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Note: The following text is a quote: Eighteen Charged Following Multi-Year Fraud Investigation Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, today announced that a federal grand jury returned a 23-count indictment charging 18 defendants with violating federal laws following a multi-year investigation into fraud relating to identification documents. Named in the Indictment are the following individuals: Vitaly Fedorchuk, 30 , of Parma, OH; Pavlo Mostranskyy aka Pasha, 45, of North Royalton, OH Sonya Hilaszek, 45, of Cleveland, OH Azamjon Asadov, 34, of Cincinnati, OH; Martynas Bojarcius, 29, of Palatine, IL; Jaroslav Wladyka aka Bohdan Borsuk,...

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...

Magie Thurber is reporting that Lucas County, Ohio County Commissioner Ben Konop is trying to force unions on non-union labor in his jurisdiction. What about freedom to chose? Forget it. Konop as big brother knows better. On Tuesday, the commissioners will discuss an agenda item ominously entitled "Incorporating Project Labor Agreements into Bidding Specifications for all County-Supported Projects." (Download PDF) Apparently the commissioners will be pursuing PLAs in all contracts in Lucas County's future. What is a Project Labor Agreement or PLA? I discussed this back in February right after President Obama signed his Executive Order 13202 pushing PLAs 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."

During the big Michigan Week jump, Ohio State University's Mirror Lake and a baby pool have a lot in common. The jump, which will take place tonight, is one of many student traditions. But Ohio State also is a research university, so it was inevitable that someone would apply a little science to this ritual. Last year, students in the College of Earth Sciences tested the water in Mirror Lake before, during and after thousands plunged in to psych themselves up for The Game. "Interesting results from last year's study include a lake-wide temperature increase of approximately 3 degrees Fahrenheit...

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...

Ohio has become the first state to adopt a procedure for lethal injections that uses one drug, a method never before tried on U.S. inmates. The state filed papers Friday in U.S. District Court saying it has decided to switch from a three-drug cocktail to a single injection of thiopental sodium into a vein. A muscle injection will be available as a backup. The decision comes two months after an Ohio death row inmate walked away from an unsuccessful execution and subsequent executions were put on hold. Several states have faced similar challenges, but Ohio is the first to drop...

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.

LOVELAND, Ohio, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- An Ohio man landed a 95-pound blue catfish in Lake Isabella, a park district record and only one pound less than the state record holder, park officials said. Lake Isabella Harbor Manager Harry Scott said the massive catfish, which he weighed twice for accuracy, dwarfs the previous largest catch in Hamilton County Park District's history, a 50-pound blue catfish, and weighs in at only one pound under the 96-pound state record, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported Wednesday. "I've never seen anything this big in my whole life, and I've seen lots of fish," Scott said....

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)

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...

SNIPPET: "The third article, titled "Al-Shabaab Recruiting in the West," takes a comprehensive look at what we know about the group's efforts to recruit fighters in the United States, and in other Western countries. The final article concerns the efficacy of the Somali president's recent diplomatic efforts in Minneapolis, Columbus, OH, and Chicago."

OXFORD, Ohio—A man wearing a breathalyzer costume was arrested Sunday on suspicion of driving drunk. According to a police report, 18-year-old James N. P. Miller, of Cincinnati, was seen driving the wrong way out of the entrance to a one-way street at East Park Place in Oxford. Officers executed a traffic stop and found that Miller was wearing a breathalyzer costume. After investigation, police said, Miller was found to be operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Inside his car, officers allegedly found an open container of Bud Light in the center console. Officers also found what was left of a case...

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.

Looking to bump up their party school ranking, College Dems at Ohio University (Athens) are giving away beer money to voters if they bring a friend. In an email Vice President of College Dems, Kellie Galan, reminded fellow Dems that a friend at the polls is worth $5. See email below. http://www.electionjournal.org/2009/11/02/oh-vote-fraud-alert-bring-a-friend-to-vote-and-college-dems-will-pay-you-5-dollars/ The Ohio Revised Code, would call this more than a no-no. (3) Advance, pay, or cause to be paid or procure or offer to procure money or other valuable thing to or for the use of another, with the intent that it or part thereof shall be used...

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...

