D.C. United interim coach Ben Olsen called Wednesday’s loss to the Columbus Crew in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals “cruel,” but now the struggling squad will try to bounce back in Major League Soccer on Saturday in a rematch against Columbus.

Columbus used an own goal from Marc Burch in the 89th minute to tie the match, and Guillermo Barros Schelotto added the winning penalty in extra time, as the Crew advanced to the Open Cup final to play Seattle Sounders FC.

A condemned inmate had his life spared Thursday when Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland cited “legitimate questions” about evidence used to convict the inmate, even though the governor believes the prisoner committed the crimes.

Strickland questioned some of the eyewitness testimony against Kevin Keith, who was scheduled to die Sept. 15, and says he’s bothered that other possible suspects weren’t fully investigated.

A 41-year-old Columbus man was charged Tuesday afternoon with beating his former girlfriend to death.

Linda Snell, a 38-year-old resident of the Cypress Park Apartments at 300 S. Lehmberg Road, just outside Columbus city limits, was found in her bedroom at about 10 p.m. Monday after sheriff’s deputies broke into the unit.

A Columbus neighborhood is still cleaning up after gang members left their mark. The suspects spray painted graffiti on driveways and cars.

Columbus Police tell News Leader Nine there is no connection between the taggers and those who were tagged, it was a random crime. People who live in the Rowland Ave. neighborhood, off of Milgen Road, say it is disturbing.

A resurgence of bedbugs across the U.S. has homeowners and apartment dwellers taking desperate measures to eradicate the tenacious bloodsuckers, with some relying on dangerous outdoor pesticides and fly-by-night exterminators.

The problem has gotten so bad that the Environmental Protection Agency warned this month against the indoor use of chemicals meant for the outside. The agency also warned of an increase in pest control companies and others making “unrealistic promises of effectiveness or low cost.”

A federal judge says an Ohio death row inmate who underwent a botched execution attempt can argue that a second try would be unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment.

U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Frost in Columbus on Friday denied a motion by the state to dismiss the challenge against another lethal injection attempt on 54-year-old Romell Broom. Broom’s execution last year was stopped by the governor after an execution team tried for two hours to find a suitable vein, hitting bone and muscle with several needle sticks.

A camera mounted to a police helicopter in Ohio fell off mid-flight, striking at least three vehicles in a parking lot.

No one on the ground was hurt when the infrared camera valued at roughly $100,000 came crashing down around noon Wednesday in Columbus. One vehicle was heavily damaged.

The Columbus little league baseball team is a win away from the U.S. Championship game of the Little League World Series. The Columbus boys on Thursday night in South Williamsport, Pa. will face the winner of Wednesday’s Ohio-Hawaii game.

Columbus has won both games it’s played so far in South Williamsport, Pa. Saturday the team beat Hawaii. That was followed by the Columbus win over Hamilton-Ohio 6-0 Tuesday night.

Ohio State football announced on Tuesday that it will pay the University of Colorado $1.4 million to play in Columbus next season.

“This will be a great contest between two outstanding BCS teams that share an excellent football tradition,” said OSU director of athletics Gene Smith. “I know our fans will enjoy this opportunity.”

Rain helped dampen a fire northwest of Columbus that has burned 9,800 acres, or 15 square miles, and forced the evacuation of eight homes.

Columbus Fire Chief Rich Cowger says two people were cutting pipe to work on a well when the fire ignited Saturday. The Stump Gulch fire was burning in grass, sage and timber.