Unemployment goes up in Ohio
Ohio's monthly unemployment rate for July ticked up slightly after leveling off in May and June at the lowest level since before the Great Recession.

The rate released this morning is 5.7 percent, up from 5.5.  Nationally, the July rate was a full half-a-percentage point higher.  The state numbers released today also say nonfarm jobs dropped by 12,400 in Ohio, and that people looking for work who couldn’t find it increased by about 7,000.

Push to include manure in farm runoff regs
A Democratic state senator wants Ohio law to include manure in the list of fertilizers for which farmers need to get special training to apply to their fields.

The bill was introduced by Edna Brown, who represents Toledo. Two weeks ago, that city issued a nearly 72-hour water ban because tests shows elevated levels of a liver toxin spawned by algae blooms in Lake Erie.

Farm field run off is a major contributor to the blooms. And while the state has implemented the training requirements for chemical fertilizers, manure is largely exempt.

A bipartisan panel of state lawmakers is meeting near Toledo today to get public input on what should be done about the blooms. The state announced yesterday it is putting $150 million toward no-interest loans for local water-plant upgrades and $1.25 million to help with farmers’ best practices.

Ohio's texting while driving law is likely have limited success
A new study in the American Journal of Public Health says Ohio’s ban on texting while driving could be more effective.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, the Ohio Highway Patrol has issued 440 tickets since March of 2013. The law requires officers to spot some other offense before they can cite adult drivers for texting, and the Alabama research says such “secondary bans” for things like seat belt laws do little to cut traffic deaths.

Wal-Mart shooting protested
More than 100 people gathered in a Dayton-area Wal-Mart parking lot in a vigil last night for a man fatally shot by police this month and a woman who died of a medical issue as the store was evacuated. Police say John Crawford III was shot when he refused to drop an air rifle. Organizers tell WDTN-TV the gathering was about healing and moving forward.

No more OSU marching band nicknames
Student leaders say Ohio State's marching band won't give out nicknames this year. They tell the Columbus Dispatch the move comes after the sometimes-lewd names played a role in the firing of popular band director Jonathan Waters. Band members are also getting training on student conduct and sexual harassment.