Darke County Ohio News

Patriot Update... Arizona sues Justice Dept over voter law
August 26, 2011 - Under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, more than a dozen U.S. states that had a history of racial discrimination in 1972 are still paying the price nearly 40 years later. Arizona says that’s unconstitutional, and its Attorney General has filed suit against the federal government to invalidate what he calls “an irrational system” that hasn’t given states credit for the progress they have made. For the affected states, Section 5 of the Act requires federal government pre-approval... read more.

Politico... Hurricane Irene an economic blow or boost? By Josh Boak
8/28/11 - The power outages and shuttered airports may stop the engines of commerce for several days, but Hurricane Irene might have provided some short-term economic stimulus as billions of dollars will likely be spent to repair the damage to the East Coast over the weekend. Cumberland Advisors Chairman David Kotok saw the storm as likely jolting employment in construction, an industry paralyzed by the bursting of the real estate bubble in 2008... read more.

Politico... Michele Bachmann: Natural disasters a warning to D.C., By Alexander Burns
8/29/11 - Speaking in Florida, Michele Bachmann ventures into the risky territory of attributing political motive to natural disasters, calling the events of the last week a wake-up call from above: She hailed the tea party as being common-sense Americans who understand government shouldn’t spend more than it takes in, know they’re taxed enough already and want government to abide by the Constitution... read more.

Greenville Levy... Citizens for Quality Greenville Schools
August 31, 2011 - For quite a while people have been talking about the possibility of Greenville Schools constructing a new building. The project has gone through many stages and is at the point that everyone needs to look at the project and get an idea of what has been done to get to this point. In January a group of people from every precinct in the district... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Shuttle Report: Errors in process, Dayton still left out, by Joe Cogliano
Friday, August 26, 2011 - A new report shows a NASA error prevented the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force from being rated as high as two other facilities that won retired Space Shuttles. However, the report said NASA’s top man still would have shunned the Dayton-area museum in favor of places that had better international access. The region received a major blow in April when NASA selected sites on the East and West coast for retired space shuttles. Local officials felt the... read more.

Rasmussen Reports... What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls
Saturday, August 27, 2011 - Even as a hurricane of perhaps historic dimensions closes in on the East Coast, the real storm in the country remains the beat-up and begging economy. Americans also continue to show little confidence in the president and the federal government to make a difference. The economy is naturally the number one issue on voters’ minds, with 84% rating it Very Important in terms of how they will vote in the next congressional election. No wonder many congressmen... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Group sues to block privatizing prisons
Friday, August 26, 2011 - Progress Ohio has filed a lawsuit in Franklin County Common Please Court to block Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s plan to privatize prisons. Constitutional concerns and the need to preserve jobs and economic security for local Ohio economies were cited by the group. Included among the complaints arguments: • the selling of state owed prisons to private contractors is unconstitutional and unenforceable; • asks the court to declare that prison workers that... read more.

Youngstown Vindicator... State plans to toughen academic standards, By Denise Dick
Thu, August 25, 2011 - Ohio’s school districts improved their academic performance on the latest state report card, but the bar will be raised higher beginning next year. The Ohio Department of Education released results of the 2010-11 school report cards Wednesday, showing how districts and schools across the state performed. “Ohio students continue to make steady improvement in their progress,” Stan W. Heffner, state superintendent of public instruction, said in a... read more.

Cincinnati Enquirer... Taxpayers funding benefits for big-company, government retirees
Aug. 24, 2011 - Health care law subsidizes coverage until Medicare age - WASHINGTON - Greater Cincinnati employers - including large companies and local governments - are getting millions of taxpayer dollars to help pay for health care benefits for early retirees, people who are often at risk of losing health care until they qualify for Medicare. Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble, Kroger Co., Western and Southern Life Insurance Company and Cincinnati Bell are among the local... read more.

Toledo Blade... Arguments filed on Ohio ballot issues, By Jim Provance
Language for, against Senate Bill 5, health-care law rich in buzz words - COLUMBUS -- Both sides of the battle over Ohio’s new law limiting public employee collective bargaining used plenty of buzz words in language submitted Wednesday to the Ohio Ballot Board that they hope will elicit the response they want on Election Day. Those seeking a “no” vote on Senate Bill 5 play up the law’s impact on police, firefighters, and nurses and point at the “Columbus politicians” who, they said... read more.

The Business Journals... All but six states post job gains in past 12 months
by G. Scott Thomas - Ohio fourth in new jobs created - Monday, August 22, 2011 - Only six of the 50 states have suffered employment declines since July 2010, with the worst drops occurring in Indiana (down 28,300 jobs) and Georgia (down 24,900). Ohio ranks fourth in the country for the most jobs created in the past 12 months, according to a new report by On Numbers at... read more.

Cleveland Plain Dealer... GOP leader says no chance Ohio legislature will repeal controversial collective bargaining law, By Mark Naymik - Thursday, August 25, 2011 - Ohio Republican leaders have no plans to scrap a controversial collective bargaining law as a way to kick-start a compromise with the public sector unions trying to repeal it. Ohio Senate President Tom Niehaus said in an interview Wednesday with Plain Dealer editors and reporters that while he wants to avoid a costly and nasty fight over the law, pulling it and starting over is unnecessary because he believes voters will support... read more.

Dayton Daily News... Winning map plan in contest tightens Montgomery races, By William Hershey
Illinois lawmaker’s legislative makeover is more competitive - Thursday, August 25, 2011 - COLUMBUS — Elections in Montgomery County’s five Ohio House districts would be more competitive, with a slight advantage to Democrats, under the winning plan in a redistricting contest announced Wednesday. Republicans can relax, however, because the plan is unlikely to be adopted. The League of Women Voters of the Ohio Education Fund, Ohio Citizen Action and other groups sponsored... read more.

Dayton Daily News... Absentee voting easier for troops, By William Hershey
Husted unveils one-stop shop process for casting ballots. Wednesday, August 24, 2011 - COLUMBUS — Secretary of State Jon Husted on Tuesday unveiled Military Ready-to-Vote (MRV), a program aimed at making it easier for the 46,000 military personnel with Ohio mailing addresses to cast their ballots. “It’s a one-stop shop for military voters,” the state’s chief elections officer said outside the Statehouse. By visiting OhioMilitaryVotes.com, Ohio military personnel who are... read more.

Toledo Blade... GOP says Joe the Plumber may challenge Kaptur in ‘12, By Tony Cook
8/24/11 - Joe Wurzelbacher, better known as Joe the Plumber, is considering a run against U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur in 2012, according to Republican Party sources. Jon Stainbrook, chairman of the Lucas County Republican Party, said there is “high-level interest in the national Republican Party” in a potential Wurzelbacher candidacy. “We are encouraging Joe to run,” Mr. Stainbrook said. “He hasn’t made any official decision yet.” Chris Maloney, spokesman for the Ohio Republican... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Toyota, Ford to develop hybrid system
Monday, August 22, 2011 - Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. plan to work jointly to develop a new hybrid system for light trucks and sport-utility vehicles, according to Louisville Business First. Both automakers currently sell hybrid vehicles, and both have been working on their own hybrid systems. The collaboration could make hybrid technologies available sooner and at a lower cost. “By working together, we will be able to serve our customers with the very best affordable... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Ohio venture capital deals climbing, By Steve Watkins
Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - Venture capital deals in Ohio are on the rise, according to a new report from David Willbrand of Cincinnati law firm Thompson Hine. Venture capital firms invested $240 million in Ohio over the past year through the end of June, said Willbrand, who chairs Thompson Hine’s early stage and emerging company practice. That investment went to 67 companies. Figures from the MoneyTree Report from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital... read more.

