An Ohio school was asked by the American Civil Liberties Union to put an end to punishing a student refusing to stand and receive the Pledge of Allegiance. Roxanne Westover, 17, says that she is an atheist and considers the pledge to be more religious than patriotic.

Because Westover refused to participate in the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance, she says she was sent to the principal's office at Hubbard High School several times.

On Tuesday, the ACLU wrote to school district officials arguing that students have right not to say the pledge as a matter of free speech.

Superintendent Richard Buchenic says that he told the ACLU that the matter has been "dealt with."

Carrie Davis, ACLU of Ohio staff counsel, says that Hubbard High School intends to follow a district policy that states students are not required to recite the pledge.

The Akron Zips soccer team were rewarded for their 20-0 season today with the top seed in the NCAA Soccer Tournament. The Zips will play the winner of Steson and South Florida in the 48 team field. The Zips will have home field advantage and the game will be held on Sunday at 4 p.m. at Lee Jackson Field.

"We're very excited; this is what we've worked hard for all year long," said UA head coach Caleb Porter. "Our vision when we started this journey three months ago was to win the national championship. In order to do that, you have to put yourself in the best position possible going into the NCAA Tournament.

"Our players dug deep all year. They learned lessons and got battled-tested but they also got results. And by getting results, you put yourself in the best position possible with the seeding. With the No. 1 seed, we've paved our way the best we possibly could. Now the fun starts."

The Buckeye State and the Big Ten will be represented by Ohio State (4th seed). No other MAC school was awarded a bid into the tourney but the Big Ten will have Indiana, Michigan State, and Penn State all in the hunt for a national title.

The 2009 College Cup will be held at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., on December 11th and 13th and will feature the semifinal and championship rounds.

Ohio State University President Dr. E. Gordon Gee picked up a nice honor from Time Magazine today who named him the best college president in the nation and ran a lengthy piece on him. The entire piece can be read by clicking to Time Magazine's Website.

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland was quick to congratulate Gee releasing a press release that read:

“I am so proud that Dr. Gee received this significant distinction for his incredible leadership and the national prominence he brings to the university and our state,” Strickland said. “Dr. Gee understands that for Ohio to succeed we must have the most educated, innovative workforce in the country, and that institutions of higher education and the business community partnering together are an important part of our plan to create jobs and lasting economic growth.”

Favorite Spread o/u Underdog

DIVISION I
Ignatius 4 35 Glenville
Solon 3 ½ 35 Mayfield
Canton McKinley 1 ½ 44 GlenOak
Massillon 6 ½ 38 Twinsburg
Hilliard Davidson 11 34 Pickerington Central
Dublin Coffman 6 40 Westerville South
Middletown 7 ½ 54 Cin. Anderson
Cin. St. Xavier 3 33 Cin. Elder

DIVISION II
Ashland 5½ 45 Warren Howland
Lake Catholic 9 37 Canfield
Tol. St. Francis Pick 43 Avon Lake
Tol. Central Catholic Pick 53 Maple Hts.
Logan 14½ Col. Brookhaven
Marion-Franklin 11 Olentangy Orange
Cin. Winton Woods 21 NC Tecumseh
Cin. Turpin 1 39 Trotwood-Madison

DIVISION III
Poland Seminary 4 32 Akron Hoban
Youngstown Mooney 25½ Hubbard
Col. Watterson 18 Napoleon
Col. DeSales 22 ½ Tipp City Tippecanoe

You would think that being one of the highest ranking members in the House of Representatives would ensure you of knowing all the documents of America's founding fathers backwards and forwards. Wrong!

John Boehner, the Republican from Ohio serving as Minority Leader of the House, went on a rant at a recent "Tea Party Rally" and stuck his foot in his mouth in a big way. Boehner stated he would read a passage from the Constitution and declared:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!"

Problem is, that passage is from the Declaration of Independence and not the Constitution. And on a partisan note, I think the pursuit of happiness would be a lot easier to achieve if we had universal health care.

According to a report issued Thursday by the Columbus Chamber, the Columbus Blue Jackets could leave central Ohio if the team can't turn around its economic prospects. Currently, the Blue Jackets are operating under an economic model that is causing losses of $12 million per year. A deal to keep the hockey team in Columbus and the area around the arena afloat will likely include asking for public dollars, and is likely to happen soon.

The team and the district around the arena generated $30 million in taxes last year. A loss of that magnitude would be devastating to the city.

Ty D. Marsh, chamber president and CEO says explains that there is a sense of urgency, and that they are "looking for a solution or progress by the end of the year." Already into November, that gives the team less than two months to come up with some kind of workable solution.

Marsh says that the goal would be a financial package that would help the team be rid of some significant costs. Included in that could be $4 million in operational losses and $5 million in arena rent per year.

The following lines on every high school playoff game in Ohio this weekend are for information and conversational purposes only. Any other use of this information is strictly prohibited.

Favorites on the left. The number in the middle. The over and under for selected games on the right. Enjoy the information. Next week Bernie will release his odds to win championships.

Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert celebrated two victories today. One was the win by his team the other was a lot greater. Gilbert will now be the owner of two casinos in the Buckeye State, one of them right here in the City of Cleveland.

Gilbert and Mayor Frank Jackson shared the stage today at the victory party of Issue 3. Gilbert told the assembled supporters on the fourth floor of Quicken Loans Arena:

"We're going to deliver something very special."

Jackson, who won a huge re-election victory tonight, told the crowd:

"This is not a panacea, but it's a significant tool for the city of Cleveland. It's one more tool we can use to further the goals and vision of Cleveland."

Here is the audio of the full statements by both the owner of the Cavaliers and the Mayor of Cleveland:

Ohioans will have 4 cities to choose from in the near future if they feel like going to a casino. Buckeye State voters have ended a 20 year string of losses to expand gambling in the state in a hard fought battle. Proponents say that by passing Issue 3 more than 34,000 jobs will be created in Ohio. Issue 3 has gained 53% of the vote to 47% with about 90% vote counted.

The passage of the gambling issue was a long time coming for people who wanted to see casinos in the state for two decades. Each time that a ballot measure would be brought to the electorate, it would fail miserably. What changed? The latest casino plan puts 4 gambling locations in the biggest cities which likely gained support in those urban areas. Another factor is that the economy is so poor in the Buckeye State that many felt that we needed this catalyst to get us out of the doldrums that we have been in. Lastly, each state we border currently has expanded gambling and people were fed up with those dollars leaving the state.

2 statewide ballot issues in Ohio are decided. Both Issue 1 and Issue 2 are headed for passage by the Buckeye State electorate. The big issue on the ballot of course was Issue 3 which would bring casinos to Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinatti, and Toledo. That issue is too close to call at this time but is ahead by 6% with 73% of the vote in.

With Issue 1 passing, the constitutional amendment will allow the state to borrow about $200 million that would be repaid over 15 years in order to pay one-time bonuses to veterans who served in the Middle East in our wars in Iraq and Afganastan.

Issue 2 will Issue set up a Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board. The board would have far-reaching powers to set standards for livestock and poultry care, food safety, supply and availability, disease prevention, farm management, and animal well-being.