Two pieces of news from Toledo have some gun owners wondering if fairer weather could be on the horizon.

First, the Toledo Blade is reporting that Toledo City Council elected Republican Rob Ludeman was elected city council president.

From the story:

Mr. Ludeman, who voted for himself, also received the support of two of council’s seven Democrats along with the other three Republicans to win.

A motion after his election from his main rival, Democrat Wilma Brown, made his selection unanimous.

Mr. Ludeman, 52, who has represented District 2 of South Toledo since 1994, promised to be an even-handed council president.

Ludeman earned Buckeye Firearms Association's endorsement as a candidate for mayor last year, and as the Blade story goes on to indicate, his election marks the end of an era for liberals on Toledo City Council.

Again, from the story:

Mr. Ludeman’s election spells the end of the Democratic A-team’s dominance of council. The faction, which backed Mr. Ford, was reduced from eight to five seats in the Nov. 8 election.

Democrats Bob McCloskey and Mark Sobczak — the only two Democrats on council endorsed by the Lucas County Democratic Party — repeatedly voted against fellow Democrat Wilma Brown to be president, instead joining Republicans Joe Birmingham, George Sarantou, and Betty Shultz on the fourth and final ballot to put Mr. Ludeman over the top.

Tuscarawas County leads the state in number of deer harvested

Hunters took 23,056 deer during Ohio’s four-day muzzleloader season, December 27-30, with Tuscarawas County again leading the state with 930 deer checked, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Last year, a preliminary total of 27,749 deer was taken during muzzleloader season.

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During the last two decades, Ohio's muzzleloader season has consistently grown in popularity. Twenty years ago, the statewide muzzleloader season accounted for 5 percent of the total deer kill, and today it constitutes 12 percent of the total annual deer harvest.

Counties reporting the highest number of deer checked during the muzzleloader season included: Tuscarawas - 930; Washington - 836; Jefferson - 775; Coshocton - 715; Harrison - 714; Meigs - 709; Holmes - 700; Licking - 696; Athens - 693; and Guernsey - 680.

Hunters have killed a preliminary total of 190,718 deer across the state since Ohio's deer hunting seasons opened on October 1. Archery hunters took 41,859 deer during the first six weeks of the statewide archery season, which continues through January 31. In its third year, the youth season resulted in the bagging of 8,722 deer. Hunters checked 116,855 deer during the statewide deer-gun season. Another 226 deer were taken during the early muzzleloader deer season on three specific hunting areas.

Click here for a list of muzzleloader season results by county.