(Posted at 9:17 a.m.) COLUMBUS, Ohio The state unemployment rate was 5.9 percent in October, unchanged from the September rate. The state says the number of workers unemployed in Ohio in October was 352,000, down from 355,000 in September.

The number of unemployed has increased by 25,000 in the past year from 327,000.

The state originally reported an unemployment rate of 5.7 in September and then adjusted the rate.

(Posted at 8:00 a.m.) COLUMBUS - At first blush, this is not major bling. It is a tiny gold charm, one that would be dwarfed in the jeweler's case by some of the gargantuan gilded globules we see hanging around the necks of rappers, or those sundial-sized hood ornaments they wear as accessories in hip-hop videos.

(Posted at 7:55 a.m.) ANN ARBOR - The roar of whispers is growing to a crescendo. Speculation on Michigan coach Lloyd Carr's impending retirement has circulated this campus for years. After the 2004 season, Michigan was forced to call a press conference, in which Carr tersely said, "I'll make this short. I'm not sick and I'm not retiring."

First Published November 16, 2007, 11:14 p.m.