Ohio Supreme Court sides with Ohio State vs. ESPN
The state Supreme Court has decided that most of the records ESPN was seeking in the Ohio State football scandal are private.

The sports network was seeking more information about the NCAA investigation of Jim Tressel’s program. And the court did order Ohio State to provide some of those documents directly tied to the investigation.

But the unanimous decision denied ESPN other documents, saying they’re protected by attorney-client privilege and by the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which is called FERPA.

The court did chastise Ohio State for rejecting ESPN’s request as “overly broad” without explaining how the network could modify some of the requests to make them fit within the state’s public records law. But the court refused to award ESPN attorney fees because it says Ohio State largely complied with the law.

Feds: Engine blocks shipped cocaine to Northeast Ohio
The U.S. attorney’s office is announcing charges this afternoon in the case of a dozen people accused of shipping cocaine and marijuana from California to Akron and Canton. It says nearly 50 pounds of cocaine came in hiding in engine blocks.

Ohio's congressional delegation pushes for bearing protections
Northeast Ohio’s congressional delegation is pressing hard for the International Trade Commission to extend a ruling to keep China from dumping tapered roller bearings on the market.

Northeast Ohio is home to Timken, whose business was founded on bearings. And Ohio Congresswoman Betty Sutton testified today before the trade commission that the original ruling that China was dumping bearings at below market prices helped save more than 2,500 American jobs.

Also pushing for the sanctions to be extended is Rep. Jim Renacci, whose 16^th district includes Timken operations.

The Republican Renacci and Democrat Sutton are pitted against each other in the fall election. 

More Statehouse criminal charges coming?
The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that criminal charges involving Statehouse corruption are not likely to end with yesterday’s sentencing of former state Rep. Carlton Weddington.

The Dispatch quotes Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien saying he expects “one or more people” will be charged over the next three months.  And Weddington has pledged to cooperate with investigators.

He pleaded guilty to bribery and election falsification and has been sentenced to three years in prison after he was caught in an FBI scam earlier this year. Weddington resigned in March and is to report to prison in mid-August.

Chronicle-Telegram says ex-judge may be found in contempt 
A former judge in Lorain County may be found in contempt of court for failing to pay fines on time.

The fines are tied to Paulette Lilly’s campaign in the March primary. The state’s Board of Commissioners on Grievances & Discipline determined that her literature could have misled voters into believing she was a sitting judge. Lilly had been defeated in 2006.

The Elyria Chronicle Telegram says the board is unaware of any other time a judicial candidate failed to pay fines on time. 

Kent preps to play defending national champs
Kent State’s baseball team is preparing to play the defending national champions tomorrow in the College World Series. Kent plays South Carolina. And if it wins, it goes on to play Arkansas – which has defeated both Kent and South Carolina in the double-elimination tournament in Omaha.