Catching Our Eye News Roundup, April 13, 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

• Gold Star Family. WOSU’s Mark Ferenchik reports, “Father of Columbus airman who died in March crash remembers son as ‘an American hero.’”

Tyler Simmons, 28, was a boom operator on a KC-135 refueling plane that crashed on March 12. He died along with five other crew members on the plane, including Capt. Seth Koval, of Stoutsville, and Capt. Curtis Angst of Columbus.

Koval, Angst and Simmons served with the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus.

Charles Simmons, Tyler Simmons’ father, said Thursday during an interview with WOSU that his son was first interested in becoming a pilot, even helping to fly a plane with former Tuskegee Airman James Yarbrough when he was in the ninth grade.

• Elections. Cleveland.com’s Kaitlin Durbin reports, “Cuyahoga County elections board may need extra $1M from already-strained county budget.”

Cuyahoga County Board of Elections officials say they may need an additional $1 million this year to cover unexpected bills tied to its new headquarters, piling new pressure onto a county already facing a major budget deficit.

Director Anthony Perlatti warned board members about the funding shortfall at their regular meeting Tuesday, saying the county did not anticipate all utilities and other building-related costs when it set the board’s 2026 budget. But those bills are still coming due.

• Congress. The Columbus Dispatch’s Haley BeMiller reports, “Ohio GOP primary sets stage for high‑stakes showdown for Congress.”

A crowded Republican primary is underway to challenge Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District.

Republicans redrew the district to be more favorable to their party, making it a key target for the GOP.

The winner will face Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in Congress.