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Ohio group seeks to overturn pre-election ban on certain ads
COLUMBUS (AP) — The state ban on issue ads that mention political candidates by name within 30 days of an election should be overturned because it violates the First Amendment, an anti-abortion group said in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday.
The U.S. District Court should either permanently or temporarily stop enforcement of the ban on broadcast ads so that the Ohio Right to Life Society can fully participate in this fall's election, the group said in the lawsuit against the Ohio Elections Commission and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.
"Ohio Right to Life is presently not permitted to advocate for an issue when voters are most engaged," said Mike Gonidakis, Ohio Right to Life's executive director. "Such a speech blackout period is entirely contrary to the First Amendment and harms grass-roots organizations of all ideologies."
The ban was included in a campaign finance bill passed by lawmakers in a special session in December 2004.
Ohio Right to Life pointed to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last June in a similar case.
(Refer to page 5 of today's Daily Chief-Union) |
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Ohio Lottery concerned about Gtech game
terminals
By M.R. KROPKO
Associated Press Writer
CLEVELAND (AP) — An Ohio Lottery committee that evaluated bid proposals for a contract to operate its games expressed concerns about its longtime vendor's new imaging technology for game terminals.
In bid documents released Tuesday, evaluators gave the game terminals of bid challenger Intralot a better evaluation than those of Gtech Corp., the Ohio Lottery's operator since 1985.
The bid report expressed concerns about reliability problems with Gtech's new Imagine terminals in Rhode Island, where Gtech is based.
That evaluation, along with a lower overall cost estimate from Intralot, were keys for a recommendation last week that Intralot win the new contract.
The state had no concerns over the terminals traditionally used by Gtech in Ohio, but with the new technology the company is working to establish for use.
(Refer to page 5 of today's Daily Chief-Union) |
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Juvenile detention population decreasing in state
COLUMBUS (AP) — While the state's adult prison population is rising to new heights, the juvenile detention population has been decreasing, especially among girls, because of local treatment and incarceration programs, the state's youth prisons chief says.
The average daily population in Department of Youth Services facilities declined from 2,177 in 2001 to 1,596 in April, according to department records. The girls' decline was more dramatic, going from 187 girls in 2001 to 72 as of April. The average stay in a DYS center is 11 months.
Over the same period, the adult prison population in Ohio has grown from 45,259 to 49,973, with an average stay of 2.2 years.
"It is a different dynamic than the adult side," department director Tom Stickrath said.
The reason for the decline is an increase in community-based services such as local detention centers, mental health facilities and family counseling centers that the state partially funds, and an overall drop in juvenile crime, Stickrath said.
"We are really targeting at-risk girls coming through the court system for intervention," he said.
(Refer to page 5 of today's Daily Chief-Union) |
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