State News

• What Lake County drivers actually save under Ohio's 90-day gas tax holiday

  For a Mentor driver who fills up once or twice a week, the suspension is worth a few dollars weekly, while electric and hybrid owners get no break.

• New Ohio education law takes effect: what Mentor-area schools need to know

  The law requires free academic intervention for any Mentor student scoring Limited on state math or English tests, but the district hasn't published a plan.

• Proposed constitutional amendment would cap property-tax growth at 3%, sending decision to Ohio voters

  The measure is not on the 2026 ballot; if lawmakers approve it, Mentor voters would weigh in May 2027 on a cap affecting school levies.

• Chagrin River restoration draws state and local officials for Lake Erie project celebration

  The $2.2 million H2Ohio-funded project removed a century-old dam and stabilized 685 feet of eroding bank to keep sediment from reaching Eastlake and Lake Erie.

• West Side I-90 ramp closures ripple across Greater Cleveland commuting patterns

  Mentor drivers heading west for work face slower evening commutes through Lakewood until November as two eastbound I-90 ramps close for pavement replacement.

• After armed confrontation at Acton event, how are Ohio campaigns handling political-security risks?

  Acton had an executive protection detail, but Canfield fairgoers faced no metal detectors or wanding, a concern for Lake County eventgoers.

• Lake County voters received absentee ballot applications this week — here's what the state mailing doesn't tell you

  The state mailing omits the Lake County Board of Elections address, phone number, hours and drop box location voters need to complete the process.

• Ohio's Promised Property Tax Relief Is Real — but Mentor and Lake County Homeowners Won't Know the Full Picture Until 2027

  The income tax cut is already in paychecks, but property tax savings hinge on 2027 bills and five school levies on the Nov. 2026 ballot.

• Mentor Property Owners Shoulder Rising School Costs as Ohio Voucher Spending Soars Past $1 Billion

  The smaller 3.5-mill levy follows a May defeat, as the district cuts nearly $10 million and voucher-related funding tops $9 million locally.

• Fracking Regulatory Gap Leaves Mentor's Lake Erie Water, Headlands Aquifer Without a Firewall

  Mentor has no ordinance, legal analysis, or staff plan addressing fracking near the Headlands aquifer and Lake Erie water intake, leaving a gap state law may not fill.

• Gubernatorial Candidates Acton and Ramaswamy Push for Tighter Flock Camera Regulation

  Both gubernatorial candidates want stricter oversight of the same Flock cameras Mentor police have used since 2021, as local pushback over privacy continues across Lake County.

• State Auditor Released Medicaid Review of ViaQuest Facility on West Heisley Road

  The audit reviewed the Mentor facility's 2024 Medicaid billing and documentation alongside several other ViaQuest locations statewide.