By Jim Siegel of the Columbus Dispatch

Gun supporters and law-enforcement representatives clashed yesterday over proposed changes to relax Ohio gun laws, while the House committee chairman wondered why the State Highway Patrol was sitting silently in the back of the room. Full Article.

By Jim Siegel of the Columbus Dispatch

One day after the Ohio Senate approved a bill that puts an end to payday loans as they currently exist, Cash America International announced it anticipates closing up to 139 stores in the state. Full Article.

From the Associated Press
A coalition that wants to require most Ohio businesses to give their employees paid sick days says it wants to put the issue on the November ballot. Full Article.

By James Nash from the Columbus Dispatch

Backers of a proposed $600 million casino resort in southwestern Ohio announced yesterday that they are getting money from a Minnesota company founded by a man who has won $1.5 million in poker tournaments since the early 1990s. Ful Article.

By Stephen Majors of the Associated Press

One of the nation's strictest proposed crackdowns on payday lending cleared the Ohio House on Wednesday, backed by Republicans and Democrats who believed the protection of consumers would far outweigh job losses should the industry shut down. Full Article.

By Jim Siegel from the Columbus Dispatch

Calling the dreaded 391 percent payday loan interest rate a "fictitious number," Rep. Christopher Widener said he is pursing a compromise bill that would boost industry regulations without cutting the rate charged to customers. Full Article.

By James Nash from the Columbus Dispatch

Ohioans may be able to carry hidden firearms legally in a variety of public settings, but that right doesn't extend to city parks, an attorney for a small northern Ohio town told the state Supreme Court yesterday in a key test case of the state's 4-year-old concealed-carry law. Full Article.

From the Associated Press

An anesthesiologist testified yesterday that Ohio's lethal-injection procedure isn't appropriate for dogs or cats, let alone humans. Full Article.

By Jim Provance from the Toledo Blade

The Ohio Supreme Court will wade into a thorny issue that has the NRA, Attorney General Marc Dann, and Ohioans for Concealed Carry aligned against cities. The court must decide whether the state can tell local governments whether they can regulate guns on their own property. Full Article.

By Encarnacion Pyle of the Columbus Dispatch

Too many Ohioans do not go to college. Of those who do, more than a third take remedial math or English because they aren't prepared. And tuition and fees at Ohio's public universities rank among the 10 highest in the country, despite a two-year freeze that continues through the next school year. Full Article.