Columbus news

• Brian Golsby requests change of venue in Reagan Tokes murder trial

  09-08-2017 23:59
  The man accused of kidnapping, raping and killing an Ohio State University student earlier this year has requested his trial be moved out of Franklin County.According to court documents, Brian Golbsy is requesting the venue change to ensure he receives a 'fair trial before a jury untainted by pre-trial publicity.'Investigators say on February 8, Golsby kidnapped Reagan Tokes as she left work at Bodega in the Short North.They say he forced her into a car, made her withdraw cash from an ATM, then
  
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• Victim gets justice 21 years after attack by serial rapist

  09-08-2017 23:33
  More than two decades after she was raped in her Near East Side apartment, a woman took the witness stand this week and recalled what her attacker said when she asked him not to kill her. On Wednesday, the jurors convicted Anthony Smith, 55, of rape, kidnapping and aggravated burglary.
  
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• Text to Win Tickets to See Bruno Mars

  09-08-2017 23:33
  NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Open to legal U.S. residents of the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area, 18 years or older.
  
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• Authorities ID woman shot at by Delaware County deputy

  09-08-2017 23:33
  A woman caught shoplifting at the Tanger Columbus Outlet Mall Tuesday night had a felony warrant for drug possession. Delaware County Sheriff's Office deputies have charged Alana Marie Hissong, 28, of Blacklick, with felony counts of robbery and failure to comply with officials.
  
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• Proposal Calls for Apartments, Condos, Hotels and More on Vacant Land Next to Arena District

  09-08-2017 23:14
  An ambitious proposal from Schottenstein Real Estate Group calls for transforming over 20 acres of vacant land next to the Arena District into a mixed use development featuring apartments, condominiums, retail and multiple hotels. “We’ve been working on assembling the parcels for a long time,” said Managing Partner Corey Schottenstein. “Now that we have both […]
  
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• Impaired driving suspected in wrong-way crash that killed grandmother, injured children

  09-08-2017 23:11
  A Columbus woman and her two young daughters are in critical condition, and another woman is dead, after a wrong-way crash.Investigators believe the driver responsible may have been under the influence.Sixty-three-year-old Betty Griggs of Perry County died in the crash Tuesday. Her daughter-in-law, Amanda Griggs of Columbus, is in critical condition.So are Amanda's daughters, 8-year-old Drea Griggs, and 2-year-old Nola Cotton.Relatives say the family was on its way to Chuck E. Cheese when an SUV
  
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• Nissan recalls thousands of trucks

  09-08-2017 23:07
  
  Nissan Motor Co. is recalling 52,016 Titan pickup trucks because their rear seat belts might not adequately protect passengers.The recall affects the 2016-2016 Nissan Titan Crew Cab and Titan XD Crew Cab pickups. Most of the vehicles are in the U.S., but Nissan said 7,752 are in Canada.Nissan discovered through testing that a passenger's head could come into contact with part of the rear seat belt assembly in a crash.The company says it has no reports of injuries related to the defect.Nissan wil
  
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• 25 dogs, malnourished and covered in feces, rescued from Fairfield Co. home

  09-08-2017 22:31
  They are timid from the lack of socialization, malnourished because of lack of food and their coats are matted with feces.Twenty-five Shelties now occupy the Fairfield County Animal Shelter.According to a search warrant, they were taken from a home on Rauch Road in Carroll in Fairfield County on July 24. One investigator found dogs with open wounds."That's basically like you and I not using the restroom and just sitting in it for months at a time," Executive Director of the Fairfield Area Humane
  
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• Resort-style development planned for downtown Columbus

  09-08-2017 22:23
  A new residential and entertainment district is in the works for downtown Columbus, right in Huntington Park's back yard.Two towers will rise on the property, along with a grocery store a hotel and more.The project is called Grand Central.The project is planned in one of the last undeveloped spaces in the center of the Capital City, 23 acres just northwest of Huntington Park.Schottenstein Real Estate Group is planning what it calls a high end, resort style district, right next to the current are
  
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• Seeking Nonprofit Summer Fellowship Host Sites!

