Free Republic

Doctor's Help Sought in Failed Ohio Execution Try THE ASSOCIATED PRESS November 24, 2009 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- As an Ohio execution team tried to find a vein during an unsuccessful lethal injection attempt, prison staff sought help from a doctor -- a move generally discouraged by ethical and professional medical rules -- federal court papers show. Dr. Carmelita Bautista said in a deposition filed in U.S. District Court that she had never before been involved in an execution. ''No, because I am a doctor,'' she tells a lawyer questioning her. ''We are supposed to help people who are sick....

KENT, Ohio - Fox 8 News has learned that a Kent State student who had been hospitalized in critical condition after a brutal attack, has died. According to the Kent State Police Department, Chris Kernich passed away around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, at Akron City Hospital. Police say the 23-year-old the was walking home on East Main Street with two friends early Sunday morning, when they were nearly run over by a car. Witnesses say one of the students yelled to the driver "watch what you're doing". Police say the car then pulled ahead of Chris Kernich and his friends, and...

A Latino group is asking a judge to prevent state officials from canceling the registrations of more than 40,000 vehicles apparently driven by undocumented immigrants. The League of United Latin American Citizens filed the lawsuit against state officials in Franklin County Common Pleas Court this morning. The legal action comes two weeks before the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles plans to revoke the potentially fraudulently obtained license plates of those who cannot provide proof of legal U.S. residency. The lawsuit, which seeks a preliminary injunction to prevent the state from canceling registrations effective Dec. 8, claims the move is an...

CLEVELAND (AP)—Former Seattle and Green Bay coach Mike Holmgren is interested in working for the struggling Cleveland Browns. Holmgren said on his weekly radio show on Seattle’s KJR that he has not yet spoken to Browns owner Randy Lerner, who is looking for a “serious, credible leader” football authority to run his struggling team. However, Holmgren did indicate he would welcome the chance to take on a rebuilding project like the 1-8 Browns. “It takes a tremendous amount of energy, but there is a certain appeal there,” the 61-year-old Holmgren. “There’s something in my personality, too, that taking on those...

Thrilled with twin victories this month, Republican governors are looking to lead a party-wide resurgence in 2010 and shape the GOP for years to come. Republicans boast of a strong crop of gubernatorial candidates who could be future party leaders, $25 million in the bank a year before the elections and a difficult environment for Democrats, particularly in financially ailing swing-voting states like Ohio and Iowa. "Next year's going to be a good year for Republican governors," predicted Haley Barbour, Mississippi's governor and chairman of the Republican Governors Association. "In states where there are Republican governors, people can see if...

Stefanie Spielman has died after fighting cancer publicly and relentlessly for more than a decade. The breast-cancer advocate and wife of former football star Chris Spielman died at 6:15 p.m. this evening at her Upper Arlington home in the wake of her fifth bout with the disease. The mother of four was 42. Considering it her life mission to raise money and awareness for the disease, Spielman in 1998 established the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research. "I know there's a reason God gave me breast cancer, and I'm supposed to do something with it," she said that year....

<p>Contact your Senators and let them know what you think!</p> <p>U.S. veterans or subsidies for United Nations (U.N.) bureaucracy.</p>

Sarah Palin is having a book signing at Borders Books on Sawmill from 6:00 PM to 9:00 AM on Friday, 11-20-09.After reading about the crowds in Michigan and the need for wristbands to get a book signed, I called Borders Books in Columbus on Sawmill - here's the deal:No books signed without a wristband, and proof that the book came from Borders or Waldens.Wristbands become available Friday morning at 10:00 AM.1 wristband is good for 2 people with 1 book each.The lady advised me to come in and buy the books today, because she doesn't think they will have enough....

Supreme Court upholds felony conviction of man who smashed cell phone during assault Wednesday, November 18, 2009 9:58 AM By Darrel Rowland THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Smashing a cell phone can be legally equivalent to flattening the tires of ambulance speeding to an emergency, a unanimous Ohio Supreme Court ruled this morning. Both are potential violations of an Ohio law against disrupting public service said the justices in a first-of-its-kind ruling. Raynell Robinson of Marysville was convicted of the fourth-degree felony for destroying a personal cell phone being used by his nephew, Antonio Robinson, to summon help after Raynell had assaulted...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Rifqa Bary’s custody battle is now in the hands of the Columbus, Ohio, court system. She will make her first court appearance there next month. The 17-year-old ran away from home after her Muslim parents discovered she had become a Christian. Her story has gained international attention, and on Monday, supporters filled the Columbus court house square to make sure it is not forgotten. More than 100 people filled the square outside the Columbus Juvenile Court to show support for Rifqa Bary, whom most have never met. Nonie Darwish traveled from Los Angeles. What will be Bary’s...

