Thanks for getting your week started with us. Here are some of the stories we're looking out for in the next seven days.
House and Senate maps in court
From reporter Jessie Balmert:
Ohio Republicans' state House and Senate maps will be in court Wednesday, facing accusations that they unfairly favor the GOP over Democrats.
The Ohio Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday from groups that want to toss out maps for Ohio's 132 statehouse districts. They say Republicans on the seven-member Ohio Redistricting Commission drew lines to retain a veto-proof majority even though Ohio voters favor Republican candidates about 54% of the time.
The justice to watch is Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, a Republican who cannot run again and who opposed GOP maps drawn in 2011. (They were upheld anyway.)
If the Ohio Supreme Court rules some or all of the map unconstitutional, the Ohio Redistricting Commission could be sent back to the drawing board to try again.
Ohio's congressional districts are also being challenged before the Ohio Supreme Court, but those arguments will be heard later.
Kids and violence
This week we'll publish the first story in a series examining the recent surge of violent crime among young people in Cincinnati.
The series grew out of a desire to tell deeper, more meaningful stories about who these kids are and the circumstances they face. You'll hear from the kids themselves about what their lives are like and the pressures they endure every day.
