Non-Profit Agency Embraces Entrepreneurs
Starting a business can be an uphill challenge, especially in the current economy. But a non-profit agency in Hamilton has helped nearly 40 startups since its creation.

ACS Helping Ohio Smokers Quit
The American Cancer Society held its 33rd annual Great American Smoke Out to help smokers quit the habit that kills 438,000 people a year.

Provisional Ballots In US House Race Will Count
A federal judge in Columbus ruled Thursday that disputed provisional ballots must be counted in a tight central Ohio congressional race.

"Joe The Plumber" Investigation Released
A state Inspector General report says a number of the background checks completed on "Joe the Plumber" were improper. (AP Image)

Report: Records search on Joe the Plumber improper
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- An agency director improperly used state computers to find personal information on "Joe the Plumber," a government watchdog said in a report released Thursday....

3 US airports open new runways amid economic woes
CHICAGO (AP) -- Planes began taking off from new multimillion-dollar runways at three U.S. airports on Thursday with aviation officials heralding the increased capacity as crucial to reducing delays, even in the face of a slumping economy and a projected decline in domestic flights this winter....

Witness recalls last messages in MySpace hoax case
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Upon hearing about the suicide of a 13-year-old neighbor, a Missouri woman ordered her business assistant and daughter to delete the Internet account they are accused of using to harass the girl, the assistant testified Thursday....

NY hate crime suspect now charged with murder
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) -- The killing of an Ecuadorean immigrant by seven high school students was part of a spree in which the teenagers tormented other immigrants while armed with knives and BB guns, prosecutors said....

Blast at cleric's funeral kills 6 in Pakistan
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) -- Police say a blast at the funeral of a Shiite Muslim cleric has killed at least six people in northwestern Pakistan....

Chinese official corrects figure on quake deaths
BEIJING (AP) -- A Chinese official says 19,065 of the people who died in May's massive earthquake in Sichuan province have been identified....

Children dying in Haiti, victims of food crisis
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) -- The 5-year-old teetered on broomstick legs - he weighed less than 20 pounds, even after days of drinking enriched milk. Nearby, a 4-year-old girl hung from a strap attached to a scale, her wide eyes lifeless, her emaciated arms dangling weakly....

World struggles to take on plague of Somali piracy
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- The U.N., African Union and Arab nations struggled to respond Thursday to a surge of pirate attacks, authorizing sanctions and calling for international peacekeepers to address the chaos in Somalia that has spawned an upsurge in sea banditry....

AP Top-Sports Headlines At 2:30 a.m. EDT

Steelers defense controls Bengals in 27-10 win
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers know exactly how to beat the Cincinnati Bengals - with or without Chad Ocho Cinco....

Even with Iverson, Celtics blow away Pistons 98-80
BOSTON (AP) -- The Allen Iverson trade looked good for the Pistons when they handed the Lakers their first loss of the season and snapped Cleveland's eight-game winning streak....

DeShawn Sims scores 18, Michigan upsets No. 4 UCLA
NEW YORK (AP) -- Showing poise down the stretch and playing stellar defense, Michigan pulled off its first win over a top-five team in 11 years....

Phillies Utley (hip), Feliz (back) to have surgery
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Three-time All-Star Chase Utley, who anchored the middle of the lineup for the World Series champion Phillies, will have surgery and may not be ready for the start of the 2009 regular season....