www.thecentersquare.com – By J.D. Davidson | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-06-03 10:23:00
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is referring evidence of voter fraud to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and attorneys general in seven other states for prosecution. LaRose identified potential fraud involving 30 noncitizen registrations and 11 instances of double voting across Ohio, Virginia, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, South Carolina, and Washington, D.C. These findings emerged from reviews of the Ohio Voter Registration Database. LaRose emphasized the importance of upholding election integrity and announced referrals based on investigations by the Public Integrity Division’s Election Integrity Unit, which he established in 2022. He cannot prosecute but sends cases to relevant authorities.
(The Center Square) – Secretary of State Frank LaRose is sending evidence of voter fraud to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and attorneys general in seven other states for prosecution.
LaRose announced Tuesday he found potential fraud in noncitizen registration and double votes in Ohio, Virginia, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, South Carolina and Washington, D.C.
The accusations came during ongoing reviews of the Ohio Voter Registration Database with state and federal information. He said he found evidence of 30 noncitizen registrations in Ohio and 11 people who voted in Ohio, the other seven states, and Washington, D.C.
“We must send a clear message that election fraud won’t be tolerated,” LaRose said. “The only way to maintain Ohio’s high standard of election integrity is to enforce the law whenever it’s broken. Through the investigations of our Public Integrity Division’s Election Integrity Unit, we are rooting out lawbreakers so we can bring accountability and justice.”
LaRose established the nation’s first Public Integrity Division in 2022. It consolidated several of the secretary of state’s investigation efforts, including campaign finance reporting, voting system certification, voter registration integrity, the investigation of election law violations, data retention and transparency and cybersecurity protocols.
LaRose can investigate but not prosecute. He must refer potential crimes to the attorney general or local district attorneys.
Since 2019, LaRose has referred hundreds of incidents for prosecution.
“Critics of Ohio’s election integrity efforts may try to minimize the significance of these referrals, as though some small amount of election crime is acceptable,” LaRose wrote in a letter to Yost. “Even one illegal vote can spoil the outcome of an election for the citizenry at large, whether it be a school levy, majority control of a legislative chamber, or even a statewide election contest. Just this last election, a single vote in Licking County decided the outcome of a local levy after the final certified count.”
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
The article primarily reports on actions taken by Secretary of State Frank LaRose regarding alleged voter fraud investigations. While it focuses on a topic often emphasized by conservative political figures—election integrity and voter fraud—the tone and language largely relay LaRose’s statements and initiatives without overt editorializing or inflammatory language. The content highlights concerns about election fraud and the enforcement of election laws, which aligns with center-right priorities. However, the article does not explicitly advocate for a political ideology or include partisan commentary; it mainly presents the official’s claims and responses. Thus, the piece leans center-right in its subject matter and framing but maintains a factual, straightforward reporting style without overt bias.
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump rejected an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, fearing it would escalate the conflict and destabilize the region. Israel reportedly developed a credible plan, but Trump’s administration opposed it to avoid broadening the conflict amid ongoing Israeli strikes and Iranian retaliation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu avoided confirming the rejection and denied reports about the assassination plot. Trump warned Iran against attacking U.S. targets, promising severe retaliation if attacked, while expressing hope for a peace deal. U.S. officials and GOP lawmakers are divided on the extent of U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict.
More than three months after McDowell County placed its Department of Social Services (DSS) director Bobbie Sigmon and child protective services manager Lakeisha Feaster on paid leave, details about internal issues remain limited. A state letter revealed McDowell DSS failed to notify law enforcement of child abuse evidence and violated state policies, also neglecting required face-to-face visits and risk assessments. After nearly four months on leave, both Sigmon and Feaster resigned. Interim director Ashley Wooten is overseeing operations as the county considers restructuring social services, potentially consolidating departments into a human services agency, which may eliminate the traditional DSS director role.
by Lucas Thomae, Carolina Public Press June 16, 2025
More than three months after McDowell County placed its Department of Social Services director on leave, officials have kept quiet about upheaval inside the office responsible for child welfare and a range of other public services. A letter obtained by Carolina Public Press revealed that McDowell DSS failed to alert law enforcement to evidence of child abuse — and violated other state policies, too.
