Last Top Stories: New rules troubling advocates

• New rules troubling advocates

  

  The state says it is making changes to its Medicaid program specifically for low-income people with disabilities to simplify the process and make more Ohioans qualify for health coverage.But advocates say thousands of needy residents will be left without a safety net — when the state no longer allows older adults and people with disabilities to “spend down” their excess income so they can qualify for Medicaid.“Everybody is for expanding health-care efficiency and lowering unnecessary spendi..

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• Zoo staff takes up care for bear cub

  

  Care and feeding of Columbus’ baby polar bear are now in the hands of staff members at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium because Aurora, the mother of the week-old cub, began ignoring it on Thursday.Aurora first began “taking breaks” late in the morning, said Doug Warmolts, director of animal care for the zoo. When the breaks continued and started to get longer, zookeepers decided to remove the cub, believed to be female.The cub’s body temperature had dropped, but by Friday afternoon, time in a..

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• Top Republican presidential rivals stake out territory on issue

  

  ORLANDO, Fla. — In the hours before the deadly Paris terrorist attack, the leading Republican presidential candidates beat up each other over an issue that suddenly took on increased urgency. Who should we let into our country?After simmering for months in the GOP campaign, the controversy over immigration boiled over into a contest of I’m-tougher-than-you-are among top Oval Office aspirants attending the Sunshine Summit, sponsored by the Florida Republican Party at a 230-acre resort with a..

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• Former city police officer admits she embezzled from VA

  A former Columbus police officer pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday to a theft charge for embezzling $89,646 from the Department of Veterans Affairs, federal prosecutors said.Rita Green, 55, of Gahanna, faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine after she was convicted of theft of public money.Green stole Veterans Affairs benefits “to which she knew she was not entitled” after her mother died in December 2009, the court said.Green’s mother, Hildegard McCurdy, was the survivin..

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• American College Student Killed In Paris Attacks

  

  CBS NEWS - An American college student studying in Paris was one of the victims killed in the terror attacks that struck the French capital, the college announced.California State University Long Beach identified the American as one of its students, Nohemi Gonzalez, 23.The school said in a statement that Gonzalez, of El Monte, California, was a junior studying design.Earlier, a State Department spokesman confirmed that Americans were among the injured in the attacks.The department's dep..

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• Advocates in Ohio awaiting decision

  The two sides of the abortion debate differ on how a ruling in the Texas case taken up by the Supreme Court on Friday could impact Ohio’s regulations.The key for Ohio will be how broadly the court rules, said Kellie Copeland, executive director for NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio. Half of abortion clinics in Ohio already have shut down.Ohio does not require that abortion doctors have admitting privileges at hospitals, but it does require clinics to have transfer agreements with local hospitals and pr..

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• Sports | The Mailbox: Fans remain at odds on Barrett's suspension

  

  You know what everyone’s still talking about, right? Yep, the guy who says he’s the quarterback at Ohio State.Ray: I am a native New Englander who has been in central Ohio for four years. So it is with apathy and growing disdain that I watch this infatuation with Ohio State football. But the apologists for J.T. Barrett (Mailbox, last Sunday) were just too much.This kid broke a big-boy law. But look the other way because he didn’t rob, steal, murder or cheat. Irony much? He only broke a law ..

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• Malls try to shorten long lines for Santa

  

  Parents who shudder at the prospect of waiting in long lines to visit Santa with their children now have several options at central Ohio shopping malls.In 2014, the Mall at Tuttle Crossing debuted an online-reservation system for its Santa visitors. This year, Easton Town Center and the Polaris Fashion Place also have adopted technology to help streamline what can be a stressful experience.“We want our customers to enjoy all the things we have at the holidays and not spend the bulk of their..

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• Gas prices in Ohio drop below $2 per gallon

  

  Gasoline prices have dropped below $2 per gallon across the Columbus area, and they are continuing to fall as the market responds to a flood of oil supply and flat demand.“We are looking at the greatest glut in our lifetime,” said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis for Oil Price Information Service.The central Ohio average price for regular unleaded was $2.09 on Friday, down 3 cents from the day before and down 17 cents from the week before, according to AAA. The national average was..

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• Lucky pair get bottles of rare bourbon

  

  Two people have the privilege to buy special bottles of bourbon after their names were recently plucked from a field of hundreds in a brown paper bag at Weiland’s Market.Every November, distillers release their latest crop of whiskey. Some of the hardest to get, especially in Ohio, where the state controls the liquor supply, is Pappy Van Winkle, made by Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Ky.Weiland’s Market received only two bottles this year.“This year, we got an insanely small amount,..

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