Ohio: Ted Strickland

Daniel Wilson let Lutz out briefly before he ordered her back in the trunk, set the gas tank on fire and left her to die.

It was the second time Wilson walked away from someone who would die as a result of his actions.

Wilson, now 39, faces execution Wednesday for Lutz' 1991 death in Elyria, west of Cleveland.

Wilson has asked Gov. Ted Strickland for mercy, although the Ohio Parole Board has recommended that Strickland not grant clemency.

The Ohio Supreme Court on Friday rejected Wilson's latest request to delay his execution.

Events leading to Lutz's death began May 3, 1991, when she went with an old boyfriend and Wilson, whom she had recently met, to the Empire Tavern in Elyria.

The state is one of 36 that have no guidelines on their recovery-tracking Web sites for reporting abuse, according to the Project on Government Oversight, an independent nonprofit group in Washington, D.C., that investigates government corruption.

Ohio Inspector General Thomas P. Charles investigates fraud and waste in state government, and his Web site does include complaint forms and instructions for filing them.

But there is no link between his site and the state's recovery site. And his site gives no specifics on making complaints about stimulus funding.

Ohioans shouldn't have to hunt for the information, said Marthena Cowart, spokeswoman for the Project on Government Oversight.

"Citizens of Ohio who wish to provide information concerning possible wrongdoing with the distribution or execution of contracts using stimulus funds would never find where to report it judging by the current state Web site," she said.

Taylor made her announcement at the Statehouse a week after informing the Ohio Republican Party central committee that she would not run for the U.S. Senate against former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman of Cincinnati in next May's GOP primary election.

"I want to continue the progress we've made helping to provide Ohio taxpayers with a more accountable and affordable government," Taylor said at a press conference.

Taylor said she "seriously considered" a Senate bid and denied receiving any pressure from the state GOP to run for re-election. Her decision, she said, was based on "where do I fit in to be of the best service" to Ohioans.

The auditor is one of five members of the State Apportionment Board, which will reconfigure Ohio's 99 House and 33 Senate districts for the next decade after the 2010 census.

As lawmakers appeared to soften their position on gambling, hundreds of horse enthusiasts rallied at the Statehouse this morning for a plan that would allow slot machines at the state's seven racetracks.

Without slot machines, most of the racetracks likely will go out of business in the next few years, eliminating many of Ohio's 16,000 jobs that depend on horse racing, leaders of the state's equine industry said.

They urged supporters to write to lawmakers in favor of a proposal to allow 14,000 slot machines at the racetracks. The issue would require only approval from the General Assembly, not voters.

"This is not about gambling," said state Rep. Terry Blair, R-Washington Township.