On Monday, Governor Mike DeWine released a status update on the implementation of recommendations from the Children Services Transformation Advisory Council which aims to reform Ohio's children services system.

“Every child in Ohio deserves to live a fulfilling life where they have the opportunity to reach their God-given potential,” said Governor DeWine. “I am proud of the progress that has been made so far to help families, but there is more work to be done to keep our children safe, and build stable homes and strong communities.”

Also on Monday,  Governor DeWine announced that the state will support the installation of security upgrades at more than 700 K-12 schools across Ohio.

A total of 708 schools in 57 counties will receive $57.8 million in grant funding to enhance student and staff safety. Governor DeWine is awarding the funds as part of his K-12 School Safety Grant Program, which helps schools with physical security expenses, such as new security cameras, public address systems, automatic door locks, visitor badging systems, and exterior lighting. 

"We are being proactive in keeping our schools safe in Ohio. Student and staff safety is paramount,” said Governor DeWine. “These safety grants are helping schools create environments that are secure and welcoming for teachers and their students."

On Tuesday, Governor DeWine attended the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to recognize 20 inductees on their outstanding accomplishments in service to our country.

On Wednesday, Governor Mike DeWine delivered remarks at the Ohio Chamber Healthcare Transformation Summit.

On Thursday, Governor DeWine and Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine announced two major milestones with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio, the free book program available to Ohio families with children under the age of 5.

More than 50% of eligible children – birth to age 5 – are now enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio, which means 362,295 Ohio children will receive a free book in the mail this month.

Additionally, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio has mailed more than 10 million books to Ohio children since 2019. When Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio was established in 2019, the program was only available in pockets of Ohio.  The Governor and First Lady worked to expand the program and in late 2020, it became available to all Ohio families in each of Ohio’s 88 counties.

Also on Thursday, Governor DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine attended the annual Ohio Statehouse Holiday Festival and Tree Lighting. 

On Friday, Governor DeWine and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) Director Laurie Stevenson announced that the state will contribute $25 million to support the highly-anticipated Cuyahoga River Gorge Dam Removal Project. 

This project will remove an estimated 900,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment, restore fish and wildlife habitat, and restore more than a mile of the river for community recreational use.

“Improving water quality across the state has been a key focus of my administration, and generations of Ohioans will benefit from the improvements that will be realized by removing the Gorge Dam,” said Governor DeWine. “This project will return the Cuyahoga River to a free-flowing river from Kent to the mouth of Lake Erie, will vastly improve water quality in the Cuyahoga River, and will pave the way for recreation, tourism, and economic development opportunities in this area."

Click here for a video detailing the Cuyahoga Falls Gorge Dam project

Also on Friday, Lt. Governor Jon Husted provided remarks at Economic Development 411, the One Columbus Annual Meeting, which focused on economic development in the Columbus Region and what is to come in the new year.

Lastly on Friday, Lt. Governor Husted made stops in Greenville and Dayton. 

In Greenville, Lt. Governor Husted provided remarks at the Darke County Chamber's Annual “State of the State” Luncheon about the current state and outlook of Ohio’s economy and workforce environment.

In Dayton, Lt. Governor Husted toured Millennium Reign Energy (MRE) who designs, manufactures and sells scalable self-contained hydrogen fueling appliances to help develop the hydrogen energy infrastructure with “green hydrogen” powered by solar, wind, hydroelectric or geothermal electricity or power from the grid. MRE already has installations in the USA and several countries.