Police ignore calls to end deadly pursuit
Radio calls during a police chase that ended in two fleeing suspects killed in a barrage of gunfire, show some officers were told to call off the pursuit.

The audio released last night include two calls for officers to terminate the pursuit, followed by a voice saying the suspects had fired on a patrol car and might be reloading.

The Thursday night chase of Timothy Russell and his passenger Malissa Williams began when an officer heard a gunshot near police headquarters in downtown Cleveland.

Officers say the driver rammed a patrol car and nearly hit an officer and force was necessary.  Family members say firing that many shots was unjustified.

No weapon or shell casings were found in the vehicle.  Forensic tests for gun powder residue on the suspects’ hands have not been released.

The Plain Dealer reports Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGrath does not believe a supervisor had called for the chase be terminated.

The Ohio attorney general's office and the Cuyahoga County sheriff's department are investigating the incident

Man shot in head walks into emergency room in East Liverpool
Police say a man who was shot in the head walked into an eastern Ohio hospital emergency room on his own.

29-year-old Douglas Austin of Columbus was coherent and able to communicate with doctors after walking into the East Liverpool City Hospital Monday morning.

Austin told officers the shooting was an accident and that he could not remember where it happened.

Kasich to unveil fate of Turnpike by year's end 
The fate of the Ohio Turnpike Commission is not clear, but Governor John Kasich told a group of builders yesterday that change is coming and they should not fear it.

The governor has floated proposals to lease the turnpike to a private company, moving it under control of the Ohio Department of Transportation, or issuing bonds for transportation projects.

The state is paying the consulting firm KPMG $3.4 million dollars to study the impact of leasing the turnpike and other options.

The Columbus Dispatch reports Kasich is expected to announce his plan in the next two weeks, with the legislature considering it next year.

LeBron James surprised to be named SI Sportsman of the Year
LeBron James says he was surprised to learn he has been named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year.

James says “the roof caved in,” after his decision to leave Cleveland two years ago, but he’s pleased that he’s been “able to patch that roof up” with sports media and fans.

Sports Illustrated says there “has been some sort of closure — maybe not entirely in Cleveland, but across the nation,”

The magazine says in addition to his basketball prowess, James was chosen because of his charitable work with Akron schoolchildren.