Morning News and Stuff

Democratic attorney general candidate David Pepper is criticizing Republican Attorney General Mike DeWine for contesting the case that’s forcing the state to recognize the same-sex marriage of two Cincinnatians, one of who is currently sick with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a deadly neurodegenerative disease with no known cure, and expected to die soon. “Above all, an Attorney General takes an oath to support and defend the U.S. Constitution. This case is a truly sad example of constitutional rights being violated, and the deep and personal harms that result from constitutionally unequal treatment,” Pepper, a former Hamilton County commissioner and Cincinnati Council member, said in a statement. “I respectfully call upon Attorney General DeWine to recognize the clear constitutional wrongs taking place here. Allow this couple to spend their final weeks together in dignity.”

The Cincinnati metropolitan area

received a mixed jobs report in June

, gaining some jobs over the year but not enough to match population trends. Cincinnati’s seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate hit 7.4 percent in June, up from 6.8 percent in May and the same as the year before. Although the jobs report was fairly negative, the area has received some good news as of late: Housing sales

were up

in June despite higher interest rates, and CNBC host Joe Kernen, a Western Hills native, in July 22 segment

declared

, “Cincinnati has successfully reinvented itself as a hub for innovation” and technology.

Early voting for Cincinnati’s Sept. 10 mayoral primary

begins Aug. 6

. The candidates are Democrats

Roxanne Qualls

and

John Cranley

, Libertarian Jim Berns and Independent Queen Noble. The top two finishers will face each other again in the Nov. 5 election. Qualls and Cranley are perceived as the leading contenders in the race.

University of Cincinnati’s police chief is

stepping down

.

Angela Thi Bennett, one of Gov. John Kasich’s appointees to the Ohio Board of Education, is

leaving the board to take a job at a charter school

. The board is dominated by Kasich and Republican appointees.

BRIDGES for a Just Community

will shut down

by early September. The nonprofit, which was founded as the Cincinnati chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, has promoted religious inclusion in the workplace, schools and broader communities since 1944. “Improving community attitudes toward diversity and inclusion, which are a direct result of BRIDGES’ work, coupled with increasing competition in providing services caused the organization to experience persistent financial challenges in recent years,” the organization said in a statement.

Butler County Sheriff’s deputies

arrested and charged

two men for possessing 155 pounds of marijuana, valued at more than $155,000, in their vehicle at a traffic stop Sunday. Butler County Richard Jones is calling the case evidence that the Mexico-U.S. border isn’t secure.

Talking Points Memo obtained the U.S. House Republicans’ political playbook for the congressional recess. One highlight: “Remarkably, the packet includes virtually no discussion of immigration reform — a major issue pending before the House after comprehensive legislation passed the Senate.”

Here

are 36 photos showing anti-gay Russians attacking LGBT activists.

Researchers from Heptares Therapeutics, a drug company, have

found the molecule responsible for stress

, hopefully giving them the ability to create drugs that precisely fit into its structure.