  09-08-2017 21:39
  The Summer Fellowship Program engages the next generation of young leaders in the sector through career-related work, placing eligible students with Franklin County nonprofit organizations for a 10-week period. Nonprofits benefit from the additional support students provide to a specific program or objective, while students receive valuable experience through their work. The Nonprofit Application Deadline for […]
  
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• Ohio lawyer accused of laundering $700,000 from mother's assets

  09-08-2017 21:18
  A disciplinary board is asking the Ohio Supreme Court to permanently disbar a Columbus lawyer for improperly using his client trust account to launder more than $700,000 withdrawn from the assets of his elderly mother in the years before her death. The Ohio Board of Professional Conduct also found that Kinsley Nyce concocted "a complete sham" to explain some of the transactions and dishonestly tried to conceal his conduct while displaying contempt for the disciplinary process and showing no remo
  
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• Columbus-based Wendy's franchisee Cedar Enterprises sells all 220 restaurants

  09-08-2017 21:18
  Dublin-based Cedar first bought Wendy's franchises in 1976 and grew to become the third-largest franchisee in recent years with stores spanning the U.S., from Seattle to New England. The sale of Cedar's stores occurred sometime in the second quarter, which ended July 2, and was brokered by Wendy's.
  
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• Police: Columbus seeing increase in murders, victims being younger

  09-08-2017 20:44
  The city of Columbus is facing a significant spike in homicides so far this year.CrimeTracker 10 examined the city's murder rates from January through July and found from 2013 to 2016, the number of homicides during that time frame averaged just above 50.In 2017, the number of murders increased to 75. It's about a 50 percent increase.That trend continued when CrimeTracker 10 examined the murder rate for victims between the ages of 18-and-21 years old.In 2013, 13 people in that age group became v
  
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• Restaurant Review: Blaze Pizza

  09-08-2017 19:55
  With the addition of a newish Worthington location, Columbus is now home to two Blaze Pizza establishments. It’s a fast casual chain where guests move down the order line, picking pizza toppings as a staffer builds their pies. Lebron James is one of the investors in Blaze, so if you’re going to visit Lebron’s pizza […]
  
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• Newest Gateway Tenant Leo’s on the Alley Opening Soon

  09-08-2017 19:42
  Oldfield’s North Fourth Tavern owner Dan Starek will bring an old school dive bar to what used to be Eddie George’s event space. Rounding out the lineup of tenants filling up the Gateway, Leo’s on the Alley aims for that Cheers vibe, offering a place for regulars to come every day of the week. Starek […]
  
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• GOP senator suggests brain tumor affected McCain vote

  09-08-2017 19:40
  
  Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson has suggested fellow Republican Sen. John McCain's brain tumor and the after-midnight timing of the vote were factors in McCain's decisive vote against the GOP health care bill.Johnson's comments in a radio interview Tuesday with AM560 "Chicago's Morning Answer" drew a response from McCain spokeswoman Julie Tarallo. She said, "it is bizarre and deeply unfortunate that Senator Johnson would question the judgment of a colleague and friend."McCain said he voted against th
  
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• Bad Taste as Tonic in Red Herring’s Mr. Marmalade

  09-08-2017 19:30
  Sometimes bad taste is a vital corrective to sensibilities gone stale. Red Herring’s new production of Noah Haidle’s comedy Mr. Marmalade, directed by Michael Garrett Herring brings a carnival of that refreshing tastelessness. Mr. Marmalade looks at life through the eyes of four-year-old Lucy (Katie Tolerton). Lucy passes back and forth under the less-than-watchful eyes of a […]
  
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• Delivery-Only Restaurant ClusterTruck Opens Downtown This Month

  09-08-2017 18:44
  Everyone is familiar with third-party food delivery. The concept is simple: a hungry person uses their phone to order from a multitude of restaurants through a food delivery service, like DoorDash, GrubHub, or UberEats. A driver from the service stops at the restaurant of choice, snags the food, and brings it to the customer. New-to-Columbus […]
  