Darke County Drug Task Force makes Arrest at Darke County Fair
On August 24, 2011, the Darke County Drug Task Force along with Darke County Sheriff Deputies conducted an investigation at the Darke County Fair located at 800 Sweitzer St., Greenville. Arrested during the investigation was 35 year old Vicky Perez of Greenville. This arrest comes after a month long investigation on Ms. Perez. Ms. Perez is currently held without bond in the Darke County Jail until her initial appearance on a charge of Trafficking in a Schedule II Drug in the vicinity... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... University of Dayton international enrollment hits record, by Laura Englehart
Monday, August 22, 2011 - The University of Dayton will welcome more than 1,000 international students for the start of fall classes this week – a school record. About 10,000 graduate and undergraduate students are enrolled at the university, and about one in 10 hail from another country, said Sundar Kumarasamy, vice president of UD enrollment management. Most international students — about 50 percent — come from China. The university set another attendance record... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... City of Dayton jobless rate slips to 11.6%, by Ginger Christ
Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - The city of Dayton unemployment rate climbed to 11.6 percent in July. Darke County drops from 9.4 percent to 9.3 percent. The July jobless rate for the city was up from 11.5 percent in June and down from 12.5 percent in July 2010, according to Tuesday data from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Data for the Dayton metropolitan statistical area, which includes Greene, Miami, Montgomery and Preble counties, was not yet available... read more.

Greenville City Schools… District earns “Excellent” Rating on ODE Report Card
“I am extremely happy with the results of our 2010-11 district report card! The credit truly goes to our students and staff who have worked together focusing on making every instructional moment count in the classroom,” said Susie Riegle, Superintendent of Greenville Schools. Over the past four years, the District’s State Report Card reflects positive growth in all areas. Riegle added, “We... read more.

POLITICO Breaking News... Steve Jobs has resigned as Apple CEO. In a letter to the Apple Board of Directors and "the Apple Community," the tech visionary writes: "I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come. I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee. As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple. I believe Apple's brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role. I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you."

Washington Post... Biden to Chinese: We’ll control debt, By Keith B. Richburg
Monday August 22, 2011 - Vice President Joe Biden said, “The United States has never defaulted and never will default.” BEIJING — On the final stop of his four-day China trip, Vice President Joe Biden sought to assure a university audience that the United States will come to grips with its debt problem, and he blamed a vocal faction of the Republican Party for the failure to reach a deal. “We do have to deal with the deficit, we will deal with it,” Biden told the audience at Sichuan University... read more.

Dayton Daily News... Kasich blasts unions, By Laura Bischoff
Friday, August 19, 2011 - Gov. John Kasich and legislative leaders blasted union leaders on Friday for skipping a meeting to negotiate a compromise to keep the Senate Bill 5 referendum vote off the Nov. 8 ballot. “Woody Allen says that 90 percent of life is just showing up. And they’ve obviously flunked that test today,” Kasich said while flanked by Senate President Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond, and House Speaker William Batchelder, R-Medina... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Earthquake shakes Dayton region
Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - An earthquake shook much of the Dayton region just before 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, with workers in some buildings in downtown evacuating. Reuters reports a nearly 6.0 magnitude quake struck in Virginia and shook much of Washington, D.C., and up the east coast to New York, with the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol being evacuated, according to reports on Twitter. The quake was felt from North Carolina to Boston, as well as in Toronto. CNN reported... read more.

The 2010 U.S. Census... Breakdown of Data
The census is complete and the information was made public in March. Since then, a variety of organizations have told us everything they think we need to know about changes in population, demographics, patterns of housing development... even school populations. While there are other options - including reports from the U.S. Census Bureau itself - County News Online... read more.

The Columbus Dispatch... Governor boasts of state’s progress in GOP radio speech, By Jessica Wehrman
Sunday August 21, 2011 - WASHINGTON — Gov. John Kasich described Ohio as a success story in a time of economic uncertainty yesterday and urged the federal government to follow Ohio’s example as a state that eliminated budget shortfalls while cutting taxes. “We looked our problems square in the eye and we didn’t blink … and Americans can learn from Ohio,” Kasich, a former congressman, said in the weekly Republican address to the nation... read more.

The Columbus Dispatch... Merging systems may not cut costs for municipalities, By Collin Binkley
Monday August 22, 2011 - Gov. John Kasich and other state officials have urged municipal leaders to be creative and share costs, rather than raise taxes, to cope with the loss of half of the state’s aid to local governments. But sharing doesn’t always save money, past examples show, and experts warn that government officials should avoid rushing into deals to combine or share resources. “The push is on from outside sources — you’ve got to consolidate, you’ve... read more.

Dayton Daily News... Tea Party chastises Boehner for debt ceiling deal, By Jack Torry and Jessica Wehrman
Activists say speaker was only ‘scheming and posturing for votes.’ Sunday, August 21, 2011 - WASHINGTON — Tea Party activists in southwest Ohio assailed House Speaker John Boehner for his role this month in forging a deal with President Barack Obama to extend the federal government’s debt ceiling, charging that the GOP lawmaker from West Chester Twp. “chose to defend your elected office and that of your peers over the will of the people you represent... read more.

Reason... What Would You Do to Improve Job Growth?
Reason asks economists, writers, and wonks for real ways to increase job growth - Robert Higgs, Deirdre McCloskey, Amity Shlaes, John Stossel, Don Boudreaux, Bryan Caplan, Bruce Bartlett, Jeffrey A. Miron, John Berlau, Allan Meltzer, Ira Stoll, Walter Olson, Peter Schiff, Alex Tabarrok, Fred L. Smith & Lucy Steigerwald | August 12, 2011 - Faced with a 9.1 percent unemployment rate, a deeply... read more.

Darke County Sheriff's Office... Stand-off near New Madison ends without injury
On August 22, 2011 at approximately 4 p.m the Darke County Sheriff's Office received a 911 hang-up call from 3563 Vietor Road southwest of Greenville, Ohio. Upon calling back the number the Dispatcher received an open line in which she determined a domestic dispute was taking place and the female caller was unable to communicate because her spouse was armed with a gun and threatening suicide... read more.

Dayton Daily News... Poll: Brown has double-digit leads over GOP foes - but approval slips
By William Hershey - Wednesday, August 17, 2011 - Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown has double-digit leads among Ohio voters against potential 2012 Republican challengers, but Brown’s approval rating has slipped since May, according to a Public Policy Polling survey released Wednesday. Public Policy Polling is a Raleigh, N.C.-based Democratic polling company but the poll was not authorized or paid for by any campaign or political organization, a press release said... read more.

Newark Advocate... Denison hosts Summit on Ohio Campus Safety and Security, By Charles A. Peterson
Aug 18, 2011 - GRANVILLE -- During the late 1960s and early ‘70s, many college campuses were fearsome places because of violent student protests occurring at the time. Today, the challenges are much different for campus security and safety officials who instead face mounting prescription drug, mental health and sexual harassment issues. On Wednesday, more than 200 college security professionals from Ohio colleges convened at Denison University for the fifth annual Summit... read more.

Dayton Daily News... Manufacturing seen key to saving economy, By Steve Bennish
Senators urge focus on manufacturing jobs, fair trade. Thursday, August 18, 2011 - Americans believe restoring manufacturing — a vital but declining component of Ohio’s economy — is key to prosperity, a new national poll commissioned by an industry group found. Meanwhile, as fears of a double-dip recession deepen, Ohio Sens. Rob Portman, a Republican, and Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, signed an urgent bipartisan appeal to the U.S. Department of Commerce to counter... read more.

New York Times... More Unwed Parents Live Together, Report Finds, By Sabrina Tavernise
8/16/11 - WASHINGTON — The number of Americans who have children and live together without marrying has increased twelvefold since 1970, according to a report released Tuesday. The report states that children now are more likely to have unmarried parents than divorced ones. The report was published by the National Marriage Project, an initiative at the University of Virginia, and the Institute for American Values, two partisan groups that advocate for strengthening the institution... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Big banks start charging debit card fees
Thursday, August 18, 2011 - Bank customers who use debit cards at some of the top banks in the country will have to start paying a fee to use their cards soon, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal. Wells Fargo & Co. will charge customers in four states a $3 per month fee to use their debit cards starting Oct. 14. The Journal also reported that JPMorgan Chase & Co. has been testing fees, as well as Regions Financial Corp. and SunTrust Banks Inc. The country’s biggest financial... read more.

