State transportation officials point out that Washington’s bridge collapse was caused by a truck driver who hit a girder, not a failing bridge.

But the accident renews concerns about bridge safety as infrastructure ages throughout the country and Ohio.

The County Engineers Association of Ohio reports that of the state’s 44,000 bridges, 278 are similar to the one that collapsed in Washington.

They’re known as through-truss bridges, and damage to one key piece could bring down an entire span.

Across the state, 5,761 of about 26,900 county-maintained bridges are considered functionally obsolete or structurally deficient.

The statistics are in the commission’s Ohio Grade Crossing Statistics Report for 2012, released last week.

The report says more than half of last year’s crashes were at crossings with active warning devices. It also says many of the crashes occurred because of drivers failing to stop, driving around the gates or stopping or stalling on tracks.

The commission says it ordered more than 500 federal, state and locally funded safety upgrades in 2012, including installation of lights and gates.

State officials say Ohio is the fifth leading state in terms of goods transported by rail, with thousands of trains operating on nearly 5,300 miles of track and 5,800 public crossings.

The federal Department of Labor has expanded the number of former Battelle workers eligible for compensation and medical benefits after being exposed to radiation during and shortly after the Second World War. Labor Department spokeswoman, Rachel Leiton, says in 2001 congress approved payments to thousands of eligible workers in the nuclear weapons industry, including more than 60 former employees at Battelle Labs on King Avenue.

“The activities that were performed there were processing and machining enriched natural and depleted uranium and thorium. Fabricating fuel elements, analyzing radio chemicals and studying power metallurgy.” Says Leiton.

Federal health officials identified 22 types of cancer linked to radiation exposure among eligible workers and their survivors. Battelle spokesman T.R. Massey estimates the King Avenue labs employed about 400 workers when nuclear weapons research began in 1943.

“We have been cooperating and helping in identifying and providing records of people from that time.” Massey says.

Leiton says so far, the Department of Labor has paid $7,300,000 for claims from Battelle workers and their survivors. But, she anticipates more claims now that the pool of eligible workers has been expanded to include employees that worked at Battelle as late as 1956.

“Employees would be eligible for $150,000 plus medical benefits….and if the employee is deceased then the survivor would be entitled to $150,000 as well.” Leiton says.

Leiton says the compensation program was created because the federal government put people “in harm’s way” during wartime. Both she and Massey at Battelle say it’s uncertain whether the workers knew at the time the potential workplace health risks.

“I don’t know, I don’t have personal knowledge of whether people knew the dangers of exposure to radiological elements at the time. I do know that in April of 1943 we had an initial contract with the Manhattan Engineering District to perform atomic energy research and development activities for the government.” Says Massey.

Battelle Labs is one of four Ohio facilities included in the compensation program. In total, more than $900-million dollars in claims have been paid to more than 6,000 former workers and their survivors at three other nuclear weapons plants in Piketon, Hamilton, and Miamisburg.

The panel’s approval Thursday sends the issue into its signature-gathering phase, with a 2014 vote most likely. The deadline for this fall’s ballot is July 6.

Proponents of the Ohio Cannibis Rights Amendment must first collect roughly 385,000 signatures in 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties to get the issue before voters.

Three previous marijuana-related issues have been cleared by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine since 2011 but stalled.

The most recently cleared measure would establish a commission to regulate the use of medical marijuana and permit Ohioans to grow hemp for uses including paper, clothing, food and as a building material.

Both sides agree on one thing – the act that Ben Lupo is accused of is a bad deed. Michael Cyphert is the attorney for Lupo’s company, D&L Energy of Mahoning County.

Ben Lupo’s a bad person. He intentionally directed someone to put brine down a sewer. He shouldn’t have done that. He shouldn’t have done that. But are those actions to be imputed to D&L Energy simply because he’s an officer of the company or was an officer at the time?

Cyphert claims that Lupo runs several companies, including Hardrock Excavating, which does brine transport, storage and disposal, and D&L Energy, which develops and drills injection wells. And Cyphert says isn’t in the brine business. Cyphert says Lupo ordered an employee of Hardrock Excavating, not D&L Energy, to dump the brine – an act he describes as “reprehensible”.

