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Sen. McCain to host possible veeps at Arizona home
CLEVELAND (AP) - The Memorial Day weekend guest list at Sen. John McCain's Arizona retreat runs to at least three Republicans mentioned as potential vice presidential running mates, but a top aide said Wednesday that vetting possible veeps is not on the agenda.
"It's purely social," said Mark Salter, a senior adviser to McCain.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a McCain rival in the primary, were invited to a weekend gathering at the senator's place in Sedona.
They were among the estimated two dozen people - including some 10 couples - invited. McCain often hosts friends and political acquaintances at his compound.
The Republican nominee-in-waiting said more than a month ago that he was in the "embryonic stages" of selecting a running mate for the fall campaign, but neither he nor aides have disclosed additional information in the weeks since.
It will be the first visit to Sedona, Ariz., for all three.
Romney dropped out of the race in February after it became apparent it would be near impossible to topple McCain in the convention delegate race. He endorsed McCain a week later and pledged to help him win the nomination.
(Refer to page 7 of today's Daily Chief-Union) |
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Cleveland firefighter apologizes before jury weighing fate
CLEVELAND (AP) - A city firefighter apologized Wednesday for killing three people over Fourth of July fireworks and told jurors considering his sentence that some might think only his execution would be a sufficient apology.
"Regardless of what happens, I will have to answer to the highest court of all. That apology may be my very soul," Terrance Hough Jr., 36, of Cleveland, said in a prepared, unsworn statement that exempted him from cross-examination by prosecutors.
Hough, dressed in a dark jacket and striped tie and swallowing hard to maintain his strong voice, apologized to his family, the community, the fire department and victims and their families.
"What can I possibly say to help ease the pain? I can only try," Hough said in the statement read in front of the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court jury that convicted him and also must decide whether to recommend the death sentence.
The final sentence will be up to Judge Shirley Strickland Saffold.
Hough was convicted of three counts of aggravated murder for the shooting deaths of next-door neighbor Jacob Feichtner and two of Feichtner's friends just after midnight last July 5.
(Refer to page 5 of today's Daily Chief-Union) |
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| WEDNESDAY MAY 21, 2008 |
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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