According to the actions of Franklin County Juvenile Magistrate Mary Goodrich, and the Franklin County Children's Services, there isn't. At least not in their treatment of Rifqa Bary.After Rifqa Bary was returned to Ohio per a Florida Judge's order, Mary Goodrich acted on a request from the Franklin County Children's Services to restrict and supervise Rifqa's use of her cell phone and internet.This amounts to trampling on her Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, and Expression. Constitutional rights that even "illegal aliens" are acknowledged to have.Their reasons for doing so are based on a false narrative that Jim Zorn, a spokesman for the Franklin...

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...

As Baker's flag-draped casket was lowered from a small charter jet into the hands of six fellow Marines, his family and friends stood arm-in-arm, weeping on the tarmac at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Stillness and silence dominated the scene. The sound of passenger planes taking off and landing was drowned out by the weight of the scene unfolding at ground level. That silence was broken only when a police bagpiper began playing "When the Saints Go Marching In." Baker's casket then was loaded into a waiting hearse, and scores of policemen and firefighters — from no fewer than 25 area...

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....

To all those who value life, Please take a few minutes to consider the life of our sister in the faith Rifqa Bary, which is once again in grave jeopardy. On Tuesday October 27’th, Rifqa Bary was handed over to Ohio authorities for placement in foster care in Franklin County. Over the previous weekend, a very unfortunate deal was made by Rifqa’s former Florida Guardian Ad Litem, Krista Bartholomew, with Rifqa’s parent’s attorney David Colley that allowed Rifqa to be transferred back to Ohio. The gist of this (behind the scenes) deal was the following: 1. Because Rifqa’s parents are...

In every mid-term election, there is a race for governor that draws nationwide attention and packs a political punch far beyond the borders of its state. This year, Virginia and New Jersey have drawn that attention. The elections of Govs. Nelson Rockefeller in New York in 1958 and Ronald Reagan in California in 1966 helped shaped national Republican politics for nearly a generation. The likely election of Bob McDonnell in Virginia this year -- if it comes to pass -- will probably be another. Next year, it will be Ohio where former congressman and host of Fox News’ “Heartland� program...

POOL REPORT CLEVELAND, Ohio — The U.S. economy is pulling out of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression because federal stimulus measures are working, said Vice President Joe Biden during an appearance in Cleveland this afternoon. "We are recovering. We will recover. We are no longer talking about will there be a recovery, we are talking about what kind of recovery it will be," said Biden, during a fund-raiser for a pair of Democratic congressman, Zack Space of Dover and John Boccieri of Alliance. Biden thanked the congressmen for their support of stimulus measures that passed earlier this...

What: WAKE UP OHIO! When: October 25, 2009 3:00 PM Where: Geauga County Fairgrounds Grandstand 14373 N. Cheshire St. Burton, OH 44021 EVENT: WAKE UP OHIO! DATE: October 25th, 2009 TIME: 3pm - 5pm WHERE: Geauga County Fairgrounds Grandstand, 14373 N. Cheshire Street, Burton, OH 44021 SPEAKERS: RECENTLY ANNOUNCED: Joe The Plumber. DOC Thompson from WRVA DOC fills in for Glenn Beck about every 2 months, and he was one of the featured speakers in Washington, DC on 9/12! Pastor James Manning, from Harlem, he has been really speaking out about the corruption in Washington (if you are not familiar...

Ohio has joined with several other states, including Montana and Tennessee, in asserting independence from federal gun laws with the introduction of House Bill 315. This bill, sponsored by Representatives Morgan and Martin, would make all guns manufactured wholly within the state of Ohio exempt from federal gun regulations provided sales are within state boundaries. The Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives has claimed that they have the authority through the right to regulate interstate commerce because even exclusive intrastate sales of guns have an effect on gun sales nationwide. With two states already having passed similar bills, and...

NEW YORK – A mortgage fraud crackdown announced Thursday resulted in the arrests of dozens of people, including six lawyers, seven loan officers and three mortgage brokers in four states. Thirty-one people were arrested in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and North Carolina. They were among 41 people charged with engaging in mortgage fraud scams that defrauded lenders out of more than $64 million in home mortgage loans. Of the 10 other defendants, one was expected to surrender later Thursday, four were previously charged and five remained at large. Authorities gathering for an afternoon news conference in Manhattan said the crackdown,...

