Ohio Gov. John Kasich has granted a condemned killer a two-week reprieve to allow a court to conduct a hearing on the inmate's mental competency. The reprieve Tuesday evening temporarily spared Abdul Awkal, who was facing execution in less than 18 hours when Kasich made his announcement. Kasich said he ordered the reprieve to allow Cuyahoga County Judge Stuart Friedman enough time to hold a hearing on Awkal's mental condition. Friedman ruled Monday there was evidence to believe Awkal was not competent to be executed. The 53-year-old Awkal was sentenced to die for killing his estranged wife from an arranged marriage and his brother-in-law in a Cuyahoga County court basement in 1992.

Ohio village lands spot on endangered list

Supporters of a historic eastern Ohio village threatened by flooding and potentially by flood control efforts hope a new national historic listing will help save it. The National Trust for Historic Preservation said in a statement Wednesday that Zoar has been named to its list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. The village, founded in 1817 by German religious dissenters, has been protected from water that backs up behind a Tuscarawas River dam by a 75-year-old levee. That levee is deteriorating and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working to find a permanent solution. Village supporters want the levee fixed. But other possible scenarios include moving Zoar's buildings to higher ground or leveling them. They say the listing should garner more support national support for preserving Zoar.

Chardon High School shooter indicted

A 17-year-old has been indicted in Ohio in the school shooting deaths of three students and the wounding of three others. The indictment was returned Tuesday in Geauga County east of Cleveland against T.J. Lane. A judge ruled last month that Lane must be tried as an adult. Lane could face life in prison if convicted. He was indicted on three counts of aggravated murder, two counts of attempted aggravated murder and one count of felonious assault in the Feb. 27 attack at Chardon High School. No motive has been established.

Internet sweepstakes cafe challenges shutdown efforts

An Internet "sweepstakes" cafe owner is challenging efforts by Cuyahoga County to down such businesses. The businesses offer games that function like slot machines with cash prizes. Last week, the Cuyahoga County prosecutor sent letters to about 50 cafe operators in the county ordering them to close immediately. The Plain Dealer reports two of those facilities are owned by J&C Marketing LLC, which is asking a county judge to block the prosecutor from enforcing that order. A hearing is set for Monday. An assistant prosecutor says most of the county's sweepstakes cafes have closed since the order, but a few remain open.

Gov. Kasich signs exotic animal regulation bill

Ohio's governor has signed into law the state's widely watched new regulations on exotic animals. Gov. John Kasich signed the legislation at a Statehouse ceremony Tuesday afternoon. Celebrity zookeeper Jack Hanna appeared at the signing, along with state lawmakers and other Ohio officials. Regulatory efforts took on new urgency in October, when a suicidal owner released dozens of exotic animals from his farm near Zanesville. The measure, which takes effect in three months, would ban people from buying new dangerous exotic animals. Current owners could keep their creatures by registering them with the state within 60 days of the bill's effective date. Owners would also have to obtain a new state-issued permit by 2014 and adhere to strict new caretaking standards.

Program will presume women and children eligible for Medicaid

State officials are hoping to more easily allow uninsured children and pregnant women in Ohio access to medical treatment, if they are likely to qualify for Medicaid. Medicaid provides coverage for the poor and disabled though state and federal funding. Determining whether a person is eligible for the program can take as long as 45 days. Ohio's Medicaid director said Tuesday he wants to cut that time by allowing certain health care providers to presume Medicaid eligibility for children and pregnant women. Patients would have to go through an initial screening process and then work with providers to complete the full Medicaid application. The pilot program is slated to start next week at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, MetroHealth System in Cleveland and the Community Action Committee of Pike County.

Man charged with selling Asian carp in Michigan

Michigan authorities have charged a man with 12 counts of selling live Asian carp in violation of a state law meant to prevent the spread of invasive species. The state attorney general's office said today that 42-year-old David Shane Costner of Harrisburg, Ark., sold two grass carp to undercover investigators from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources last month in Midland. Officials said Costner was hauling illegal carp around Michigan in a tractor-trailer and selling them in store parking lots. They said he also was selling legal fish species such as channel catfish, largemouth bass and fathead minnows. Grass carp are among several carp varieties imported from Asia that have spread in U.S. waterways. The two species considered most likely to invade the Great Lakes are silver and bighead carp.