Sikh rememberance draws 600 to Richfield
About 600 people gathered at a Sikh temple in Richfield Sunday for an interfaith service meant to promote awareness. The service was held at the Gurdwara Temple and was coordinated nationwide at 10:30am, to mark the time a gunman fired the first shot Aug. 5 that killed six at the temple near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There are an estimated 5,000-7,000 people of the Sikh faith in Ohio who worship in temples in Richfield, Bedford, Columbus and Dayton. 

Romney to focus on coal in Ohio
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will focus on coal as he begins a three-stop Ohio bus tour on Tuesday. He will be at American Energy Corp. in Beallsville then stop by an ice cream shop in Zanesville. He concludes his swing through eastern and southern Ohio's Appalachian region with an evening rally in Chillicothe. The campaign had said earlier he will be joined by Ohio Sen. Rob Portman on his stops Tuesday. 

Anonymous hotline overflows
A special hotline for anonymous telephone tips about record tampering in Columbus schools has filled up quickly. Ohio Auditor Dave Yost's office says capacity has been increased since the line opened Thursday. It was initially set up to hold 20 calls and got 19 calls the first night. Yost has been investigating schools including the Columbus district for allegedly manipulating attendance and enrollment records to improve academic results. Yost believed employees needed an anonymous line because of pressure not to discuss any wrongdoing.

Panel brainstorming how to increase college grads
A panel tasked with suggesting how Ohio could have more college graduates and encourage more to stay in the state is having its first on-the-road meeting at Bowling Green State University. The state's higher education chief says less than half of the people who enter public colleges in Ohio get a degree, and increasing that rate could help provide the highly skilled workers needed to fill Ohio jobs and encourage economic growth. The task force for the Ohio Board of Regents' Complete College Ohio initiative is expected to produce its report by mid-November for an annual meeting of college trustees.

Ohio has fewer juvenile sex offenders 
A state agency says the number of juvenile sex offenders in the Ohio system has decreased by 17 percent over a three-year period. State officials are crediting community-based treatment efforts — designed to deliver more effective rehabilitation and save money — for the decline. The Ohio Department of Youth Services reported that the average daily facility population for youth services is at 567.

Mercy killing dilemma in Akron
Authorities investigating what may have been a mercy killing in Akron are faced with a dilemma. One big question for them is what is the appropriate charge when a relative is accused of killing a loved one to end their suffering. As the baby boom generation ages, research indicates that question is likely to arise more often. John Wise of Massillon in Stark County is charged with aggravated murder. Police in Akron say he shot his wife to death in her hospital bed at Akron General this month. His attorney says Wise has always acted out of love for his wife who had suffered a stroke a week earlier. Research has shown that when a husband kills an ailing wife, most cases never go to trial and end with a plea deal that carries a few years in prison.

Democrats pick replacement candidate for November
Democrats in Dayton have picked a replacement candidate for a state lawmaker who withdrew from running for re-election. Former state legislator Fred Strahorn will fill the ballot slot for state Rep. Clayton Luckie. Luckie dropped out Friday, a day after the Franklin County prosecutor said Luckie was under investigation. The prosecutor has said little other than that the probe doesn't involve bribery. Luckie remains in office. 

Jury selection for man's second murder trial
Jury selection gets underway today in the second murder trial for an Akron-area man. Denny Ross rejected a plea offer last month for the 1999 murder of Hannah Hill, setting up the second trial.  A mistrial was declared in 2000 and ten years later, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that Ross can be tried again, but this time the death penalty will not be an option. Ross is currently serving 25 years in prison on another rape and attempted murder case.

Gee heads to Stark State
Ohio State University President Gordon Gee will be in Stark County on Tuesday to formally sign an agreement with Stark State College. The partnership means Stark State students who earn associate degrees will be guaranteed admission to OSU with junior standing. Stark State has the agreement with more than 30 colleges and universities.