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OHIO SCHOOL SHOOTING-LAWSUIT

Ohio school shooting victims' families sue charity

CHARDON, Ohio (AP) - Relatives of 3 teenagers killed in an Ohio school shooting are suing a charity that maintains a fund set up to benefit victims' families and support the well-being of students and others in the affected community.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday against United Way says more than $950,000 was donated to the Chardon Healing Fund after the shooting last year. The suit alleges the trust wasn't properly administered and says the three families received less than $150,000 and had funding requests denied.

A statement from United Way of Greater Cleveland and the United Way Services of Geauga (jee-AW'-guh) County says the fund is managed transparently according to its purpose. The groups say more than $417,000 has been distributed to families of the three killed and three others hurt in the shooting.

CAR-BUS COLLISION

Up to 30 hurt in crash in northwest Ohio

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) - The state Highway Patrol says up to 30 people have been injured in a crash between a commercial bus and a car on Interstate 75 in northwest Ohio.

A state police spokeswoman tells The Associated Press that 1-75 south of Bowling Green was closed for a couple hours following Tuesday night's crash, but has since been reopened. Initial reports indicated that the passengers of the two vehicles were taken to local hospitals but were not badly hurt.

Toledo News Now reports that a Toyota Camry was rear-ended by a bus transporting employees of the Consolidated Biscuit Company in McComb. It says among those injured were two infants who were in the car.

MISSING WOMEN FOUND-DOGS

Ohio kidnapping suspect's 3 dogs go to foster care

CLEVELAND (AP) - Three dogs seized from a Cleveland man charged with holding three women captive over a decade are now in foster care.

Chief Cleveland animal control officer John Baird says a rescue group picked up the pets Tuesday. The group is Dogs Unlimited Rescue.

The dogs will be in foster care until the women - Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight - decide whether they want to take the pets into their homes.

Baird says the women will get whatever time they need to decide. He says the women may have bonded one-on-one with the dogs in captivity, and as such, the pets would be important as the women acclimate to freedom.

A defense attorney says the kidnapping and rape suspect, Ariel Castro, will plead not guilty. He's in custody.

GAS DRILLING-WASTEWATER

Ohio injection well operator fights state action

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A northeast Ohio injection well operator whose owner faces federal charges of violating the Clean Water Act is seeking permission to resume operations.

D&L Energy, of Youngstown, will ask the Ohio Oil & Gas Commission on Wednesday to overturn a state order issued earlier this year. A commission decision could take months.

The order revoked D&L's existing injection permits, denied some pending ones and suspended disposal of salt water brine, including from oil and gas drilling.

Ben Lupo, owner of D&L and brine-hauling company Hardrock Excavating LLC, has pleaded not guilty to federal Clean Water Act violations. Prosecutors allege he instructed a Hardrock employee to repeatedly dump gas-drilling wastewater into a storm sewer.

A D&L well was also near the epicenter of a series of Youngstown-area earthquakes in 2011.

HEALTH OVERHAUL-OHIO UNINSURABLES

APNewsBreak: Feds to run high-risk plan in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio officials say the federal government will take over the state's program for patients with pre-existing medical conditions.

At issue is an insurance plan created by President Barack Obama's health care law targeting patients turned away by insurance companies because of conditions such as cancer or heart disease.

The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan is meant to be a temporary patch until 2014, when insurers are required to accept applicants regardless of medical history.

Ohio is among 27 states with a state-based program. The federal government already runs the remaining plans.

The federal law capped spending on the program, and now money is running out. Washington has given states new terms for the program's remaining months.

Ohio officials said Tuesday that funding wasn't adequate for the state to sustain the program.

OHIO LEGISLATURE-DEMOCRATS

Ohio Dems choose Columbus rep as House leader

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Democrats in the Ohio House have picked a Columbus representative to be their new leader.

State Rep. Tracy Maxwell Heard was chosen Tuesday night to replace Rep. Armond Budish (BYOO'-dish) of Beachwood as House minority leader. Budish said he's resigning to allow for a smoother transition before his term ends next year.

