Page 1 of today's Daily Chief Union

Daily Chief-Union/Aaron Korte
100 days in
The 40 kindergartners at Upper Sandusky's South School celebrated their 100th day of school by making a quilt, which now hangs in the cafeteria. Each of the students in Jennifer Young's and Heather Lawrence's classes made at least two panels for the project. They only have 2,240 days of school left until graduation.

Page 1 of today's Daily Chief Union

Education department slashing $100 million from its budget
COLUMBUS (AP) - Money for school buses, professional development for teachers and technology support for districts will be slashed as the state education department looks to cut $100 million from its budget.
Gov. Ted Strickland ordered state agencies to trim budgets after economic forecasts predicted the state would face at least a $733 million shortfall by June 2009.
But per-pupil state aid will not be affected.
"The priority is to protect children and districts from harm," state Superintendent Susan Zelman said.
The cuts include $43 million in program and staffing reductions over the next 16 months, according to a plan released to Ohio superintendents Monday. The other $57 million will come from budgeted money that no longer is needed, said Jeannette Oxender, Zelman's chief of staff.
The unused money includes unspent special education funds and funds not spent from the last two-year budget.

Page 1 of today's Daily Chief Union

Tax rebate checks will be in the mail by spring; Bush signs economy-rescue bill
WASHINGTON (AP) - The checks are not in the mail, but they will be soon.
President Bush signed legislation Wednesday to rush rebates ranging from $300 to $1,200 to millions of people, the centerpiece of government efforts to brace the wobbly economy. First, though, a person's 2007 tax return must be filed.
More than 130 million people are expected to get the rebates, starting around May. Congress, Bush, the Federal Reserve and Wall Street are hoping the money will burn such a hole in people's pockets that they will not be able to resist spending it. And the spending is supposed to give an energizing jolt to a national economy that is in danger of toppling into a recession if it has not already.
Whether people actually spend the money remains to be seen. A recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll indicates most people have other plans. Forty-five percent said they planned to pay off bills, while 32 percent said they would save or invest it. Only 19 percent said they would spend their rebates.