New York Times... Federal Policy Resulting in Wave of Deportations Draws Protests, By Julia Preston
8/16/11 - A program that is central to President Obama’s immigration enforcement strategy has drawn protests by Latino and immigrant organizations in six cities in the last two days, as those groups stepped up their confrontation with the administration over the fast pace of deportations. In Los Angeles, about 200 immigrants and their supporters walked out of a stormy hearing Monday evening that was called by a task force advising the enforcement program, known as... read more.

MSNBC... Big Tobacco sues feds over graphic warnings on cigarette labels
From Associated Press - Four of the five largest U.S. tobacco companies sued the federal government Tuesday, saying the warnings violate their free speech rights. COLUMBIA, South Carolina — Tobacco companies want a judge to put a stop to new graphic cigarette labels that include the sewn-up corpse of a smoker and pictures of diseased lungs, saying they unfairly urge adults to shun their legal products and will cost millions to produce... read more.

Darke County Sheriff’s Office… BEWARE OF SCAM – DO NOT GIVE OUT PERSONAL INFORMATION OVER THE PHONE - Recently Carol Ginn, Darke County Auditor sent out reappraisal notice’s in the mail to Darke County residents. Within a day of the mailing some county residents were reporting that they were receiving phone calls from someone referencing the reappraisal and requested personal information from the party... read more.

Foxnews... ACLU Lawsuit Moves to Keep Sex Offenders in House Near New Day Care Center
By Todd Starnes - Published August 16, 2011 - The Delaware American Civil Liberties Union has filed court papers to stop sex offenders from being evicted from a safe house that is located near a new day care center. The ACLU, along with an attorney representing the safe house and three sex offenders, has asked a judge to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent the city from evicting the residents. “The state has asked the residents to leave, and if they don’t leave... read more.

Politico... Fitch keeps U.S. triple A debt rating, By Jennifer Epstein
8/17/11 - Fitch Ratings on Tuesday reaffirmed its AAA rating for the United States, citing the nation’s “exceptional creditworthiness” and forecasting a stable outlook in the future. The ratings agency’s decision to preserve the United States at its top rating level comes after Standard & Poor’s — another of the three major sovereign debt raters — announced less than two weeks ago that it had downgraded U.S. debt to AA+ because of concerns about Washington infighting... read more.

Secretary of State Jon Husted... New Business Filings for July
COLUMBUS – Secretary of State Jon Husted today announced that 5,273 new entities filed to do business in Ohio in July. The numbers are up slightly from July of 2010, in which 4,824 new entities filed with the Secretary of State. So far in 2011 (January-July), the Secretary of State’s office has assisted with 49,716 new business filings. This is an increase from last year’s 46,715 new business filings during the same time period... read more.

Darke County CIC begins New Local Loan Program
USDA Grant brings new funding for local business - DARKE COUNTY- Courtesy of a USDA grant, the Darke County Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) has announced the creation of a new low interest revolving loan program for local small business. The program is the first of its kind ever offered by the county CIC and will put over $120,000 of new money into play for local development efforts... read more.

Cleveland Plain Dealer... Possible repeal of new elections law puts congressional redistricting in time crunch - By Aaron Marshall - Saturday, August 13, 2011 - COLUMBUS, Ohio — A petition drive aimed at overturning a new election law could wreak havoc on this year’s congressional redistricting process. The new law makes dozens of changes to Ohio’s elections law, including moving next year’s primary from March to May, an extra cushion of time for GOP map-makers to configure new congressional districts that need to be in place at least 90 days before the primary date... read more.

Cincinnati Enquirer... Enquirer Exclusive: Double-dippers swamp Hamilton County
Rush of retirements overruns pension fund - Aug. 14, 2011 - County officials say most of the retirees, including the double dippers, are retiring early because they fear state lawmakers are poised to cut their pension benefits in a cost-saving move. The rush to retire caught county officials off guard and recently forced them to tap into the general fund to cover the lump sum payouts each retiree receives for accumulated vacation and sick time. Those payouts so far total about... read more.

Dayton Daily News... Overhaul to make state schools more affordable may not work, some say
By Laura A. Bischoff, Columbus Bureau - Saturday, August 13, 2011 - COLUMBUS — One of the questions surrounding Board of Regents Chancellor Jim Petro’s plan to overhaul Ohio’s 14 four-year public universities goes to the heart of whether more Ohioans can achieve their dreams of higher education: Will the plan make college more affordable? The average undergraduate tuition and fees at the state’s 14 main campuses climbed to $9,217 in fiscal year 2011, up 75 percent... read more.

Politico... President Obama bus tour brings out fighting mood, By Glenn Thrush
8/17/11 - ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — During the debt ceiling fight in mid-July, President Barack Obama threatened to take his message “to the American people” to leverage public support for his positions on entitlements, taxes and job creation against the GOP. True to his word, he’s been doing just that all week, scorching a trail through three Midwestern states in a big armored... read more.

Darke County Sheriff, WHIO Reports... Over 1,000 hogs lost in barn fire
DARKE COUNTY – More than 1,000 hogs were lost in a large barn fire on Brown Road near Hwy. 127, between Ansonia and Versailles early Wednesday evening. According to a WHIO-TV report, about 100 sows and 1,100 pigs died in the blaze. The report added that damage estimates could reach $1 million. Rossburg, Ansonia, Versailles, Gettysburg and Bradford Fire Departments were among those to... read more.

The Columbus Dispatch... Ex-pages say House jobs were inspiring, By Jessica Wehrman
Monday August 15, 2011 - This plaque commemorates the service of Jeanine Hummer as a page in the U.S. House of Representatives. When Upper Arlington City Attorney Jeanine Hummer graduated from high school in 1978, she received her diploma from then-President Jimmy Carter in the White House Rose Garden. Hummer, then Jeanine Amid of Toledo, was a U.S. House page — part of a high-achieving group of high-schoolers in one of the world’s most... read more.

The Columbus Dispatch... No word on nuke-plant loan; investors hang on, By Jessica Wehrman
Monday August 15, 2011 - WASHINGTON — In a state struggling for jobs, it sounds almost too good to be true: A Maryland-based company hopes to transform an abandoned Department of Energy site in southern Ohio into an economic engine that would create 4,000 jobs and provide nuclear fuel for the world. But more than two years after the Department of Energy first rejected a loan guarantee for the American Centrifuge Project and project organizers went back to the drawing... read more.

The Columbus Dispatch... Deal on SB 5 sought in secret meetings, By Joe Vardon
Saturday August 13, 2011 - Melissa Fazekas of the anti-Senate Bill 5 coalition We Are Ohio reiterates at a news conference at Columbus Fire Station No. 1 that the group would reject any deal on SB 5. While We Are Ohio was smashing signature records and raising millions in cash to defeat Senate Bill 5, officials from two of its largest support organizations were secretly meeting with the opposition about a possible deal to water down the collective-bargaining law and cancel the fall... read more.

Secretary of State Husted... Ohioans can now draw legislative maps at RESHAPEOHIO.ORG
Data and software now available to Ohioans seeking to create and submit redistricting plans - COLUMBUS – Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted today announced that visitors to www.ReshapeOhio.org now have the ability to draw new state and congressional district boundaries using 2010 U.S. Census data and the web-based, map drawing program Maptitude. “ReshapeOhio.org provides an opportunity to... read more.

Toledo Blade... Chrysler looks at even bigger plans for Toledo, By Larry P. Vellequette
$15M 2nd phase of expansion has been mulled - 8/15/11 - As Chrysler employees and metro Toledo celebrated the news Thursday that the automaker plans to add 1,105 jobs to its local work force, new documents released by the City of Toledo indicate that the automaker’s future plans for its Toledo Assembly complex may be grander than first thought. In an April letter, Chrysler Group LLC said it might add another 530,000 square feet to the existing 4-million-square-foot complex... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... UAW members want end to tiered wages
Monday, August 15, 2011 - Some members of the United Auto Workers union gathered on Saturday to demand the union no longer agree to the multi-tiered wage system during new contract talks with Detroit’s Big Three automakers. The outcome of that deal could have a big impact on Dayton-area manufacturers that supply parts to the automakers. The Wall Street Journal reported the union members included those who work at all three of the Detroit giants - Chrysler , Ford Motor... read more.

