08/18/10 NEWSCAST HEADLINES PODCAST…

The Republican who'd like to be Ohio's next Governor has a plan that he says will create jobs in the buckeye state. John Kasich wants to eliminate the Ohio Department of Development and replace it with a 12 member commission of business leaders, who he'd appoint and who would answer to him. By doing this, he says he'd get rid of the red tape and restrictions that keeps businesses from locating and expanding in Ohio. Kasich says the 12 board members would not work on a contract basis and not as state employees. Ohio has lost nearly 400 million jobs while Strickland has been in office. But he says that's largely due to the national recession and points out Ohio has fared better economically than many other states.

Ohio students taking the ACT college entrance exam have scored slightly higher this year and are better prepared for college than their counterparts nationwide.   A report out today shows Ohio high school seniors who took the ACT test in the spring averaged a composite score of 21.8 out of a possible 36. That's up one tenth of a point from 2009 and it beats this year's national average score of 21. Two-thirds of the state's graduating seniors were tested.

Cuyahoga County’s former information services director pleaded guilty Tuesday to bribing Auditor Frank Russo. WKSU’s Kevin Niedermier reports that Daniel Weaver is the latest of more than three dozen defendants cooperating with federal investigators in the corruption probe targeting Russo and Commissioner Jimmy Dimora.

The Cleveland School district is getting a boost to help outfit needy students this fall. Cleveland schools vendor Minute Men Human Resource is donating 50-thousand dollars to stock uniform closets that supply clothing when students can’t afford it. The district said it would continue to uniform vouchers to needy students after previously saying it could no longer afford to.

The Roman Catholic bishop of Cleveland wants to meet with the priest and lay leaders of St. Peter’s church, who this past weekend took matters into their own hands in response to their parish closing. WKSU’s Kabir Bhatia h as more on the escalating dispute.

A Solon husband and wife are each charged with 39 animal cruelty counts. Steven and Heidi Friedman are accused of keeping 33 dogs and cats and several other animals unattended in their home while they went on vacation. They also face child endangering charges for leaving their teenage children at home.

Ohio and other states suing for tougher action to prevent Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes will get a first court hearing next week. The suit accuses the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of creating a public nuisance by operating locks and gates through which the carp could enter the lakes.

A Miami based investor is continuing its buying spree in downtown Cleveland. Optima Ventures has purchased the 20-story Penton Media Building downtown for about 46-million dollars. Optima has purchased four high-profile properties in downtown Cleveland since 2008, including the Huntington Bank building in June.

Contentinal and United Airlines shareholders will vote September 17 on a merger of the two companies. The airlines are expected to close the deal that creates the world’s largest airline by the end of the year. The deal still needs antitrust approval. Meanwhile, Contintenal, which operates a hub at Cleveland Hopkins, reduced employment by more than 7 percent over the last year.

Governor Ted Strickland is still pushing for additional DNA testing in seven criminal cases, but acknowledges state lawmakers have more leverage to make that happen than he does. Strickland and Attorney General Richard Cordray have asked prosecutors in seven counties to turn over DNA samples for further testing.  The cases have been profiled by the Ohio Innocence Project, and a lab has offered to do the testing for free. Local prosecutors are opposing retesting, something Strickland says he does not understand. The cases include those of Tyrone Noling, who’s on death row for the killing of an elderly Portage County couple, and former Akron police Capt. Douglas Prade, who was convicted of killing his wife.

Today, the Ohio Parole Board is expected to recommend whether Kevin Keith will live or die.   Advocates, including death penalty proponents from around the country, believe the Stark County native may not have killed two women and a little girl sixteen years ago.  Keith was convicted primarily on eyewitness testimony that may have been tainted.  WKSU’s Kevin Niedermier reports that Governor Ted Strickland, who will ultimately decide if Keith gets clemency, also has concerns.

The day before President Barack Obama comes to Columbus, his senior manufacturing counselor for manufacturing talk to manufacturers in Cleveland. Ron Bloom told the group Tuesda that the administration has programs in place that are helping companies in Ohio and other struggling industrial states, including a 25-Billion dollar Department of Energy program that makes loans for advanced automotive development.

Ohio’s state park system is about to grow. Next week, its opening Wingfoot Lake to the public as the state’s 75th park – the first completely new park since 1987. WKSU’s Tim Rudell says the state saw the 500 acre lake and surrounding hundred acres of land as a rare chance to grow.

The State Highway Patrol says a truck spilled nearly 40-thousand gallons of diluted hydrochloric acid along the Ohio Turnpike in Streetsboro, leading to some evacuations. The driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel Tuesday night.  Frefighters temporarily evacuated 20 homes in the

area.

Former Cavs star LeBron James says in an interview with GQ magazine, the new Miami star reiterated that coming to the Heat was the right decision for him and his family, and says he would consider returning to Cleveland if Gilbert is no longer at the helm. Gilbert issued a sharply worded letter to Cleveland fans after James announced his decision in July.