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• Postal Service may get more freedom to raise stamp prices

  09-08-2017 18:19
  
  WASHINGTON — It may be time to stock up on Forever stamps.Regulators appear likely to accept the financially beleaguered Postal Service's request for more freedom to raise the price of mailing letters. It would be the biggest change in the Postal Service's pricing system in nearly a half-century, allowing stamp prices to rise beyond the rate of inflation.After a 10-year review, the Postal Regulatory Commission could make its decision next month. It might limit how high prices could go, but
  
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• Indians' Brantley on disabled list with right ankle injury

  09-08-2017 17:39
  
  CLEVELAND — Indians All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley is on the disabled list after injuring his right ankle again.Brantley, who was sidelined earlier this season with an injury to the same ankle, initially feared he tore his Achilles after taking a few steps toward a fly ball in the fifth inning Tuesday night against Colorado. He immediately sat in the outfield grass. His expression indicated he thought the injury was serious.However, an MRI revealed only a minor injury, and manager Te
  
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• Ohio woman posts Snapchat video of herself being raped

  09-08-2017 17:26
  
  Authorities in Ohio say a woman posted Snapchat video of herself being raped, and a friend who saw it alerted police.Ottawa County Prosecutor James VanEerten says he believes the video clearly shows a sexual assault taking place.He says it's unclear whether the young woman live-streamed the attack or posted the video shortly afterward.Police in Danbury Township near Marblehead say they arrested 77-year-old James Allen on a rape charge Tuesday, the day the video was posted. Allen James
  Allen is b
  
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• Oprah-branded mashed potatoes, soups to hit supermarkets

  09-08-2017 16:54
  
  Oprah Winfrey is headed to the supermarket aisle with her own line of refrigerated soups and side dishes.The media mogul teamed up with food giant Kraft Heinz to launch the line, after creating a joint venture earlier this year.The new brand, called O, That's Good!, will offer comfort foods with added vegetables, such as mashed potatoes with cauliflower mixed in.
  Kraft Heinz Co. said Wednesday the new brand has no connection to Winfrey's deal with Weight Watchers and won't mention the weight los
  
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• Moonshiners used Facebook to sell the stuff, sheriff says

  09-08-2017 16:45
  
  BLADEN COUNTY, N.C. -- Bladen County sheriff's deputies say a South Carolina man and woman after facing multiple charges after being caught selling moonshine across state lines, reports CBS Wilmington, N.C. affiliate WWAY-TV.Sheriff James McVicker said Dillen Wright, 20 and Kaytee Nielsen, 26, were arrested following a joint undercover operation involving the Sheriff's Office, North Carolina Alcohol Enforcement Agents (NCALE), and agents with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).Mc
  
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• FBI agents searched former Trump campaign chair's home

  09-08-2017 16:43
  
  WASHINGTON — A spokesman for President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, says that FBI agents served a search warrant at one of his homes.Spokesman Jason Maloni says that Manafort cooperated with the agents as he has "consistently" done.Manafort has been a subject of a longstanding FBI investigation into his dealings in Ukraine and work for the country's former president, Viktor Yanukovych. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is also investigating Manafort as part of his p
  
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• Amid EpiPen price woes, alternatives emerge -- but at a questionable cost

  09-08-2017 16:42
  
  More choices are available for millions of people who rely on the EpiPen for life-threatening allergies, but there's still confusion over the cost of the treatments.We reported last August how the EpiPen's price soared more than 480 percent over seven years to more than $600. It had a virtual monopoly and accounted for 94 percent of epinephrine auto-injectors. Just 26 percent of prescriptions filled today are for the brand name EpiPen, and 48 percent are for Mylan's authorized generic version. O
  
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• Mom accused of abandoning special-needs son, 10, in woods

