Ohio Ends Contract With Group Administering Faith Based Funds

As reported previously, Ohio's new Democratic governor, Ted Strickland, has ordered the state's Inspector General to investigate the operation of the Ohio Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Apparently the group that was under contract to manage $22 million in grants that faith-based organizations could access has refused to answer investigators' questions. ABP reports that this has led state officials to terminate the state's contract with the group, We Care America. The Dayton Daily News Dayton has published an investigative series that discloses ties between the White House and leaders of We Care America. Gov. Strickland, himself an ordained Methodist minister, said: "It just really seems as if this is an example of where money that should've legitimately gone to serve the needs of the poor and vulnerable people in Ohio was in my judgment misused, and it was done in the name of God. It's just reprehensible what happened here." Melissa Rogers' blog has more on the story.