Ohio voter turnout 2012 -  about average
The turnout of Ohio voters in Tuesday's election was just over 68 percent.

The Ohio Secretary of State's Office reports about 5.4 million Ohioans cast ballots out of the nearly 8 million registered voters.  The percentage was just short of the 70 percent that turned out for the last two presidential elections, in 2008 and 2004.  

More than 119,000 absentee ballots were cast and more than 205,000 provisional ballots are still awaiting certification.

Among the counties with the highest turnout were Highland in southwest Ohio, Delaware in the Columbus area and Putnam in northwest Ohio.

Shuffle at the Ohio Supreme Court
Only one of the three Ohio Supreme Court incumbents in yesterday’s race will be returning to the bench.

Voters wiped out the only Democrat on the Ohio Supreme Court.

Yvette McGee Brown, who’d been appointed by former Gov. Ted Strickland, was defeated by Sharon Kennedy by a 15 point margin.

But, there will be a new Democrat on the Court.  On his third try, Bill O’Neill won with 52 percent of the vote.

He booted Justice Bob Cupp from the Court in a nasty campaign – both candidates had ads that were condemned by the state bar association.

And Republican Terrence O’Donnell was re-elected by a wide margin, easily defeating Democratic State Senator Mike Skindell.

Port tax sinks in Cleveland
Voters across Cuyahoga County were in no mood to pay higher taxes for shipping at the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority.

The .67 mill levy only got 43% of voters' support.

Will Friedman, president and CEO of the port, says the levy’s failure means it will be harder to attract state and federal dollars. 

But, he says the loss won’t severely impact the port’s operations.  He says  the money was largely intended for improvements along the Cuyahoga River.

“This was not a levy that was about the port Authority itself per se and our operations.  It was about making improvements to public assets that are really a shared responsibility."

This would have been the first increase in the tax rate since the Port came into existence in 1968. 

Power nearly restored in NE Ohio
Nearly all power has been restored in northeastern Ohio following last week's superstorm Sandy.

FirstEnergy reported fewer than three dozen customers still without electricity this morning.

Pipe bombs found in Cuyahoga Falls
A northeast Ohio man has been indicted on charges of unlawfully having five pipe bombs, a silencer and a machine gun.

The indictment against 41-year-old David Dougherty of Cuyahoga Falls was announced Wednesday by U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach.

Dougherty was arrested at his home last month when paramedics called for help with an unruly patient.  

Officers found pipe bombs, a silencer, explosive powder and caps and marijuana plants.

Inmate killed in Mansfield
Authorities at a northern Ohio prison say an inmate has died after a fight with his cellmate.

The State Highway Patrol says 62-year-old Robert Parr was discovered unconscious in his cell last night at the Mansfield Correctional Institution., and later pronounced dead.

The cause of death has not been released.