COLUMBUS — Minority Democrats in the Ohio House want to put an end to what they see as the mischief lawmakers cause just after elections, when lawmakers rush to vote on bills knowing they won’t have to face voters for another two years. The proposed constitutional amendment would stop lame-duck sessions after a general election [...]

CINCINNATI — A veterinarian who doubles as a legislator is pushing for changes in the state’s animal protection laws to keep pets out of the hands of neglectful owners. Republican Rep. Shawn Webster of Hamilton wants a law to prohibit judges from returning dogs to irresponsible owners. Webster wants to amend legislation that requires a [...]

CLEVELAND — A construction plan approved by the Cleveland School District is at least a year behind schedule and facing budget overruns because of skyrocketing costs, a newspaper reported Saturday. The report by the Bond Accountability Commission, which oversees implementation of the district’s master plan, was obtained by The Plain Dealer. The report was scheduled [...]

COLUMBUS — Saul Schottenstein, the co-founder of Value City Department Stores Inc. whose family had donated millions to medical research and Jewish charities, died Saturday. He was 85. Schottenstein died at 4:50 a.m. at Mount Carmel East Hospital in Columbus, nursing supervisor Lee Ann Williams said. He had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for nearly [...]

CINCINNATI — A woman accused of fatally shooting a panhandler who asked her for 25 cents had a permit to carry a concealed weapon, authorities said. Geraldine Beasley, 62, also paid a fine for unlawfully transporting a firearm in 2003, but the charge was not serious enough to prevent her from getting the concealed weapon [...]

PAINESVILLE — A Northeast Ohio man who served 18 months in prison for a drunken-driving accident that left a teenager paralyzed may face a charge that the accident eventually killed the victim. James Dye, 46, surrendered to Lake County authorities on Friday — eight years to the day since he struck Rob Arnold, then 14, [...]