Activists hold 'Rally for Rifqa' outside courthouse Monday, November 16, 2009 1:47 PM By Meredith Heagney The Columbus Dispatch Across the street from the courthouse where Fathima Rifqa Bary's fate is to be decided, about 120 people gathered today to pray for her and rally against Islam. They were bloggers, Christian activists and friends of the 17-year-old Northeast Side girl who said her father would kill her for converting from Islam to Christianity. The girl, who goes by Rifqa, ran away to Florida in July and was returned to the custody of Franklin County Children Services late last month. She...

Um, you've got the wrong state, Boss. Legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen made an onstage geography goof Friday when he bellowed "Hello, Ohio!" to adoring fans at the Auburn Hills Palace -- in Michigan. The "Born in the USA" crooner referred to the neighboring state several times before trusty E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt whispered their actual location into his ear.

COLUMBUS — Ohio taxpayers are right in the middle of the civil rights lawsuit that Samuel Joseph — “Joe the Plumber” — Wurzelbacher has filed against three former state employees, charging that they illegally accessed his confidential information through state databases. Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray’s office is defending former state employees Helen Jones-Kelley, Douglas Thompson and Fred Williams. All have denied wrongdoing and asked that the case, filed last March in U.S. District Court in Columbus, be dismissed. Jones-Kelley was director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Williams was the department’s assistant director and Thompson the...

The 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals has sided with Cleveland in the city's fight to enforce its illegal local gun control ordinances. A three judge panel has declared that Ohio R.C 9.68 - which became law in 2007 with passage of HB347 to preempt local gun control and ensure statewide uniformity of gun laws - is unconstitutional. Judge Colleen Conway-Cooney, Democrat facing re-election in 2010, Ann Dyke, Democrat facing re-election in 2010, and Melody Stewart, Democrat facing re-election in 2012, reversed a lower court's decision to uphold the law. Dyke was elected to the appellate court in 1987, after...

Cleveland automobile dealer Tom Ganley (R) is airing a statewide television ad to introduce himself to the primary voters who will decide whether he or former Rep. Rob Portman should be the party’s nominee in a key open-seat Senate race next year. The 60-second ad touts Ganley’s business background and takes an anti-Washington tone, with a narrator saying that Ganley’s 47-year career of creating jobs and balancing budgets amounts to “hard work the Washington politicians don’t understand.” Ganley speaks only at the end of the ad, in a required disclaimer approving the commercial. “To help create jobs for Ohio, Tom...

For the first time, Republican Rob Portman is inching ahead of the two Democrats in the 2010 race for Ohio's U.S. Senate seat, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Also for the first time, Ohio voters disapprove 50 – 45 percent of the job President Barack Obama is doing, down from his 53 – 42 percent approval September 16 and 49 – 44 percent approval July 7. In still another first, voters are split 40 – 40 percent on who is doing a better job handling health care, the President or Congressional Republicans, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh- pe-ack)...

Earlier this year, many Ohioans (especially in the northern part of the state) heard the name "Rob Portman" and said, "Who?" Now some are saying, "Rob Portman, next U.S. senator from the great state of Ohio." It is way too early to predict winners and losers in next November's election. But Portman has scored a symbolic victory by surging ahead in the latest Quinnipiac University political poll of registered voters in Ohio. If the election were held today, Portman would get 39 percent of the vote to Lee Fisher's 36 percent.

Visits by two men, claiming to be Homeland Security employees, have Middletown officials raising a lot of questions. Police say one man, who was armed and wearing a Homeland Security badge, entered Mayfield Elementary School yesterday morning, before the start of class. Officials say he and another man, also wearing a similar badge, had been to an apartment complex earlier looking for a suspect. At the school, the man claiming to be an agent, asked the principal whether a particular street was within the school's attendance area.

