Report: Oil drilling hasn’t met state expectations
A newspaper reports that injection drilling in Ohio hasn't met the initial expectations of state officials this year. The Columbus Dispatch reports that Ohio Department of Natural Resources officials had told state legislators in March that as many as 250 of the natural-gas and oil wells would be drilled in eastern Ohio Utica shale by the end of the year. But state records show that only 165 wells have been completed, with 22 more being drilled. Tom Stewart, vice president of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, tells the newspaper that the pace has been slowed by low natural-gas prices and a backlog in the work needed to connect the wells to customers. However, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources says permitting remains steady.

Last week of Medicare drug coverage window
Ohioans with Medicare coverage have until the end of this week to shop for a new prescription drug insurance plan. The window is the only chance most beneficiaries have each year to find coverage or switch plans under the government's program for seniors and the disabled. The department's Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program is offering help to Medicare recipients on any changes with a toll-free phone line. Any changes made to Medicare coverage will take effect Jan. 1.

Investigation begins into chase that ended in gunfire
Authorities say they will begin interviewing the 13 Cleveland police officers who fired 137 bullets at a car last week, killing the two occupants after a high-speed chase. East Cleveland Sgt. Scott Gardner said the officers have been on paid leave since the shooting Thursday night that they say began when someone in the car fired a shot downtown. The car sped away, and officers gave chase. It ended five miles later when the car rammed a police cruiser and the 43-year-old man and 30-year-old woman died in 137 rounds of gunfire. Police said no gun or shell casings were found in the car. The Plain Dealer reports that police have defended the use deadly force because the driver rammed the police car and nearly hit an officer.

Tuscarawas County sinkhole will take months to fix
It will take months to repair a sinkhole about the size of four football fields that swallowed part of a road in rural Tuscarawas County. The collapse happened last week outside Dover when workers were dredging sand and gravel from a pond and got too close to the edge. It’s made international news. The Ohio Department of Transportation says that the collapse went more than 100 feet in just a few minutes.

Sentencing set for couple convicted in prescription painkiller ring
A business woman and her husband face long prison sentences for the operation of a southern Ohio pill mill when they appear before a federal judge in Cincinnati. Investigators say Lester and Nancy Sadler’s Ohio Medical and Pain Management clinic in Waverly was responsible for the sale of illegal painkiller prescriptions in the region. Drug overdose deaths have surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of accidental death in Ohio and several other states. Prosecutors have recommended a 12 1/2-year sentence for Lester Sadler when he is sentenced Monday and a 17 1/2-year sentence for his wife, Nancy Sadler, whose sentencing is Tuesday.

Renovations planned for Malabar Farm
Ohio has big plans for a farm created in the 1930s by a Pulitzer-prize winning author and conservationist. The state's natural resources department will spend up to $500,000 toward restoration efforts over the next year at Malabar Farm State Park in north-central Ohio's Richland County. The makeover will include improvements to the trails, the main house and farm buildings. Author Louis Bromfield built a 32-room country home and farmed on the land near Mansfield. The state of Ohio took over Malabar Farm in the early 1970s.

Cedar Point hotels getting a makeover
Cedar Point says it plans to spend about $60 million over the next three years to spruce up its hotels at the Lake Erie amusement park. Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. operates four hotels in Sandusky near the park and hopes the improvements will pay off with longer visits.