Ohio news roundup
Written by Associated Press | | news@toledofreepress.comOhio suspect in mother’s death apologizes
DAYTON (AP) A Columbus man charged in the slaying of a young mother and the abduction of her 4-year-old son says he took the boy because his parent was dead.
Charlie Myers told several reporters at the Montgomery County Jail yesterday that what happened was his fault and he apologized to the family.
Myers says he’s sorry for the crime and he made a mistake.
Myers says he took the child because (quoting here), “the parent had passed away.”
Myers faces numerous charges in last Friday’s Dayton-area slaying, including aggravated murder, kidnapping and gross sexual imposition involving a child under 13.
The boy was driven from his home to an Interstate 70 rest area in central Ohio, where travelers found him wandering around.
Ohio phone co. approved to limit printed directory
CINCINNATI (AP) Ohio regulators have agreed to a phone company’s request to stop distributing its White Pages phone book.
Cincinnati Bell says most customers have stopped using the printed residential directory, preferring to look up numbers on the Web. The company yesterday received a waiver from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio so that the White Pages wouldn’t have to be delivered automatically to each customer.
A person could still receive a printed copy by asking for one.
A state consumer watchdog called the phone company’s plan too restrictive. The Ohio Consumers’ Counsel says Cincinnati Bell should formally ask customers if they want to opt out of receiving the printed White Pages.
‘Everyday Americans’ invited to whistle stop tour
WASHINGTON (AP) Two Ohioans are among a group of “everyday Americans” invited to join Barack Obama and Joe Biden on a Whistle Stop Tour to their inauguration.
Obama’s presidential inaugural committee has announced plans for the Philadelphia-to-Washington train ride on Jan. 17, the Saturday before Inauguration Day. The list of people invited on board includes Lisa Hazirjian of Cleveland and Tony Fischer of Cincinnati.
Hazirjian is a history professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland who recruited volunteers from the gay community to work on the Obama campaign.
Thirty-year-old Fischer also volunteered for Obama’s campaign. He says he’d like to talk with the president-elect during the ride about urban policy, transportation – and the old HBO show “The Wire,” which they both enjoy.
Ohio library settles suit over religious meeting
BATAVIA (AP) A southwestern Ohio public library that had barred a couple from holding a financial planning seminar because they intended to quote the Bible has settled a lawsuit brought by the couple.
George Vandergriff said yesterday that the Clermont County Public Library board had paid $2 to him and his wife, Cathy, and $1 to the Institute for Principled Policy, which joined the couple in the suit.
The 10-branch system will also pay $10,000 to attorneys for the Vandergriffs, who filed the suit in a Cincinnati federal court in June. The couple had claimed that their First Amendment rights to free speech were violated when they were blocked from holding their seminar.
The library responded to the suit last summer by stopping use of its meeting rooms by all outside groups.
Ohio senator says he lives in his district
DAYTON (AP) State Sen. Jon Husted says his official residence is his home in suburban Dayton and that his job working for the state provides an exception to rules governing where a person votes.
The Kettering Republican made the statements when he appeared voluntarily before the Montgomery County Board of Elections yesterday. The board held an administrative hearing to investigate whether Husted lives in the Kettering district – where he is registered to vote and represents Ohio in the Legislature – or in a home just outside Columbus.
The board asked legal counsel for an opinion on Husted’s interpretation of election law, which likely will not come until a Feb. 25 meeting.
Husted just stepped down as speaker of the House and was elected to the Senate in November.
Ohio man, dog die apparently from smoke inhalation
HAMILTON (AP) Fire officials in southwest Ohio say a man and his dog have died apparently of smoke inhalation from a fire likely caused by smoking.
Authorities in Hamilton say the fire reported shortly after 6:30 yesterday morning started in Jason Fields’ living room and that he and his dog probably were asleep. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames but said the house was filled with smoke.
Fire investigator Tom Angst says 32-year-old Fields was found in the hallway just a few feet from his bed and his pet boxer was found dead in the bedroom.
Angst says the early investigation indicates the fire most likely was caused by smoking.
Ohio to give wind, solar power grants for homes
CLEVELAND (AP) Ohio is taking another step in its attempt to turn the state into a hub for the renewable energy industry.
A new program will offer grants to increase the use of solar and wind power.
The state says the $3.5 million program for residential projects will lead to 260 wind turbines and 200 solar hot water systems.
Governor Strickland has targeted renewable energy as a key to reviving the state’s weak economy.
The state says customers of FirstEnergy Corp., Duke Energy, American Electric Power and Dayton Power and Light Co. will be eligible for the wind and solar grants.
Fighting invasive species
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) Government scientists say dozens of foreign species may invade the Great Lakes in coming years, despite policies aimed at keeping them out.
The National Center for Environmental Assessment issued the warning in a report this week. The study identified 30 species with a medium or high likelihood of reaching the Great Lakes and 28 others already in the lakes with a potential to spread and cause harm.
Invasive species such as the zebra mussel and sea lamprey have disrupted the lakes’ natural systems and caused billions of dollars’ worth of damage.
The report described some of the region’s busiest ports as strong potential targets for invaders, including Toledo.
Most invasives are believed to reach the Great Lakes in ballast water discharged by oceangoing ships.
Nissan recalling more than 240,000 trucks
WASHINGTON (AP) Nissan is recalling more than 240,000 trucks in Ohio and 19 other cold weather states.
The Japanese automaker says it needs to fix a problem that could prevent front air bags from deploying in a crash.
A posting on a government Web site says the recall affects the Frontier, Pathfinder and Xterra from the 2005-2009 model years.
In states where winter road salt is used, a mixture of snow, water and salt could cause rust that would interrupt the signal from a crash sensor. Nissan says that could prevent the front air bags from deploying in a crash.
Nissan spokesman Colin Price says the problem was discovered through warranty claims and no crashes or injuries have been linked to the issue.
Cleveland development project delayed
CLEVELAND (AP) Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and other officials are frustrated over delays in a private development project meant to spark the city’s economy.
A sales tax hike has raised about $42 million for a proposed trade show hall downtown, but developers have yet to pick a location.
Backers of the Medical Mart project say they remain optimistic that it is going to get built. The project would provide a showroom for medical product companies.
Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones says the developer, Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. of Chicago, is just being thorough in its planning.
Pa. club where Ohio man found dead faced closure
PITTSBURGH (AP) A private Pittsburgh club where an Ohio man was found dead had faced a city-ordered shut down because of a complaint about sexual activity.
Cleophus Pettway, of Youngstown, was found dead Sunday afternoon in a private rented room at Club Pittsburgh. Autopsy results are pending.
The club bills itself as a health club and is geared toward gay men. In June, a patron complained about nude go-go dancers and pornographic movies, prompting a closure order.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Club Pittsburgh stayed open after its politically connected owners talked with city officials.
A city lawyer says it was allowed to remain open after agreeing to make changes to comply with its zoning permit.
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl told the newspaper yesterday that proper procedures were followed.
Provost in Ohio semifinalist for North Dakota job
WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) A search committee at Williston State College in North Dakota is inviting six semifinalists for the president’s job to campus.
Among the semifinalists is Patricia Kay Adkins, provost of Columbus State Community College in Ohio.
The on-campus interviews are scheduled for next Wednesday through Friday.
The search committee reviewed about 40 candidates over the past few months.
