News

WASHINGTON (AP) - Ohio's U.S. House delegation has voted 11-7 to give the government more borrowing power, with all five Democrats and two Ohio Republicans voting no.

The emergency legislation easily passed the House on Monday and is expected to clear the Senate on Tuesday.

In a statement explaining his no vote, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (koo-SIN'-ich) calls the bill "a fake solution to a phony crisis." Fellow northeast Ohio Democrat Marcia Fudge says the debt ceiling deal puts Medicare, Social Security and other programs at risk.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio's attorney general has rejected language that opponents of the state's new election law had wanted to use in their effort to have parts of the measure overturned.

The decision is a setback for opponents. They need Attorney General Mike DeWine's approval before they can begin gathering the roughly 231,000 valid signatures needed by Sept. 29 to suspend the parts of the law until voters can decide in 2012 whether to keep or repeal them.

CLEVELAND (AP) - The Ohio Lottery had record sales last year, even as the state faced a sluggish recovery from the worst recession since the Great Depression.

State officials said Monday the lottery pulled in its largest haul ever with $2.6 billion in sales during the budget year that ended June 30. The commission beat the previous year's sales by $108 million.

The boon marks the 10th year in a row that the lottery has seen sales increase.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal officials say that one person has died from salmonella poisoning that appears to be linked to eating ground turkey.

     Seventy-six people in 26 states have been made sick from the same strain of the disease. Ohio and Michigan have had the most illnesses, with 10 cases each.

     The salmonella strain is resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics. The illnesses date back to March, but there has not yet been a recall of turkey.

Last week, Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council and DPL Energy negotiated a deal they say improves and extends an existing contract and locks in a lower energy rate through June of 2014.

The agreement affects some 80 educational institutions, including 73 local school districts.  The deal is also expected to save tax payers some money.

A report in the Dayton Daily News says the agreement could save local school districts around $11.5 million in energy costs over four years.