One Route 82 Bridge suspect pleads guilty
One of five men charged with plotting to bomb a highway bridge in Ohio has pleaded guilty and will testify against his co-defendants. The plea by 35-year-old Anthony Hayne came Wednesday in federal court in Akron. His attorney says his client hopes to get leniency in return for his testimony. The five allegedly were working with an FBI informant who provided a dud explosive.

Storms heading our way later, utilities getting ready
Utility companies in Ohio are bracing for another round of potentially damaging summer storms today. WEWS reports Ohio Edison, Cleveland Electric Illuminating and about a half dozen others are prepared for the worst. High winds and severe storms are in the forecast for this afternoon. Storms earlier this month left a million Ohio homes and businesses in the dark.

New charges against “Bobby Thompson”
An Ohio grand jury has reindicted a former fugitive accused of running a $100 million scam collecting donations for Navy veterans. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said the 24-count indictment against the man, who goes by Bobby Thompson, reflects new information since two previous indictments in 2010. Charges filed Wednesday by the Cleveland grand jury includes identity fraud and complicity to money laundering. Authorities said it's unclear what the man's true identity is, and he has signed court documents as "Mr. X." They said he defrauded donors of up to $100 million in 41 states, including $2 million in Ohio. A fraction of the money has been found.

Kasich orders help for farmers
Governor John Kasich has signed an executive order he says will help farmers affected financially by Ohio's recent drought conditions. The order instructs state agencies to help farmers seeking federal assistance on loans. That includes emergency low-interest loans for crop losses, relief payments for non-insurable losses and temporary deferral payments on federal loans.

Ohio counties sue Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac
County officials in southwest Ohio have filed a class action lawsuit against two mortgage giants they say owe millions in unpaid taxes. Montgomery County filed a federal lawsuit yesterday that says Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac wrongfully claimed various exemptions to avoid paying transfer taxes to state counties.

NTSB releases preliminary report on Columbus derailment
Federal officials have estimated damage caused by a train derailment and explosion in Columbus this month to be about $1.2 million. The estimated cost was part of a preliminary report released Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The agency is looking into what caused the July 11 derailment on Norfolk Southern Corp. tracks north of downtown Columbus. The accident derailed 17 cars and caused a fire that burned for hours. Two people suffered minor injuries. A final report investigating what caused the accident may take up to a year.

FirstEnergy exploring new nuclear reactors
Akron-based FirstEnergy is looking to roll out a new small nuclear reactor. The Plain Dealer reports it would cost less than a quarter of a traditional reactor but would generate far less electricity. The smaller reactor is also expected to be safer. The utility has signed a deal with Babcock and Wilcox Company of Charlotte to explore the plan’s feasibility. The reactor could be built in B&W’s plant in Barberton if FirstEnergy decides to buy.

Third Frontier issues new grants
Ohio’s Third Frontier program awarded millions of dollars in grants to Northeast Ohio businesses and institutions yesterday. The program aimed at fueling high-tech investment gave the Cleveland Clinic nearly $5 million to improve replacement shoulders and hips and eye surgery imaging. Kent State picked up $3 million for its work with liquid crystals. And Case Western Reserve University received over $2 million to develop equipment and services for cell therapy. Cleveland-based NineSigma was also given over $2 million to develop new open source technology. The program plans to hand out more grants next month.

Steubenville to remove cross, chapel from logo
Officials in the eastern Ohio town of Steubenville have decided to remove religious symbols from the city logo rather than risk legal action. Steubenville’s law director says a citizen complained about the logo, which includes the cross and silhouette of a Chapel on the Franciscan University of Steubenville campus. The city was contacted by the Freedom from Religion Foundation in Madison, Wis. Rather than a potentially costly legal battle the city has asked a local artist to redesign the city logo.

EPA clears drinking water allegedly tainted by fracking
The EPA says it has completed tests on drinking water in the northeastern Pennsylvania village of Dimock and has determined it is safe. But some residents dispute that and say gas drilling ruined their wells. The EPA says in a statement Wednesday that it doesn't plan further tests, and that there's no need to provide residents with alternative supplies of drinking water. Resident Ray Kemble says his water is still contaminated, and he doesn't trust EPA's public statements. The town became a focus in the debate over hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, when opponents of drilling showed that some residents were able to light their tap water on fire because of high levels of methane gas. But geologists say such contamination can also happen naturally.