Morning News and Stuff

A federal judge ruled that a state death certificate

must recognize the marriage of a newlywed same-sex couple

, but the order only applies to James Obergefell and John Arthur. It’s the first time a same-sex marriage is recognized in Ohio. The two men had the case expedited because Arthur is suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a deadly neurological disease with no known cure. Al Gerhardstein, the attorney for the two husbands, says the ruling could be the beginning of legal challenges from gay couples inspired by

the Supreme Court’s ruling against the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)

, which could put further pressure on Ohio to legalize same-sex marriage. CityBeat covered ongoing efforts to legalize gay marriage in the state

here

, although the group in charge of the movement is now aiming to put the issue on the ballot in 2014, not 2013 as originally planned.

Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls in a statement called the tea party-backed charter amendment that would revamp the city’s pension system “a wolf in sheep's clothing.” She is also requesting the city administration study the amendment’s consequences and report back to City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee on Aug. 5. The amendment would funnel new hires into a private retirement plan similar to what’s typically found in the private sector — except, unlike private-sector workers, city employees don’t pay into Social Security and don’t collect Social Security benefits from their years with the city. The amendment was announced less than a week after Moody’s, a credit ratings agency,

downgraded Cincinnati’s bond rating

in part because of the city’s increasing pension liability.

A poll analysis from the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati suggests

more than 1.25 million Ohioans are uninsured

, with about 17 percent of the working-age population lacking insurance. It also found that Ohioans are increasingly reliant on public programs to obtain health benefits. The analysis looked at the Health Foundation’s

2013 Ohio Health Issues Poll

. The results could spur further efforts to expand Medicaid eligibility in the state, which the Health Policy Institute of Ohio previously found would save the state money and insure nearly half a million Ohioans over the next decade. Republican legislators rejected the Medicaid expansion in

the state budget

, citing concerns that the federal government wouldn’t be able to uphold its 90-percent funding commitment.

Gov. John Kasich

wants to fast track

the I-71/MLK Interchange in part by using revenue from the Ohio Turnpike’s tolls. Kasich’s recommendations, which must be approved by the state’s Transportation Review Advisory Council, add up to $107.7 million in state funds.

State Rep. Peter Beck, a Mason Republican who’s facing 16 felony charges of fraud,

won’t resign his seat

.

Twenty-eight people

have applied to become Cincinnati’s next police chief

. With a recent uptick in violence, many have called on the city to expedite the process of replacing James Craig, the former police chief who left for Detroit earlier in the year.

Despite rising interest rates, Cincinnati-area home sales in June

continued their strong trend up

.

For-profit entities are

opening more online schools in Ohio

, with the process set by state legislators to shut out public educators. A previous investigation by CityBeat found online schools

tend to do worse and cost more

than their peers.

The city administration and social media network Nextdoor are

partnering up

to better link Cincinnati’s neighborhoods with the local government. The network will provide a free website for each of the city’s neighborhoods, which the city says will allow residents to “to get to know their neighbors, ask questions and exchange local advice and recommendations.” City officials plan to use the websites to regularly reach out to local citizens.

Computer software from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

could make the Internet three times faster

.