Ohio News Briefs

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Ohio’s Kasich says neither Trump nor Clinton has his vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ohio Gov. John Kasich says he has no idea how he’ll vote come November because he doesn’t support Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. He also says he isn’t sure whether Trump can win Ohio if he remains so divisive.

Kasich, who lost the GOP primary to Trump and shunned the Republican National Convention, tells CNN’s “State of the Union” that four years of Hillary Clinton would mean “total gridlock.”

But Kasich says he can’t swing behind Trump either, and that any candidate who wants to win his support has to “operate in the light,” and not on the “dark side of the street.”

Ex-lawmaker: I’m endorsing Democratic Party, not individual

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A former Ohio state lawmaker and secretary of state candidate who campaigned for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primary says she’s endorsing the party’s platform and its people — because “it’s not about the individual.”

Nina Turner, a former state senator from Cleveland, has not found it in herself to endorse Hillary Clinton since Clinton locked up the party’s nomination.

Turner told The Columbus Dispatch there’s too much of a focus on individuals instead of on how to take America “to the next level.”

“I’m a lifelong Democrat and I take great pride in that,” Turner said. “But, really, it’s the values of the Democratic Party I’m fighting for, so I am a dedicated dissenter within the Democratic Party.”

Turner was asked to be Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein’s running mate, but declined.

One of Sanders’ most high-profile national surrogates, Turner said she put a “lot of sweat equity” into the Sanders campaign and into creating “the most progressive platform in recent history.”

The platform included a $15-an-hour minimum wage, voting-rights preservation and opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

She said the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia was about protest and promise — not unity.

Turner is co-chair of the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board, an initiative of Republican Gov. John Kasich.

She said she’s keeping her options open when it comes to running for statewide office or something else in 2018.

“People are tugging on me to do a whole lot of things…I’m not sure it will be secretary of state again,” she said.

No appeal for Ohio vet convicted in purple heart forgery

WARREN, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s highest court won’t hear the appeal of an Iraq War veteran convicted of changing discharge papers to get license plates intended for combat-wounded Purple Heart recipients.

The Warren Tribune Chronicle reports that the state Supreme Court’s ruling announced last week closes the case of 35-year-old Keith Chandler of Trumbull County.

Prosecutors say Chandler used an altered document to obtain Purple Heart plates in 2009 and 2011. They say he renewed or transferred plates in the following years.

His attorney says Chandler earned the Purple Heart as a lance corporal by being wounded in a rocket attack in Iraq in April 2003.

An appeals court affirmed Chandler’s conviction.

Chandler completed a 90-day jail sentence in May. He is currently serving 200 hours of community service to veteran organizations.

Cincinnati police shoot, kill robbery suspect on city square

CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati police shot and killed a robbery suspect on a downtown square early Sunday, in the department’s third fatal encounter with a suspect this year.

The man was shot on Government Square around 7:40 a.m., according to local media reports.

The suspect, who was not immediately identified, is reported to have held a knife to the throat of a security guard while robbing a grocery store on Vine Street earlier in the morning. Police tracked him to bus stops on East Fifth Street, where they say he pulled a knife on officers before he was shot.

The square was blocked and bus routes were temporarily detoured.

WLWT-TV reported citizens gathered to question police about what happened, one repeatedly saying, “Enough is enough.”

The officer who shot the man will be placed on leave during an internal investigation, as is department protocol.

Daniel Hills, local president of the Fraternal Order of Police, told the station, “It’s very, very traumatic for our officers. No policeman came on this job wanting to be involved in something like this.”

Witnesses said the man was possibly homeless and appeared to be intoxicated.

Last 3 accused Ohio gang members reject pleas, head to trial

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The final three defendants accused of crimes committed as members of a violent central Ohio gang have rejected plea deals and will go to trial.

The decision means the defendants gave up negotiated sentences of between 30 and 35 years for the possibility of life in prison if convicted.

The members of the Short North Posse turned down federal prosecutors’ offer during a hearing in federal court Thursday in Columbus.

Instead, DeShawn Smith, Lance Reynolds and Johnathan Holt will go on trial Sept. 26. The Columbus Dispatch reports attorneys for the three declined to comment after the hearing.

The three faced racketeering charges related to slayings in 2008 and 2010.

Youngstown schools CEO works weeks without paycheck

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) — The chief executive officer of Youngstown City Schools has worked for nearly six weeks without receiving a paycheck.

Krish Mohip tells The Vindicator in Youngstown that he hasn’t given the district some documentation it needs to release money for his salary, which is provided by the state.

The district opted not to pay him directly.

Mohip was appointed under a hotly-contested takeover law crafted privately by a group of business, community and education leaders. It was then rushed through both state legislative chambers last year.

He says he’s focused on getting school started and fixing issues with transportation and special education outlined this summer by state reviewers.

The Chicago native said he planned to gather missing paperwork over the weekend.

His starting salary under a 3-year contract is $160,000.

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