Cleveland Plain Dealer... Applications for unemployment benefits fall in Ohio and U.S., By Olivera Perkins
8/11/11 - Finally, some promising signs about the job market amid the recent financial turmoil. The number of new unemployment claims filed last week fell to numbers that suggest both the nation and the state economies may be mending slowly after a recent slump, U.S. Labor Department figures released Thursday show. Nationally, applications for unemployment aid dropped by 7,000 to a seasonally adjusted 395,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Applications had been above 400,000... read more.

Los Angeles Times... Top tier emerges as GOP nomination race enters a defining phase, By Paul West and Seema Mehta - August 15, 2011 - With Rick Perry declaring his candidacy and Michele Bachmann winning the Iowa straw poll, the two go head-to-head for the GOP’s social and religious conservatives and against establishment front-runner Mitt Romney. Reporting from Des Moines and Waterloo, Iowa— The new top tier of Republican presidential... read more.

Introducing… George Starks & CNO Sports Coverage
County News Online readers have probably noticed a steadily increasing number of volunteer contributors to CNO content. We’ve had local contributions to Teen Scribes, Senior Scribes, Community, Events, Opinion and News. Much of it comes from organizations wishing for exposure to their events and programs; but much of it also comes from volunteers – adults and young people – who simply want... read more.

Lady Wave out hustled in soccer loss, By George Starks
GREENVILLE - “It just wasn’t our day.” Those were the words of Lady Wave soccer coach Pete Ziehler after the Lady Wave fell to Brookville Monday, 9-1, in a home soccer scrimmage. “We’ve played better,” Ziehler added. “I’m not disappointed in the least with the girls. A couple of goals shouldn’t have happened but they did. We’ve played this team before and beat them.” The lone goal for... read more.

Toledo Blade... State’s top court rejects challenge to referendum issue on mandated health care
COLUMBUS — A lawsuit attempting to block a proposed challenge to President Obama’s health care law from Ohio’s ballot was blocked itself Friday by the Ohio Supreme Court. The high court unanimously found that Brian Rothenberg, executive director of the liberal advocacy group Progress Ohio, failed in his challenge of petitions filed by backers of the proposed constitutional amendment to qualify for the Nov. 8 ballot. “Part-petitions of compensated circulators are not improperly... read more.

Rasmussen... What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls
Saturday, August 13, 2011 - Most Americans these days would agree with Thomas Paine’s famous declaration in 1776: “These are the times that try men’s souls.” We lack confidence in the economy, government, elections, the president, Congress, both political parties, even our military missions abroad, with little hope in sight. As a volatile week on Wall Street came to a close, investor confidence as measured by the Rasmussen Investor Index fell to a two-year low. Its companion... read more.

Associated Press... State this month will reimburse workers for personal days they gave up
By Julie Carr Smyth - Thursday August 11, 2011 - COLUMBUS — Ohio will pay cash to tens of thousands of state workers this month to make up for personal days they gave up over the past two years to help balance the state budget, The Associated Press has learned. Each full-time employee is receiving the equivalent of four days’ wages plus four sick days in exchange for eight personal days they agreed not to accrue under a 2009 union contract. The money comes Aug. 26... read more.

Eldora Speedway... Bowersock, Johnson & Drook Beat Weather
ROSSBURG, OH (August 13) – Saturday’s racing program at Eldora Speedway turned into a race within a race, as the biggest crowd in the history of Family Fun Night cheered on. While Jerry Bowersock (Modified), Ed Johnson (Stock Car) and Don Drook (Vores Welding Compacts) won the main events they were collectively in a race against Mother Nature, which was eventually... read more.

The Gazette Virginian... Proposed rule on farms called ‘absurd’ By Sonny Riddle
08/12/11 - A new rule being proposed by the federal Department of Transportation would require farmers to get commercial drivers licenses. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which is a part of DOT, wants to adopt standards that would reclassify all farm vehicles and implements as Commercial Motor Vehicles, officials said. Likewise, the proposal, if adopted, would require... read more.

Fatal construction zone accident in Osgood
Fourth fatal traffic accident in Darke County this year - On Monday, August 15th, 2011 at approximately 10:53 AM, the Darke County Sheriff’s Office 9-1-1 Dispatch Center received a 9-1-1 call of a 16 year old male being fatally run over by a bobcat on West Main Street in Osgood in a construction zone. Darke County Sheriff’s Deputies along with Osgood Fire and Rescue and the Darke County Coroner’s... read more.

MSNBC.com... Foreclosures slow to trickle as lenders shift strategy, By John W. Schoen
8/11/2011 - A sharp slowdown in the pace of home foreclosures may help ease the financial burden on bankers by helping them unload a glut of repossessed homes more slowly and delay booking losses from the sale of distressed properties. But it will do little to help millions of Americans families at risk of being tossed from their homes in the next few years. Lenders are moving fewer U.S. homes into the foreclosure pipeline and have curtailed new seizures, according to foreclosure... read more.

The Columbus Dispatch... Portman to help chart country’s debt course, By Jessica Wehrman
Thursday August 11, 2011 - WASHINGTON — Two days after expressing his willingness to serve, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman was tapped yesterday as one of three Senate Republicans on the “supercommittee” tasked with reducing the federal deficit by $1.5 trillion. Portman, former head of the federal Office of Management and Budget, joins Jon Kyl of Arizona and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania on the 12-member panel, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell announced... read more.

Newsmax... Laffer: Obama Must Use Reaganomics to Save Economy, By Martin Gould and Kathleen Walter
Wednesday, 10 Aug 2011 - The only way President Barack Obama can solve the nation’s economic woes is to adopt “common-sense” Reaganomics, the policy’s architect Arthur Laffer claims in an exclusive Newsmax interview. Laffer said the White House called him in the spring and asked him to speak to Obama’s former Council of Economic Advisors’ chairman Austen Goolsbee – and he had told him exactly the same thing... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Report: More NCAA allegations for Ohio St.
Thursday, August 11, 2011 - The Ohio State University football program could face a second round of NCAA violation allegations unrelated to the problems that forced coach Jim Tressel to retire in May, according to ESPN. The sports network reported on its Web site that sources said the NCAA has sent a letter to the Buckeyes stating that it continues to investigate the program, and that... read more.

The Columbus Dispatch... Hunger stalks Ohio families, By Catherine Candisky
State has 7 of country’s most-troubled areas, study says - Friday August 12, 2011 - Families with kids have more difficulty putting food on the table than those without. More than 1 in 4 families with children did not have enough money to buy food in the past 12 months, according to a report released yesterday. That compares with about 1 in 6 for childless households. Not having enough... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Dayton 5th-worst for manufacturing losses
Friday, August 12, 2011 - The Dayton-area ranked as the 5th-worst metro out of 100 cities across the country for percentage of manufacturing jobs lost during the past five years, according to an analysis by Bizjournals.com. But Dayton wasn’t alone. The nation’s 100 major markets lost 1.43 million manufacturing jobs during the past five years -- an average of 783 each day... read more.

Politico... Poll: ‘Wave election’ could be coming, By MacKenzie Weinger
8/9/11 - Less than a quarter of Americans say most members of Congress deserve re-election - the lowest number ever found in the 20-year history of Gallup/USAToday polling - and the dismal numbers could mean another “wave election” is in the cards for Washington. According to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, only 24 percent of the individuals surveyed said most current members deserve re-election. That marks the lowest percentage since Gallup first asked the question in... read more.

Politico... Boehner, Pelosi pull plug on pages, By John Bresnahan and Jonathan Allen
August 8, 2011 - The House page program, a vestige of pre-wireless Washington and the subject of several sex scandals, is coming to an end. In a joint release, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), announced their plan to stop using teenage gophers for tasks, such as delivering notes to lawmakers, that have been rendered obsolete by electronic communications. There have been House pages serving in the chamber going back... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Ohio mass job cuts decline 28%, by DBJ Staff
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 - The number of Ohioans hit by large-scale mass layoffs dropped nearly 30 percent in the second quarter as reductions nationwide fell by a similar margin, according to preliminary data released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bureau said 79 companies cut 50 or more Ohio workers for at least 31 days between April and June, down from 91 a year ago. That resulted in 11,244 Ohioans laid off, down 28 percent from 15,514 last year... read more.

