Ohio turning Warren G. Harding sites over to college

MARION, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio college plans to take over management of the home and tomb of Warren Harding, America’s 29th president.

The Ohio Historical Society will pay Marion Technical College $105,000 per year to run the two sites in Marion, about 40 miles north of Columbus. But the agency anticipates saving about $60,000 annually through the agreement, expected to be signed after a public meeting tonight.

The historical society has been giving local organizations control over sites it oversees, to make sure they stay open despite cuts in state funding.

Marion Technical College Vice President Andy Harper says students will develop audio tours, a Web site and a video on Harding’s Victorian home and his tomb, with its tall columns resembling a Greek temple.