State Supreme Court throws out Issue 2 ballot language
The Ohio Supreme Court has ordered the Ohio Ballot Board to rewrite a statewide issue for the November ballot.  Board chairman, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted will reconvene today to replace the text it approved to describe Issue 2. The ballot proposal would strip state and federal elected officials of their powers for drawing Ohio's legislative and congressional districts and give the job to a 12-person commission. The high court said language approved by the ballot board contained "material omissions and factual inaccuracies."

Batchelder questions funding for exotic animal facility
The Republican leader of the Ohio House is questioning the state's move to spend up to $3.5 million on a facility to temporarily hold dozens of exotic animals confiscated under a new state law. House Speaker William Batchelder told reporters Wednesday he wasn't sure it's the best solution for the state. He said the House could hold hearings on it. A state panel has approved money to build the warehouse-type facility in Reynoldsburg, east of Columbus. Republican Senate President Tom Niehaus said he's fully supportive of the plan

Amish hair cutting trial goes to the jury
The federal hate crimes trial of 16 members of a breakaway Amish community is now in the hands of the jury.  Deliberations begin this morning in U.S. District Court in Cleveland. Defense attorneys contend that prosecutors are overreaching by calling hair and beard cuttings in Holmes County hate crimes. They told jurors to use common sense in deciding the verdict. All of the defendants could face lengthy prison terms if convicted.

Romney coming to Painesville
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is campaigning in Ohio again. Romney's campaign says he'll speak at a rally Friday afternoon at Lake Erie College in Painesville, east of Cleveland. It's the second visit to the battleground state this week for Romney, who spoke in Mansfield Monday. He and President Barack Obama, his Democratic opponent, have made multiple visits to Ohio in recent weeks — underscoring the state's importance in the November election. Romney's northeastern Ohio stop follows campaign visits in the state this week by his running mate Paul Ryan and Vice President Joe Biden. Obama plans stops in Columbus and Cincinnati Monday.

Brown shows concern over student debit cards
Senator Sherrod Brown is expressing concern over the debit cards issued to some Ohio college students. The Beacon Journal reports Brown wrote a letter to Higher One asking it to impose reasonable fees, bar inactivity fees, and not offer gifts as an incentive to sign up. He said 80 percent of Higher One’s revenue comes from fees. Kent State and Stark State both use Higher One to facilitate refunds of financial aid. If students don’t want their refunds put on the Higher One debit card, they have to request a direct deposit or a paper check.

Developer plans apartments in Hanna Building annex
Plans to build about 100 downtown Cleveland apartments are moving forward.  The Plain Dealer reports developer K & G Group has completed its purchase of the Hanna Building Annex in the city’s theater district. The deal was announced last December….K & D plans to have the first units open by March.

Casino commission approves Thistledown financing
Plans to turn Thistledown horse track into a so-called racino are moving move forward. On Wednesday, the Ohio Casino Control commission approved 160-million dollars in private financing to renovate the track in North Randall. The Ohio Lottery Commission will have the final say on Rock Ohio Caesars’ plan to turn Thistledown into a racino, adding more than 1-thousand slots-like video lottery machines.

Dayton-area lawmaker under investigation
A Dayton-area Democratic lawmaker has missed votes this week amid a prosecutor's investigation into his conduct. A  Franklin County Prosecutor said state Rep. Clayton Luckie agreed to sit out a Tuesday meeting of the powerful Controlling Board on which he sits and to skip Wednesday's House session. Luckie has not been charged with a crime. In an earlier statement, he said the probe involved alleged report errors. A day after the investigation became public, he announced he wouldn't seek a fourth term.

Fracking opponents protest across Northeast Ohio
From Youngstown to Canton, opponents of the natural gas drilling technique known as fracking staged protests Wednesday. The Youngstown-based FrackFree American National Coalition organized the event that was coordinated in 11 states…opponents argue the process of blasting chemical laced water deep into Ohio’s shale formation to release natural gas is dangerous.

Long railroad worker lawsuit ends
A lawsuit in Ohio over benefits for railroad workers may be coming to an end after 43 years. The Plain Dealer reports a federal judge awarded $14.7 million last month to a group of Cleveland railroad workers in the dispute. The case involving the former Penn Central Railroad has gone on for so long that only two of the 32 original people who sued are alive. Court records indicate the estates of the others are expected to receive awards from the case. Court records also said that if Penn Central paid the workers in 1968, it would have cost the company $564,820.