Statewide News

Native Americans knew that the land where Akron now sits lay between two waterways – the Cuyahoga and the Tuscarawas rivers. The Indians had established a portage path through the area to carry their canoes from one water route to the next. What they probably did not know is that they were crossing a continental divide.

"Everything North of Akron the rivers flow towards Lake Erie and ultimately out toward the Atlantic ocean. Everything South of Akron flows South to the Ohio River, Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico," says Jennie Vasarhelyi of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

There’s a spot in southern Akron near the Portage Lakes today where you may see water from the Ohio canal split in those two directions.

An Ohio House committee has approved legislation outlining new regulations on exotic animal ownership, paving the way for a full House vote on the measure.

The Senate passed the bill last month. The Columbus Dispatch reports a House panel made several changes before approving it in a 17-4 vote late Wednesday.

The bill now includes more monkeys on the list of creatures that would have to be registered. It also says the authority to expand the list of restricted species would go to the Legislature instead of the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

The Senate must approve any changes before the measure could be sent to the governor.  The regulatory efforts took on new urgency in October, when a suicidal owner released dozens of exotic animals near Zanesville.---

Ohio teens could not use cellphones or other electronic devices while driving under a bill sent Tuesday to the governor.

The House voted 82-12 to pass the bill. The Senate previously approved it, and Gov. John Kasich (KAY'-sik) is expected to sign it.

All drivers would be banned from texting, though young drivers could more easily be pulled over for it.

The bill would make texting a secondary offense for adults. That means drivers could be ticketed for typing messages only if they were first pulled over for another offense, such as running a red light.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is suing C.T.I. Group for calling Ohio customers who were on the National Do Not Call Registry and for violating Ohio’s consumer laws.  DeWine says the company, which sells trading and investment software, repeatedly called customers who were on the list or who had asked not to be called. DeWine alleges the company ripped off customers who purchased over the phone by charging their credit cards without written consent and refusing to issue refunds.  The lawsuit asks for consumer restitution and civil penalties.  DeWine says the best way to avoid telemarketing calls is to register phone numbers on the national do not call list.  In addition, he says to watch for scams and do not trust caller I.D. because it can be manipulated.