Dayton Daily News... Ohio plans charter universities that would take less state money
By Laura A. Bischoff - Wednesday, August 10, 2011 - Colleges would gain more autonomy for taking less state money. COLUMBUS — Ohio’s 14 universities, including Wright State, would be automatically relieved of some state regulations and they could qualify for even more autonomy if they take less state money, according to an executive summary of a plan to be released... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Walgreens to start selling health insurance, by DBJ Staff
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 - Walgreen Co. , the nation’s largest drugstore chain, plans to start selling health insurance to customers this fall, the Chicago Tribune reports. Quoting people “familiar” with the situation, the newspaper said the Deerfield, Ill.-based company will sell health insurance products in different price ranges and coverage levels through a... read more.

FoxNews.com… Obama Faces Backlash From Left Amid Economic Uncertainty
Published August 09, 2011 - President Obama is facing a storm of criticism from his usual supporters as his administration tries to navigate the debt debate in Washington and the economic tumult on Wall Street. The bipartisan deal to raise the debt ceiling, while loathed by the Tea Party, was likewise panned by the left. That discontent grew after Obama emerged in the middle of a raucous afternoon on Wall Street Monday to offer some vague words of encouragement to a skittish economy... read more.

Columbus Dispatch... Portman might back increasing revenue, By Joe Hallett
Tuesday August 9, 2011 - U.S. Sen. Rob Portman said yesterday that he would be willing to serve on a congressional deficit-reduction “supercommittee” and, if chosen, would not rule out additional revenue as a way to reduce the federal deficit. On a day when the stock market plunged after a first-ever credit-rating downgrade for U.S. debt, Portman said the 12-member congressional committee charged with reducing the federal debt must make difficult and... read more.

The Columbus Dispatch... Anti-SB 5 coalition not up for bargaining, By Joe Vardon
Bill’s backers say they’re still open to compromise - Tuesday August 9, 2011 - Even if there is a deal to be had that would water down Senate Bill 5 and cancel a fall referendum, the group opposed to Ohio’s new collective-bargaining law isn’t interested. We Are Ohio, the coalition leading the effort to repeal Senate Bill 5, said in a statement yesterday that it would “not back down” from its campaign amid grumblings that a potential compromise had been floated by Gov. John Kasich... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Kasich stands firm in push for Ohio turnaround, by Joe Cogliano
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 - Ohio Gov. John Kasich refuses to budge for his following of highly-vocal critics. After pushing a flurry of initiatives during the first seven months of his term, Kasich seems pleased with what he sees as the state’s dramatic turnaround and dismisses those who say he is moving too fast and trying to force reform without much room for dissent or discussion. “Thank goodness... read more.

FoxNews... Bachmann Newsweek Cover Goes for Insult But Gets Criticism in Return
Published August 09, 2011 - Rep. Michele Bachmann has declined to get into the scrum with Newsweek over its cover story of the presidential candidate called “The Queen of Rage,” accompanied by an unflattering photo of the Minnesota Republican, but others are calling the magazine out of bounds in its depiction. The National Organization for Women President Terry O’Neill said that the cover of the magazine... read more.

Columbus Dispatch... Fall-ballot ruling awaited on health-care law, By David Eggert
Ohio justices have days to weigh challenge to petitions - Wednesday August 10, 2011 - The Ohio Supreme Court must decide soon whether voters can weigh in on a ballot measure seeking to exempt Ohioans from being forced to buy health insurance. After supporters of the new federal health-care law challenged the validity of more than 69,000 petition signatures... read more.

Partners for Progress (P4P)... FRAM Group to Maintain Greenville Operations
GREENVILLE, OHIO – City and county development officials have announced that Rank Group Limited, who completed their purchase of Honeywell’s CPG Division of Honeywell this August, will maintain its Greenville operations. The decision means the 181 positions at the FRAM plant, as well as the 851 Jackson Street facility itself, will remain a vibrant part of the county’s manufacturing base... read more.

The Columbus Dispatch... Deficit hole deeper than you may think. By Jack Torry
Sunday August 7, 2011 - WASHINGTON — Here are a few ways to illustrate how deep of a hole the federal government is in. If Congress had eliminated the entire Department of Defense at the beginning of this year, the government would still run a deficit. Don’t want to cut defense? Try Medicare, which is expected to spend $557 billion this year on health care for the elderly. That still leaves a deficit. How about a tax increase for families earning more than $250,000 a year? That... read more.

The Columbus Dispatch... Internet, out-of-state sales face ‘new’ tax, By Mark Williams
Monday August 8, 2011 - The many Ohio businesses that have long ignored paying the “use tax” to the state are going to find it increasingly difficult to dodge it in the future. Since 1936 — dating to a time when some neighboring states didn’t have a sales tax — Ohioans have been required to pay tax on goods bought outside the state that did not carry a sales tax. The tax eventually slipped out of sight, only to return to the spotlight with the explosion of business over the Internet... read more.

The Columbus Dispatch... ‘No Child’ waiver pondered, By Jennifer Smith Richards
State might seek exemption to 2014 national scholastic standards - Tuesday August 9, 2011 - The U.S. Department of Education will allow some states to bypass the key requirement of No Child Left Behind, something Ohio might take advantage of. The state has not yet decided whether to seek a waiver from the requirement that all students be proficient in math and reading by 2014, said Patrick Gallaway, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Education. But it is looking into... read more.

Husted: “I Voted” Sticker Contest Winner Announced
Nearly 60,000 votes cast overall in effort to select new “I Voted Today” sticker - COLUMBUS – Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted today announced the winning design, as selected by the voters, for the next “I Voted Today” sticker. Following a close race, and having received 38 percent of the vote with 22,572 votes, the selected design features a twist on the popular “I heart NY” logo, swapping... read more.

Christian Science Monitor... Rating falls, markets plunge, critics rage. But tea party isn’t blinking.
By Gail Russell Chaddock, Staff writer - August 8, 2011 - Tea party lawmakers say the S&P’s downgrade of the US credit rating and the markets’ convulsive reaction on Monday is merely confirmation that they had been right all along. It was tea party intransigence in debt ceiling talks that led to the first-ever downgrade of the US credit rating, critics say. But as world financial markets reacted convulsively... read more.

GSD organizes for November Levy Campaign, By Bob Robinson
“We want people to know the good and the bad,” said Greenville resident Bob Rhoades who, along with Greenville Schools Asst. Supt. Jon McGreevy and Supt. Susie Riegle, will be planning the District’s levy campaign this fall. The District held a kick-off meeting with local media Tuesday to solicit their advice on how to provide information to voters about the planned levy to put a K-8 facility on... read more.

Cleveland Plain Dealer... Redistricting gets rolling in Ohio with Republicans holding the pen
By Aaron Marshall - Sunday, August 07, 2011 - COLUMBUS, Ohio - Once a decade, all eyes in Ohio’s political world turn to a pair of maps. Not just any old pair of maps, but rather the process of drawing a fresh pair outlining the road to electoral power -- the new state legislative and congressional district maps showing the terrain where Ohio’s political campaigns are fought over the next decade. The process of drawing up the new state legislative districts kicked off Thursday... read more.

Dayton Daily News... Kasich, Foley find common ground on shared services, By William Hershey
Saturday, August 6, 2011 - COLUMBUS — John Kasich, meet Dan Foley. You may have more in common than you think. Kasich, of course, is Ohio’s Republican governor. Foley, a Democrat, is a Montgomery County commissioner. Any common ground seemed to sink recently when Kasich, without naming Foley specifically, tore into local government officials in general. “I think local government has to get into the 21st century,” Kasich said during a recent visit to the... read more.

