PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Just a few words to express my disgust and concern over the alleged assault last night by U.S. Republican candidate Greg Gianforte on journalist Ben Jacobs of The Guardian. In a statement, Gianforte, who has since been charged with a misdemeanor, portrayed himself through a spokesman as the victim, of 'aggressive behaviour of a 'liberal journalist.' The attack, which occurred to the backdrop of President Donald Trump's portrayal of reporters as 'the enemy of the people' was unwarranted and vicious. Jacobs was just doing his important job. My job. The job of every reporter. The assault, and Gianforte's response, should be condemned by anyone who treasures freedom of speech regardless of their political stripe - including Republicans. (Sadly, that's not likely in the USA of today.)
Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
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"New rules the state’s high court adopted Monday will enable inmates sentenced to death to appeal rejections of applications for additional DNA testing of evidence directly to the Ohio Supreme Court — a change prompted by a ruling late last year in a Portage County murder case. Justices ruled in December that Tyrone Noling would be allowed to appeal a trial court’s earlier denial of further testing of evidence from the scene of the murder of an elderly couple more than 25 years ago. The rules change, which will take effect on June 1, outlines the process for inmates sentenced to death to appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court when common pleas courts reject applications for additional DNA testing. Noling, formerly of Alliance, was convicted for the April 1990 murder of the Bernhardt and Cora Hartig, who were found shot to death in the kitchen of their home in Atwater Township. He twice was indicted for the crime and convicted about five years later, based on testimony of several young men who were involved with him in a string of robberies in Alliance, according to documents. Noling has maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings, arguing that there is evidence of other perpetrators. DNA evidence from the scene did not match Noling or the other men involved in the case and did not identify any alternative suspects, according to documents. State investigators also determined that shell casings and ring boxes from the crime scene have been contaminated and are not suitable for DNA testing, according to documents.
