According to a report released by US Senator Sherrod Brown’s office, a record 2,110 people died from drug overdose deaths in Ohio in 2013 alone.  A total of 10,231 drug overdose deaths were recorded in Ohio between 2008 and 2013.  In the Tri-County area, over 100 people died from drug overdoses in that six-year period.  Brown released a county-by-county report on overdose deaths as part of federal legislation he is co-sponsoring to fight prescription drug abuse by increasing access to treatment options.
 

David Cannon has been named vice president/chief financial officer of Owens Community College.  Since 2011, Cannon has served as vice chancellor of finance and data management for the Ohio Board of Regents.  Cannon earned his bachelor’s degree in Finance from The Ohio State University, and a master’s degree in Finance from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, while serving in the United States Air Force.

The Ohio House passed a bill that requires liquids used in electronic cigarettes must be sold in child-resistant packaging.  E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that provide users with aerosol puffs that typically contain nicotine and sometimes flavorings like fruit or chocolate.  The Senate has passed a similar bill. One measure must clear both chambers before the restrictions can become law.  Under the legislation, the state’s health department would develop the standards for packaging resistant to children 5 and under.  Violators could be fined up to $1,000.

The state Senate has OK'd a bill to allow Ohioans to register online to vote and more easily declare their political party affiliation. The bill would direct the state's elections chief to create a secure, online registration process for voters. It now goes to the House for consideration.

Unionized workers at Marathon Petroleum’s Galveston Bay refinery in Texas ended their strike and will return to work on July 6.  The union approved a contract on Tuesday after five months of striking.  The national strike began in February with nine locations, including Marathon Petroleum’s refineries at Galveston Bay and in Catlettsburg, Kentucky.

The Republican-dominated state Senate has passed a ban on abortions after 20 weeks' gestation. The Senate voted along party lines yesterday to pass the bill, hours after opponents testifying at the Statehouse decried the measure as being too restrictive. It now heads to the Republican-dominated House.

Chillicothe residents are experiencing a growing fear that a serial killer is in their midst.  Six women have disappeared in the past year in cases that remain unresolved.  Two of the women remain missing and four have turned up dead.  Officials have said the women are connected through a common history of drug use, possible prostitution and connections to the same social circle.  Officials are not discounting the possibility of a serial killer, it is not the only avenue they are pursuing