Catching Our Eye News Roundup, Oct. 20, 2026

Every morning in the Ohio Capital Journal’s free newsletter, The Eye-Opener, we round up the news and commentary from across Ohio and around the country and world that is catching our attention. We call this feature Catching Our Eye, republished here.

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Catching Our Eye

• Special interest money floods the Ohio election. Signal Ohio’s Jake Zuckerman reports, “Ohio insurers, utilities drop millions on governors races.”

Investor-owned electric utilities and insurers that help run Ohio Medicaid gave millions of dollars to groups trying to influence Ohio’s governor’s race and similarly close contests in other states. One Democratic group received $75,000 from the scandal-plagued FirstEnergy Corp. and $10,000 from its CEO.

• NCAA v. DeWine. The Statehouse News Bureau’s Jo Ingles reports, “NCAA files lawsuit over DeWine executive order on college athlete eligibility.”

The NCAA has filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. Mike DeWine over an executive order he signed earlier this week on college athletic eligibility.

DeWine’s order allows students from the high school class of 2022 to have a fifth year of eligibility. It’s something he said is necessary, but the NCAA said it gives Ohio’s schools an unfair advantage.

DeWine’s executive order told the state’s colleges and universities to disregard the NCAA’s new age-based eligibility rule. He said it unfairly denies a fifth season of competition to a small number of students who graduated from high school in 2022, while granting five seasons to others currently playing on college sports teams.

• Lobbyists. The Toledo Blade’s Danny Eldredge reports, “Ohio governor candidates weigh new restrictions on lobbyists.”

As Ohioans continue to name government corruption as a top issue ahead of the November election, all three candidates for governor have discussed ideas to clean up the Ohio Statehouse.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said he is open to prohibiting lobbyists from serving on state boards and commissions…

Dr. Amy Acton, the Democratic candidate for governor, said she would issue an executive order addressing corruption on her first day in office.

• Ohioans v. Flock cameras. The Dayton Daily News’ Cornelius Frolik reports, “Ohioans hitting, shooting, stealing and chopping down Flock cameras.”

Some of the backlash against controversial Flock Automated License Plate Readers has crossed the line into criminal territory, as people across Ohio have intentionally damaged, vandalized and stolen cameras that are used by many police departments.

More than 30 Ohio police agencies conducted Flock network searches over the summer related to ALPR cameras that were moved, removed, dismantled, struck, chopped down, rammed with automobiles and covered over with spray paint and bags, according to search audit records and other documents obtained by the Dayton Daily News.

• Ukraine. The AP reports, “Zelenskyy says Ukraine got no early warning from partners as Russia hits the power grid again.”

Russia used ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones to launch more attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, noting that Kyiv again received no early warning of the attack from partner countries who in the past have shared that intelligence.

Zelenskyy is grappling with the implications of recent Washington moves benefiting Russian President Vladimir Putin, including waiving U.S. sanctions on Moscow and signing a deal to import Russian diesel.