Governor Appoints Successor To Hale

Ohio Governor John Kasich has appointed Franklin County Assistant Prosecutor Daniel Hawkins as the county's Environmental Court judge. Hawkins takes over Monday for Judge Harland Hale, who retired less than a month after the Ohio Supreme Court's disciplinary counsel accused him of fixing a ticket for the attorney representing him in a sexual harassment lawsuit. The 37-year-old Republican must run in the November election to complete Hale's term, which expires in January 2016.