  09-08-2017 16:39
  
  SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- A New Jersey woman has been accused of abandoning her 10-year-old, special-needs son in the woods, CBS Philly reports.New Jersey State Police said a motorist spotted the son of 39-year-old Debra Wisler of Millville Township on Thursday in a wooded area near the visitor center at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.The police said the motorist contacted military personnel and the young boy was brought to the visitor center, where he was given food and water and evaluate
  
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• Tiger Woods to enter diversion program, pleads not guilty to DUI

  09-08-2017 16:38
  
  A Florida prosecutor says Tiger Woods has pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence and will enter a diversion program later this year.Palm Beach County Assistant State Attorney Adrienne Ellis said Woods entered the plea Wednesday. The 41-year-old golf superstar will enter a diversion program on Oct. 25.Woods' attorney Douglas Duncan had no comment. Woods was not in the courtroom on Wednesday.Under the plea deal, prosecutors will drop the DUI charge from his arrest in May when he was fou
  
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• Gym bans police officers, members of military from joining

  09-08-2017 16:34
  
  ATLANTA -- An Atlanta gym owner has banned police officers and military members from working out at his facility. Jim Chambers put up a sign on the door of EAV Barbell Club that used an expletive to announce that police aren't welcome there. Chambers tells WXIA-TVthat his gym has "had an explicitly stated 'No Cop' policy" since it opened. He says active members of the military also aren't eligible for membership. The gym posted a photo of the sign on its Instagram account with the caption "We si
  
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• The Boss is coming to Broadway

  09-08-2017 16:32
  
  The Boss is coming to Broadway.Bruce Springsteen said Wednesday on his website that he plans to make his Broadway debut onstage this fall at the Walter Kerr Theatre in a solo show in which he performs songs from his career, interspersed with readings of his best-selling memoir "Born to Run.""Springsteen on Broadway" begins previews Oct. 3 ahead of an Oct. 12 opening at the intimate 960-seat venue. The eight-week plays through Nov. 26.Springsteen becomes the latest and biggest artist in years to
  
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• One man dead, another critical after vehicle enters pond on Southeast Side

  09-08-2017 16:32
  One man is dead and another man is in life-threatening condition after they were found inside a vehicle that entered a pond early Wednesday at an Southeast Side apartment complex. The vehicle went into the pond around 1:20 a.m. at the Hartford on the Lakes apartment complex off South Hamilton Road near Eastland Mall, Columbus police said.
  
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• 1 dead after car drives into pond

  09-08-2017 16:32
  Columbus police had not identified by early Friday the two men who were in a car that drove into a pond at a Southeast Side apartment complex overnight, leaving one of those men dead and the other clinging to life. At approximately 1:20 a.m., the car drove into the pond at the intersection of Shore Boulevard East and Lakeside South in the Hartford on the Lakes apartment complex near Eastland Mall, said Det.
  
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• 1 dead, 4 hospitalized in wrong-way crash

  09-08-2017 16:32
  Police in Ohio say one person has died and four others have been hospitalized, including two children, after a wrong-way crash. Columbus police say 41-year-old Richard Hough was driving the wrong way down a highway ramp in Franklin County on Tuesday when he crashed head-on into a vehicle driven by 63-year-old Betty Griggs.
  
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• Judge to hear ex-treasure hunter's request to end jail time

  09-08-2017 16:01
  
  COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio judge will hear a request by an ex-treasure hunter jailed on contempt-of-court charges to end his imprisonment.Federal Judge Algenon Marbley has held defendant Tommy Thompson in contempt since December 2015 for violating terms of a plea deal by refusing to respond to questions about the location of 500 missing gold coins.Thompson's attorney argues federal law prohibits holding someone under such conditions for longer than 18 months.Investors in the treasure hu
  
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• Study: "Tough love" from mom makes a better guide dog

  09-08-2017 15:49
  
  Guide dog trainers look for specific personality traits when deciding who will make the cut and researchers say those puppies whose mothers were less attentive to their needs are better developed than those who doted on their every move.At just over seven weeks old, Golden Retrievers and Labradors at The Seeing Eye in New Jersey are already in training as future guide dogs for the blind, learning to interact with others, adapt to new surroundings, and remain calm while under stress, reports CBS
  
