Free Republic

U.S. Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio is leaving open the possibility of not running for re-election in 2010. Voinovich, 72, is thinking about the challenging economic situation in Ohio, the direction of the country, and the best interests of his family, said spokesman Chris Paulitz.

First Jeb drops out, then Kit Bond retires, now this. The lifeboats are filling up awfully fast. In other news, I am hearing rumors coming out of Ohio that Senator Voinovich is seriously considering making an announcement next week that he won’t be running for re-election. According to my sources, Rob Portman would likely be the Republican to replace him. This also opens up the GOP gubernatorial nomination for former Republican Congressman John Kasich. It’s just a rumor, but the Quinnipiac poll taken last month wasn’t exactly encouraging.

Pilot Accused Of Drinking, Replaced On Port Columbus Flight Wednesday, January 7, 2009 5:52 PM Print Story E-mail Story COLUMBUS, Ohio — 10TV News learned on Wednesday that a Southwest Airlines pilot has been placed on paid leave after being accused of drinking before getting on a flight at Port Columbus International Airport. According to a Port Columbus Police report, a passenger approached the pilot on Tuesday afternoon, saying he "smelled and looked drunk," 10TV's Andy Hirsch reported. The pilot then went to a restroom and called off sick, the report said. The pilot told police that he was not...

COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- One man was killed after breaking into an apartment in Colerain Township. According to Hamilton County sheriff's deputies, two men broke into the Burgundy Court Apartments on Rocker Drive just before 11 p.m. Tuesday. The homeowner exchanged gunfire with the two men, shooting one of them multiple times, deputies said. He was taken to University Hospital and pronounced dead a short time later. The other man fled on foot. Deputies said they believe he was also shot and may seek medical attention. The homeowner was not injured in the shooting. Anyone with information about the shooting...

When their son Zachary came home from science class with a cross burned on his forearm It was not the religion that bothered his parents, but the injury to their child. They sued, and brought science v. creationism back into the courts for another round. Teacher John Freshwater and the brand on the arm of his student It was a little over three years ago, on December 20, 2005, that Judge John E. Jones III issued his ruling in Kitzmiller v. Dover that intelligent design was not science, but merely repackaged creationism—and that it had no business in biology class.The...

Electronic unemployment systems in at least three states crashed under the crush of thousands of new claims from unemployed Americans. Along with having trouble keeping up with online filings, state unemployment centers are also swamped with telephone inquiries. The situation has an upside though, some states are hiring workers to deal with the increased workload created by other people losing a job. New York, North Carolina and Ohio ...

It's not uncommon to hear stories of people defending their homes and themselves from intruders-- but when it's a 70-year-old woman, that story is a bit more uncommon. It's exactly what happened in St. Joseph County on Sunday night, after an intruder broke into an elderly woman's home on Portage Road. The woman held the man at gunpoint until police arrived. That man is 28-year-old Cyrus Brown. Brown is being held in jail on a number of charges, including burglary and intimidation. The woman who defended herself is Sandra. She asked us not to use her last name. Newscenter 16...

Springfield, Ohio — Police are investigating a weekend shooting of an alleged intruder by a 93-year-old homeowner. Mark Leon Applin, 32, address unknown, was taken by helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital with life-threatening injuries from the shooting that occurred about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, according to police reports. The hospital was unable to release information on Applin's condition Monday. According to police reports, officers were dispatched to the 200 block of West Southern Avenue following a report of a man trying to gain entry into a home. When police arrived, a woman was standing outside her home pointing to...

'Golden Week' revived with veto Governor axes GOP-led elections reform, but OKs 36 bills, including anti-snooping law Tuesday, January 6, 2009 8:48 PM By Jim Siegel THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Ohioans will have just as much time to vote early, including a week when they can register and vote on the same day, thanks to one of the first vetoes issued by Ted Strickland since he became governor. Strickland signed dozens of bills today and vetoed three passed by the Republican-controlled lame-duck legislature late last year. Among the bills he approved was one designed to keep state employees from snooping in...

