dispatch.com: Local News RSS
The latest headlines from dispatch.com

• The Hot Issue: Are you holding out for better deals before making Christmas purchases?
  
• Ohio GOP congresswoman to face 2nd primary challenger
  A state lawmaker known for his anti-abortion views and opposition to gay marriage filed paperwork to run against U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt in the 2008 Republican primary.
• Suspect in fatal drive-by arrested after four months on lam
  Columbus police arrested a suspect overnight in a fatal drive-by shooting that took place in the middle of a summer day.
• Senators urge drug access
  

  The Strickland administration's plan to require pre-approval of mental-health drugs covered by Medicaid could save money now but cost more in the long run because of increased hospitalization and emergency-room expenses, an Ohio Senate panel was told yesterday.

• Groups buy land to guard Darbys
  

  In a race against development, the Nature Conservancy, Columbus Metro Parks and the state are buying up land to protect the Big Darby and Little Darby creeks.

• Zanesville cop jailed in drug case
  

  FBI agents and local authorities arrested a Zanesville police officer, his wife and three others in Muskingum County yesterday on federal drug-dealing charges.

• Police shoot, kill man after he pulls gun
  

  A man fatally shot by Columbus police after he pulled a gun on them early yesterday was a suspect in three North Linden rapes, including an attack on a 16-year-old girl, police say.

• Wish lists can come true
  

  Big Lots District Manager Larry Lawhon has seen it before: When folks from Firefighters 4 Kids arrive, they won't be satisfied until they've nearly emptied the toy department.

• Dublin expanding high-school options
  

  High-school students in Dublin will have a better chance of getting an A, being a valedictorian or scheduling that elusive elective class starting next year.

• Prosecutor, village split seized cash
  

  ATHENS, Ohio -- The Athens County prosecutor and the village of Chauncey have resolved a legal dispute over cash seized from a drug suspect in mayor's court.

• Candidate asks party to withhold endorsement
  

  Cindy Lazarus is asking the Democratic Party not to take sides in the race for Franklin County commissioner.

• Sherwin-Williams fined in waste case
  

  The Sherwin-Williams Co. will pay a $50,000 fine to settle hazardous-waste violations at seven Ohio facilities, including a Columbus plant.

• GOP's House win caught up in spin
  

  WASHINGTON -- It seemed like a big win, but the spin game continued even after Republican Bob Latta got 57 percent of the vote Tuesday night versus Democrat Robin Weirauch's 43 percent in Ohio's 5th Congressional District special election.

• Candidates scour Iowa for an edge
  

  DES MOINES, Iowa -- For every one of the 88,500 Republicans and 155,000 Democrats who James M. McCormick projects will caucus Jan. 3, there are 68 hogs in this state.

• Border Patrol heads north in search of 6,000 agents
  

  The U.S. Border Patrol is looking for you -- to work for them.

• Retailers get creative amid shopping lull
  

  CINCINNATI -- Retailers trying to brighten up what looks like a drab period for shopping are rolling out eye-catching packaging, celebrity tie-ins and contests for everything from Hannah Montana tickets to an African safari.

• Community roundup
  

  Highlights from ThisWeek Community Newspapers' 22 editions

• High court gets assessment case
  

  When Robert R. Cummins Jr. bought a former bank building as an office for his wife's medical practice, it came with a string attached: an assessment that valued it at $150,000 more than what Cummins paid for it.

• Grandview seeks ideas for former Big Bear land
  

  Grandview Heights is inviting residents to a meeting tonight to talk about plans for the former Big Bear property.

• Suspect captured in Eastland Mall shooting
  The suspect in a shooting at Eastland Mall was in jail tonight after police captured him in an apartment a few blocks from the shopping center.
• Petition filed in effort to mandate sick days
  Backers of a proposed mandatory sick-days policy could find out by Christmas whether they gathered enough signatures to send the issue to the General Assembly.
• Rape suspect shot to death by police
  
• Trooper pleads guilty to disorderly conduct
  
• Bush praises GOP wins in Ohio, Virginia
  WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush took heart Wednesday in Republican wins for House seats in Ohio and Virginia.
• Zanesville police officer arrested on drug charges
  Federal agents arrested a Zanesville police officer and four others on narcotics charges.
• Toledo mayor can bring dog to work
  
• Girlfriend watches from SUV as man shot to death in robbery attempt
  A man who was shot to death on the North Side early this morning was found in a sport-utility vehicle with a toddler and a woman.
• Millersport school locked down briefly this morning after a mercury spill
  MILLERSPORT, Ohio -- Officials locked down the Millersport Junior-Senior High School this morning after a mercury spill, which appears to be the result of a broken thermometer.
• Republi