Statewide News

DAYTON, Ohio - Health officials and pest controllers say Ohio weather patterns have caused an increase in mosquito populations this year, including more carrying West Nile virus.

Ohio Department of Health spokeswoman Shannon Libby says 248 pools of mosquitoes collected from traps have tested positive for the virus so far. That's up from 78 by this time in 2010.

Libby tells The Dayton Daily News that there have been no reports of human cases of West Nile in Ohio, which can lead to coma, paralysis and death.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - A Cleveland crackdown on flash mobs won't be enacted now that the city council has upheld the mayor's veto.

A measure that would have made it a crime to use social media or cell phones to pull together a crowd was approved unanimously by council members last month and then shot down by Mayor Frank Jackson. The Plain Dealer reports the council voted 14-2 on Wednesday not to override Jackson's first veto since he took office in 2006.

There are 83 days till election day, and the fight for and against Ohio's new collective bargaining reform law is gearing up. Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler reports Republican leaders are just now asking the leaders of the group that put Issue 2 before voters to come to a meeting to talk about a compromise.

 Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation said it was looking into whether farmers should be required to have commercial driver's licenses to operate farm machinery.  This week, WYSO’s Jerry Kenney reports – that decision has been made.

DOT officials announced that they won't move forward with Commercial license requirement.  Dozens of members of Congress from farm states in the Midwest wrote to the transportation department, asking that the idea be scrapped.