County commissioners placed former McDowell DSS director Bobbie Sigmon and child protective services program manager Lakeisha Feaster on paid administrative leave during a special session meeting on Feb. 3. Another child protective services supervisor resigned the following week.
County Commissioner Tony Brown told local news media at the time that the county initiated an investigation into its DSS office and the state was involved, but did not provide any details about the cause for the investigation. County commissioners haven’t spoken publicly about the matter since.
That Feb. 21 letter, sent by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services to Brown and county manager Ashley Wooten, offered previously undisclosed details about issues at the DSS office.
State letter details DSS missteps
According to the letter, McDowell County reached out to the state with concerns that its DSS office hadn’t been notifying law enforcement when evidence of abuse and neglect was discovered in child welfare cases.
The letter didn’t say how or when the county first became aware of the problem, but District Attorney Ted Bell told CPP that he had “raised issues” with the county about DSS prior to Sigmon and Feaster being put on leave. Bell’s office was not involved with the investigation into McDowell DSS.
The state sent members of its Child Welfare Regional Specialists Team to look into the claim. Their findings confirmed that McDowell DSS had failed in multiple instances to alert law enforcement to cases of abuse.
Additionally, the state identified several recent child welfare cases in which social workers failed to consistently meet face to face with children or adequately provide safety and risk assessments in accordance with state policy.
“Next steps will include determining how to work with (McDowell DSS) to remediate the service gaps identified in the case reviews,” the letter concluded.
However, that nearly four-month-old correspondence is the state’s “most recent engagement” with McDowell DSS, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services told CPP last week.
Sometimes the state will initiate a “corrective action plan” when it finds a county DSS office in violation of state policy. If a county fails to follow through on its corrective action plan, the state may strip the DSS director of authority and assume control of the office.
Just last month, the state took over Vance County DSS when it failed to show improvement after starting a corrective action plan.
The state hasn’t taken similar measures in McDowell.
McDowell considers DSS overhaul
Wooten has served as the interim DSS director in Sigmon’s absence. He told CPP that Sigmon and Feaster resigned “to seek employment elsewhere” on May 31, after nearly four months of paid leave.
That Sigmon and Feaster resigned, rather than being fired, leaves open the possibility that they may continue to work in DSS agencies elsewhere in North Carolina. CPP reported in 2022 on counties’ struggles to hire and retain qualified social workers and social services administrators.
Wooten would oversee the hiring of a new DSS director if the commissioners choose to replace Sigmon, but the county is considering an overhaul to its social services structure that may eliminate the director position entirely.
The restructure would consolidate social services and other related departments into one human services agency, Wooten said. The county may not hire a new DSS director in that case, but instead seek someone to lead an umbrella agency that would absorb the duties of a traditional social services department.
A 2012 state law changed statute to allow smaller counties to form consolidated human services agencies, which are typically a combination of public health and social services departments.
County DSS directors across the state opposed such a change to state statute at the time, but county managers and commissioners mostly supported it, according to a report commissioned by the General Assembly.
At least 25 counties moved to a consolidated human services model in the decade since the law was passed.
McDowell shares a regional public health department with Rutherford County, so it’s unclear what a consolidated human services agency there might look like. Statute does not define “human services” so it’s up to the county what to include in a consolidated agency.
Wooten told CPP that no decisions about such a transition have been made.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
This article from Carolina Public Press focuses on administrative failures within McDowell County’s Department of Social Services, relying on official documents, quotes from public officials, and a chronological recounting of events. It avoids emotionally charged language and refrains from assigning blame beyond documented actions or policies. The piece does not advocate for a specific political solution or frame the story through an ideological lens, instead presenting the issue as a matter of public accountability and governance. Its tone is investigative and factual, reflecting a commitment to journalistic neutrality and transparency without promoting a partisan viewpoint.
SUMMARY: A man posing as a police officer fatally shot former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and wounded Sen. John Hoffman in politically motivated attacks. Authorities identified the suspect as Vance Boelter, a former state appointee and security contractor. Armed and on the run, Boelter left writings referencing abortion-rights lawmakers and carried “No Kings” flyers. His vehicle held multiple AK-style weapons. The FBI is offering a \$50,000 reward. The shootings, amid rising political violence, prompted enhanced security for lawmakers. Governor Tim Walz called it an assassination, while President Trump condemned the violence. Hortman and Hoffman had championed progressive policies in Minnesota.