The Columbus Dispatch... Jackson: Go back to the streets, By Jennifer Smith Richards
Monday August 8, 2011 - Civil-rights leader calls on Ohioans to battle recent, proposed changes - The Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks about Senate Bill 5, House Bill 194, health care and other Ohio issues during a news conference at Mount Hermon Missionary Baptist Church. Ohioans must mobilize and fight for voting rights, the right to bargain as a group and health care, the Rev. Jesse Jackson urged yesterday. “It is time now for mass demonstrations,” the civil-rights and political... read more.

Hotline on Call... Josh Mandel Talks About Senate Campaign, By Sean Sullivan
August 5, 2011 - Ohio’s Republican Treasurer Josh Mandel, the 33-year- old Iraq War veteran, put his campaign on the map with an eye-popping fundraising haul. But it isn’t just the fundraising that makes him a formidable challenger to Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. His biography is the kind consultants love: a Marine who served two tours in Iraq, a state legislator who won in a tough Cleveland-area seat... read more.

State Senator Bill Beagle... Workforce Development Funding Announced
COLUMBUS—State Senator Bill Beagle (R – Tipp City) today touted the release of nearly $2.5 million in loans and grants that will assist in the creation of over 90 new, full-time jobs, while helping to retain an additional 80 existing positions. The funds will be made available to four area employers by way of the Ohio Controlling Board. Two Dayton businesses, Techmetals, Inc. and Mound Laser & Photonics... read more.

Foxnews.com... Pelosi’s Energy Savings Program Evaporates, By Stephen Clark
Published August 05, 2011 - House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi’s four-year effort to “Green the Capitol” is officially no-more, having been dumped into an existing energy-savings program on the Hill in a move that Republicans say will save more money, eliminate redundancy and promote collaboration. In response, some Democrats are crying foul, saying the move... read more.

Politico... Deal could endanger health care law, By Jennifer Haberkorn
8/3/11 - The debt ceiling agreement could jeopardize millions of dollars, and perhaps billions, in initiatives from President Barack Obama’s health care reform law if the super committee can’t come up with required spending cuts. Many of the pots of money in the law — one of the Democrats’ most prized pieces of legislation — could get trimmed by the debt deal’s sequestration, or triggered cuts. The funds for prevention programs and community health centers, grants to help states... read more.

Politico... Greens not friendless among House GOP, By Darren Samuelsohn
8/4/11 - No, Theodore Roosevelt hasn’t been reincarnated. But environmentalists playing defense all year against the House GOP legislative agenda have found a few helpful friends among a 240-member conference steeped in tea party influence. Dozens of purple-state Republicans have broken ranks with their party leadership to take the pro-green position during floor and committee votes spanning more than 100 bills and amendments. Granted, the defections seldom come all... read more.

Politico... RNC punts on leapfrogging states, By James Hohmann
8/4/11 - TAMPA, Fla.— The Republican National Committee decided Thursday to wait until January to determine punishment for Florida and Arizona if they go ahead with plans to schedule early primaries. There is a quiet acquiescence that Florida will go ahead with the fifth primary. At the summer meeting here, the rules committee tabled a resolution that could mean terrible hotel rooms, awful seats and fewer guest passes for states that ignore the RNC rules on primary dates... read more.

Officer Needs Assistance, From Bob Rhoades
People on East Third St. found out Tuesday Evening what happens when an officer puts out a call for officer needs assistance. A Greenville PD officer responded to the 700 block of East Third on report of a domestic disturbance. At some point after his arrival the situation became unstable and he called for assistance. All other GPD officers were tied up on other calls so it... read more.

FoxNews.com... Blame Game Vitriol Demonstrates S&P Disgust
Published August 07, 2011 - Standard & Poor’s faulted political entrenchment in Washington for this weekend’s U.S. credit rating downgrade, but it was lawmakers on Sunday bickering over S&P’s move that provided insight into how such a decision could be reached. “I believe this is without question the Tea Party downgrade,” said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. “This is the Tea Party downgrade... read more.

Ramco Electric Motors finds room to grow
Company’s purchase of a new facility in Greenville provides room for expansion - GREENVILLE- Ramco Electric Motors will shortly be getting a new home in Greenville. The company has announced its purchase of the former Timmerman Truss facility in Greenville’s industrial Park at 5763 Jaysville-St. Johns road and expects to shortly begin the relocation process. Currently... read more.

Columbus Business First... Wendy’s bringing HQ back, adding 50 jobs, By Dan Eaton
Thursday, August 4, 2011 - Wendy’s Co. is bringing its corporate headquarters back to Dublin along with 50 jobs – and $12 million in state and local incentives in hand. The fast food chain Thursday announced plans for an $11 million renovation of its 35-year-old Dublin office complex and the return of 50 executive-level jobs that were moved to Atlanta after the company’s 2008 acquisition by Triarc Companies Inc. “This could’ve happened in Georgia,” Gov. John Kasich said at a... read more.

Dayton Business Journal… Stocks take a beating, bleeding not over
Friday, August 5, 2011 - The Dow closing down 512.76 points to 11,383.68 will rank as one of the Top 10 worst single-day point drops in the stock index’s history, and has left many financial experts asking if the worst is yet to come. Some analysts are questioning whether Wall Street’s expectations for corporate earnings for the third quarter are too high and may have to be scaled back. If that happens, it could be a wave of negative news that drives stocks down lower... read more.

Rasmussen... What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls
Saturday, August 06, 2011 - Americans don’t like the debt ceiling deal he agreed to, and confidence in the economy and the future in general are low and getting lower. But most voters think President Obama has a good chance of being reelected next year anyway. Just 14% of Likely U.S. Voters now say the country is heading in the right direction . That’s down from 17% a week ago, 21% the week before, and 25% the week before that. It is the lowest measured since... read more.

Foxnews.com... Republicans Want Geithner to Walk The Plank After Credit Downgrade
By Stephen Clark - Published August 06, 2011 - With the U.S. losing its Triple-A credit rating for the first time ever, Republican lawmakers and presidential contenders are calling on President Obama to fire Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Standard & Poor’s decision late Friday to lower the nation’s credit rating to AA-plus is an embarrassment for Geithner who insisted in April that there was... read more.

Ohio Supreme Court... Supreme Court Connection to Civil War Concerns Famous General
Aug. 5, 2011 - As the nation observes the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, the Supreme Court of Ohio has a connection to a significant player in the “War Between the States.” History books record the leadership of Lancaster native Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, who’s probably best remembered for the March to the Sea conducted in November and December 1864. What those history... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Investors fear stock markets haven’t hit bottom, by DBJ Staff
Thursday, August 4, 2011 - The stock markets posted some of the worst drops in years Thursday as investors’ fears over a slowing global economy sparked a sell-off on Wall Street. With the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 513 points on Thursday, it capped off a two week run of bad days that have left the major Blue Chip stock index down 1,341 points since July 21. The Dow... read more.

The Columbus Dispatch... Teachers suing union over use of fees, By Catherine Candisky
Friday August 5, 2011 - Some public school teachers say the Ohio Education Association is forcing them to help finance the union’s political activity. In a class-action lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Columbus, 15 teachers claim that so-called fair-share fees taken from their paychecks are unlawfully being used to finance campaigns, lobby elected officials and similar efforts. The teachers have declined to pay membership dues to the union, but are assessed a fee... read more.

Gov. John Kasich... Week in Review
Saturday, July 30 through Friday, August 5, 2011 - Monday, August 1, 2011 - Gov. John R. Kasich swore in Christiane Schmenk as the Director of the Ohio Department of Development - Kasich appointed G. Scott Drew, DO to the Marion Technical College Board of Trustees. Tuesday, August 2, 2011 - Kasich joined executives of the Anderson-DuBose Company in Lordstown for a public groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the company’s new $34 million distribution center and... read more.

Politico... Democratic National Committee blasts ‘pandering’ Republican field, By Alexander Burns
8/5/11 - The Democratic National Committee is seeking to define the opening phase of the 2012 campaign as a debate over leadership, arguing in a memo that the leading GOP presidential candidates are gripped by “ideological intransigence and pandering,” and have ducked difficult issue debates. In a document addressed to Sunday television show producers, DNC communications director Brad Woodhouse writes that the Republican candidates are “failing to lead on the... read more.

