Catching Our Eye News Roundup, Sept. 30, 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

• Ohio farmers. WOSU’s Allie Vugrincic reports, “Ohio farmers feel the squeeze of diesel, fertilizer prices. Will that affect how they vote?”

Diesel fuel prices have been climbing since February, when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, and hit a record high this month. Chemical fertilizer that comes from the Middle East has faced supply chain disruptions, leading to higher prices.

Meanwhile, the costs of many other products needed for farming have gone up because of President Donald Trump’s tariffs…

A national Associated Press–KFF poll released last week found rural voters are “deeply unhappy” about the economy. However, while Trump’s standing among those voters has slipped a little, he still has a 48% approval rating — noticeably higher than Trump’s 33% approval rating among all U.S. adults.

• Paying for the gas tax holiday? Cleveland.com’s Jeremy Pelzer reports, “Ohio lawmakers overhaul Ramaswamy’s plan to pay for a state gas-tax holiday.”

Ohio lawmakers introduced legislation Monday to suspend the state’s gas tax for 90 days, using $726 million from the state’s anticipated general revenue surplus to cover what would otherwise be a massive financial hit to state and local transportation projects.

Senate Bill 475, which Republican legislative leaders intend to pass Wednesday at the behest of GOP gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy, abandons parts of Ramaswamy’s original plan that Gov. Mike DeWine criticized, including potentially paying for the gas-tax holiday by tapping the Ohio Department of Transportation’s cash reserves and, if needed, the state’s $4 billion rainy-day fund.

• Dwindling international students in Ohio. Signal Ohio’s Amy Morona reports, “Ohio colleges enroll fewer international students — again.”

Ohio’s universities are experiencing double-digit drops in international enrollment as these students – and the campuses enrolling them – continue to comply with changing policies from the Trump administration.

Case Western Reserve University, the University of Cincinnati, Cleveland State University, Kent State University and Ohio State University report drops in international student enrollment ranging from 11% to 32.5% this fall, according to publicly available data and information provided to Signal Statewide.

• Censoring criticism of anti-trans ads? The Buckeye Flame’s Ken Schneck reports, “Insiders say the Ohio Democratic Party is censoring criticism of anti-trans ads.”

Ohio Democrats are accusing their own party leadership of removing social media posts that pushed back on anti-trans ads released by Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who is running for re-election in the 9th Congressional District in Northwest Ohio.