Death row inmate found dead in cell

A twice-convicted murderer whose execution in November had to be halted when a usable vein couldn't be found to administer execution drugs died Saturday morning of natural causes, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction said. Alva Campbell, 69, was found unresponsive in his death row cell Saturday morning at a prison in Chillicothe and was pronounced dead shortly before 5:30 a.m. at a hospital, prison department spokeswoman JoEllen Smith said.

Planned Parenthood Plans Major Political Effort In Key States For 2018 Midterms

Add Planned Parenthood to the list of organizations looking to take advantage of President Trump's low approval ratings in the 2018 midterm elections. The organization is not new to the rough-and-tumble of electoral politics - and has often itself become a top issue for Republicans looking to slash federal funding for the organization - but this year Planned Parenthood Votes and Planned Parenthood Action Fund will launch their biggest-ever push to try to tip the balance in Congress and in key states.

Democratic committee ‘deeply concerned’ about Bill…

The candidacy of Bill O'Neill, the former Ohio Supreme Court justice who quit the court to run for governor, could hurt down-ballot Democratic candidates should he become the party's nominee in the race, a party background check committee has determined. However, the party has decided to allow O'Neill - who raised eyebrows when he announced on social media he had bedded 50 women -- to participate in gubernatorial forums and debates since he has held statewide office and has been endorsed by the party in the past.

Tax cuts offer Republicans a Trump-free campaign option

As Republican U.S. Senator Rob Portman spoke to small-business owners over the weekend in his home state of Ohio, he hammered on a major election-year theme for Republicans - that tax cuts are helping the little guy. What did not come up in his talk in Zanesville was the more complicated topic of Republican President Donald Trump, whose victory in Ohio in 2016 helped propel him to the White House.

Flood fears rise as wicked storm system tears across southern, central U.S.

A violent storm system with relentless rains and fierce winds that pounded the southern and central U.S. over the weekend could lead to treacherous flooding in the days ahead. The system that stretched from Texas to the Canadian maritime provinces left a path of destruction as it cut eastward Sunday: Homes were leveled, trees uprooted, cars demolished.

U.S. nears decision on Ravenna as missile defense site

WASHINGTON  If the state's congressional delegation has its way, one of the first lines of defense against incoming ballistic missiles would be an Ohio Army National Guard base in a northeast Ohio city of 11,533. Ohio's congressional delegation is in the midst of what one congressman calls a "full court press" to land an East Coast Missile Defense site in Ravenna, Ohio - a site that would, along with bases in California and Alaska, be capable of fending off long- and intermediate-range missiles, presumably from Iran or North Korea.

Ohio has new uses for sediment from Lake Erie’s harbors

The federal agency that keeps open shipping channels along Lake Erie has settled a long dispute with Ohio over what to do with sand, soil and mud scooped out of Cleveland's harbor. What's next for the state is getting rid of more than 1.2 million tons of sediment dredged from seven other ports each year before a new law bans dumping it in the lake by the summer of 2020.

Kasich panel to give gun proposals; gov. supports arming teachers, opposes ‘stand your ground’

Ohio Gov. John Kasich said he is hoping that a group he's quietly convened to find solutions to gun violence in the state will be able to deliver something by the end of next week to the General Assembly. Kasich, in Washington, D.C., for a meeting of the National Governors Association, declined to lay out what the group is considering, but said they've reached agreements on four different issues.

Transgenderism: ‘Equality’ for the Insane

Nearly 10 years ago, after gay activists launched hateful attacks on supporters of California's Proposition 8, I explained that the LGBT movement's "vitriolic rage highlighted how the progressive rhetoric of 'rights' undermines and destabilizes political consensus" : Seizing on the triumphant narrative of the black civil-rights movement, liberals adopted the habit of framing political debates in terms of minority "rights" versus majority "discrimination." That this tactic involves a species of moral and emotional blackmail should be obvious.

Kasich: ‘No confidence’ Congress will address guns

Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich said the deadly school shooting on Wednesday should be a rallying moment for the nation on guns, but that he predicted Congress would not live up to the task. "Do I think they can do anything on guns? I hope they prove me wrong and they can because I have no confidence in them," Kasich said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."

Pelosi’s Doomsday Scenario: Dem leader could face rebellion if House takeover fails

House Democrats see a big opportunity this year to seize control of the chamber after years in the wilderness, but the favorable landscape has emerged as a double-edged sword for Nancy Pelosi - putting high expectations on the House minority leader to deliver or face a resurgent effort to unseat her. The California Democrat has held onto her leadership post for roughly a dozen years, brushing aside past challenges and touting her political acumen all along, despite her party being relegated to the minority since the 2010 midterms.

Source: Pillich to leave governora s race, back Cordray

Ohio Democrats' lone female gubernatorial candidate will leave the race Wednesday to back rival Richard Cordray, as the former federal consumer watchdog positions for his hoped-for bid against Republican Mike DeWine, a source said. A Democrat close to Cordray's campaign told The Associated Press that former state Rep. Connie Pillich will drop out and endorse Cordray at an event the campaign announced Tuesday.