“We don’t know why he did it. Perhaps we will not know until his trial on the federal level and he is able to put forth any defenses that he has and a jury of his peers may decide whether he’s actually guilty or not.”

Cyphert says D&L didn’t benefit from the act but Hardrock might have, since it would have saved that company money on brine storage. And he also argued that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ oil and gas division chief Rick Simmers didn’t have the authority to revoke D&L’s injection well operating permit over what he called “a silly, stupid, intentional act” done by an officer of another company.

“If the chief wishes to issue an order against those who are responsible, it’s certainly within his prerogative to do so. But don’t punish D&L Energy for something it didn’t do.”

Brian Ball is the attorney for the state, and said D&L Energy entered into contracts with companies that were not registered and not maintaining compliance with state law – and therefore the company violated the terms of its own permit. And he says there were three companies working together on this operation – and Lupo was in charge of all of them.

I know the witnesses that the state will present will show that in many times they knew they were talking to Ben because he was the heart and soul and the commonality between the consortium of companies located at this address – companies that were often at least in the three considered – Mohawk, Hardrock and D&L Energy – conspiring and causing unlawful activity with systematic routine practice.

And Ball says it’s clear why Lupo made the choice he did – Ball says Lupo’s company was paid to handle fracking wastewater, and so he ordered the dumping of that fluid into the storm sewer to make money.

“Some of it wasn’t going to go in the ground. Some of it was going to go on the ground. And routinely at night with his direction. And that is strictly the business they were in.”

Bottom line, says Ball, is that the chief of the oil and gas division is allowed to issue orders to enforce the terms and conditions of permits. And Ball says as the head of all three companies is responsible for the actions of any one of them.

“While Mr. Lupo’s acts present personal liability for him. Liability for violations of Chapter 1509 is strict, joint and several. Therefore, as persons, D&L Energy, Hardrock and Mohawk are also all liable.”

Testimony continues in the hearing – a decision on D&L Energy’s continued operations could happen this week.

The Ohio Senate passed the measure on 27-6 vote Wednesday, less than a year after blocking passage of a similar bill. Testimony by owners and employees of sweepstakes parlors failed to persuade legislators that the more than 620 cafes should continue.

Gov. John Kasich is expected to sign the measure.

Senate Republicans announced a change of heart on the legality of the cafes last month after a briefing by top state law enforcers, including Attorney General Mike DeWine.

Proponents contend the cafes are legal.

Also Wednesday, the Ohio House was set to vote on a bill extending Ohio’s moratorium on the cafes and imposing a new reporting requirement.

Kimberly Schwind of Ohio AAA says a sluggish economy and higher gas prices will keep some cars off the road.

“Well, drivers certainly are not happy with the prices.” Says Schwind.

Gasbuddy.com says Ohio and some surrounding Great Lakes states have the highest gas prices in the nation for the start of summer travel months. Prices ranging from $3.70 to near $4 per gallon. Schwind says while high gas prices will keep some would-be travelers at home, others will spend less on food and entertainment to help pay for gas.

“We found that $3.44 cents per gallon is actually kind of the breaking point where a lot of drivers start to change their driving habits.”

Schwind says the cost of gasoline is the largest portion of Ohioans holiday travel budget, about 28 percent.

For those planning long trips, Schwind says more travelers will stay grounded.

“So even these farther distances, Florida, the Carolinas, we’re noticing more and more people driving instead of flying, simply because airfare really has gone up significantly over the last several years and it’s really too high for many people.” Says Schwind.

Schwind says Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, and Orlando are the top three destinations for Ohioans traveling long distances this week-end.

The latest figures form the Ohio Association of Realtors say April home sales were up 20 percent compared to the same month last year. The report marks the 22nd straight month of sales gains, the longest stretch of uninterrupted growth in 16 years.

Columbus sales were up 36.7 percent compared to last April, although prices fell slightly.