Ohio State and Texas both had dreams of playing for a BCS National Championship this season. The Longhorns were ranked No. 1 in the country for three weeks this season, until losing at Texas Tech 39-33 on Michael Crabtree's winning touchdown catch with one second to play Nov. 1 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. Even after that loss, Texas believed it still deserved to play for the Big 12 championship because of its 45-35 victory over Big 12 South foe Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry in Dallas on Oct. 11. Instead, the Sooners won the Big 12...

Several hundred people opposed to the fighting in Gaza yesterday rallied outside the Lucas County Courthouse, flashing peace placards and shouting anti-war chants. Displaying signs with slogans such as "Stop the War," and "Gaza Will Never Die," protesters marched peacefully around the courthouse two times and listened to brief speeches delivered from the steps of the building's President William McKinley monument. Amjad Doumani, 50, one of the rally organizers, said his wife is from Gaza and his family feels fortunate to have been able to contact relatives there by phone. "They're hunkered down in their houses listening to the constant...

As the nation braces for Democrats to take unbridled control of the federal government, some lessons about how big a mistake that really is are already coming to light. Just as no non-union manufacturer is asking for a government bailout, only Democrat run states are begging for federal funds to avoid the inevitable bankruptcy of the states they have run into the ground. In addition to Bush's trillion dollar nationalization of the financial industry, and in addition to Barack Obama's trillion dollar "stimulus package" (aka affirmative action welfare initiative), another trillion dollars in new national debt is being demanded by...

Candidates for City Council Non-Democrats need not apply for two seats Sunday, January 4, 2009 3:36 AM By Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A phone-book-size stack of resumes and cover letters sits on the desks of Columbus City Council members who will pick two new colleagues on Jan. 12. Sixty-five people applied to fill the vacancies. Over the next week, the five council members who remain will examine qualifications and read through essays on the big issues facing Columbus. They'll meet with any or all of the candidates before their public debate and vote. However, their job won't be so...

Jan 3 (Reuters) - With a close Minnesota race still undecided, Democrats will hold no more than 59 seats in the new 100-member U.S. Senate that convenes on Jan. 6. That means Democrats will need the help of at least a few Republicans to hit the 60 votes required to clear procedural roadblocks known as filibusters.

Governors of five U.S. states urged the federal government to provide $1 trillion in aid to the country's 50 states to help pay for education, welfare and infrastructure as states struggle with steep budget deficits amid a deepening recession. The governors of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio and Wisconsin -- all Democrats -- said the initiative for the two-year aid package was backed by other governors and follows a meeting in December where governors called on President-elect Barack Obama to help them maintain services in the face of slumping revenues. Gov. David Paterson of New York said 43 states...

Five Democratic governors are asking the federal government for a $1 trillion bailout package, including $250 billion for education and $150 billion in middle class tax cuts. The governors from Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Ohio on Friday said they have presented their plan to President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team as well as congressional leaders. They said that level of federal aid is needed to deal with unprecedented state budget shortfalls in 41 states and Washington, D.C., that the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities pegged at $42 billion for the current fiscal year alone. Wisconsin Gov. Jim...

CLEVELAND - Though the recession is crimping the spending of most Americans, Ohio Democrats plan to live large in the New Year -- at least during this month's four-day inaugural celebration. From elected officials to former office holders to proud volunteers, Ohio Democrats have purchased all of the state party's 150 allotted rooms at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel, a historic luxury hotel not far from the White House. Only a handful of Ohio rooms are being held for last-minute VIPs. The price tag for celebrating the election of Democrat Barack Obama rivals the extravagance of the bygone housing boom: A...

