Does OSU Oval need to be licensed?

I wonder where the limit might be in terms of Ohio State University proprietary licensing (“OSU goal: Protect the Oval,” Dispatch article, Wednesday). Already with the names Woody Hayes, Urban Meyer and Brutus Buckeye sharing equal licensing status — a fair and reasonable equality — we now see that the name of a piece of campus geography, The Oval, is being licensed.

I think it goes without saying that beyond I-270 no one would recognize much less care to buy something attached with that moniker. Already having sued Cincinnati’s Horseshoe Casino for using the name “The Shoe” for a concert, I wonder if the university should consider an infringement against The Golden Horseshoe Casino in London or perhaps against the author of the book “The Golden Horseshoe.”

Now the university will enter new groundbreaking legal turf, and could justify a lawsuit against drink mix Ovaltine for its sins of non-Buckeye financial recognition.

John Thomas Pickerington during the recent fires in the Midwest.

The article estimated that 3,500 cattle died from these fires, and the ones that lived had to be put down. This number does not include how many other wildlife died, but coyotes were among the victims.

The public should realize that people are not the only ones affected — horses, dogs, cattle and wildlife — cannot get in cars and drive away. They are stuck to die horrible deaths in fear and pain. introduce numerous bills that enhance, expand, and create criminal penalties. So many, in fact, that the ACLU of Ohio has recently published a report, Ohio’s Statehouse-to-Prison Pipeline, outlining every bill that fits this mold.

Still in its infancy, this session has seen lawmakers introduce dozens of bills, a handful focusing on harsher drug sentencing. These bills follow the same failed, counterproductive approach we have seen for more than 30 years.

Quickly moving through the General Assembly right now are House Bill 4, Senate Bill 1 and Senate Bill 42, which “triple down” on the failed “War on Drugs.” All create harsher penalties when drugs are mixed with other substances. For instance, if a person is arrested with three grams of cocaine mixed with seven grams of baking soda, that person will get charged with possession of 10 grams of cocaine.

Misguided bills like these will undoubtedly send more Ohioans to our overcrowded prisons and jails, exacerbating Ohio’s mass incarceration problem. HB 4, SB 1, and SB 42 further criminalize drug use, a tactic proven ineffective at every turn. It is time we started handling addiction as a publichealth issue, with treatment and education. Let’s end this senseless and failed approach and focus on rehabilitation, not incarceration.

Gary Daniels Chief lobbyist ACLU of Ohio Columbus