Budish has led House Democrats for five years. His resignation Tuesday night comes as he considers a run for Cuyahoga (ky-uh-HOH'-guh) County executive.

Democrats also picked State Rep. Debbie Phillips (D-Athens) as assistant minority leader. Rep. Matt Szollosi (SUH'-lah-zee) of Toledo is resigning his seat this month to become executive director of the Affiliated Construction Trades of Ohio.

Joining Heard on the leadership team are Michael Ashford (D-Toledo), Democratic whip, and Dan Ramos (D-Lorain), assistant whip.

IRS-POLITICAL GROUPS-RALLIES

Protesters chant 'Stop the IRS' in Cincinnati

CINCINNATI (AP) - Tea party activists have rallied outside the federal building in Cincinnati waving flags and signs, singing patriotic songs and chanting "Stop the IRS!"

The demonstration was among dozens planned nationally Tuesday to protest IRS scrutiny of conservative groups.

The Cincinnati building houses Internal Revenue Service offices that handled tax-exempt status applications. IRS officials have acknowledged that some groups received inappropriate attention.

After a march from Fountain Square about two blocks away, activists filled sidewalks in front of the federal building for about 30 minutes. Some leaders took a petition inside to a federal guard and asked him to deliver it to the IRS.

Some IRS retirees say Cincinnati employees shouldn't be vilified. Former senior manager Bonnie Esrig says the office was a nonpolitical environment, and tax-exempt status workloads had jumped.

INTERNET CAFE REGULATIONS

Ohio lawmakers advance Internet cafe crackdown

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - An effective ban on Internet cafes targeted as illegal gambling has cleared an Ohio Senate committee and is headed for a floor vote Wednesday.

Testimony by employees of the storefront sweepstakes parlors failed to persuade a majority of the State Government & Oversight Committee that the cafes are legitimate businesses supporting Ohio families.

The vote followed a change of heart expressed by Republican Senate President Keith Faber (FAY'-bur), whose chamber previously blocked such a ban. Faber said in April that his caucus was persuaded the establishments were illegal after a briefing by top state law enforcers, including Attorney General Mike DeWine.

Proponents contend the cafes are legal.

Also Tuesday, a House committee sent to the floor a bill extending Ohio's moratorium on the cafes and imposing a new reporting requirement.

NEW SPEED LIMIT

Ohio reveals where new 70 mph speed limit applies

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The Ohio Department of Transportation has revealed which sections of rural interstate highway will have a higher speed limit of 70 mph instead of 65 mph starting July 1.

The department said Tuesday that the limit will increase on more than 570 miles of interstate highway. The increase applies to parts of Interstates 70, 71, 75, 76, 77 and 90 but doesn't include sections of those roads in major metropolitan areas and a few smaller cities along the way.

More than 300 signs will be made to alert drivers about the new limits.

A 70-mph limit already is in effect for the Ohio Turnpike stretching across the northern part of the state.

PRISON INMATE-WALKAWAY

Ohio prison inmate walks away from garage duty

LEBANON, Ohio (AP) - The Ohio prisons department says an inmate is missing after walking away from his work assignment as an auto mechanic.

The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction says Stephen Ramey was last seen shortly before noon Tuesday at the garage at Lebanon Correctional Institution in southwest Ohio.

The garage, where state vehicles are repaired, is outside the prison's security perimeter in a minimum-security camp.

The state says the 35-year-old Ramey was admitted to prison in March on a 1-year sentence for a burglary conviction out of Montgomery County and was scheduled for release in January.

The state's last walkaway inmate was captured within a day after leaving a prison garage at Mansfield Correctional Institution in December 2011.

DRAFT LOTTERY

Cavaliers win NBA draft lottery again

NEW YORK (AP) - Nick Gilbert and the Cleveland Cavaliers have beaten the NBA lottery odds again.

The Cavaliers won the lottery for the second time in three years and have the No. 1 pick for the June 27 draft.

Gilbert, owner Dan Gilbert's bowtie-wearing son, was on stage again for the victory. He won in 2011, a pick the Cavs used on eventual Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving.

The Orlando Magic fell back one spot to No. 2, while the Washington Wizards vaulted from the No. 8 spot to third.

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