Morning News and Stuff

Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel was

involved in two car crashes and reported neither

, and one of the crashes may have violated federal campaign finance law. During a March accident, Mandel, a Republican, was riding in a vehicle owned by his 2012 U.S. Senate campaign months after he lost to Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown. Federal law states Senate campaign property can't be used for personal use or to campaign for a different office, such as state treasurer. Mandel’s state treasurer campaign says it rented out the car from the Senate campaign, but The Associated Press found the check didn’t clear out until June 30 — seven months after the Senate campaign and four months after the crash — and the rent wasn’t fully paid for until reporters started asking questions.

Republican state legislators are drafting a bill that would

overhaul Ohio’s Medicaid program

. The legislation isn’t

the Medicaid expansion

, which Ohio House Speaker William Batchelder now says isn’t a good idea. Instead, the upcoming bill would make changes to attempt to control Medicaid’s rising costs, which have put an increasing strain on the state budget in the past few years. Batchelder says the bill will be introduced in the fall and likely voted out of the House by the end of the year.

Mayoral candidates John Cranley and Roxanne Qualls are

rolling out their latest endorsements

. Yesterday, State Rep. Alicia Reece said she’s backing Cranley. On Friday, Qualls touted support from Equality Ohio, the Miami Group of the Sierra Club, the National Organization of Women Cincinnati, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 392 and the Ohio-Kentucky Administrative District Council of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsworkers. Endorsements

rarely influence the outcome of elections

.

The Ohio Parole Board

rejected a killer’s plea for mercy

. Harry Mitts Jr. is scheduled to die by injection on Sept. 25 for killing two men, including a police officer, at an apartment. Court records claim Mitts uttered racial slurs before killing his first victim, who was black. Mitts’ defense says he was blacked out from alcohol the night of the slayings and didn’t know what he was doing. With the board’s rejection, Mitts’ fate is now up to Gov. John Kasich, who could commute the sentence to life in prison.

Susan Castellini, wife of the Cincinnati Reds CEO, will

join the Cincinnati Parks Board

after being appointed earlier in August by Mayor Mark Mallory and City Council.

Hospice of Cincinnati obtained a $2.3 million grant from from Bethesda Inc. and Catholic Health Initiatives to launch an initiative that will

encourage doctors, terminally ill patients and their families to discuss end-of-life planning

.

Three former employees are

suing Cincinnati-based Jeff Ruby eateries

for allegedly taking tips from staff, which supposedly caused employees to earn less than minimum wage.

Between Sept. 19 and Sept. 30, Cincinnati’s Horseshoe Casino will become the first venue in Ohio to

host a World Series of Poker circuit event

.

Popular Science claims it met the world’s smartest dog

.