3 celebrating with guns shot by police in 3 incidents Thursday, January 1, 2009 7:46 PM By Kevin Mayhood The Columbus Dispatch Like cowboys whooping it up, central Ohioans celebrated another new year with guns blazing in the air. But for the first time, Columbus police shot revelers who they said refused to drop their weapons. Three people, all involved in separate incidents, were treated at area hospitals, though none suffered a life-threatening injury. "We've never had three police-involved shootings in one night before," said Sgt. Jeff Sacksteder, of the Columbus Police Division's cold-case squad. Sacksteder and a host of...

Justice wants Dayton to provide relief to black job candidates DAYTON — The U.S. Department of Justice wants the city of Dayton to pay blacks who didn't qualify for jobs with the police and fire departments because they failed to meet requirements now challenged in a federal lawsuit. In a settlement proposal dated Nov. 13, the Justice Department wants the city to distribute a lump sum of $450,000, hire and offer $18,900 in back pay to black applicants who: • Took the police exam in 2006 but were delayed or denied employment because of their scores on an entrance exam...

Candidates for bench now can mention party Tuesday, December 30, 2008 9:05 PM By James Nash THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Ohio Supreme Court has lifted the gag order prohibiting candidates for judicial offices from mentioning their political party. The state's highest court yesterday issued a set of rules governing judges and judicial candidates that loosens some restrictions and tightens others. The rules take effect March 1. Most notably, candidates for judicial offices will be able to mention their party affiliations. Although they currently run in partisan primary elections, judicial candidates have been prohibited from pointing out their parties during the...

Update on Monday, December 29 PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (WSAZ) -Police continue to investigate leads in the death of a Portsmouth store owner. Fred Rowles body was found in the floor of his office at the Lookin Good Tanning and Hair Salon Sunday morning. No one has been arrested, and police have still not released a cause of death. We're told investigators are at Rowles autopsy in Franklin County, Ohio this morning. Original Story, Sunday, December 28 SCIOTO COUNTY, Ohio (WSAZ) -- Police made an unusual discovery Sunday morning. They were responding to an alarm when they found the body of the...

Rep. Dennis Kucinich has parted ways with his Democratic colleagues and called for a United Nations investigation into what he calls Israel’s “disproportionate” attacks on Gaza. Referring to Israel’s air assault on Hamas targets in Gaza, the Ohio legislator issued a statement saying: “All this was, and is, disproportionate, indiscriminate mass violence in violation of international law. Israel is not exempt from international law and must be held accountable.” The perpetrators of the rocket barrages aimed at Israeli population centers should be brought to justice, said Kucinich, adding that Israel “cannot create a war against an entire people in order...

Cincinnati (AP) - A Connecticut man has admitted that he did not live in Ohio when he cast an early ballot for the presidential election in Cincinnati. Kevin Duffy, of Manchester, Conn., pleaded guilty in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court on Monday to attempted false voter registration. The 24-year-old's attorney says Duffy got "caught up" in the excitement of the election while visiting his sister in Cincinnati. He cast his ballot Oct. 4 during a weeklong period during which new voters could register and immediately cast a ballot. Duffy later told county elections officials not to count his vote. He...

Many schools now require more hours of volunteering Students' service should be special Monday, December 29, 2008 3:09 AM By Jennifer Smith Richards THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH All do-gooding is not created equal. Not for college admissions officers, anyway. And not for many high schools that require their students to fulfill community-service requirements before they graduate. "I'm sure students are being told to pad their resumes or do stuff to get it on their applications for college," said Cass Johnson, director of admissions at Otterbein College in Westerville. "What I advise students is to -- rather than have this huge laundry...

Kucinich criticizes Israel; wants U.N. probe By Ian Swanson Posted: 12/29/08 01:48 PM [ET] Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) is calling for a United Nations investigation into Israel’s attacks on Gaza, criticizing Israel for a disproportionate response to Hamas rocket attacks. The criticism stands in stark contrast to the statements of other Democrats, who have offered near-unanimous support for Israel amid the latest violence in the Middle East. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and other Democrats have blamed Hamas for the violence, which has left more than 300 people in Gaza dead. One person in...

