Statewide News

CLEVELAND (AP) - The Ohio Lottery had record sales last year, even as the state faced a sluggish recovery from the worst recession since the Great Depression.

State officials said Monday the lottery pulled in its largest haul ever with $2.6 billion in sales during the budget year that ended June 30. The commission beat the previous year's sales by $108 million.

The boon marks the 10th year in a row that the lottery has seen sales increase.

CINCINNATI - New U.S. Census numbers show Ohio households led by same-sex couples grew by more than 50 percent between 2000 and 2010.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports last year's census identified more than 28 thousand same-sex partner households, an increase of nearly 10,000 from 10 years earlier.

Executive director Ed Mullen of gay rights group Equality Ohio tells the newspaper the increase reflects that more gay and lesbian couples are living together and are comfortable declaring themselves a couple.

COLUMBUS, OH - An abandoned item at the Ohio State Fair led authorities to close the Skyway ride and a section of the fair on its opening day.

Multiple media outlets report that the Columbus fire department bomb squad was called Wednesday afternoon to detonate the item, a soft-sided cooler. The contents were found to be water bottles and food bars.

Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers pushed crowds back while firefighters used a device called a disrupter to detonate the cooler.

COLUMBUS, OH - Governor John Kasich has declared the Ohio State Fair "the best darned fair" in the country as he opened its 12-day run with a ribbon-cutting. The Columbus Dispatch reports Kasich said the fair's agricultural displays offer a chance to show that bread doesn't just appear in a grocery store.

Americans are growing anxious as Congress continues debating whether to raise the government's debt ceiling and under what conditions.

Thousands of voters have been contacting their representatives locally and on Capitol Hill. The Associated Press is reporting that most of those voters say they want Congress to strike a deal ahead of Tuesday's deadline.