Statewide News

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Early September is bringing a return of July's extreme heat to Ohio.

Counties in about two-thirds of the state are under a heat advisory for Friday afternoon and evening. The National Weather Service says high temperatures and humidity in western and southern Ohio will make it feel like 100 degrees or warmer.

The forecasters caution that heat stroke, heat exhaustion and other heat-related illnesses are possible, particularly for people who work outdoors or are sensitive to heat.

CLEVELAND (AP) - The federal government has dedicated two new research vessels to serve as floating laboratories that research the health of the Great Lakes and its marine life.

The watercraft, named Kaho and Muskie, replace two of the U.S. Geological Survey's oldest vessels by the same names and are part of the agency's five-vessel Great Lakes fleet. They were dedicated Wednesday at the Great Lakes Shipyard in Cleveland.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A judge has denied a request from a liberal policy group to block Ohio from selling its prisons, but he has agreed to hear arguments on the constitutionality of the law that permits the sales.

ProgressOhio and several prison employees had filed suit last week to challenge Gov. John Kasich's plan to privatize five state prisons.

The Wednesday ruling in Franklin County comes a day before the state plans to announce the company or companies that have been awarded contracts to buy and operate the sites.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio group is circulating petitions in an effort to add an abortion ban to the state's constitution.

Personhood Ohio wants to put the issue before voters in 2012. It would amend Ohio's constitution to define a person as any human being at any stage of development, including fertilization.

Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio CEO Tara Broderick calls the measure "dangerous and deceptive." She says it would ban not only abortion, but all birth control in the state.

An Ohio appeals court has ruled against a move to increase the state's fee for obtaining a person's driving records.

The Bureau of Motor Vehicles hiked the charge from $2 to $5 to raise about $10.6?million a year for state public safety programs, including Homeland Security. But the Franklin County Court of Appeals in Columbus said Tuesday that revenue from the fee must be used for highways.