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DeWine enters race for Ohio governor

CEDARVILLE (AP) — Attorney General Mike DeWine has entered the 2018 race for Ohio governor positioned as one of the state’s longest serving and best known politicians.

The 70-year-old Republican made his long-anticipated announcement Sunday at his annual ice cream social at his Cedarville home in southwest Ohio. The social shows off the former U.S. senator and lieutenant governor’s deep political roots in the state.

It’s not clear how well DeWine’s traditional political profile will serve him in a national political climate that’s been upended by President Donald Trump. DeWine’s two announced Republican challengers are already employing some of Trump’s populist campaign tactics.

Cedarville University political scientist Mark Caleb Smith says DeWine’s wide name recognition and favorability among voters, extensive political network and $2.5 million campaign fund should make him an instant front-runner.

State websites hacked with pro-Islamic State rant

COLUMBUS (AP) — A number of Ohio state government websites have been hacked with a message that purports to be supportive of the Islamic State terrorist group.

Republican Gov. John Kasich’s office confirmed they were aware of the hack Sunday.

The websites hacked with the message include Kasich’s, first lady Karen Kasich’s, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, the Office of Workforce Transformation, the Casino Control Commission, Medicaid, the Office of Health Transformation and LeanOhio.

The message left on the website says “Trump” and “all your people” will be held accountable for “every drop of blood spilled in Muslim countries.” The message also says, “I love the Islamic state.”

A spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction said the agency is working aggressively to clear the message from its website.

Group recommends financial education in high school

COLUMBUS (AP) — An advisory group that reviews debt-collection practices for unpaid student loans at Ohio’s public colleges has recommended that high school students receive financial literacy education.

State Attorney General Mike DeWine released a report Thursday with 22 recommendations from the Advisory Group on Student Loan Debt Collection that he convened last fall.

The group also has recommended that colleges help students understand what their debt obligations are when they graduate or withdraw from school.

The attorney general’s office is responsible for collecting money owed to state colleges and universities. DeWine says he wants to ensure that Ohio’s practices are fair and transparent.

DeWine said nearly 70 percent of Ohio college graduates leave school with student loans and owe an average of more than $30,000.

Pence to visit Cleveland Wednesday

CLEVELAND (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence is expected to visit northeast Ohio this week for an appearance at a manufacturing company near Cleveland.

An invitation sent to Republican supporters says he will visit Tendon Manufacturing, a sheet metal fabricator in Warrensville Heights, on Wednesday. Cleveland.com reports (http://bit.ly/2rKamqu ) it will be Pence’s fourth visit to the state since taking office in January.

Tendon CEO Mike Gordon says he’s excited to host Pence and expects the vice president to discuss a manufacturing initiative.

Pence previously visited manufacturers in the Cincinnati and Columbus areas. He spoke last month at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base outside of Dayton.

Bill calls for Ohio Aviation Hall of Fame

DAYTON (AP) — Backers of a proposed Ohio Aviation Hall of Fame say the birthplace of the Wright brothers should honor its flight pioneers as other states do.

The National Aviation Hall of Fame is in Dayton. Yet supporters say a state-specific hall is needed to honor aviators who didn’t rise to national prominence.

The Dayton Daily News reports that a bill in the Ohio House calls for a hall of fame to be built as part of a proposed $21 million “Triumph of Flight” monument near Dayton. Supporters for years have pushed the idea of a monument topped with a replica of a Wright brothers’ plane, but funding has been hard to find.

A study led by University of Dayton students found that 34 states have aviation halls of fame.

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