Associated Press

The Ohio Department of Health says methadone is responsible for one of every 10 accidental drug overdose deaths in the state. The department says a contributing factor is a dramatic increase in the amount of methadone prescribed since the late 1990s. Retail methadone sales increased more than 800 percent from 2000 through 2010 as the use of methadone to treat chronic pain increased. 155 methadone overdose deaths were reported in 2010, the most recent year of available data.

Licking County Sheriff's deputies have identified the child killed in a head-on collision Monday. Deputies say 8-year-old Addison Craft was killed and his 6-year-old sister Keydence Harstine is hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. Deputies say 20-year-old driver Andrew Gayheart lost control on Route 13 South, crossed the center line and struck a northbound Licking County Transit van.  

The director of Ohio State University's Sea Grant program predicts this year's toxic blue-green algae bloom in Lake Erie's Western Basin will be much smaller than last year. A team of researchers collaborated on a seasonal algae prediction, saying this year will be mild compared with worsening blooms over the past few years. The team says there's been less rain than usual, reducing the phosphorus from raw sewage and farm fertilizer runoff that feeds algae growth. The algae produce bacteria that can kill animals and sicken humans.

Ohio officials say only two of the 18 indicted suspects remain at large in a telemarketing scam that allegedly stole millions from people in 41 states over the past five years. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's office said Monday that two more members of the ring, including its alleged leader, have been arrested in the past two days - one in Florida and one in Ohio. DeWine says the suspects targeted land owners and led them to believe their property was worth more than it really was.

The state is making dozens of drop-off boxes available to Ohio counties for the collection of prescription drugs in an anti-drug abuse effort. The pilot program announced today makes 75 boxes available to two dozen southern Ohio counties where the state's prescription painkiller epidemic has hit the hardest. 

Gasoline costs Ohioans an extra quarter per gallon compared with a week ago.

A stifling heat wave has sapped attendance totals at the annual Dayton Air Show in southwest Ohio. General manager Brenda Kerfoot says attendance fell 38 percent to about 47,000 people in the preliminary estimates.

The Columbus Blue Jackets say they have signed left winger Nick Foligno to a three year, 9.5 million dollar contract. 

State prisons director Gary Mohr has added three members to the Ohio parole board after removing two others with little explanation. 

An official with President Obama's Ohio campaign has resigned as chair of the Franklin County Democratic Party. Greg Schultz says he's stepping down to focus full-time on being the campaign's state director. 

A group formed by GOP strategist Karl Rove is spending 25-million dollars on new TV ads blaming President Obama for the sluggish economy. The ads by Crossroads GPS also call for lower taxes and less regulation. The ads are funded by wealthy individuals and corporate interests. They will air in Ohio and eight other presidential battleground states from July 10th through early August. 

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has filed a lawsuit against a closed bridal business in Columbus that he says violated consumer protection laws by leaving orders unfilled. Alan Ray Bridal and its owner, Alan Ray Church, allegedly failed to notify customers of the closure in April. DeWine says his
office received multiple complaints from Customers who paid between 150 and 3-thousand dollars for dresses they never received. The lawsuit seeks restitution and civil penalties. Church has yet to comment. 

Columbus Police say two people were shot and wouned last night at a gas station in North Linden. 23-year-old Anthony Collins and an unnamed 17-year-old girl are hospitalized in critical condition after being shot at the station at Cleveland Avenue and Weber Road. Police say the two had been arguing with a man whose bicycle was struck by the car the girl was driving. Witnesses tell police the bicyclist pulled out a gun and began firing into the car before fleeing. Police are searching for the suspect. 

Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson isn't saying much about his quest to trade team captain Rick Nash. Reached Thursday, Howson said only, "We are working very hard" and added that he is not facing a deadline to make a deal. Nash, the franchise leader in most offensive categories, revealed midway through last season that he had asked to be traded. He has a no-trade clause in his contract, and has given the club a list of possible destinations. It was thought that once top free agents Zach Parise and Ryan Suter signed (both with Minnesota), interest in Nash would climb.

Dayton Power and Light says dead and dying ash trees destroyed by the Emerald Ash Borer beetle were a major factor in the number of summer storm power outages. The utility says ash trees can fall on power lines even if they stand the required 10 feet away from the lines. The utility blames diseased, dying and dead trees for a significant amount of the power disruptions, with the primary danger posed by ash trees. 175-thousand DP&L customers were without power at the height of last week's storm.

President Obama tells Cincinnati radio station WLWT Republican rival Mitt Romney caved under pressure from talk show host Rush Limbaugh in saying the federal health insurance mandate amounts to a tax. The President notes Romney supported the mandate as Massachusetts governor but "has suddenly reversed himself." The President says it raises questions over whether Romney is abandoning a principal after "getting pressure for two days from Rush Limbaugh" or other critics. Romney said Wednesday the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the mandate is a tax.

Columbus-based American Electric Power says 143-thousand people, mostly in Central and Southeastern Ohio, remain without electricity today. Many have been without power since Friday, when thunderstorms and high winds knocked out service for roughly one million Ohio homes and businesses. That left many without air conditioning during some of the hottest days of the year. Meteorologist Rob Carolan says Columbus is one of several cities that will see temperatures near triple-digits today.

Lake County health officials have posted warnings on Lake Erie beaches after a toxic blue-green algae bloom was found in Fairport Harbor. The substance could make people and pets sick, causing skin rashes, diarrhea and other health problems. Algae feeds on the phosphorous from raw sewage.

The Ohio Emergency Management Agency says more than 200-thousand people are without power this morning following last weekend's thunderstorms. The bulk of the outages still belong to customers of American Electric Power. The company says service may not be restored until the end of the week. Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives have 20-thousand customers without service. FirstEnergy has 750 customers without power, and Dayton Power & Light is restoring power for 500 customers.

Two once-common species of freshwater mussel now found in a handful of U.S. rivers are going on the Endangered Species List. The sheepnose and spectaclecase mussels will be protected under an agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Center for Biological Diversity. The spectaclecase has been eliminated from 20 of the 44 streams where it historically lived.