Ohio Governor Mike DeWine Week in Review
For the week ending March 21, 2025
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) are proud to share Ohio’s 76th state park, Great Council State Park, has been honored by Midwest Living as part of the “2025 Best of the Midwest Travel Awards.” The awards are selected by the publication’s editors and recognize 25 of the most significant openings and revitalizations of the past year. Great Council State Park is being recognized in the list's Outdoors category.
“Great Council State Park tells an important part of Ohio’s story honoring the first Ohioans who lived here,” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. “Fran and I grew up nearby in Yellow Springs learning about the Shawnee and hearing about their stories, which makes this park very special to us. I am thrilled so many visitors have already experienced the park, and I hope future generations will continue to learn about the significance of this land and the people who first called it home.”
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Governor DeWine announced the reappointment of Linda S. Bailiff of Granville (Licking Co.) as Director of the Ohio Public Works Commission for a term beginning March 19, 2025, and ending March 18, 2029.
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
 Governor DeWine and Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, MBA, detailed plans for a new pilot program aiming to improve the dental health of school-age children in areas of need across Ohio.
Governor DeWine first announced the Ohio Children’s Dental Services Pilot Program during his 2025 State of the State Address last week.
In 2023, nearly two-thirds (64%) of school-age children on Medicaid did not have a single dental visit all year, and among all Ohio children last school year, nearly one in five (19%) had at least one untreated cavity. Poor dental health has been shown to negatively impact children in the classroom, causing students to struggle with focus, socialize less, fall behind on their homework, and miss school more often.
“Poor dental health can make it hard for a child to eat, sleep, or even talk – let alone learn,” Governor DeWine said during his address. “It’s clear that many Ohio children have untreated, serious dental problems that follow them into adulthood. We must step up for these children.”
Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Tressel sent a letter to the USDA requesting support for Ohio poultry producers affected by avian flu, specifically to backdate the effective date of USDA's indemnification program. Since December 2024, 74 premises in Ohio have had confirmed detections of the virus, resulting in the depopulation of more than 15.5 million commercial and backyard poultry.
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Governor DeWine announced the appointment of Katherine Terpstra to the Clermont County Municipal Court.
Terpstra, of Cincinnati, will assume office on April 7, 2025, and will be taking the seat formerly held by Judge Jason Nagel. Terpstra will serve the remainder of the unfinished term and will need to run for election in November 2025 to retain the seat.
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Thursday, March 20, 2025
Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine celebrated 20 million books mailed to Ohio children from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio by hosting a book reading at the Greene County Public Library in Beavercreek.
 “When Mike first ran for Governor, I knew I wanted to bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Ohio so every family could have access to the program’s high-quality, age-appropriate, free books,” said First Lady DeWine. “With financial support from the Ohio General Assembly, our program has grown from only being available in pockets of Ohio to currently reaching 70% of households with children under the age of 5.”
Friday, March 21, 2025
 Governor DeWine attended the graduation ceremony for the Ohio State Highway Patrol's 175th academy class.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Dan Tierney: 614-644-0957
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