Ohio Supreme Court dismisses levy results
The Supreme Court of Ohio is throwing out the results of vote on a Northeast Ohio police levy, saying  Stark County elections officials messed up when they approved ballot language that drastically underestimated how much the levy would cost homeowners.

The state high court unanimously agreed with an appeals court that it was a “substantial defect” when backers of a Uniontown police levy estimated it would cost homeowners one-tenth of what it actually costs. The levy passed by fewer than 500 of the nearly 11,000 votes cast. 

In throwing out the results, the court noted that nearly two dozen voters had filed affidavits saying they would have voted again the levy had they known its true cost. In its ruling, the court noted the levy passed by just 52 percent of the vote, “hardly an overwhelming majority.”

Welfare drug tests pulled from Ohio bill
A Senate committee has pulled a pilot program that would tie welfare benefits to clean drug tests.

The move came today after Gov. John Kasich's administration intervened. The proposal was broadly criticized as discriminatory to the poor, ineffective in other states, and potentially unconstitutional.

A Senate spokeswoman says the governor's office pledged to work with the Senate on the issue as a stand-alone bill. 

According to the Plain Dealer, the Cleveland suburb estimates it could make as much as $250,000 by handling its own minor traffic cases.  Those cases are now handled by Rocky River Municipal Court.  The North Olmstead court would be established by the mayor’s executive order.

The late Ohio Supreme Court Justice Thomas Moyer had repeatedly called for the elimination of mayor’s courts, and state lawmakers have repeatedly considered bills to limit them. 

Skechers settles health claims with states
Ohio is joining in a national settlement with Skechers over claims the shoe company made about weight-loss and its rocker-bottom sneakers. The settlement with 43 state and the feds includes as much as $40 million for refunds for consumers who bought the shoes. The state of Ohio will also get more than $150,000.

Ohio and Tennessee led a multi-state working group that investigated the ad claims that the shoes would burn calories, fight cellulite, improve circulation and firm muscles.

Biden speaks in Youngstown
Vice President Joe Biden is in Youngstown today, speaking at a manufacturer that specializes in 3D imaging and modeling. His theme – announced on a banner on the podium -- reads “Made in Ohio” and he’s expected to highlight what the auto industry bailout did for the recovery of manufacturing and jobs in Northeast Ohio. Biden travels to Martins Ferry tomorrow to speak at a family car dealership.

Edison vs. Wright Brothers
The Ohio Senate is expected to vote today on whether Thomas Edison should join President James Garfield as Ohio’s representatives in Congress’s National Statuary Hall. The Edison statue won a popularity contest two years ago, but, according to the Columbus Dispatch, the Ohio House may not go along. Supporters there are pushing for the Wright Brothers to represent Ohio.