Top headlines: Family of Tamir Rice, Cleveland may be headed for settlement; Report: Southern Ohio prison remains most violent in state
Kasich finishes third in Michigan primary
OhioGov. John Kasich finished third in last night's Michigan GOP presidential primary, about a half percentage point behind Ted Cruz. He secured 17 delegates and his campaign is touting a new poll sponsored by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal showing him pulling ahead of Marco Rubio nationally at 22 percent. He's hoping high approval ratings in Ohio and a robust get-out-the-vote operation will deliver him a victory in his home state next Tuesday. But he has yet to win a state and is far behind in the delegate count. Should he succeed, the governor would deprive Donald Trump of the state's 66 winner-take-all delegates, further slowing the businessman's path toward clinching the GOP nomination outright. Kasich told reporters in Detroit that he usually doesn't make predictions, but he declared: "I am going to win Ohio."
Family of Tamir Rice, Cleveland may be headed for settlement
The family of Tamir Rice and the City of Cleveland could be headed for a settlement over the shooting of the 12-year-old boy by Cleveland police. Cleveland.com reports that the judge presiding over a lawsuit the family filed soon after Tamir was shot in 2014 has asked a federal judge to hold settlement talks. A grand jury in December declined to indict the two officers involved in the shooting of the boy carrying a toy gun they thought was real.
Report: Southern Ohio prison remains most violent in state
A new report from a legislative watchdog agency says a southern Ohio prison continues to be the state's most violent, troubled by gang activity, drug use and inmate complaints of use of force by corrections officers. The Columbus Dispatch reports the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee said in the report Tuesday that the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility near Lucasville is consistently the most violent in the state in terms of assaults. There were 409 assaults on staff and other inmates last year. That's 14 more than there were in 2014. The report indicates that the facility has made some progress. But the committee says education programs at the prison are significantly below those at other facilities and access to its library has been restricted.
Elections chief: 173,000 ballots cast in Ohio primary so far
Ohio's elections chief says more than 173,000 ballots have been cast ahead of the swing state's primary contests next Tuesday. Registered voters in Ohio can cast ballots by mail or in person before Election Day without giving any reason. Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted says an informal survey of county elections boards shows more than 328,000 absentee ballots have been requested statewide. His office says over 167,000 applicants requested Republican ballots, and more than 149,000 requested Democratic ones. Others requested Green Party or issues-only ballots.
AARP campaign seeks Social Security answers in Ohio primary
AARP members, volunteers and activists in red t-shirts are showing up at presidential campaign events around Ohio to urge candidates to weigh in on the issue of Social Security. On Tuesday, representatives of the senior advocacy group's "Take a Stand" campaign showed up at campaign events in Cleveland for Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich. They also plan to attend a Kasich town hall in Moraine scheduled for Friday and other candidate events that crop up across the state ahead of Tuesday's primary election. AARP favors continuing Social Security. The group says the initiative is aimed at getting presidential contenders to state their plans for the program's future and then holding them accountable. It is expected to continue past Tuesday into the November general election.
Ohio school board members concerned about test discrepancies
Some state school board members are concerned by results of a survey that indicated poorer results for districts that administered state tests online instead of on paper. The survey by an administrator at Amherst schools in northern Ohio determined districts that tested online received F grades on a key state report card measure nine times as often as those that used paper and pencils. More than 420 districts responded to the survey by Michael Molnar, Amherst's director of educational services. Board member Roslyn Painter-Goffi of Strongsville says many superintendents who committed to giving this year's tests online now want to change back to giving paper ones. The Department of Education disputes the notion that different test formats leads to different results.
Former executives of Haslam-owned chain get 2017 trial date
The former president of the company owned by Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam will face trial next year along with seven others on charges they conspired to cheat customers out of promised discounts and rebates. The trial was originally set for April. On Tuesday, attorneys for the former Pilot Flying J employees told a federal magistrate in Knoxville they need more time to prepare for the complex case. A motion to postpone the trial says information the government collected through search warrants includes about five terabytes of data. Those indicted include former Pilot President Mark Hazelwood, former vice presidents John Freeman and Scott Wombold, and five others. All have pleaded not guilty. The new trial date is Oct. 24, 2017.
Ex-House speaker in Ohio disputing nearly $2M business debt
An Alabama bank is seeking nearly $2 million in unpaid debt from former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder as the Perry County Republican attempts a Statehouse comeback. The once-powerful Householder is disputing the 2014 judgment for $1,893,151 that favored Union Bank over Flat Rock, Alabama-based D&E Mining, a coal-mining business in which he was an investor. Householder said he hopes to resolve the issue soon. The bank's attorney confirms to The Associated Press that the case is still open. Court records show Union sued D&E, Householder and others in 2013 for the unpaid portion of a $2.4 million loan to D&E, money guaranteed through the federal recovery act. Householder said he sold his interest in D&E several years ago and disputes that he's the party responsible for the outstanding debt.
