Budget-cut concerns sparking protests

DAYTON (AP) — Supporters of the Ohio Historical Society, concerned about proposed budget cuts, staged protests Tuesday aiming to pressure lawmakers to restore funding.

Demonstrations called “flash mobs” — in which people assemble, protest and quickly disperse — took place on the streets of Cincinnati and the Toledo suburb of Perrysburg. Another is scheduled in Cleveland today.

Some demonstrators carried signs that said, “Don’t Let History Die.” Society employees were among the demonstrators.

William Laidlaw Jr., the society’s executive director, said the version of the two-year state spending plan that the Ohio Senate approved reduces the society’s budget to around $10 million, compared with the $12 million Gov. Ted Strickland included for it in his budget proposal.