Ohio West Nile cases double in less than three weeks
The number of West Nile virus cases in Ohio has more than doubled over the last three weeks. The Columbus Dispatch reports 60 cases of the virus have been reported and two people have died. Nationwide, nearly 2,000 cases of West Nile have been reported with 87 deaths. Officials are calling this one of the worst summers for the mosquito-borne virus in the state and across the nation. The Ohio Department of Health recommends people use insect repellant and remove standing water on their property. 

Ohio man freed after 21 years on death row
An Ohio man who spent more than 21 years on death row is free after a judge dismissed the murder charge against him in a 1988 stabbing death. A Cuyahoga County judge dismissed the aggravated murder count yesterday against 62-year-old Michael Keenan after determining his trial attorneys withheld evidence that could have exonerated him.

Clinton to campaign for Obama in Ohio
Former President Bill Clinton plans to campaign for President Barack Obama in Ohio and Florida next week, seeking to bring the momentum of his convention speech to the nation's two largest battleground states. Obama's campaign says details on Clinton's itinerary of campaign events are still being finalized.

Lyndhurst country club bought, will stay green
Acacia Country Club in Lyndhurst will remain green space. Its shareholders voted yesterday to sell the club’s 160 acre site to the Conservation Fund for nearly 15 million dollars. The Fund purchases large plots of land and preserves them in a natural state. The city of Lyndhurst had hoped to buy the property and use it to develop homes and retail. Conservation Fund vice president Matt Sexton says the property could remain a golf course if it passes the zoning commission.

Akron priest set for re-sentencing
A popular Akron-area priest will be resentenced today for banking and income tax crimes. 70 year old Rev. Samuel Ciccolini was originally sentenced to one day in jail and over $3.8 million dollars in fines and restitution. But an appeals court ruled Judge James Gwin didn’t have the authority to order restitution. The Beacon Journal reports prosecutors want Ciccolini to spend 18 months behind bars. Defense attorneys are citing Ciccolini’s time at the helm of a drug and alcohol treatment center in Coventry Township as a reason for leniency.

Bishop feared cultlike activities of beard-cutting ringleader
An Amish bishop says he feared cult-like activities promoted by hate crimes suspect Samuel Mullet. Bishop Myron Miller testified yesterday in federal court in Cleveland that Mullet humiliated him by cutting his beard and hair in a violent attack last October. Miller excommunicated Mullet’s son Billy last fall and told members of his church to stay away from Mullet’s group. Another victim testified that he was depressed after having his beard cut.

Teen sentenced to jail in bomb prank
A Perry Township teen will spend a week in jail for posting a bomb threat to Canton Central Catholic High School as part of a prank. The Canton Repository reports Zachary Parker pleaded guilty to felony inducing panic and breaking and entering. Police say he and three other students snuck into the school through an open window. They then wrote a bomb threat on a chalkboard and used a teacher’s Facebook to threaten violence. Parker will also do 200 hours of community service, pay restitution, and be on probation for three years. Any violation of his probation could land him in jail for 18 months.

Five indicted in chop shop bust
Federal officials say five northeastern Ohio men have been indicted on charges of running a large chop-shop operation involving stolen vehicles and cargo. An FBI news release said the Cleveland-area men stole cars, trucks, backhoes and other vehicles, stripped them for parts and then crushed the rest and sold it for scrap. Officials said the men also stole loads of cargo from parked trucks, including $120,000 worth of steel coils stolen from outside a Ramada Inn in March. Thursday's indictment said each defendant had a role in a conspiracy to steal the vehicles, strip them of parts, including rims and catalytic converters, and then destroy and scrap the rest.

ODNR settles public records suit
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has paid nearly $9,000 to an environmental group to settle a public-records lawsuit. The state paid the Ohio Sierra Club a $1,000 settlement plus nearly $8,000 in expenses to end the case. The Sierra Club had sued the state in April, claiming that officials had ignored records requests for months. The group wanted to see all documents and emails related to the agency's plan to open state parks to shale drilling and hydraulic fracturing. The documents and emails were released in four batches over two months. They showed that officials had considered keeping drilling rigs farther from campgrounds than a proposed 300 feet. Both sides said they were satisfied with the settlement.