86-year-old World War II veteran Joseph Robertson fought for the Allies at the Battle of the Bulge, Hitler’s last major offensive. Amidst fierce combat and harsh winter weather, both the Germans and the Allies suffered heavy casualties. But Mr. Robertson has never been able to forget one young soldier he killed there. In July 2005, he shared this memory with son-in-law John Fish, Jr. at a StoryCorps MobileBooth in Columbus, Ohio.

The search for victims of a suspected serial killer is expanding far beyond his Ohio home and yard, where police have found the remains of at least 11 people. The FBI is reviewing its national database of unsolved crimes for any clues to possible connections to Anthony Sowell, particularly at locations where he served in the military, said Scott Wilson, an FBI spokesman in Cleveland.

Economic woes in the Buckeye State put Gov. Ted Strickland in a vulnerable position for 2010, a new Quinnipiac Poll (1,123 RVs, 11/5-9, +/- 2.9%) finds. General Election Matchup Strickland (D) 40 (-6 vs. last poll, 9/15) Kasich (R) 40 (+4) Don't Know 18 (+3)

Demand for private jets is way down and NetJets will lay off almost 500 pilots as a result -- almost 20% of its staff of 3,000 pilots. because of a decrease in demand. NetJets is a unit of investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) is planning a second anti-health care reform Tea Party at the Capitol -- this one scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday -- approximately the time when the House is due to vote on Democrats' public option bill, POLITICO's Jake Sherman reports. King and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) organized a rally Thursday that drew thousands to the west front of the Capitol, drawing chants of “Kill the Bill.” There were a handful of arrests. “We can kill this bill and stop the government takeover of health care,” King said in a news release. “We need the help of...

Republicans will enact the health reform proposal they unveiled this week if they take back the House, Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) pledged Thursday. Appearing on the Republican National Committee's (RNC) online town hall, Boehner and other House and Senate leaders said they sensed momentum behind GOP efforts to halt Democratic health reform legislation, which is set for a vote on Saturday. "If we get in the majority after the election, I plan to enact our healthcare plan," Boehner said during the town hall.

This evening, CBO released a preliminary analysis of a substitute amendment to H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, proposed by Representative John Boehner, the Republican Leader in the House of Representatives. CBO and the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) estimate that the amendment would reduce federal deficits by $68 billion over the 2010-2019 period; it would also slightly reduce federal budget deficits in the following decade, relative to those projected under current law, with a total effect during that decade that is in a broad range between zero and one-quarter percent of gross domestic...

An armed Columbus, OH home invader was fatally shot in self defense by one of his victims. Police say that several people were inside a home on Northglen Drive when an armed home invader and at least one accomplice rushed in through the door and threatened the lives of those present. One of the victims reportedly grabbed his self defense handgun and shot one of the armed robbers in self defense. Police arrived to find one home invader lying dead on the living room floor, and another suspect hiding in a bathroom. The surviving suspect was apprehended, and police say...

Note: The following text is a quote: Hamilton Man Sentenced to 30 Months' Imprisonment for Threatening to Bomb Cincinnati Airport and Other Cincinnati-Area Landmarks CINCINNATI—Frederick D. Purvis, 43, of Hamilton, was sentenced in United States District Court here today to 30 months' imprisonment for a series of messages he sent in November, 2008 in which he threatened to blow up seven Cincinnati-area landmarks including the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. He was also sentenced to serve six years of supervised release after his prison term. Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, James A. Zerhusen, United...

WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Joined by an unlikely ally, Terrell Yarbrough's lawyer fought for his client's life on Wednesday, one day after the Pittsburgh man was found guilty of killing Franciscan University students Aaron Land and Brian Muha. The Washington County jury that convicted Yarbrough of first-degree murder and conspiracy is trying to decide if the 29-year-old East Liberty man should be put to death or spend the rest of his life in prison. Dr. David Hammer testified on Wednesday that Yarbrough was born to a drug-addicted mother who was high while pregnant. As a result, Yarbrough's I.Q., social behavior and...

Sarah Palin will be at the Joseph Beth Booksellers in the Rookwood Plaza on November 20, 2009. The time is still tentative, but the bookseller will make a future announcement.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Outraged by public corruption and economic woes, Cuyahoga County voted Tuesday to dramatically restructure a government that dates back 200 years. The historic 2-to-1 vote in favor of Issue 6 pushes Ohio's largest county into an era of change and reflects the public's hopes for honesty and a new prosperity. "The need for change has been clear for years, but the status quo dies hard," said State Sen. Nina Turner of Cleveland, an Issue 6 backer. While passing Issue 6, voters rejected a competing reform proposal, known as Issue 5, which was backed by some of the...

