Statewide News

The wording of a fall ballot issue revamping the way Ohio draws legislative and congressional districts is nearing final approval by a state panel.

The Ohio Ballot Board scheduled a Wednesday meeting to certify language for the proposed constitutional amendment.  It would strip elected officials of map-drawing powers and give them to a 12-person citizen commission.

A coalition of voter advocacy groups called Voters First is spearheading the effort.  Backers say the current setup lets the ruling party draw district lines to its favor.

The Ohio Democratic Party has sued Governor John Kasich for what Democrats call his refusal to release his public schedules.

Ohio Democratic Party spokesman Jared Kertz says the suit filed in Franklin County Court is part of an effort to see if Governor Kasich has used taxpayer money to campaign for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Today we're traveling along Rt 33 and our first stop is in the town of Logan. Logan has a long produced clay products. There were once a number of clay companies here. Those clay products - and others that were locally produced, once left town one way, by the Hocking Valley canal. Built in the 1830s the canal ran from Athens to Carroll. Dr David Mould of Ohio University has studied transportation routes in the Hocking River Valley.

"The canals had been the first major public works project for the state of Ohio, a massive investment to open up the state to commerce," says Mould.