High court says cities must pay to bury power lines 
The Ohio Supreme Court unanimously ruled today in favor of an electric utility challenging who gets the bill for a city’s beautification efforts.

The high court ruled that Columbus Southern Power Company does not have to cover the costs of burying power lines despite a city ordinance passed by the Columbus suburb of Reynoldsburg.

The city argued that its ordinance was covered under Ohio’s home rule clause.

The high court ruled that the Reynoldsburg ordinance was unenforceable because it conflicted with an earlier ruling by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

Fired Canton police officer wins right to be reinstated
A Northeast Ohio police officer fired after threatening to shoot a driver pulled over at a traffic stop last summer could be reinstated.

The city of Canton yesterday released a ruling by an arbitrator in favor of former officer Daniel Harless.

Harless was fired six months after a viral video showed him threatening to kill a man he found to have been carrying a loaded gun in a crime-ridden Canton neighborhood.

The police union tells the Canton Repository a medical evaluation is needed to determine whether Harless still suffers from  post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, and he will likely not return to the police force.

Harless’ attorney says the 15-year veteran appealed the dismissal in order to clear his name.

Gambling addiction on the rise in Ohio 
Six months after the state’s first casino opened in Cleveland, and the same month a casino opened in Columbus, October saw phone calls to Ohio’s problem gambling hotline shoot up about 30%.

The Columbus Dispatch reports about 3,200 people have called the line this year, and there was a noticeable increase from September to October, the month Ohio's third casino opened in Columbus.

An Ohio Casino Control Commission official says most calls are from people whose gambling caused serious personal or financial problems.

A study earlier this year estimated about 250,000 Ohio adults, just less than 3 percent, are problem gamblers or at risk of gambling problems.

Ohioans can opt to be voluntarily banned from entering casinos, and 146 people have made that request so far.

Some of the taxes and fees paid by casinos go toward prevention efforts such as the hotline.

Stomach bug hits Columbus preschoolers
Health officials in Ohio's capital city say they're investigating more than 770 cases of a bacterial illness that primarily affects young children, and they're urging parents to take precautions to help stop the outbreak.

Columbus officials say they haven't seen such a large number of Shigella cases in the past decade.

The health commissioner says many of the cases are linked to childcare centers and locations where young children are in close contact.

Shigella bacteria cause an intestinal infection.

Officials are urging increased hand-washing among children and caregivers and telling parents to keep sick kids home from day care.

Jackson High School coach charged with planting cameras
A Northeast Ohio high school basketball coach charged with videotaping nude boys in the locker room is being held on $2 million bond after his arraignment.

Forty-six-year-old Scott D. Studer was arraigned this morning in Massillon Municipal Court.

The freshman basketball coach at Jackson High School was arrested Wednesday on six felony counts.

Studer quit his jobs Wednesday as coach and school building aide.