Statehouse hearing on abortion bill grows heated
A hastily called hearing in the Ohio House on a bill with stringent abortion restrictions grew contentious this morning.

The so-called heartbeat bill was an 11th-hour addition to the House Health Committee's calendar today and was scheduled for a vote before lunch. Abortion rights advocates attacked the measure as unnecessary, dangerous and misogynist, while the American Civil Liberties Union warned it would draw an immediate, costly legal challenge if passed. Some lawmakers called abortion murder and defended their right as public servants to protect human life.

Chairman Lynn Wachtmann allowed questioning to stray into witnesses' beliefs on when life begins and whether one witness was a parent before repeatedly gaveling discussion out of order. 

 
Former Cleveland cop sentenced for having sex with underage girl
A former Cleveland police officer has been sentenced to more than 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to videotaping himself having sex with a 15-year-old girl.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports 42-year-old Charles Locke met the teen at a recreation center. Prosecutors say he videotaped himself having sex with her while wearing his police uniform and hat. He pleaded guilty in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court last month to two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, five counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor and one count of possessing criminal tools.

Locke's attorney said he was an asset to the city. The officer had been with the police department since 2007, and gained notoriety when he arrested now-convicted Cleveland serial killer Anthony Sowell.

Early snow hampering winter crop harvest
The first heavy snowfall in the state has put Ohio harvests behind schedule after an already difficult growing season due to last winter's brutal cold.

The Dayton Daily News reports heavy snow blanketed much of Ohio before one-fifth of the state's corn crop could be harvested. The wintry conditions mean farmers might have to work into December to complete their harvests. Miami County Farm Bureau President Bill Wilkins says farmers are running late when they're still harvesting after Thanksgiving.

Soybeans are also running late, with about 7 percent of the crop still to be harvested.