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A woman being driven around in a rented limousine pulled up at a coat store and announced she'd won the lottery and would pay for everyone's purchases, police said, but she ended up causing a riot when customers realized it was a hoax. Angry customers threw merchandise around and looted, leaving the store looking as though a hurricane had passed through it, police said. Linda Brown was arrested Tuesday after an hours-long shopping spree that began when she hired a stretch Hummer limousine to drop her off at a Burlington Coat Factory store, police Sgt. Lt. Michael...

CINCINNATI -- The Transportation Security Administration was checking barges on the Ohio River Tuesday in what it dubbed "Operation Viper." TSA agents were boarding barges and checking in with captains to see if they've seen anything suspicious and to remind them to be vigilant. They are also checking the licenses of the barges and conducting safety inspections. The operation is being run under the Interstate 275 bridge near the borders of Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. The U.S. Coast Guard was also part of the operation.

Remember when Bertha Lewis Said that ACORN has never committed Voter Fraud? I had forgotten about this report we published here this past June: Back in October 2008 the NY Post reported that Darnell Nash, a person who has a criminal record both as a man and as a woman, was being investigated for registering to vote numerous times and cast at least one bogus vote with a fake address,all with the help of ACORN. This was part of a larger investigation of ACORN which revealed that nearly 4,000 registration applications supplied by the "community organizing" group were suspect.(See video...

CANTON, Ohio - A teacher from Ohio has won top honors in a pumpkin-growing contest with a 1,725-pound behemoth that could land worldwide bragging rights. Christy Harp of Jackson Township near Canton took first place at the Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers annual weigh-off Saturday in Canfield. She won $2,500 and could claim the world title. Contest organizers say the entry topped the 1,689-pound record-holder grown in 2007 by Joe Jutras of North Scituate, R.I.

At last night's central committee meeting, John Husted announced that the OH Supreme Court, by a 7-0 vote, had declared his residency in Kettering valid and legal, ending all Dem attempts to keep him from running for SoS. He also said he had been approached by high-level Dems with a deal to let him run unopposed for Treasurer, but of course the goal is to get Jennifer Brunner out.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) - Police said an Ohio elementary school student bit a teacher on the arm and had to be pried off by a school official. Dayton police said the child was brought to the assistant principal's office at Patterson-Kennedy Elementary School Monday by teacher Stephen Green. The boy began throwing things in the office and had to be restrained by Green. Assistant Principal Jack Johnson told police that Green was bitten on the forearm while clutching the child. Johnson said he had to pry the boy's mouth open so he'd let go. Green, 54, went to a hospital...

Lawrence Reynolds had been scheduled to be executed on Thursday Two more executions have been delayed in the US state of Ohio, three weeks after an attempt to put another man to death by lethal injection failed. On 15 September, the execution of Romell Broom was abandoned after Ohio officials failed to find a vein. Judges halted Thursday's execution in the state of Lawrence Reynolds, 43. The state governor then delayed next month's execution of Darryl Durr, until a judge hears arguments over problems with the injection process. The execution of Broom - convicted of rape and murder - is...

Next year’s U.S. Senate race in Ohio is a neck-and-neck battle for Republican Rob Portman no matter which Democratic candidate he faces, according to the first Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 survey in the state. Portman is in a virtual tie with Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher 41% to 40%. Six percent (6%) of Ohio voters favor some other candidate, and 14% are undecided. The former GOP congressman is also essentially even with Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, leading by a similarly insignificant 40% to 38% margin. Five percent (5%) prefer another candidate. Eighteen percent (18%) are not sure how they...

Subodh Chandra Add a Cleveland voice to the legal wrangling over President Barack Obama's birth. Former Cleveland Law Director Subodh Chandra waded in Thursday, Sept. 17, with a complaint to the State Bar of California that focused more on the leading challenger of Obama's U.S. citizenship than on the issue itself. Chandra asked the bar to investigate Orly Taitz, a California lawyer pressing cases centering on Obama's citizenship across the country, for making disparaging remarks about a federal judge and for wasting the court's time with frivolous cases. Taitz is an outspoken member of the so-called "birther" movement that claims...

