COLUMBUS – With the approach of flu season, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is recommending all Ohioans 6 months and older get a flu shot as soon as possible. The Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging vaccination by the end of October.

COLUMBUS – Brandi and Nick Anderson of Mechanics-burg have been named winners of Ohio Farm Bureau’s Outstanding Young Farmer award. The contest helps young farmers strengthen their business skills, develop marketing opportunities and receive recognition for their accomplishments.

COLUMBUS – Adam and Jess Campbell of Waynesville are winners of Ohio Farm Bureau Federation’s 2018 Excellence in Agriculture Award. The award recognizes successful young agricultural professionals who are actively contributing to and growing through their involvement with Farm Bureau and agriculture.

XENIA, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio sheriff says an inmate escaped from the county jail’s outdoor recreation area with help from other inmates and was captured about a half-hour later. Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer says inmate David Suarez broke straps at the bottom of a fence   surrounding the recreation area on top of the jail in Xenia on Thursday.    …

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s Republican governor on Wednesday helped open the Ohio State Fair by blasting President Donald Trump’s trade battles, which have left some farmers feeling less than festive amid the funnel cakes and butter sculptures. Farmers at the 12-day fair filled with livestock, games, rides and other entertainment said they understand the need for balanced trade but …

MARION — A Mt. Gilead child was killed in a single-vehicle crash on Ohio 95 in Marion County on Tuesday afternoon. Braylen Louderback, age 6, was pronounced deceased at the scene of the crash by the Marion County Coroner’s Office. According to a release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Louderback, who was in the rear-right seat, and the vehicle’s …

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — State officials and amusement industry executives worked to reassure visitors Monday that the 2018 Ohio State Fair will be safe a year after a catastrophic ride failure left an 18-year-old dead and seven others injured. The effort came ahead of Wednesday’s opening day, when thousands of adults and children will begin returning to the fairgrounds where …

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — A county fair in southwest Ohio has seen a huge increase in attendance following a location    move. According to the Montgomery County Agricultural Society, 27,000 people attended the Montgomery County Fair this year at the new fairgrounds in Jefferson  Township. That’s about 13,000 more attendees than last year. The fairgrounds had spent over 160 years in …

CLEVELAND (AP) — A woman and her boyfriend have pleaded guilty in the death of the woman’s 5-year-old developmentally disabled son found buried in a backyard of a Cleveland home. Thirty-four-year-old Larissa Rodriguez was sentenced to 25 years in prison by a judge in Cleveland on Thursday. Thirty-six-year-old Christopher Rodriguez received 28 years for the death of Jordan Rodriguez, whose …

COLUMBUS – Because older adults are the fastest-growing segment of Ohio’s population, the Ohio Department of Aging and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services ask all Ohioans to learn the warning signs of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation and know how to report it if they suspect that an older loved one or neighbor might be a target. …