Associated Press Thursday Ohio Headlines - 11/5/2009

Latest Ohio news, sports, business and entertainment:

CLEVELAND-BODIES FOUND

Cleveland relatives ask how victims went unnoticed

CLEVELAND (AP) - The discovery of 11 bodies in one Cleveland home has relatives of the presumed victims wondering how such a gruesome scene could have gone unnoticed, maybe for years.

They charge that police ignored their missing person reports.

The man who lives in the house, 50-year-old Anthony Sowell, was ordered held without bond yesterday on five counts of aggravated murder. Police have recovered bodies in the living room, crawl spaces and backyard graves from the home on run-down Imperial Avenue.

Some wonder whether police just didn't look for the missing women because they were from the city. Or because they were black.

Mayor Frank Jackson says he expects the police chief to evaluate the situation and make adjustments if necessary.

JOBLESS BENEFITS-HOMEBUYERS

Congress set to clear aid to jobless, homebuyers

WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress is one vote away from sending the president legislation that continues aid to more than a million jobless people.

The legislation passed the Senate yesterday on a 98-0 vote and the House could approve it as early as today and send it to President Barack Obama for his signature.

The $24 billion bill would provide every American running out of unemployment insurance benefits this year with an additional 14 weeks. Those out-of-work in Ohio and other states with jobless rates of 8.5 percent or higher would get six weeks on top of that.

It also would also extend for seven months an $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers that is set to expire at the end of this month.

WRONG BALLOTS

Ohio mayor gets no votes because of ballot mix-up

LIMAVILLE, Ohio (AP) - Elections officials say poll workers made a mistake and provided the wrong ballot to all 42 people who voted Tuesday in a small town in northeast Ohio.

So, nobody could vote in the race for mayor in Limaville, though it wasn't much of a race anyway since incumbent Mayor Tami Angel ran unopposed in the village 44 miles southeast of Cleveland. Still, Angel says she wanted her name on the ballot.

Stark County Board of Elections Director Jeanette Mullane says though Angel got zero votes, state law permits her to hold on to her seat until 2011, the earliest another election can be held in the village.

Mullane says the poll workers in Limaville mistakenly loaded touch-screen voting machines with a ballot for a neighboring precinct.

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Information from: The Repository, http://www.cantonrep.com

AKRON ZOO-EXPANSION

Akron Zoo plans 16-acre expansion

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - The Akron Zoo plans to add almost 50 percent more space for attractions, including a new carousel and an exhibit spotlighting climbing animals.

Spokesman David Barnhardt says the zoo will use 16 acres of land that it has been leasing from the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority since 2000. The zoo has informed its neighbors that it will fence off the property and expand on it.

Barnhardt says the $500,000 carousel will come first in the new part of the zoo. It will feature 33 wooden, hand-carved animals and a chariot, and is scheduled to open in August.

Officials say an exhibit of monkeys and other climbers called Animals in the Treetops is likely to follow in 2012 or 2013.

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Information from: Akron Beacon Journal, http://www.ohio.com

RETAIL SALES

Retailers report mixed sales results for October

NEW YORK (AP) - The nation's retailers are reporting mixed sales results for October. Shoppers, enticed by cooler weather and holiday discounts, opened their wallets a bit more but were still restrained from splurging on apparel amid tight credit and a weak job market.

As merchants report their figures today, Costco Wholesale's sales at stores open at least a year rose 5 percent. Children's Place Retail Stores and Stage Stores Inc. are reporting declines.

Columbus, Ohio-based Limited Brands is reporting a bigger-than-expected sales drop.

The figures are based on sales at stores open at least a year and are considered a key indicator of a retailer's health.

EARNS-EW SCRIPPS

E.W. Scripps narrows 3Q loss

CINCINNATI (AP) - Media company E.W. Scripps says it narrowed its loss in the third quarter despite another decline in revenue as the company continues to cut costs to cope with advertising declines hurting the industry.

The Cincinnati company, which owns TV stations and newspapers, posted a loss of $3.3 million, or 6 cents per share, compared with a loss of $16.8 million, or 31 cents per share, a year ago.

Revenue fell 19 percent to $186.4 million, while newspaper ad revenue fell 27 percent and television revenue dropped 22 percent.

