Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The board tasked with redrawing Ohio's legislative lines kicks off a week of public hearings Monday with trips to Lima and Toledo.

The Ohio Apportionment Board redraws the state's legislative districts every 10 years to reflect changes in population after each decennial census. A spokesman for the House speaker says the board wants to hear from the public about what works and what doesn't with the current districts.

CANTON, Ohio (AP) - An energy company tapping a major natural gas deposit in eastern Ohio has opened an office in Canton and expects to create more than 70 jobs.

The (Canton) Repository reports today *Friday* that Chesapeake Energy will use the office as an interim operations base until it finds a permanent field office for drilling in the Utica shale formation. Last month Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy said it believes the 1.25 million acres it has leased above the Utica Shale formation in eastern Ohio is worth 15 to 20 billion dollars.  

The state says Ohio's unemployment rate rose in July, the second straight monthly increase following a two-year decline.  The Department of Job and Family Services says Ohio's jobless rate increased to 9.0 percent last month, from 8.8 percent in June.

The state says the number of workers unemployed in Ohio in July was 529,000, up from 517,000 in June.  The U.S. unemployment rate for July was 9.1 percent, down slightly from 9.2 percent in June.

A group of Ohio college students from Somalia has raised more than $17,000 from door-to-door donations to help Somali victims of the East African famine. 

The students planned to present $17,460 to three charity groups Thursday night after breaking the Ramadan fast in Columbus.

Ohio State student Rowda Olad says students felt they had to do something as they saw how many children are dying.  Olad says the students, from Ohio State and Columbus State Community College, plan to continue fundraising.

Opponents of Ohio's elections overhaul have been cleared to move forward with their effort to ask voters to repeal the law.

Among other changes, the law shortens the state's early voting period and bans in-person early voting on Sundays.

The state's top elections official said Thursday that the Fair Elections Ohio group has the 1,000 valid signatures needed to continue with its effort. Attorney General Mike DeWine has also approved the group's summary language of the legislation, which will be used on future petitions.