Life long Democrat candidate Keith Wilkowski Former county commissioner, Law Director, etc, etc) loses to Independent Candidate Michael Bell (Former Toledo Fire Chief and OH State Fire Marshall) by over 3,100 votes. State Democrat party gave Keith $90,000 for advertising and 2 ACORN volunteers that arrived Sunday from CA To Toledoans, this is as huge as the Corzine/Christie race

ST. CLAIRSVILLE,OHIO -- We the People - Ohio Valley sponsored a rally that attracted more than a thousand people to the steps of the Belmont County Courthouse. The purpose of the voter rally was to remind voters of the importance of the Congressional midterm election in 2010., and to refocus on some of the important issues that face us today. The rally featured patriotic music and motivational speeches.

Polls in Ohio and Kentucky are now closed. Go here for the latest results as they come in. Pike County, Ky. Lawrence County, Ohio Ohio Amendments Meigs County, Ohio Athens County, Ohio Scioto County, Ohio Gallia County, Ohio Vinton County, Ohio Jackson County, Ohio �

More body bags were reportedly taken from the backyard of the Ohio home of convicted sexual predator Anthony Sowell on Tuesday, Fox 8 Cleveland reported. Sowell's neighbors have said they complained for years about a foul smell coming from an area near his house, Fox 8 Cleveland reported. Now a Cleveland city councilman wants to launch an investigation into whether police and health inspectors failed to pick up on any signs that could have led them to the six bodies around Sowell's house any sooner.

Athens County authorities are investigating whether local Democratic Party officials illegally offered a $5 bounty to Ohio University students to bring friends to the polls today. Susan Gwinn, the county party chairwoman, said this morning that such a plan was discussed with members of the OU College Democrats, but that no agreement was reached. The county party agreed to pay some students for get-out-the-vote efforts, but "this whole idea that somebody was paying people to vote is ridiculous," she said. The flap surfaced when Kellie Galan, vice president of the college Democrats, sent out an e-mail on Friday urging students...

The Obama administration announced Friday that federal stimulus money had created or saved about 7,200 education jobs in Ohio as of Sept. 30. Although a couple of hundred of those jobs were in Columbus City Schools, the district acknowledged yesterday that many of the "saved" jobs definitely wouldn't have been lost in the first place, and others might not have been lost at all. Although other areas of the district's budget might have suffered without the stimulus, district officials said, the jobs report nonetheless highlighted the fuzzy math involved in pinpointing a saved-jobs number.

News that the state will cancel the car registrations of possibly thousands of undocumented immigrants has caused panic and created rumors among those living in central Ohio. Before Aug. 24, a loophole in the state Bureau of Motor Vehicle's policy allowed illegal immigrants to register cars in their names by using a power-of-attorney form, even if they didn't have a driver's license. The Ohio Department of Public Safety closed the loophole after delaying a crackdown on possibly fraudulent registrations for more than a year. After The Dispatch reported on the delay, the bureau sent letters at the beginning of October...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- There is a "political rebellion" going on in America that the Republican Party is hoping to speak for, the U.S. House minority leader says. Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, speaking Sunday on CNN's "State of Union," said an incident in which a GOP-endorsed New York congressional candidate withdrew from an election under pressure from Republican conservatives showed that "we're in the middle of a political rebellion going on in America." Boehner said, "This rebellion are by people who really have not been actively involved in the political process. And they don't really care whether you're...

(Oct. 31) -- Police in Cleveland say at least three bodies have been found at the home of a convicted rapist, and they expect to confirm three more. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Anthony Sowell, 50, and a convicted rapist, has been arrested. Police are asking people with missing relatives to bring in items that might offer DNA samples, to help authorities identify the victims. Police spokesman Lt. Thomas Stacho said Saturday that the bodies were found at the home of 50-year-old Anthony Sowell of Cleveland. He says officers have found three bodies and believe they have discovered three...

