Bob Evans Farms has sold its Springfield sausage production facility. The plant has been sold to a California-based private equity firm.

The plant, which makes soups, gravy and sausage, along with another production plant in Bidwell, Ohio and Bob Evans' former headquarters in Columbus, were all sold to New Mill Capital.

New Mill Capital purchased the Springfield facility for $90,000. As a result of the plant's sale, 52 jobs will be lost when the company officially closes later this year.
 

More good news for the Ohio economy: The state's per-capita income rose at one of the fastest rates in the nation last year.

That's according to an analysis by The Dayton Daily News, which says the statistic is a sign that the state's economy is recovering more quickly than that most of the country.

Per-capita personal income includes all earnings such as wages, dividends, interest income and rents. In Ohio, it rose by 1.7 percent to $39,289 between 2011 and 2012. That was a larger increase than all but two other states.

Experts say incomes in Ohio continue to benefit from the revival of the manufacturing industry and the emergence of the oil and gas sector. But, they say, future prosperity depends on diversifying Ohio's industrial base.
 

Nearly 500 jobs are coming to southwest Ohio. The Ohio Tax Credit Authority approved assistance for projects in the region and As Emily McCord reports, Clinton County is seeing a large share of the funding. 

Three of the companies awarded the tax credits will be in the city of Wilmington. DealerTrack Incorporated expects to create over 200 jobs generating 6 million dollars in payroll. The company specializes in administration support for vehicle titles and contract scanning. Two other companies in the city will bring an additional 65 jobs to the area.

The other Southwest Ohio businesses are in Fairborn and several others in Butler and Hamilton Counties.

Nearly 1 in 4 Ohio mortgages are underwater, according to numbers from real estate data company Zillow Inc. US Senator Sherrod Brown says that’s why he’s introducing legislation to speed up what’s known as short sales.

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted paid a visit to Clark County on Thursday.