For most of the past decade and a half, the Ohio Republican Party's leadership was divided into two camps. There were the tax-and-spend Republicans who built solid GOP majorities throughout the state only to fritter them away through scandal, sclerosis, and a lack of economic solutions. And then there was Ken Blackwell, the government-cutting conservative thorn in the state party establishment's side. There was no love lost between the dominant faction and the odd man out. Blackwell was a persistent critic of Republicans in the mold of George Voinovich and Bob Taft, whom he accused of "campaigning like Ronald Reagan...

The cause of gay rights has made enormous progress in the last couple of decades, but the more specific cause of gay marriage continues to be battered. In the same election that voters helped bridge the United States' racial divide by electing the country's first African-American president, voters in California overrode a ruling of that state's Supreme Court and effectively rebanned gay marriage. Reliably Democratic-voting California — home to those much-mocked "San Francisco values" that tolerate gay lifestyles — has now joined 29 other states, including Ohio, banning gay marriage. Protests in reaction to the vote popped up across the...

Dr. Bruce Roth was Ohio-born, Ohio-raised and, when it came to medical school, Ohio-educated. But he chose to work as an anesthesiologist in Arizona, not Ohio, so his alma mater said he owes the school because the state subsidized his education. The fine amounts to more than he paid for his medical degree. Now Roth is trying to stop the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine from enforcing its rule that doctors must spend at least five years practicing in state. He is suing the medical college in U.S. District Court in Columbus on grounds that its practice interferes with...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wachovia Corp's shareholders approved the bank's takeover by rival Wells Fargo & Co on Tuesday, bringing one of the largest mergers stemming from the financial crisis near to completion. Separately, regional bank PNC Financial Services Group Inc said its planned takeover of National City Corp was approved by shareholders of both banks and is expected to close by December 31.

The path of destruction and fear stretched at least 5 miles yesterday morning after a 24-year-old man rocketed his car the wrong way on the South Outerbelt. The toll: Seven people injured, including the critically injured driver, Altunar Baltazar. Six vehicles crunched, including the smashed Nissan Maxima that witnesses say other cars were lucky to avoid. "He headed right for us," Columbus resident Robert Crawford said. "It was like he was trying to hit us. He had the pedal to the floor. I knew he was going to clip someone quick." Crawford, who was heading east on I-270, said the...

Five years ago, young Muslims across the United States began reading and passing along a blurry, photocopied novel called “The Taqwacores,� about imaginary punk rock Muslims in Buffalo. “This book helped me create my identity,� said Naina Syed, 14, a high school freshman in Coventry, Conn. A Muslim born in Pakistan, Naina said she spent hours on the phone listening to her older sister read the novel to her. “When I finally read the book for myself,� she said, “it was an amazing experience.� The novel is “The Catcher in the Rye� for young Muslims, said Carl W. Ernst, a...

Lisa DeJong/Plain Dealer file Marc Dann's spending while Ohio attorney general was criticized by the state's inspector general. COLUMBUS -- Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann formed an unregulated transition account after he was elected in 2006 that took in $195,000 in undisclosed donations and used much of the money for questionable purposes, the Ohio inspector general reported today. Among the recipients of the money was a dinnerware sales firm controlled by Dann's wife, Alyssa Lenhoff, the report said, and Dann's friends who once served as his top aides, Anthony Gutierrez and Leo Jennings III. Just $8,838 remains in...

TROY — Four Piqua residents are suing their city co-workers who won the $207 million Mega Millions lottery earlier this month, claiming the winners didn't keep their word about sharing any winnings with all regular players. And they want $41 million. A lawsuit claiming breach of contract and conversion was filed Tuesday, Dec. 23, in Miami County Common Pleas Court by Doug Harter, Israel Carnes, Tammy K. Wright and Jon Litchfield, all of Piqua. Named as defendants are winners: Kenny Kirby, John Dembski, Richard Donnelly, James Montgomery, Cynthia Hershberger, Ritchie Williams, Scott Bradley, Dennis Steinke, Loyal Davis Jr., Rodney Stephenson,...

