Republicans in the Ohio Senate have unveiled a budget that's more than a billion dollars less than the governor's original plan, but includes the same 6.3% income tax cut as the House budget. Senate President Keith Faber (R-Celina) said his caucus' proposal spends $1.7 billion less than the House plan and $1.1 billion less than Gov. John Kasich's initial budget plan. But Faber said it does include tax cuts, especially targeted at small businesses. President Pro Tem Chris Widener (R-Springfield) said there's more money for K-12 public education, and there's more for higher education as well. It reduces overall Medicaid spending by more than $1 billion, though Senators were unclear on how they did that. However, some of the savings will come from a requirement that Medicaid recipients contribute to health-care accounts, according to Sen. David Burke (R-Marysville).

Before the budget was unveiled, activists for Ohio's low income residents, especially seniors and children, said they were ready for the worst. Col Owens from Advocates for Ohio's Future noted that half of Ohio's families are making less than $47,000, and the group says it's been pushing lawmakers to invest in human services and resources, such as intensive case management, funding for elder and child abuse prevention, and making changes to the behavioral health system. And Senate Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni (D-Boardman) issued a statement saying there were some positive changes, but overall the budget goes "in the wrong direction".

Summertime travel is starting up in Ohio. But Buckeye Lake, usually a major attraction, likely won't be this year because the lake water level is low while the state starts working on the crumbling earthen dam that the Army Corps of Engineers determined is in danger of catastrophic failure. And the condition of this dam has people around Ohio asking about the state of other dams. James Zehringer is the director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which oversees public and private dam safety and repairs in Ohio.