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The state leader of ACORN says the community organizing group has stopped taking on new clients in Ohio amid national fallout over hidden-camera videos. The videos produced by conservative activists appear toshow ACORN employees in other states offering a couple advice on setting up prostitution businesses. Ohio director Amy Teitelman (TEYE'-til-muhn) says ACORN — or the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now — is under attack from people who want to make the group look bad. So, it has suspended taking on new clients while it puts in place new procedures and training that Teitelman says...

To All, Please read the message, carefully, and take action. The luxury of sitting and watching things happen, is over. It is time to get busy. I know some of you are already active on various causes. However, I would ask that you support this project, if only to spread the message to everyone you can. Thanks, Michael – Committee Member The PEOPLE’S CONSTITUTION COALITION OF OHIO August 5, 2009 To All Americans, As many of you are aware, there has been a flurry of activity around the country involving many States who are taking positive steps in asserting their...

SANDUSKY, Ohio – An Ohio man said it was a "wild" day when he and his wife were struck by a car while crossing a street and then had their own car stolen while they were in the hospital. Gregory Moses got a knee busted up when he and his wife were hit as they walked across an intersection in the northern Ohio city Monday afternoon. Judith Moses suffered a few bruises. They still weren't home Tuesday morning when their son returned from an overnight work shift and discovered the couple's 2002 Buick LeSabre missing from the driveway. He called...

Harrah's Operating Company, which owns 38 casinos and two thoroughbred race tracks, is the new owner of Thistledown Racetrack. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Delaware approved Harrah's $89.5 million bid for the North Randall thoroughbred racing facility. It ended 40 rounds of bidding on Monday that began with a so-called stalking-horse bid of $22.3 million by Penn National, bidding as Cleveland Gaming Ventures LLC, and included bids from a subsidiary of Pinnacle Entertainment. Harrah's will pay $42 million in cash when it closes the deal, and another $47.5 million in contingency payments. Thistledown is one of two horse racing tracks...

Here he is with some voters from Lake and Geauga Counties at 7 A.M. as they got off their bus. Steve thanked them for coming and took time to answer a few questions.

A blast from the past... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2119382/posts Jennifer Brunner and ACORN Boss and Whistleblower in Ohio Voter Fraud Posted on Wednesday, October 29, 2008 10:59:54 PM by jessduntno Acorn Whistleblower Moncrief worked for Karyn Gillette at ACORN...Karyn Gillette was Jennifer Brunners "very helpful" campaign consultant, mentioned in an interesting blog note, that has Jen working out of her office and going to a ballgame: "Posted by Rick Brunner - April 11, 2006 11:51 PM It was one of those wonderful afternoons when you feel really privileged to be able to be playing "hooky" from the office. Our candidate had gone earlier...

The Lordstown-built Cobalt compact car fell 43 percent, despite being the company's most fuel-efficient offering, a distinction that could have qualified some buyers for a $4,500 government rebate on the vehicle.

loophole in an Ohio policy allowed thousands of undocumented immigrants to register cars and get license plates even though many did not have valid Social Security numbers or car insurance. The practice was so widespread that law officers in other states asked the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles why they were seeing so many undocumented immigrants driving cars registered in Ohio. State Public Safety Director Henry Guzman delayed a proposed crackdown for more than a year after he met with people who cater to such immigrants, including people who were profiting from obtaining plates. Guzman initially requested tougher regulations, describing...

A loophole in an Ohio policy allowed thousands of undocumented immigrants to register cars and get license plates even though many did not have valid Social Security numbers or car insurance. The practice was so widespread that law officers in other states asked the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles why they were seeing so many undocumented immigrants driving cars registered in Ohio. State Public Safety Director Henry Guzman delayed a proposed crackdown for more than a year after he met with people who cater to such immigrants, including people who were profiting from obtaining plates. Guzman initially requested tougher regulations,...

Perhaps we need to institute a timeout. Back in elementary school, when things got a little out of hand, the teacher would say we needed to take a timeout. Usually this followed a fight on the playground, an argument in homeroom or an unusually nasty prank. Kids need to learn the boundaries. It feels a lot like elementary school right now in our political arena. The players have expanded the boundaries way past what had been defined as acceptable. In just over a month we have seen the following: • Town-hall meetings being disrupted by yelling and shouting. Story continues...