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• US productivity rose a modest 0.9 pct. rate in spring

  09-08-2017 15:47
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The productivity of American workers rose just modestly in the spring, extending a worrisome issue that has persisted throughout this expansion.Productivity grew at an annual rate of 0.9 percent in the April-June quarter, slightly better than a scant 0.1 percent rate of increase in the first quarter, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. Labor costs edged up at a 0.6 percent rate in the second quarter, a sharp slowdown from a 5.4 percent growth rate in the first quarte
  
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• Taylor Swift wants case to serve as example to other victims

  09-08-2017 15:40
  
  DENVER (AP) — Taylor Swift's attorneys told jurors they aren't trying to bankrupt a former Colorado DJ accused of groping the pop superstar before a concert, but they do want others to know "that you can always say no."Swift's attorney, Douglas Baldridge, attacked the credibility of former Denver DJ David Mueller on Tuesday, asking jurors, "What's wrong with this picture? A woman gets assaulted, a woman reports it, and she gets sued."Mueller sued Swift after her team told his bosses at a c
  
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• Third-party inspector conducting own investigation into what caused Fire Ball ride to break

  09-08-2017 15:39
  
  The South Carolina company that was hired to inspect the Fire Ball ride says it's doing its own investigation into how the ride was inspected.
  The arm of the ride broke on the first night at the Ohio State Fair. One man was killed and seven others were injured in the accident.
  Soil Consultants Inc.'s records show the ride was inspected visually and with a pulse echo machine which is capable of detecting cracks and corrosion. The inspection failed to detect the "excessive corrosion" that the manu
  
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• Babies' swimsuits recalled because of choking hazard

  09-08-2017 15:39
  
  Babies' bathing suits recalled because snaps can break off and cause a choking hazard.The Wave Zone one-piece, zip-back suits were sold at Meijer stores in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Wisconsin from January 2017 through July 2017 for about $14.The tracking number located on the sewn-in label on the inner side seam is "NOV 2016 021-14328."So far no injuries have been reported.You can return the bathing suits to Meijer for a full refund.
  
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• Actor James Woods seeks dismissal of suit over retweet

  09-08-2017 14:31
  
  Actor James Woods is asking a court to dismiss an Ohio activist's defamation lawsuit against him over a comment he retweeted during the presidential campaign season.The Columbus Dispatch reports Portia Boulger, a Chillicothe resident and supporter of Bernie Sanders, filed the federal lawsuit in March. Boulger is seeking $3 million in damages.The Twitter account @voxday mistakenly identified Boulger as a woman in a Donald Trump T-shirt appearing to give a Nazi salute during a March 2016 rally for
  
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• Does Google's fired "manifesto" writer have a legal case?

  09-08-2017 14:30
  
  Former Google engineer James Damore is being held up as a free-speech hero by his supporters, but his dismissal by the tech giant might may be more of an ethical morass than a legal issue.Damore is the center of a controversy over his internal memo that claims biological factors contribute to inequality in the tech sector, such as his view that women have higher "neuroticism" than men. After the memo went public, Google (GOOG) fired Damore, with Google CEO Sundar Pichai denouncing it as "advanci
  
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• Trump touts nuke strength as Tillerson urges calm on North Korea

  09-08-2017 14:24
  President Donald Trump declared the U.S. nuclear arsenal "far stronger and more powerful than ever before," even as his top diplomat was working to calm the North Korea crisis and insisting there wasn't "any imminent threat."In a series of early-morning tweets Wednesday, Trump reaffirmed his threat from a day earlier by reposting video of him warning that Pyongyang would be "met with fire and fury like the world has never seen" if it made more threats to the U.S. Then he said that his first orde
  
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• Tillerson urges calm on North Korea, says no imminent threat

  09-08-2017 14:24
  
  Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged calm and said Americans should have "no concerns" after North Korea and President Donald Trump traded fiery threats, insisting Wednesday he doesn't believe there is "any imminent threat.""Americans should sleep well at night," Tillerson said.In more tranquil terms, Tillerson sought to explain the thinking behind Trump's warning to Pyongyang that it would be "met with fire and fury like the world has never seen" if it made more threats to the United States.
  