Report rips Dann's 'house of scandal' Probes find 25 misdeeds by disgraced ex-AG, wife, others Monday, December 22, 2008 12:22 PM Updated: Monday, December 22, 2008 04:33 PM By Alan Johnson and James Nash THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Former Attorney General Marc Dann "violated the public trust," misused his state office and his campaign and transition funds, and turned his office into a "house of scandal," Ohio Inspector General Thomas P. Charles concluded in a scathing investigative report released today. "This office was built for disaster," Charles said in a press conference outlining the report. "He came in and brought a...

Smoking ban to survive this General Assembly intact Though attempts to shoot holes in a smoking ban approved by Ohio voters in 2006 are almost sure to continue, legislative leaders have snuffed out a proposed exemption being pushed during the final days of the lame duck session. Sen. Gary Cates, R-West Chester, proposed attaching an amendment to HB 327, a city health board bill, that would have exempted cigar bars from the smoking ban. But both Senate President Bill M. Harris and House Speaker Jon Husted said Tuesday that they do not support exemptions to the smoking ban so soon...

System fails, kids die Agency workers' bad decisions leave children in hands of abusers Sunday, December 21, 2008 3:40 AM By Randy Ludlow THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH FAMILY PHOTO Nicholas Goodrich, 11 months old, died after his mother's boyfriend threw him across a room. Calls to social agencies were unheeded. Click here to enlarge Click here to enlarge Web Extra CHART: Ohio child abuse and neglect deaths by county, 2002-2007. Nicholas Goodrich would have been walking and talking by now. Instead, he rests beneath a stone, eternally 11 months old. He's dead in part because the government workers entrusted to protect...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- An Ohio pilot who died in a small plane crash was a Republican media consultant who helped operate campaign Web sites for President Bush and former presidential nominee John McCain. Forty-five-year-old Michael Connell of Akron was killed Friday when his plane crashed near a vacant house in a rural area of Uniontown, about 10 miles southeast of Akron. He was attempting to land the aircraft at the nearby Akron-Canton Airport. Connell was the CEO and founder of Cleveland-based New Media Communications, which built campaign Web sites for Bush and McCain, according to the company's Web site. The...

Like the two men whose campaigns for president he influenced with his unexpected step upon the national political stage, Joe the Plumber has published a book about his life.

CINCINNATI – An Ohio agency director resigned Wednesday in the wake of a finding that she improperly used state computers to access personal information on the man who became known as "Joe the Plumber" during the presidential campaign.

Adviser to area Mexicans was ordered to pay debt Friday, December 19, 2008 7:50 PM By STEPHANIE CZEKALINSKI DISPATCH FRONTERAS In Spanish To read this story and related coverage in Spanish, pick up Fronteras de la Noticia, a free weekly available at more than 400 locations across central Ohio, or go to DispatchEspanol.com. A man who is an adviser to Mexicans living in the United States failed to pay money he owed to a charity that helps Venezuelan orphans. On Nov. 6, Hector Villareal was ordered by Municipal Court Judge Janet A. Grubb to pay $500 to Casa Hogar Mission...

The Obama campaign and Strickland administration both deny involvement in the "Joe the Plumber" background check, but Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien still is examining Helen Jones-Kelley's phone records to see who she spoke with around the time when her office accessed confidential state records. Jones-Kelley resigned Wednesday as director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. However, she still could face criminal charges for authorizing the improper search of computer databases. The probe into a private citizen's confidential records ignited a furor across the country when it was revealed by The Dispatch. O'Brien said he is reviewing...

