Karen Kasler
Bureau ChiefContact Karen at 614-578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.
Karen Kasler grew up in Lancaster, attended Otterbein College in Westerville, and found her professional break at WCBE-FM in Columbus. Karen was selected as a Fellow in the Kiplinger Master's Degree Program for Mid-Career Journalists at Ohio State University in 1994. She worked at WTVN-AM and WBNS-TV, both in Columbus, then for eight years was the afternoon drive anchor and assignment editor for WTAM-AM, Cleveland.
Since returning to Columbus in 2004, Karen has covered major elections and the controversies surrounding them. She served as moderator for the Ohio Debate Commission's Republican US Senate debate in 2022, its Supreme Court debate in 2020 and its gubernatorial debate in 2018. She was also a moderator or panelist for US Senate debates for the last four Senatorial elections and for a gubernatorial debate in 2006. She's also led debates and discussions on statewide issues such as drug sentencing, marijuana legalization, redistricting and the collective bargaining law known as Senate Bill 5. Each year she anchors the Bureau's live coverage of the Governor's State of the State, and has led coverage of the inaugurations of the last three governors.
She's produced features for NPR and "Marketplace", and has been interviewed by NPR, the BBC, CBS, NBC and stations around the country. She's a regular panelist on ideastream's "The Sound of Ideas" and a frequent guest on WOSU-TV’s “Columbus on the Record”, WOSU-FM's "All Sides with Ann Fisher" and WVXU's "Cincinnati Edition".
Karen has been honored by the Cleveland Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Association of Capitol Editors and Reporters, and holds a National Headliner Award. She's won several awards from the Ohio AP, and is a four-time winner of the AP's Best Broadcast Writing award. She's a three-time Emmy nominee for "The State of Ohio". She's a past president of the Ohio Associated Press and has served on the Board of Directors for the Central Ohio Society of Professional Journalists. Karen is also a former adjunct professor at Capital University in Columbus.
Karen, her husband and their son Jack live on Columbus' northeast side.
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House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) has removed six Republicans from the committees they chaired, after they donated to Republican challengers in March's primary.
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Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is walking a fine line over protests supporting Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas war as he faces a tough re-election bid.
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A judge has extended an order blocking House Bill 68, a statewide ban on gender-affirming treatment for minors and on trans athletes competing in girls’ sports in Ohio, at least until May 20.
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The main sponsor of Senate Bill 83 said he's pleased with the way Ohio State's administration handled the protests, but he floated the possibility of legislation to deal with protests in the future.
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New rules from the US Environmental Protection Agency require them to reduce 90% of climate-change causing emissions by 2039, which will affect the four coal burning power plants in Ohio.
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After decades of efforts to change a provision of state law shielding people who rape their spouses from prosecution, the Ohio Senate has voted unanimously to remove that loophole.
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Parole officers deal with convicted felons, carry firearms, serve warrants and make arrests, but the state’s pension system doesn’t consider them law enforcement officers, who require fewer years of service to retire.
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State legislators have until May 9 to change a law that could keep President Joe Biden off the Ohio ballot this fall, but the Republican leader of the Ohio Senate says Biden's name will be there.
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The Ohio Supreme Court ruled 5-2 on a lawsuit from a now-retired journalist who filed requests for that data while tracking COVID in 2020 and 2021.
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Now that winter is over, road construction season is underway in Ohio, with nearly a thousand projects planned this year.