Statewide News

Governor Kasich held press conference this afternoon to speak on an executive order on “dangerous wild animals."  You can stream the press conference from The Ohio Channel below.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Unemployment is holding steady in Ohio following three straight months of rising joblessness.

The state's Department of Job and Family Services said Friday that Ohio's unemployment rate stood at 9.1 percent in September, unchanged from August.

The national jobless rate for September also held at 9.1 percent during the last two months.  State officials say the number of workers unemployed in Ohio during September was 534,000, down from 536,000 in August.

As law enforcement officials continue to deal with the aftermath of the capture and killing of dozens of exotic animals near Zanesville, state leaders are now turning their attention to what can be done to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Ohio Public Radio’s Jo Ingles reports.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Permits are being issued more quickly in Ohio for the natural gas drilling associated with the practice called fracking.

The Columbus Dispatch reports Thursday that 27 permits for horizontal drilling into the Utica Shale formation beneath Ohio were granted from July to September alone.  Ohio Department of Natural Resources figures show that's more than half the total number of permits issued since 2009. 

In fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, chemicals are injected into the shale through horizontal wells to release natural gas from the rock.