Dann faked financial reports, complaint says Thousands diverted to family and aides, inspector general finds Thursday, December 18, 2008 7:27 PM By Darrel Rowland Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann falsified his campaign finance records to disguise tens of thousands of dollars spent to benefit himself, his wife, children and top campaign staffers, a complaint filed today says. Statements of receipts and expenditures that Dann's campaign filed with the secretary of state "contain incomplete, inaccurate and false information concerning expenditures from the fund for travel, food, beverages, cell phones and other expenditures," Inspector General Thomas P. Charles said in a...

(Chardon) -- Two boys are being hailed as heroes for commandeering their school bus when the driver slumped over at the wheel and became unaware of where he was. A bus that had dropped off students at the Auburn Career Center was on its way to Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin high school near Chardon. Jeff Eippert, one of the students on the bus, noticed that the bus was going nearly 60 miles an hour, and was weaving in and out of traffic. Jeff thought something was really wrong when the bus went past their school without slowing down. He went to...

Calling a Con Con is not only wholly unnecessary to the purpose of a balanced federal budget, but will unquestionably result in an outcome as unimaginable to most Americans as it will be lethal to our nation. The American Policy Center became the Con Con proponents' worst nightmare with Wednesday's Sledgehammer. But they will now be expecting our next salvo, so it is imperative we redouble and greatly expand our efforts to again carry the day. Please do all you can to help us in this most important fight. The United States stands at the edge of a great, dark...

CINCINNATI – An Ohio agency director resigned Wednesday in the wake of a finding that she improperly used state computers to access personal information on the man who became known as "Joe the Plumber" during the presidential campaign. Two other officials who were suspended from their positions for their role in the computer search will not be returning to their jobs, an agency spokeswoman said. Department of Job and Family Services Director Helen Jones-Kelley said in a statement accompanying her resignation that she won't allow her reputation to be disparaged and that she is concerned for her family's safety. "This...

As I began reading through the court suit that Jacqueline and John Stowers have filed against various Ohio officials, I kept wondering about the retail licensing provision that supposedly prompted the entire affair. How was it that the Manna Storehouse was exempt, or possibly violated it? But as I continued reading, and learning that the level of violence and abuse was probably even worse than what I and other bloggers previously described, I found myself considering another question: What was the real message the Lorain County and Ohio Department of Agriculture officials were trying to deliver, to the Stowers, and...

Helen Jones-Kelley, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, resigned last night near the end of a monthlong, unpaid suspension for mining state computers for confidential information on "Joe the Plumber." Two senior managers suspended for their roles in the scandal that spiced this year's presidential campaign also are leaving, The Dispatch has learned. The administration fired Doug Thompson, deputy director of child support. Fred Williams, assistant agency director, resigned effective Jan. 31. The action came soon after the Republican-controlled General Assembly approved a measure cracking down on state workers who improperly conduct checks involving Ohioans' personal...

Wow. I ran across this video on YouTube. This is from a 1984 rally at St. John's Arena in October 1984. I WAS THERE. I'll never forget it.

State official resigns over 'Joe the Plumber' affair Wednesday, December 17, 2008 6:54 PM Updated: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 07:38 PM By Catherine Candisky THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Helen Jones-Kelley, the state official placed on unpaid leave for improperly accessing confidential information from state databases on "Joe the Plumber," has resigned. Two senior managers involved in the incident also are leaving, The Dispatch has learned.. Jones-Kelley was scheduled to return to work as director of the Department of Job and Family Services on Monday following a one-month suspension without pay. Today's action comes just hours after the Senate approved a measure...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2008 – A Christmas tree farm in Whitehouse, Ohio, is celebrating the holiday season by giving away 100 Christmas trees to military families. “We've been giving trees to military families since the war started,” Duke Wheeler, owner of Whitehouse Christmas Tree Farm, said. “We feel it's important to let these families know that we appreciate their sacrifices. … We're grateful for all that they do.” The tree farm is giving away 7-foot Christmas trees through Dec. 20 to military families who have a servicemember overseas or a servicemember who recently returned from duty. Family members can cut...