State & regional digest

OHIO

Cedar Fair land sale in Canada to bring $50M

SANDUSKY — Ohio-based amusement-park operator Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. says it has reached a deal to sell a big chunk of land next to its park outside Toronto.

Cedar Fair says it will make about $50 million and use the money to pay down its debt. The park is selling 87 acres next to Canada’s Wonderland to a health- care company.

The owners of Cedar Point in Sandusky and Kings Island near Cincinnati said in March it was trying to sell three of its amusement parks along with the site of a now-closed park near Cleveland.

Cedar Fair took on a huge debt with its $1.24 billion acquisition of Paramount Parks Inc. in 2006.

Democratic state rep to run for Congress

COLUMBUS — A state representative has announced he will challenge U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt in her southwest Ohio district.

State Rep. Todd Book, a Portsmouth Democrat, said Thursday he is running in Ohio’s Second Congressional District.

Schmidt, a conservative Republican from the Cincinnati area, won 44 percent of the vote to secure re-election to the seat in 2008.

Richard Krikorian, who lost to Schmidt as an independent in 2008, is expected to run as a Democrat in the 2010 race.

The seat represents Pike, Adams, Brown and Clermont counties, and portions of Scioto, Warren and Hamilton counties.

pennsylvania

Autopsy set on pilot in helicopter crash

CHALKHILL — An autopsy is set on a Nevada man apparently killed when the helicopter he was piloting crashed in rural southwestern Pennsylvania.

The Fayette County coroner planned an autopsy Thursday on 33-year-old Jonathan Kidd, of Las Vegas, found dead after the crash about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in Wharton Township, about 35 miles south of Pittsburgh.

Authorities say Kidd worked for an Oregon helicopter firm that was providing support for a gas-well-surveying crew from Geokinetics Inc. of Houston, Texas. The Associated Press could not immediately confirm the name of the helicopter company Thursday.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating why the craft crashed shortly after dropping a basket of supplies to the crew.

Rendell hopes for budget by early next week

HARRISBURG — Gov. Ed Rendell said Thursday he hopes state budget negotiators can strike a deal by early next week that will end an impasse now in its fourth week, the last week state workers will be paid until a budget is in place.

Though cautioning “it may not happen,” Rendell said ongoing talks behind the scenes among key legislators and his own emissaries are expected to continue through the weekend. That may yield a compromise in time for prompt consideration by the House-Senate conference committee that leaders are expected to appoint Monday to work on a budget bill both houses can support, he said.

WEST VIRGINIA

Teen camper killed when tree limb lands on tent

MORGANTOWN — A 14-year-old Pennsylvania girl is dead after a tree limb crashed onto her tent at a camp in West Virginia.

The Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department identified the girl Thursday as Leah Blum of Mount Lebanon, Pa.

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh owns the Emma Kaufmann Camp near Morgantown. Spokeswoman Cathy Samuels says no one else was hurt when the limb fell Wednesday night.

Grief counselors were at the camp Thursday and will work with the children as long as they’re needed, but Samuels says no children are planning to leave.

The camp stresses Jewish values for kids 7 to 16 years old, and offers sessions from one- to eight-weeks-long.

Campers come mainly from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Florida and Nevada.

Associated Press