Ohio State University has been awarded $34 million to help find ways to reduce the time it takes to move medical research from the lab to the physician’s office.

A plan to remove Ohio as the lastroadblock to finishing an agreement among the Great Lakes states to protect their water has run into a barrier – again.

Many Central Ohio commuters are turning to public transportation to ease the pain of rising gas prices. So far this year, the Central Ohio Transit Authority reports a 7.6 percent passenger increase compared to last year. And in the last couple months, COTA ridership has jumped by double digits.

After months of getting nowhere in negotiations with the Columbus Symphony board, the musicians are looking for support from local government to keep the orchestra alive. The musicians have asked Governor Strickland, Mayor Coleman and Columbus City Council to support non-binding mediation to help reach an agreement. Other orchestras have faced similar financial problems. The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra in Florida recently overcame its own labor battle.

One of the city’s most popular soup kitchens has been forced to temporarily close. Metal thieves took compressors from walk-in refrigerators and forced the Holy Family soup kitchen to throw away thousands of dollars in food for some of the city’s hungry.