Mental illness a question in Ohio's next execution
The Ohio Justice & Policy Center says Ohio is preparing to execute a severely mentally ill Cleveland man next week, and is pleading with Gov. John Kasich to commute his sentence.

Ohio’s parole board recommended against commuting Abdul Awkal’s death sentence two weeks ago. But the Cincinnati-based center says Awkal is so delusional he believes he orchestrated the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from death row, and that he’s being executed because the CIA wants him dead.

Awkal killed his estranged wife and brother-in-law during a custody dispute over their then 17-month-old daughter in the Cuyahoga County Courthouse in 1992.

The Justice and Policy Center maintains that he cannot be legally executed because he’s too irrational to understand what’s going on.

Toledo casino opens amidst expections of less gambling in surrounding states
Ohio’s second casino is scheduled to open in just two hours.

Like its counterpart in Cleveland two weeks ago, Hollywood Casino Toledo held a VIP inauguration ceremony this morning. The general public is allowed in at 2 p.m.

Casinos are expected to open in Cincinnati and Columbus later this year and next, and the four casinos are expected to cut sharply into the roughly one billion dollars a year that Ohioans have been gambling in Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania. BusinessWeek reported this week that Indiana alone expects to lose $100 million in tax revenue.

Supporters of lesbian den mother present petitions to Boy Scouts this week
Supporters of a lesbian den mother will present a petition at the Boy Scouts of America's annual meeting in Orlando to protest her removal from a troop in eastern Ohio.

Jennifer Tyrrell's supporters have collected more than 275,000 names calling for her reinstatement as a leader of the troop near the Ohio River town of Bridgeport. Tyrrell was removed last April because Boy Scout policy prohibits gays and lesbians from being adult leaders.

Eagle Scout Zach Wahls, an Iowa college student who was raised by lesbian mothers, will be among those presenting the petition.  

New details coming in Amish girl's shooting death 
A Holmes County prosecutor will offer an update today on the investigation into the death of a 15-year-old Amish girl who was shot while driving a horse-drawn buggy home from a Christmas party.

Rachel Yoder was shot in the head in December while traveling to her home in Wayne County.

The sheriff in nearby Holmes County has said a man was cleaning his muzzle-loading rifle, and shot the gun into the air more than a mile from the girl. The horse carted the girl home, where her brother found her.

Holmes County Prosecutor Steve Knowling has been reviewing ballistics reports and information from investigators.

Cavs hope for luck in the lottery
The NBA Draft Lottery will be held tomorrow night beginning 8 p.m. The  lottery will determine the order for the first 14 picks on the 2012 draft in late June, and the Cleveland Cavs are hoping for the second year in a row to get the No. 1 pick. Last year, they took Kyrie Irving, who was named NBA rookie of the year this year.