SCRIPPS-TRAVEL

Scripps to get majority stake in Travel Channel

CINCINNATI (AP) - Scripps Networks says it will acquire a controlling stake in the Travel Channel as part of a joint venture with Cox Communications.

As part of the deal, Scripps Networks Interactive said today that Cox Communications will contribute the Travel Channel, valued at $975 million, and Scripps will contribute $181 million in cash to a new partnership.

The partnership, in turn, will take on $878 million of debt that will be guaranteed by Scripps, with the proceeds to be distributed to Cox. In the end, the partnership will have about $696 million of net debt.

Scripps, which is also delaying its earnings report until Friday, already owns the Food Network and HGTV lifestyle television networks.

EARNS-WENDY'S/ARBY'S GROUP

Wendy's/Arby's earns $14.7 million in 3Q

ATLANTA (AP) - Wendy's/Arby's Group says fewer customers gulped down its sandwiches in the third quarter.

But the year-old combination of Dublin, Ohio-based Wendy's and Arby's helped boost profit and revenue from a year ago when the fast-food company was two separate entities.

Wendy's and its cheaper menu fared better than its higher-priced sibling.

Sales in Arby's restaurants open at least a year fell 9 percent. They were flat at Wendy's.

For the three months that ended Sept. 27, Wendy's/Arby's earned $14.7 million, or 3 cents per share. That figure included a 3 cents per share charge related to last year's merger. Revenue was $903.2 million.

Analysts expected the combined restaurant company, based in Atlanta, to earn 6 cents per share on revenue of $916.5 million.

REMAKING CHRYSLER

Chrysler aims to pump life into struggling lineup

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) - Chrysler hopes to make billions of dollars to repay government loans and revamp its vehicles with an ambitious plan that hinges on doubling sales in five years.

The plan includes spending $23 billion to overhaul or replace all its Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram models by 2014.

Much of the overhaul includes cost savings from combining purchasing and engineering with Fiat, and using Fiat's smaller, more fuel-efficient designs to replace aging Chrysler vehicles. Italian automaker Fiat now owns 20 percent of Chrysler with an opportunity for more.

Sedans like the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring, along with many other models, have flopped. Chrysler says it will update these cars to make them more comfortable and quieter.

BLUE JACKETS-FUTURE

Report: Columbus Blue Jackets need financial fix

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A new report warns that Columbus may have trouble holding on to the NHL's Blue Jackets because the club has been losing $12 million per year in central Ohio.

The report released today by the business group the Columbus Chamber offers a variety of options for strengthening the team's financial position, such as new taxes or fees to support the Blue Jackets.

Other suggestions include allowing the team to renegotiate its lease for Nationwide Arena or trying to attract a second major tenant for the arena, such as a basketball team.

Blue Jackets President Mike Priest tells The Columbus Dispatch that "time is of the essence" for dealing with the financial challenges. He declined to discuss whether the team would consider relocating to another city.

T25-PRYOR & CLARK

Pryor, Clark took different paths to QB jobs

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Lost in the hoopla over Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor's trip home to Pennsylvania this weekend is the story of how Penn State found its own signal-caller in the Buckeyes' backyard.

Cool in the pocket and confident in the locker room, Youngstown native Daryll Clark has turned into a star with the Number 11 Nittany Lions (8-1, 4-1 Big Ten).

Pryor's visit Saturday to Beaver Stadium will be his first since the Jeannette, Pennsylvania, native signed with Number 15 Ohio State (7-2, 4-1) more than 18 months ago to end a heated recruiting race.

UCONN-FRAZER

UConn QB's career back on the upswing

STORRS, Conn. (AP) - Connecticut quarterback Zach Frazer went from top recruit at Notre Dame to Fighting Irish cast-off to the Huskies' starting quarterback to a backup who lost his job after an injury.

The 6-foot-4, 228 pound junior transfer is back up this week. A season-ending shoulder injury to quarterback Cody Endres means Frazer will be under center as UConn (4-4, 1-3 Big East) faces Number 4 Cincinnati (8-0, 4-0) on Saturday night.

UConn fans are hoping to see the Frazer who engineered two fourth-quarter touchdown drives last Saturday against Rutgers.

They would prefer not to see the Frazer who has thrown seven interceptions in fewer than three full games this season.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)