Secretary of State Husted... Ballot Board Members approve language for November statewide issues
COLUMBUS –Secretary of State Jon Husted, along with members of the Ohio Ballot Board, yesterday approved ballot language for the three statewide issues appearing on the November ballot. The language for each issue is available... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Employers health costs rise at faster pace, by Joe Cogliano
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 - Health care costs in Southwest Ohio continue to climb, and at a faster pace than in previous years, according to a new survey. On Wednesday, Employers Resource Association announced the results of its 2011 Health and Welfare Benefits Survey. More than 75 percent of the employers surveyed in this corner of the state experienced an increase... read more.

FoxNews.com... Ohio Man Kills 7 Before Being Shot Dead by Cops
Published August 07, 2011 - An Ohio man went on a shooting spree Sunday, killing seven people, including an 11-year-old girl, before he was gunned down by responding police. One victim was rushed to a nearby hospital. The shooting occured in Copley Township, Ohio, a wooded, residential neighborhood of older homes outside Akron. The gunman shot five... read more.

Congressman John Boehner... Budget Control Act Meets ‘Cut-More-Than-You-Hike’ Standard & Has No Tax Hikes - 8/3/11 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) appeared at a press conference with GOP leaders recently to discuss the Budget Control Act – a bipartisan agreement to cut spending, advance the cause of a Balanced Budget Amendment, and prevent a job-crushing national default. Following are excerpts from... read more.

Politico... President Obama back on friendly ground in Chicago, By Glenn Thrush
8/3/11 - A night before he turned 50, President Barack Obama on Wednesday turned to thousands of overheated supporters in a sweltering Chicago ballroom for consolation and cash after one of the most grueling weeks of his presidency. “It doesn’t matter how tough a week I have in Washington, because I know you’ve got me — you’ve got my back,” said Obama, speaking to about 1,700 well-wishers gathered for a series of birthday events held at the Aragon Entertainment Center... read more.

Politico... Harry Reid’s debt deal post-mortem, By John Bresnahan & Manu Raju
8/3/11 - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was so worried that no debt deal was in sight within a week of the default deadline, that he began analyzing whether President Barack Obama could raise the national debt ceiling by invoking the 14th Amendment — an unprecedented move. “I thought enough of [default] that I had my Rhodes scholar lawyer do me a memo on the 14th Amendment,” Reid told POLITICO during an interview in his Senate office... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Google: Apple, Microsoft join to fight Android, by DBJ Staff
Thursday, August 4, 2011 - Google Inc. claims three of its chief rivals in the smartphone market have joined forces to use litigation to fight its popular Android operating system. The Internet giant claims Apple Inc. , Microsoft Corp. and Oracle Corp.are using “bogus patents” to wage what it called an “organized, hostile campaign” against Android, according to the Wall Street Journal... read more.

Wall Street Journal... S&P Cuts US Credit Rating For First Time In Modern History
By Min Zeng and Stephen L. Bernard, Dow Jones Newswires - NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Standard & Poor's took the unprecedented step of downgrading the U.S. government's "AAA" sovereign credit rating Friday in a move that could send shock waves through global financial markets and potentially undermine world economic growth. In a press release, S&P, cut its top-notch long-term credit rating for the U.S. Treasury's debt to AA+ with a negative outlook. It is the first time in... read more.

Wall Street Journal... Left for Extinct, a Steel Plant Rises in Ohio, By Clare Ansberry
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio—On the edge of the Mahoning River, where once stood dozens of blast furnaces, more than 400 workers are constructing what long has been considered unthinkable: a new $650 million steel plant. When complete, it will stand 10 stories tall, occupy one million square feet and make a half million tons of seamless steel tubes used in “fracking” or drilling for natural gas in shale basins. France’s Vallourec & Mannesmann Holdings Inc., one of the world’s largest... read more.

Yahoo... Joe Biden collecting rent from Secret Service, By Rachel Rose Hartman
The Ticket – Mon, Aug 1, 2011 - That’s right. The Washington Times reports that Biden has collected $13,200 from the Secret Service since April to rent a cottage adjacent to his Wilmington, Del., home and continues to charge the agency rent. The Secret Service has agreed to pay $2,200 per month for use of the house in order to provide security to the Biden family, according to Edwin M. Donovan, special agent in charge at the Secret Service’s Office of Government and Public... read more.

Boehner responds to announced July unemployment
Congressman Boehner: Washington’s Focus on Spending, Taxing, & Regulating Is Hurting Job Growth - WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) today released the following statement regarding the latest unemployment report from the U.S. Department of Labor: “Today’s unemployment report is more proof that all of the Washington spending, taxing, and regulating is devastating our economy. While the American people are asking ‘where are the... read more.

Darke County Economic Development Office…
County Development Efforts Ready to Expand Again
Darke County- Investors in Darke County’s Partnering for Progress (P4P) campaign filled The Andersons Marathon Ethanol plant conference room on July 29 to receive the economic development report for the third quarter of 2011. Aside from the usual report on recent development... read more.

KQED Radio... U.S. Jobs Up 117,000; July Unemployment 9.1 Percent, by NPR Staff and Wires
August 5, 2011 - Hiring picked up slightly in the U.S. in July and the unemployment rate dipped to 9.1 percent, an optimistic sign after the worst day on Wall Street in nearly three years. The Labor Department said Friday that employers added 117,000 jobs last month. That’s an improvement from the past two months. The mild gain may ease investors’ concerns after the Dow Jones... read more.

New York Times... Reaping Millions in Nonprofit Care for Disabled, By Russ Buettner
August 2, 2011 - Medicaid money created quite a nice life for the Levy brothers from Flatbush, Brooklyn. The brothers, Philip and Joel, earned close to $1 million a year each as the two top executives running a Medicaid-financed nonprofit organization serving the developmentally disabled. They each had luxury cars paid for with public money. And when their children went to college, they could pass on the tuition bills to their nonprofit group... read more.

Politico... Debt ceiling disaster averted, but nobody’s really happy, By David Rogers
8/2/11 - Running short of cash, Treasury won an immediate reprieve of $400 billion in new borrowing authority Tuesday with the enactment of a hotly contested debt and deficit-reduction agreement hammered out between Republicans and the White House on Sunday night. President Barack Obama, not hiding his frustration, quickly signed the measure sent to him by Congress after a final 74-26 Senate roll call, capping an unprecedented hard-edged political struggle that had pushed... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Obama plans 54.5 mpg fuel standard, by Ed Green
Friday, July 29, 2011 - A dozen of the world’s top automakers have agreed to take part in an effort to increase fuel-economy standards to 54.5 miles per gallon for 2025 model-year cars and light-duty trucks. President Barack Obama announced the new agreement Friday, saying participants include General Motors , Ford Motor Co. , Toyota Motor Corp. , Chrysler , Nissan Motor Co. , Honda Motor Co. , Hyundai , BMW, Volvo , Mazda , Mitsubishi and Jaguar... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Ohio medical marijuana possible for 2012 ballot, by DBJ Staff
Monday, August 1, 2011 - Ohio could join the growing roster of states allowing medical marijuana if a petition drive succeeds in getting the question on the 2012 ballot. Efforts to legalize medical marijuana in Ohio are moving ahead, with a group submitting signatures to Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office. And that could launch the petition collection process in time for the November... read more.

Darke County Sheriff’s Office... Darke County 10-year-old fatally shot
In a Different Incident: Near Drowning of Child in Ansonia - DARKE COUNTY - Darke County Sheriff’s deputies and detectives are investigating a fatal shooting in northwest Darke County. A 10-year-old boy was shot early Thursday morning at his home located at 995 Peters Road in northwest Darke County. On Thursday at approximately 1:13 a.m. the Darke County Sheriff‘s Office received... read more.

