Developer reveals plans for Goodyear headquarters
The developer who owns the Goodyear Headquarters in Akron says he plans to create the best modern office space in Akron. Stu Lichter of Industrial Realty Group will redevelop the buildings starting next year.   Lichter’s company is also building Goodyear’s new headquarters. Lichter tells The Beacon Journal that his company will redesign the office space on the East Market Street complex to create a more connected facility. The plans includes apartments, a restaurant, and a boutique hotel. Lichter said new tenants could start moving into the facility by the end of 2013.   No price tag was given for the redevelopment.

Fewer malpractice cases in Ohio
The number of medical malpractice cases in Ohio continues to hit new lows. A new report from the Ohio Department of Insurance credits the 2003 tort reform law for the drop. The number of claims dropped 41 percent between 2005 and 2010. Payments in medical malpractice cases fell by over a hundred million dollars between 2005 and 2010 to 175 million dollars. A spokesman for the Ohio State Medical Association the numbers are proof that tort reform is working. But Columbus lawyer Gerry Leeseberg tells the Columbus Dispatch that the 500,000 dollar cap on pain and suffering awards as part of the reform makes some legitimate cases impractical.

Prominent Republicans to stump for Mandel
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Arizona Senator John McCain are visiting Ohio today to boost state Treasurer Josh Mandel's campaign for the U.S. Senate. Mandel's campaign is holding morning events in Columbus with McCain and afternoon events in suburban Cleveland with Christie.

Remains of fallen soldiers return home
The remains of three Ohio National Guard soldiers killed in an attack in Afghanistan have returned home to central Ohio. An honorable transfer ceremony took place at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus this weekend.  Funerals with military honors are being held this week for the three Ohio National Guard soldiers killed in an attack by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. The Columbus Dispatch reports U.S. Sen. Rob Portman was among hundreds of people who paused near flag-draped caskets during visitations for the men on Sunday. They died after an April 4 attack that killed 13 people. At least four more guardsmen were wounded.

Dole recalls bagged salad
Dole Food Co.'s fresh vegetables division is recalling 756 cases of bagged salad, because they could be contaminated with salmonella. The salads were distributed in Ohio, and 14 other states. Dole said late Saturday that it's coordinating with regulatory officials and that no illnesses have been reported. The company said the bags are being recalled, because a random sample tested by the State of New York came back positive for salmonella.

Highway Patrol cautious on speed limit increase
A bill aimed at increasing the speed limit on Ohio’s interstates has bipartisan support in the Ohio legislature.  But the Ohio Highway Patrol has concerns.  House Bill 395 would raise the speed limit on interstates to 70 miles per hour to match the speed limit in most neighboring states. Highway Patrol Lieutenant Anne Ralston tells The Plain Dealer that crashes on the Ohio Turnpike increased more in its first year at a 70 mile per hour speed limit than in previous years. House Transportation Committee Chair Courtney Combs said he doubts there would be a large reduction in crashes if the speed limit were returned to 65. A recent Quinnipiac University poll found just over half of Ohioans favor the higher speed on interstates.

Gas prices rise slightly
The average price for regular gas is about $3.79 a gallon in Monday's AAA survey. That's a bit above the average of $3.77 a week ago. Nationally, the average price of regular gas is around $3.91. Crude oil prices have increased since fall in part because of concern that a military strike by Israel and the U.S. against Iran's nuclear facilities would disrupt global crude supplies. But crude prices dropped recently amid indications that global crude supplies are outstripping demand.

Cleveland mayor pushes school reform
Mayor Frank Jackson wants to give the superintendent the power to reassign bad teachers and reshape failing schools without union contract barriers.  Jackson controls schools through an appointed board. His original plan angered fellow Democrats and labor allies by challenging timeworn teacher union contracts.  Labor leaders called it union busting, and the mayor reached a compromise agreement last week. State lawmakers expect to take up the enabling legislation this week.

Ohio aims to close race gap in reading exams
Ohio plans to target learning gaps between different groups of students to reinforce the point that all children should receive an equally good education. The state Department of Education says if nothing is done it would be 90 years before black and white third-graders pass reading exams at the same level. The state plans to begin grading schools on how quickly graduation rates and passing rates on state exams become equal among students regardless of their skin color, economic background or special needs. The state wants to cut the current gap in half by 2017. The Education Department says learning gaps occur beginning in Kindergarten, with poor, black, Latino and special needs children often behind.

Injection wells blamed for increase in earthquakes    
The increase in earthquakes across the Midwest is almost certainly caused by human activity according to new government research. The report from the US Geological Survey showed that there were six times as many earthquakes in the last decade as there were in the previous century. The findings also show an increase in quakes around wastewater disposal injection wells. Ohio is the leading importer of wastewater from other states. Pennsylvania exported 94 million gallons of fracking wastewater to disposal wells in Ohio in 2011. Last year, oil and gas companies injected 511 million gallons into Ohio’s wells, according to the state’s Department of Natural Resources. Fluid from injection wells seeped into an unknown fault line and is cited as the cause a string of earthquakes in the Youngstown area last year.