Pocket of Ohio Republicans voted Democratic in presidential primary By STEPHEN MAJORS Associated Press Writer COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The number of Republicans who switched sides to vote for Democrats in Ohio's March 4 presidential primary easily eclipsed President Bush's 120,000-vote margin of victory in the state that decided the presidency four years ago, documents released Monday show. Although a small portion of total voters, the 173,000 people who previously voted Republican but voted Democratic in the primary could be an important group in the November election, when Ohio is again expected to be crucial. The party-switching in 85 of Ohio's 88 counties with data available could be a sign of excitement about Democratic candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. But not all of these voters can be counted on to again vote Democratic against presumptive Republican nominee U.S. Sen. John McCain. (Refer to page 2 of the Kenton Times)

In Cleveland, mob fatally beats a man CLEVELAND (AP) - Even by tough, urban crime standards it was a grisly attack: Up to 15 people chased a man, then kicked and beat him to death on the street. Before police arrived, one attacker urinated on the victim's head. By the time Charles Gooden Jr., 41, took his final steps, the crime-hardened neighborhood had awakened and two people, talking in matter-of-fact tones, reported a man down, his clothes being dragged off. "You got a male being assaulted by 15 other guys. He's laying on the street," one 911 caller said. It happened before dawn on April 27 on a street within a 10-minute drive of the city's skyscrapers, sports venues and tourist attractions, but across a chasm of poverty and crime in the most murder-ridden neighborhood in one of America's poorest cities. Latangia Anderson, 23, Johnny Brown, 20, and Paris Moore, 19, all of Cleveland, have been charged with aggravated murder and each pleaded not guilty Monday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. Bond was set at $1 million for each. (Refer to page 2 of the Kenton Times)

MONDAY MAY 12, 2008

Like presidential race, Ohio attorney general scandal divides Democrats By JULIE CARR SMYTH AP Statehouse Correspondent COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The Ohio standoff between Gov. Ted Strickland and company against Attorney General Marc Dann ought to appear to followers of this year's contentious Democratic presidential primary as just more of the same. It's Democrats vs. Democrats, as is the to-the-bitter-end contest between presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. It features one underdog who refuses to budge. And it looks like it's going to last awhile. "There is a similarity in that a prominent Democratic politician refuses to bow to the inevitable as seen by other Democrats," said John Green, director of the University of Akron's Bliss Institute for Applied Politics. At the national level, Clinton continues to fight back suggestions that her defeat for the Democratic nomination is assured and she needs to bow out gracefully. (Refer to page 2 of the Kenton Times)

Mold costs builder $3 million REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio (AP) - A moldy house has been a headache for a central Ohio family and a $3 million liability for the homebuilder. A Franklin County judge has awarded Roman and Jennifer Costner $3 million for their three-year-saga. Last week, another judge says construction firm Maronda Homes has to pay the family's almost $700,000 legal bill. Maronda Homes says the ruling is completely unfair and says the homeowners stopped them from fixing the house. The builder says they will consider an appeal. The Costners say they bought their Reynoldsburg subdivision's house for $219,000 but were forced out after toxic mold took over. Court documents show the south side of the house wasn't attached to the foundation, the wrong windows led to leaks and waterproofing wasn't done properly.