Funeral services for Arshon Baker, the 5-year-old Cleveland boy who police said died after his mother beat him for tugging on her dress, will be Tuesday at the Highland Church of Christ, 27495 Highland Road, Richmond Heights. The 10 a.m. wake will be followed by a funeral at 10:30. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery in Cleveland. Services were delayed while family members tried to raise money to cover the costs. They have set up the Arshon Baker memorial fund and are asking that donations to help the family be made at any FirstMerit Bank branch. Arshon, a quiet kindergartner...

On October 30, Congressman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota called for people to meet her on the steps of Congress Thursday, November 5 at Noon, to walk the halls and tell our elected officials we don’t want obamacare. Click here to watch Michelle: [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TAskp6q6h8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TAskp6q6h8[/url] We’ve called and faxed until we’re blue in the face. It’s time for us to show up in person. If this monstrosity passes, we can kiss our freedom good-bye. Bus trips and car pools are being organized across the nation. If you are interested in going by bus or car, please send an email to info@bloodofpatriots.org. If...

A search has been launched for a 50-year-old convicted rapist and suspect in the killings of six people whose bodies were found in and around a house in Cleveland, Ohio, police said Friday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Residents of one Ohio city are complaining that police officers are telling them if they're fed up with crime in their neighborhoods they should move out. At least two Columbus city council members have heard the complaint. An aide to Councilwoman Charleta Tavares said she has received more than 20 calls. Councilman Andrew Ginther said if police are making the comments, they're neither acceptable nor appropriate, though he said he believes most officers want to be helpful. A police spokesman said the department addresses the complaints when it's given the name of an officer. A police union...

With Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman running neck and neck with the Democrat in Tuesday’s special election in New York, some other disaffected Republicans are seeing the third-party route as more viable. And it could hurt the Republicans in those races. In Virginia’s 5th district, state Sen. Robert Hurt’s entry into the GOP primary has spurred little-known candidate Bradley Rees to switch to the Virginia Conservative Party. And in Ohio, another GOP primary contender said this week that he’ll run as a Constitution Party candidate. Both will go at the GOP nominees from their right flanks and try to expose...

Video at link.

Ford Motor Co. (F) union members at two Ohio transmission plants handed the auto maker and the United Auto Workers national leadership another defeat. Production and skilled workers at Ford's Sharonville and Batavia transmission plants voted down more cost concessions. A total of 75% of the votes cast were against the changes. The plants are represented by UAW local 863, which reported the results. Seven locals have voted against the changes while four have approved the concessions. Ford has said it needs the contract modifications in order to stay competitive. Opposition has been building as UAW locals near the end...

OREGON, Ohio — A furious Ohio mother says her 7-year-old son, who has had problems with medications, was vaccinated for swine flu at school against her wishes. Kim Lutheran works as a nurse and says her son, Matthew, has had bad reactions to medicine. So, she says she signed for "no consent" on a vaccination form and then circled her intentions with a black marker to make things clear to the boy's public school in the Toledo suburb of Oregon. SNIP Deputy Health Commissioner Larry Vasko says his agency has responded by changing the consent forms, telling parents not to...

Westboro Baptist Church, a Topeka, Kan.-based church known for picketing at the funerals of American troops who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, announced Monday that it would protest at the funeral of Lance Cpl. David Raymond Baker. The funeral for Baker, the 22-year-old Painesville Township Marine who was killed by an improvised explosive device Oct. 20 in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan, is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Zion Lutheran Church in Painesville. Regarding the protest, Painesville police intend to enforce the laws outlined in Ohio Revised Code Section 2917.11, which defines disorderly conduct, Capt. Rick Kline said....

For an editorial promoting fiscal responsibility, The Dispatch overlooked one of the best ways to lower health costs: a public option that competes with private insurers to lower costs and keep the industry honest ("Honest accounting," Oct. 19). The newspaper called the public option "the way for a government takeover of health care," but I ask: A takeover from whom? The two insurance companies that control more than 50 percent of Ohio's health-insurance market? The insurance companies across the nation that deny care based on gender or pre-existing conditions? The insurers that place arbitrary limits on how much medical care...

DAYTON — A woman accused of celebrating her 55th birthday by having sex with a 12-year-old boy pleaded guilty to one count of gross sexual imposition of a person under age 13 on Friday, Oct. 23. Gloria J. Murphy, of 5440 Rawlings Drive, appeared before Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Mary Katherine Huffman, who set sentencing for Dec. 2. The charge is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. Gloria J. Murphy, who uses a walker and an oxygen tube, appeared frail.