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• CDC offers warning about eating Maradol papayas after 1 person dies

  09-08-2017 13:55
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are issuing a warning to people: Avoid all Maradol papayas from Mexico.One person died and 35 others were sickened with Salmonella from the fruit.Three brands: Caribeña, Cavi, and Valery, have been recalled.The Food and Drug Administration says the brands could have come from the same farm in Mexico.
  
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• Luxury camping, complete with lobster dinner delivery

  09-08-2017 13:49
  
  Come August, many families leave the house for camping in the woods or on a beach. But those leery of leaving behind the air conditioning need not forego the natural experience. A newly opened campground in Maine might have just the thing.Sandy Pines Campground in Kennebunkport has been open less than two months, but its 12 professionally decorated, luxury tents are pretty solidly booked through mid-October, according to a spokeswoman. Those come in addition to the campground's 320 acres of camp
  
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• Shaking back-to-school jitters

  09-08-2017 13:48
  The countdown is on for the first day of school, and that can make some kids nervous.Kristin Mullin, a kindergarten teacher in New Albany, offers some advice for parents to help their kids shake those jitters."They can bring a family picture, to make themselves feel comfortable to look at that if they miss mom or dad. They can bring in a stuffed animal that makes them feel comfortable as well," Mullen said.She also suggests walking to school with kids before school starts and walking around the
  
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• Lawyer: No appearance at Florida DUI hearing for Tiger Woods

  09-08-2017 12:49
  
  Tiger Woods will not attend his arraignment Wednesday on a driving under the influence charge, his attorney said, meaning under court rules the superstar golfer will be pleading not guilty.Attorney Douglas Duncan said in an email Tuesday to The Associated Press that Woods will not be attending the hearing in Florida, but he didn't elaborate. Any plea other than not guilty requires the defendant's attendance.The Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office declined comment.Woods could have agreed We
  
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• Elaborate computer passwords don't keep hackers away; Guideline creator says

  09-08-2017 12:37
  Think your password is safe with all those special characters and symbols?You might want to think again.The man responsible for creating password security guidelines has gone back on his word.We do it all day every day; logging onto our computers, emails, apps, racking our brains to remember password after password.“Upper case is the first one, I always have three numbers and usually an exclamation point at the end,” Becca Alder said.“I’ve got a couple different passwords
  
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• Bit player in marijuana ring gets 3-year-sentence

  09-08-2017 12:06
  Jodie Turner was one of the smaller clients of a drug-trafficking organization that, over two years, transported more than 13,000 pounds of marijuana into Ohio. Turner, 39, of Akron, was such a minor, street-level dealer for an operation of that magnitude he might not have been charged, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Martinez said Tuesday in federal court in Columbus.
  
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• Guam's worries grow as tensions rise between US, North Korea

  09-08-2017 12:05
  
  Residents of the tiny Pacific island of Guam say they're afraid of being caught in the middle of escalating tensions between the U.S. and North Korea after Pyongyang announced it was examining plans for attacking the strategically important U.S. territory.Though local officials downplayed any threat, people who live and work on the island, which serves as a launching pad for the U.S. military, said Wednesday they could no longer shrug off the idea of being a potential target."I'm a little worrie
  
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• Vehicle hits soldiers in Paris suburb, injuring 6

  09-08-2017 10:23
  
  PARIS (AP) — French police say a vehicle slammed into soldiers guarding a Paris suburb, injuring six of them, before getting away.Authorities are now searching for the vehicle and driver after the Wednesday incident, according to a Paris police spokesman.The vehicle appeared to clearly target the soldiers but the motive is unclear, the spokesman said. The official was not authorized to be publicly named according to police policy.Four people were injured lightly, two more seriously, the sp
  
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