson announced approximately $2.4 million in H2Ohio grant assistance to help 53 public water systems take the first step toward removing and replacing lead water pipes.

“Working with communities to help them identify and remove lead water lines that remain in their area will improve the overall health and well-being of Ohioans,” said Governor DeWine. “These H2Ohio grants confirm our ongoing commitment to improve our state’s water infrastructure for the long term.”

Also on Tuesday, Governor DeWine visited the Tri-Rivers Career Center to learn more about their Robotics Advanced Manufacturing Technology Education Collaborative (RAMTEC) program. The program is a collaboration between Tri-Rivers Career Center, Marion Technical College, and The Ohio State University at Marion to address the skills gap by training high school students in industrial robotics, advanced manufacturing, and engineering.

Lastly on Tuesday, Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine made stops in Fairfield County, Pickaway County, Franklin County, and Madison County to promote Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio.

On Wednesday, Lt. Governor Jon Husted traveled to Ashland for the North Central Workforce Alliance Summit to highlight the state’s workforce programs, including TechCred, along with an overview of projects underway at the Common Sense Initiative (CSI) and InnovateOhio.

Also on Wednesday, the First Lady focused on early childhood literacy in Northeast Ohio, starting with a tour of University Hospitals (UH) Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and MacDonald Women’s Hospital in Cuyahoga County to learn about the ways UH is promoting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio.

“I love traveling Ohio to see how our amazing partners, like leaders at University Hospitals, are helping to enroll young families so that more free books get into the hands of children,” said Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine. “Several Ohio-based research studies, including one done at Case Western Reserve University, show the positive impact Imagination Library books have in a home, particularly better-preparing kids for kindergarten.”

After the UH tour, First Lady DeWine participated in a roundtable discussion with hospital leaders and community partners who are helping our youngest Ohioans get an early start on reading. Brain science shows a child’s brain is already 80% developed by the time he or she turns three years old. Ohio-based research shows the longer a Cuyahoga County student is enrolled in the Imagination Library, the higher his or her Kindergarten Readiness Assessment score, which is used to measure a student’s skill level in being able to grasp instruction. 

On Thursday, Lt. Governor Husted traveled to Vandalia for the ribbon-cutting ceremony of White Castle's recently expanded retail food manufacturing plant. To keep up with the growing demand for its retail sliders, White Castle embarked on a $27 million construction project in July 2021 to double the size of its manufacturing plant in Vandalia and double its manufacturing capacity. 

On Friday, Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Husted announced that 825 blighted and vacant structures in 30 counties will be demolished to clear the way for new economic development.

The demolition projects will be funded as part of Governor DeWine's Ohio Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program, which was developed to help local communities tear down dilapidated commercial and residential buildings and revitalize surrounding properties to attract investments, businesses, and jobs.

"There are sites all over Ohio that are perfect for redevelopment, but the cost to demolish the crumbling structures on these properties is standing in the way of new economic opportunities," said Governor DeWine. "By helping to clear out this blight, we're investing in the future of our citizens and our communities." 

“With these grants, we’re giving communities the resources they need to help clean up and revitalize sites to remove eyesores and attract new business,” said Lt. Governor Husted.

Also on Friday,  Lt. Governor Husted visited Honda’s East Liberty Plant (ELP). As part of the visit, he viewed the all-new 2023 Honda CR-V and met with area high school students in an effort to highlight advanced manufacturing and the many career opportunities available in the industry.

Lastly on Friday, Governor DeWine joined Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Director Mary Mertz to tour the H2Ohio Burntwood-Langenkamp Wetland Conservation Area. The new H2Ohio wetland is supporting nutrient-reduction efforts at Grand Lake St. Marys.