WKSU News: Noon headlines: Oct. 26, 2012

Friday, October 26, 2012 Noon headlines: Oct. 26, 2012 Condemned killer wants stay; Super PAC with ties to Brown; Obama's free pizza backfire

Condemned killer wants stay

Super PAC with ties to Brown

Obama's free pizza backfire

Condemned killer wants stay
A condemned Ohio killer sentenced to die next month for stabbing an Akron woman more than 100 times has asked a federal judge to delay his execution, citing ongoing problems with the state's execution policies.

Death row inmate Brett Hartman faces his third execution date Nov. 13 after two previous execution dates in 2009 and last year were delayed.

Attorneys for the 38-year-old Hartman say the state deviated from its written execution policies during the two previous executions, in violation of an order by federal judge Gregory Frost to strictly follow the policies.

Hartman's attorneys did not give examples of the problems in a filing late Thursday but asked Frost to hold a hearing where they can present evidence.

The Ohio Parole Board has rejected clemency for Hartman three times.

Super PAC with ties to Brown
Operators of a Super PAC that's spent more than $300,000 against Republican Senate candidate Josh Mandel have past ties to Mandel's opponent in the hotly contested race.

Such ties break no election rules. However, Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown has roundly criticized a similar relationship between another outside group and Mandel's one-time staffer.

The Columbus attorney who founded Ohio Families United in May was Ohio's deputy elections director under Brown in the 1980s. Its treasurer drove for Brown's wife during his 2006 campaign.

Documents reviewed by The Associated Press show attorney Don McTigue's firm has worked intermittently for Brown's campaign throughout 2012.

The campaign says Mandel operative Joel Riter's business tie to The Government Integrity Fund was different because Riter was part of Mandel's then-inner circle.

Obama's free pizza backfire
The state’s Republicans allege that Obama for America and state Democrats distributed free pizza at campus rallies as a way to entice college students to vote for the president.

The Ohio Republican Party filed an election complaint Thursday in Franklin County alleging the "Buckeyes for Obama" student organization at OSU violated a law that prohibits offering something of value for a person's vote.

The party attached an affidavit to the complaint quoting an anonymous student staffer of the Obama campaign who said the campaign has an "unlimited" tab with the pizza chain Donatos for six rallies where student could catch buses to an early voting center.

The Ohio Democratic Party said the challenge showed confused priorities, when the GOP fought to limit early voting days in court.

Add Your Comment