Statewide News

Governor Kasich has signed into law a bill to prohibit abortion coverage by health plans operating in the new insurance exchanges that were laid out in the federal health care overhaul.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio has claimed the measure is unconstitutional and has said it would fight it in court.

The ACLU of Ohio says the ban on abortion coverage violates a voter-backed state constitutional amendment that says no law or rule should prohibit the purchase or sale of health care or insurance. 

Ohio Gov. John Kasich says he wants to hear from local communities on handling economic challenges in the
wake of voters' rejection of a law that would have placed new limits on public employee unions.

Kasich on Monday said in a review of his first year in office that communities can't tax their way to prosperity, but that the people have spoken on curbing collective bargaining rights. The law was rejected 62 percent to 38 percent.

He said one of the lesson learned from the referendum is that officials need to build a case for making change.

Ohio's unemployment rate has dropped by a half a percentage point, to 8.5 percent in November from an even 9 percent in October.

The state's Department of Job and Family Services says 30,000 fewer people were unemployed in Ohio last month. The number of jobless workers has gone down by 69,000 in the past 12 months.

Ohio payrolls outside of farms grew by 6,000 in November, led by hiring in services. Manufacturing jobs increased, but those gains were offset by losses in construction.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio says Tuesday’s announcement of a 5-month moratorium on closing postal facilities gives Congress more time to enact reform legislation. Brown told reporters during a conference call, he’s supporting the Postal Service Protection Act to help the USPS return to fiscal solvency. He says it would fix a pension system that currently costs the Postal Service $5 billion a year:

Ohio's first casino opening early next year is buying an upscale hotel to expand its footprint in downtown Cleveland.

Rock Ohio Caesars says it will exercise an option to buy the four-star Ritz-Carlton hotel for $36.5 million. The casino operator also has purchased an attached five-story office tower recently sold in a mortgage default auction for $3.5 million.

The hotel and office tower are adjacent to the Horseshoe Casino Cleveland that will open in March. The casino operator says it will use the bank office tower - vacant since 2008 - for administrative offices.