“That price point may have dropped a little bit because those are the properties that were not able to sell over the last few years,” says Chris Pedon, president of the Columbus Association of Realtors.

Pedon says the number of homes sold by Columbus realtors last month was the second-highest total ever for the region, ranking only behind April of 2004.

The proposal is among roughly 200 amendments that Senate Democrats have offered to the state’s $61.5 billion, two-year budget.

Sen. Nina Turner of Cleveland said Wednesday her amendment would eliminate a proposed 7 percent income tax cut for Ohioans making more than $106,150. She says that would free up $508 million for an investment fund to provide extra dollars for schools to use in the classroom and for transportation.

Republicans overwhelming control the Senate, and any changes would need their support.

The Senate’s budget-writing committee was to meet later Wednesday.

The Senate version of the budget bill is expected to be released next week, with additional hearings planned on the changes.

It wasn’t as much a protest as it was a picketing session, with nine Republican party activists holding signs and chanting outside the headquarters of the Ohio Democratic Party.

The signs blasted Ohio Democrats for not demanding more information about the trio of scandals President Obama is facing – the attack on Benghazi, the Justice Department’s search of phone records from the Associated Press, and the IRS’s admitted targeting of conservative organizations for extra scrutiny.

Jade Overstreet is a senior at Ohio State and said she spoke for the group of demonstrators.

We are here to demand answers today. We definitely think it’s wrong that ODP is not making sure that its elected officials are not profiling citizens and it was wrong that the IRS targeted certain groups and it’s totally against what our country stands for, and we really think that some answers should come out and we should have the right to know what’s going on with this IRS scandal, so…

The drone in the background throughout the demonstration – a counterprotest of sorts, as a Democratic Party worker ran over and over a few tiny patches of treelawn throughout the event.

Reporter: “Is the lawnmower on purpose?”
Kurtz: “Well, we schedule to mow our lawn pretty regularly. It’s important to keep the party headquarters looking nice and pristine.”

Jerid Kurtz speaks for the Ohio Democratic Party, and took aim at the incoming chair of the ORP while once again previewing next year’s election.

As Gov. Kasich’s ally over at the Republican Party, Matt Borges has many tax problems of his own. Came out that he owed more than $500,000 in back taxes at one point. So it’s always interesting to see the party talking about the IRS and taxes, but hypocrisy is nothing new to the governor.

These kinds of protests aren’t unusual at political events – there are usually signholders from the opposing party at high-profile speeches and candidate appearances.

And Democratic activists protested outside the Ohio Republican Party headquarters after one of the presidential debates last year – dressed to address Mitt Romney’s comment about “binders full of women”. But this suggests the 2014 campaigns are starting early, and will be lively.

As the protest continued in Columbus, Tea Party activists from Ohio and neighboring states gathered in downtown Cincinnati to draw attention to the IRS’ ongoing scandal.

Click here to hear details on the Cincinnati protest

Several hundred people gathered on Cincinnati’s Fountain Square before marching to the John Weld Peck Federal Building. That’s where employees with the Cincinnati IRS office admittedly applied extra scrutiny to conservative and other groups applying for 501(c)(4) tax exempt status. Dee Cohen from Cincinnati calls the IRS and White House administration’s actions abusive.

“How could you not be angry? I mean, we’re going to try to suppress the press. Let’s get those reporters, we want to know who their contacts are. Let’s check their emails. Let’s make sure we don’t have free press anymore. Let’s get them (Tea Party groups) money-wise with the IRS. It’s all this intimidation. It’s outrageous. This is the US not Venezuela.”

Dave Kern of Liberty Township says he came to protest the “outrageous actions” of the IRS across the board.

“(It’s) not some so-called low-level worker at the IRS here in Cincinnati. It’s impossible that this originated from them. But the person who authorized this from the top. That’s where it should end up and they should be rightfully prosecuted and jailed. It’s outrageous.”

Tea Party organizers say an apology isn’t enough. They want the Obama administration to quote “make concrete and transparent steps” to ensure this never happens again. The IRS meanwhile says while its employees acted inappropriately they were not driven by political bias.