Monnin addresses security measures in Municipal Court, By Bob Robinson
Aslinger discusses possible “drug court” through Juvenile & Probate - “This is why we have enhanced security in the Municipal Court,” Judge Julie Monnin said, flipping a “butterfly” knife that had been confiscated from a visitor to her courtroom. Monnin told nearly 40 people at Thursday’s monthly Agricultural Meeting at Brethren Retirement Community that she wanted to correct information that may have... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Technology invades college campuses, by Laura Englehart
Sunday, July 31, 2011 - As students head back to college in coming months, they’ll bring with them the latest technology, including Android phones and iPads. But their personal devices are just part of the high-tech world of collegiate education. Rapid industry changes have forced universities to abandon previous teaching methods and evolve their classrooms to better relate to students. Some Dayton-area universities have worked to incorporate technology in classrooms to their... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Manufacturing industry slows growth, by Joe Cogliano
Monday, August 1, 2011 - The industry grew in July, but at a much slower rate than in previous months, according to the latest report from the Institute for Supply Management. The PMI, the institute’s index to measure the strength of the industry, hit 50.9 percent last month, a drop of 4.4 percentage points compared to June. A reading above 50 percent indicates the manufacturing economy is generally in a period of expansion while a reading below 50 indicates a general... read more.

FoxNews... Elderly Couple Games Lottery, Wins Millions
Published August 01, 2011 - Sometimes you have to make your own luck. An elderly couple stands to make millions of dollars after purchasing more than $600,000 worth of lottery tickets over a three-day period, according to a report by the Boston Globe. Marjorie and Gerald Selbee, both in their 70s, each bought $307,000 worth of $2 tickets for a relatively obscure Massachusetts lottery called Cash WinFall. One location that sold them half the tickets, Billy’s Beer and Wine, had sold only... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Corporations hold 11 percent more cash
Thursday, July 28, 2011 - NO. 1: Moody’s said Apple held the most cash in 2010 among U.S. companies with about $60 billion on hand and a debt-to-cash ratio of zero. Apple Inc. , Microsoft Corp. and Cisco Systems Inc. held the most cash among non-financial companies in the United States in 2010, according to a Moody’s report that said domestic business cash holdings increased about 11 percent last... read more.

Politico... Debt deal complicates liberals’ support, By Glenn Thrush & Carrie Budoff Brown
8/1/11 - President Barack Obama’s road to debt ceiling compromise runs right through the left wing of the Democratic Party. Much of the focus Sunday centered on House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who must wrestle conservatives into line to pass the deal before Tuesday’s default deadline. Yet team Obama quickly found out it is confronting an equally daunting sales jobs with a Democratic base embittered by compromise, ditched policy priorities and what many liberals view... read more.

Politico... Democrats and some Republicans still grumbling, By Jonathan Allen & Jake Sherman & Manu Raju
7/31/11 - Even before the details of a debt-limit deal began to spill out over the weekend, Democrats in Congress started to show the signs of a party getting rolled by its own president — and conservative Republicans were chafing at a deal that exposes the Pentagon to deep cuts. The blowback on Sunday’s deal making serves to underscore the uphill battle both parties face to pass a debt ceiling hike and avert defaulting on the nation’s debt — all before Tuesday’s default... read more.

Politico... GOP rallies around Boehner on deal, By Jake Sherman & Jonathan Allen
7/31/11 - House Republicans praised Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and the deal he cut to avoid a national default during a rare Sunday night conference call, giving first-blush approval to a plan that must still be committed to legislation and passed by both chambers of Congress. Now comes the hard part for the four heads of congressional caucuses: Selling the... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Report: Health care spending to top $4.6 trillion, by Laura Englehart
Thursday, July 28, 2011 - National health care spending is expected to top $4.6 trillion in 2020 and account for $1 of every $5 in the economy, a recent report shows. Though health care spending grew only 3.8 percent from 2009 to 2010, thanks in part to the economy, it likely will increase an average 5.8 percent annually through 2020 with the President Barack Obama... read more.

Any victory a victory for Darke County, By Bob Robinson
“What the heck is happening in Darke County?” “I don’t know… but let’s give them money and move there.” Amidst success stories and updates on the new direction of the Darke County Economic Development Office was that gem of a comment overheard at a meeting in Dayton, plus one more that highlighted a growing trend in local economic development... read more.

Rasmussen... What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls
Saturday, July 30, 2011 - Take this economy, puh-leez. And while you’re at it, take this Congress and this president with you, too. That’s the message from most Americans these days. The federal government yesterday reported a stunningly low economic growth rate for the U.S. economy for the first six months of the year. But that was no surprise to regular followers of the Rasmussen Consumer Index, which measures the economic confidence of consumers on a daily basis... read more.

Reason... Study: Time to Eliminate the Mortgage Interest Deduction
July 28, 2011 - Removing homeowner subsidies would allow everyone’s income tax rates to be lowered - The mortgage interest deduction does not increase homeownership rates and amounts to little more than a subsidy for wealthy homeowners, according to a new Reason Foundation study that recommends eliminating the deduction and streamlining the tax code. The Reason Foundation report suggests a revenue-neutral solution: eliminate the mortgage interest deduction and... read more.

Foxnews... U.S. Contractor in Iraq Charges Pentagon $900 for $7 Control Switch, Report Finds
Published July 30, 2011 - A U.S. government contractor in Iraq charged the Pentagon a whopping amount of money for inexpensive items, including $900 for a $7 control switch, according to a new report from a U.S. watchdog. U.S. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart W. Bowen Jr. said review found that Anham, LLC, which is based in suburban Washington, allowed its subcontractors in Iraq to also charge $3,000 for a $100 circuit breaker, and $80 for a piece of... read more.

From Msnbc... Site aims to show what $14 trillion looks like
You could go pretty far on $100 million, but it wouldn’t last that long for the federal government.
By Jessica Mintz - The clock is running down on lawmakers’ efforts to agree on a plan to keep the U.S. government from running out of money. Just as your bank sets a limit on how much you can borrow on your credit card, Congress has set a limit for the Treasury -- $14.29 trillion. We actually... read more.

Jindal featured speaker at ORP State Dinner, By Lyn Bliss, Senior Scribe
Straw poll has Romney favorite, followed by Pawlenty and Bachmann a close third
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal was the featured speaker at the Ohio Republican Party’s (ORP) State Dinner held recently at the Renaissance Center in Cleveland. The evening began with a private Chairman’s Reception for Jindal. The reception included refreshments, hors d’ oeuvres... read more.

Husted announces Ballot Order for Statewide Issues
COLUMBUS – Secretary of State Jon Husted today announced the ballot order for the three statewide issues appearing on the November ballot. The order of the issues is as follows: Issue 1 - House Joint Resolution 1 - Judicial Retirement Age Constitutional Amendment; Issue 2 - Senate Bill 5 Referendum, and Issue 3 - Health Care Freedom Act Constitutional Amendment - The order of the issues was determined based upon the order in which each issue was filed with the Secretary... read more.

Newsmax... Gallup: Obama Approval Hits New Lows
Friday, 29 Jul 2011 - President Barack Obama’s job approval rating is at a new low, averaging 40 percent according to the latest from Gallup. The data was compiled from the July 26-28 Gallup Daily tracking poll. Obama’s previous low rating — 41 percent — occurred several times, the last of which was in April. As recently as June 7, Obama had 50 percent job approval. Obama’s approval rating averaged 46 percent in June and was near that level for most of July. However... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Big bank CEOs ask Congress to fix debt crisis, by Adam O’Daniel
Thursday, July 28, 2011 - Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan and Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf joined fellow CEOs of the nation’s biggest banks to send a letter to Congress asking for lawmakers to strike a deal to avoid default on U.S. debt. The letter is signed by 14 financial services CEOs who are members of the Financial Services Forum, a lobbying group comprised of leading bank CEOs. CEOs at Goldman Sachs , Citigroup Inc. , JPMorgan Chase & Co. , Morgan Stanley... read more.

Dayton Business Journal... Report: Parents to spend $604 on school shopping, by Ginger Christ
Thursday, July 21, 2011 - Retailers likely won’t see a major boost in sales from back-to-school spending this summer. Kindergarten through 12th grade school shopping is expected to be largely unchanged from 2010, with parents believed to dole out an average of $2 more — $604 — this year on apparel, school supplies and electronics, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2011... read more.

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