HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) — A woman accused of arranging to have her estranged husband killed and a couple accused of being involved in the plot have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder in southwestern Ohio. The Hamilton-Middletown Journal-News reports that 42-year-old Shelly Carter, of Madison Township, and the Middletown couple pleaded not guilty Thursday in …

CINCINNATI (AP) — Officials with the Ohio zoo where a gorilla was shot and killed when a 3-year-old got into its enclosure say they’ve improved the exhibit’s barrier. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports the new barrier at the Cincinnati Zoo has mesh fencing from top to bottom and stands 42 inches high. That’s 6 inches taller than the previous barrier. Zoo …

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A German shepherd struggles to crawl back to safety after being severely injured in Vietnam. A Belgian Malinois appears to pant as it stands on four legs — its front-left paw replaced by a prosthetic limb and its left ear gone after an explosion in Iraq. Although these canines are made of wood, they represent the …

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Ohio is moving its death row for the third time in little over a decade, this time because of the growing number of aging inmates serving death sentences, state prison officials said Friday. Death row will go from Chillicothe in southern Ohio to the Toledo Correctional Institution, a trip of more than three hours. Toledo’s prison …

PIKETON, Ohio (AP) — Six months after someone shot eight members of an extended family to death in their homes, surviving relatives are still waiting — for an explanation, for an arrest, for a hint of closure. “I just want to know why?” said Tajianna Mead, of Waverly, whose 44-year-old father, Kenneth Rhoden, was among the victims. When the slayings …

CLEVELAND (AP) — A man charged with fatally shooting his daughter in the head at their suburban home “planned out” the killing, an assistant prosecutor said in court on Wednesday. The man, 63-year-old Jamal Mansour, pleaded not guilty through his attorney to aggravated murder, murder and felonious assault charges in the shooting death last month of 27-year-old Tahani Mansour, the …

CLEVELAND (AP) — A man freed from prison after spending 18 years behind bars for a murder he said he didn’t commit is fighting for a declaration of innocence that could allow him to receive compensation. Anthony Lemons sought a new trial and proved that shoes used to connect him to the case weren’t made at the time of the …

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An annual anti-crime program helps make Ohio’s capital safer despite criticism from protesters of two fatal shootings by officers, police said Wednesday in releasing statistics associated with the summer initiative. The program deploys more officers during the warmer months in an effort to stem violence in the city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. But calls for changes to …

PARMA, Ohio (AP) — The president of a school board in northeast Ohio has resigned as the district grapples with cutting $15 million from its budget over the next two years. Parma City School Board president Kathleen Petro announced her resignation on Tuesday during a meeting on the proposed budget plan. She then left. Vice President Lynn Halloran took over …

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Columbus police officer who fatally shot 13-year-old Tyre King has returned to the force, although not in his prior assignment as a patrol officer.