Ohio AG probes Chesapeake Energy
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's office is investigating the business practices of Chesapeake Energy Corp., Ohio’s biggest investor in oil and gas drilling. DeWine says in a letter to the environmental watchdog group Ohio Citizen Action, that he launched a preliminary review in April of activities by the Oklahoma City-based company and its CEO Aubrey McClendon. McClendon ran a private hedge fund for at least four years that traded in contracts for oil and natural gas, reportedly a conflict of interest. He also has taken out personal loans to cover his investments in the company's wells. DeWine said Ohio could join an Oklahoma lawsuit against Chesapeake if it's approved as a class action. The company declined comment.

One bridge bomb suspect wants separate trial
One of five men charged with plotting to bomb the Route 82 bridge in Brecksville wants his own trial. The attorney for 26-year-old Douglas Wright of Indianapolis says his client should be tried separately because the other defendants have pointed to him as an instigator. Wright's attorney also wants the trial moved out of Northeast Ohio to Toledo. Authorities say the men tried to detonate what turned out to be a dud bomb provided by an FBI undercover informant. All five have pleaded not guilty.

More charges recommended in Cleveland firefighter shift scandal 
More charges could be coming for Cleveland firefighters in an ongoing work-shift scandal that’s estimated to have cost taxpayers millions. The Plain Dealer reports a former federal prosecutor recommends charging five firefighters who allegedly paid others to work their shifts while still getting regular pay checks. Ronald Bakeman’s report followed a six-month investigation. In April, retired firefighter Timothy DeBarr was sentenced two months in jail for paying coworkers for more than 4,000 hours of work and failing to reimburse the city for most of the time. 

Jury gets Durham case
A federal jury could begin deliberations this morning for an Indianapolis businessman accused of using an Akron-based finance firm to bilk investors. In closing arguments yesterday, prosecutors say wiretaps and emails prove Tim Durham and his partners "pillaged" the finance company, Fair Finance, after they bought it and conspired to hide its depleted condition from regulators and investors. However, Durham's defense attorney insists the men simply made bad business decisions in the midst of the bewildering economic crisis of 2008. A number of the victims were elderly Ohio residents who lost their life savings.

Former OSU appointed to Ohio Education Board 
An Ohio State quarterback from the 1990’s is getting a seat on the Ohio Board of Education. Gov. John Kasich has appointed Stanley Jackson to serve the final six months of an at-large term on the 19-member panel. 37-year old Jackson, a registered Republican from Marion, is to replace an appointee of former Gov. Ted Strickland. The Columbus Dispatch reports the Kasich administration could not provide a resume for Jackson on Tuesday. A spokesman says Jackson’s background includes founding a Columbus-area charter school. The Ohio Senate has to approve the appointment. 

Drugs smuggled in engine blocks
One dozen people have been indicted on charges of plotting to ship cocaine and marijuana from California to the Akron-Canton area. The federal conspiracy indictment was unsealed Tuesday. The defendants allegedly shipped drugs in hollowed-out engine blocks. The alleged conspiracy lasted from mid-2011 through April. 

Ohio Supreme Court sides with OSU
The Ohio Supreme Court has sided with Ohio State University in a lawsuit brought by ESPN over records it sought in connection to the university's football scandal and NCAA investigation. ESPN had asked the Supreme Court to order the release of records related to the forced resignation of football coach Jim Tressel and star quarterback Terrelle Pryor. The court on Tuesday unanimously ruled that for the most part Ohio State properly shielded records as either protected by federal privacy laws or attorney-client privilege. The court said in a few cases Ohio State must remove certain names from documents which it then must provide ESPN. The court also denied ESPN's request for attorney fees.

Unclaimed funds scam
The Ohio Department of Commerce says it has warned an internet company to stop charging residents for unclaimed funds searches or risk facing legal action by the state. Department director David Goodman alleges a company called Unclaimed Money LLC and its website also issue misleading claim forms. Goodman says his department provides free searches to help people determine if they're entitled to unclaimed money collected by the state from deposits, refunds and other sources. He says Ohioans shouldn't have to pay for such searches or claim forms. He says his staff recognized the phony forms when they were mailed to the Division of Unclaimed Funds. The company could not be reached for comment Wednesday morning.