BC-OH--Ohio News Digest midnight, OH

Ohio at midnight. All times EDT.

The supervisor in Columbus at 5 a.m. is Mitch Stacy, who can be reached at (800) 762-4841 or (614) 885-2727. AP stories and photos also can be obtained from http://www.apexchange.com. For questions about AP Exchange or for reruns, contact AP Customer Support at apcustomersupport@ap.org or (877) 836-9477. Technical problems may be reported to (614) 885-3444.

TOP STORIES:

CHARTER SCHOOLS PROTEST

COLUMBUS — The state expands its inquiry into alleged misconduct inside an embattled charter school chain to two additional Ohio cities, even as hundreds of parents and alumni descended on the state capital to share their positive experiences at the schools. By Julie Carr Smyth. SENT: 700 words.

GOVERNOR-OHIO-DEBATES

COLUMBUS — In a turn of events unprecedented in recent years, Ohio's governor and his Democratic challenger won't face each other in debates ahead of Election Day. By Ann Sanner. SENT: 550 words.

AROUND THE STATE:

SUICIDE ATTEMPT-FREEWAY

CLEVELAND — A man who stepped in front of a truck and set himself on fire in front of three children by the side of a highway is a suspect in a woman's death, authorities say. By Mark Gillispie. SENT: 220 words.

PHARMACY BOARD-DIRECTOR

COLUMBUS — A state pharmacy board document says the office of Gov. John Kasich threatened board members with removal if they didn't fire their executive director. The timeline of events leading to Kyle Parker's firing also says Parker was chastised by the board for testifying before a budget committee without their backing. Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols says Parker wasn't doing enough to combat the state's prescription painkiller epidemic. By Andrew Welsh-Huggins. SENT: 475 words.

OHIO CRASH-TEENS KILLED

COLUMBUS — A wrongful death lawsuit accuses local officials of not properly maintaining the northeast Ohio road where a one-vehicle crash killed six Warren teenagers last year. By Kantele Franko. SENT: 300 words.

BUS DRIVER KILLED

CLEVELAND — A bus rolls over and kills a driver who saved a 10-year-old girl from the moving vehicle during a safety drill for charter school students. By Mark Gillispie. SENT: 320 words.

FBN--BROWNS-GORDON ARRESTED

RALEIGH, N.C. — Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon will receive probation and undergo a substance-abuse assessment after pleading guilty to a drunken-driving charge in North Carolina, a prosecutor said. SENT: 310 words, photo.

CAR-DEER COLLISIONS

COLUMBUS — Ohioans have a greater chance of running into a deer on the road over the next year. SENT: 260 words.

COLD CASE CARDS

CINCINNATI — City officials pledge to help a crime-victim advocate produce decks of playing cards featuring cold-case homicides. SENT: 210 words, photo.

WASHINGTON PRIME GROUP-GLIMCHER

NEW YORK — Washington Prime Group Inc. is buying Columbus, Ohio-based rival Glimcher Realty Trust. The cash-and-stock deal is worth about $2.06 billion. SENT: 240 words.

BRIEFS SENT:

— LEBRON-CEDAR POINT — SANDUSKY — Ohio's Cedar Point amusement park is partnering with the LeBron James Family Foundation instead of renaming a roller coaster for the basketball superstar.

— BKN--LEBRON-BANNER — CLEVELAND — Sherwin-Williams Co. has asked the city of Cleveland for approval to hang a new banner of LeBron James on its headquarters across the street from Quicken Loans Arena.

— EARLY VOTING DISPUTE — COLUMBUS — Ohio officials argue in a court filing that the state's early voting schedule exceeds the time allowed in most states and does not burden voters.

— JAILED VOTERS — COLUMBUS — A federal judge has ruled that voters arrested and jailed the weekend before Election Day must be given a chance to cast an absentee ballot.

— FOSTORIA HOUSE FIRE — TIFFIN — A woman accused of setting a house fire that killed two deaf people has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to charges including aggravated murder.

— HEROIN-FENTANYL-PLEA — CLEVELAND — A northeast Ohio man has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges including selling fentanyl to a woman who fatally overdosed last year.

— COURT CLERK CHARGED — LANCASTER — The husband of a former central Ohio court clerk has pleaded guilty to theft in office under an agreement with prosecutors before his scheduled trial.

— HOSPITAL-STERILE SURGERIES — CHILLICOTHE — A southern Ohio hospital that halted surgeries for three days because of concerns about sterilizing tools has resumed those procedures.

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Please email stories of state or regional interest to cboe@ap.org. If you have photos of regional or statewide interest, please send them to the AP Photos headquarters desk in New York: statephotos@ap.org, (one captioned image per email). They can be reached at 888-273-6867.

MARKETPLACE: Calling your attention to the Marketplace in AP Exchange, where you can find member-contributed content from Ohio and other states. The Marketplace is accessible on the left navigational pane of the AP Exchange home page, near the bottom. For both national and state, you can click "All" or search for content by topics such as education, politics and business.