COLUMBUS – Gov. Ted Strickland said Friday he’s ending the practice of having a state plane flown from one Columbus airport to another, a semi-regular practice his office had defended as a way for him to get more work done. Following news reports Thursday and Friday, Strickland ordered his staff to stop scheduling departures from [...]

CINCINNATI – Two military fighter jets apparently flew higher than allowed and came so close to a commercial flight over southern Ohio this week that they triggered a cockpit alarm in the commuter plane, authorities said Friday. Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 5202, a 70-seat commuter jet, was flying from Cleveland to Atlanta on Thursday when [...]

ST. MARYS – Community leaders are raising money to help clean up pollution in Ohio’s largest inland lake, which officials and activists say has been hurt by toxic algae caused by contaminants such as fertilizer and manure from nearby farms. Residents and community supporters around the Grand Lake St. Marys, which sits between Toledo and [...]

Jogger on wrong side of road hit by car WELLINGTON TWP. – A man was LifeFlighted to MetroHealth Medical Center after he was hit by a car while jogging Friday morning on Quarry Road south of state Route 18, according to the Wellington Fire Department and the Ohio Highway Patrol. David Gwinn, 31, of Wellington [...]

CLEVELAND – A doctor accused of lacing his wife’s calcium supplement with cyanide so he could be with his mistress was convicted Friday of aggravated murder. The jury heard weeks of testimony before returning the verdict against Dr. Yazeed Essa, 41. His wife, Rosemarie Essa, collapsed while driving Feb. 24, 2005, and crashed her car [...]

NORTH RIDGEVILLE – The city’s police officers and firefighters say they want a new contract and a raise, but their chances of seeing even slightly fatter paychecks hinge on three replacement levies this May. City officials are beginning to discuss budget requests with police, fire and other departments, but serious contract talks will be on [...]

ELYRIA – A former Lorain Correctional Institution corrections officer pleaded no contest Friday to theft in office for lying about time off to serve with the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Prosecutors argued in court documents that Marvin Vaughn, 38, was paid by the state for his military leave, but never showed up for military duty [...]

ELYRIA – The United States must keep innovating to compete in a world economy, Lorain native Josue “Joe” Robles told a crowd at Lorain County Community College on Friday. China expects to graduate 600,000 engineers this year and India about 300,000, while America “will be lucky” if we graduate 10,000 engineers, said Robles, who spent [...]

VERMILION – Thirty-four employees won’t have jobs with the Vermilion Schools next school year. The cuts are the first part of the district’s ambitious plan to save an estimated $4 million in each of the next two years to stave off projected deficits. The plan also calls for shrinking the district from four to three [...]

COLUMBUS – Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich praised a western Ohio lawmaker last February who had a plan to repeal Ohio’s income tax over 10 years. But Kasich has been careful not to embrace the timeline laid out in the tax plan pushed by state Rep. John Adams since he announced his candidacy for governor [...]