"Ohio is most contested of all battlegrounds," read the June 19 headline in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Missouri often is cited, along with Ohio and Florida, as a must-win in the presidential election. But the Post-Dispatch dispatched one of its Washington correspondents to Columbus to chronicle the fierce fight for Ohio's 20 electoral votes.

"Ohio is one of about 18 battleground states that election-watchers believe could swing either way," Washington correspondent Bill Lambrecht wrote. "But more roads lead to Ohio this political season than to anywhere else, and for good reason."

"There are bigger caches of electoral votes than Ohio's 20. But other than perhaps Florida, no state by itself seems as likely to tip the balance in the 2004 presidential election."

Next for a visit: The Miami Herald?

Rabbi redux: How do you know you live in a battleground state? When you get invited to the White House twice in six months.

That's what happened to Rabbi Hanan Balk, 45, of Amberley Village. He's the rabbi of Golf Manor Synagogue, the largest orthodox synagogue in Cincinnati.

Balk was summoned with his wife to the White House in December for a Hanukkah reception, and then again in May for the National Day of Prayer. He was one of only seven rabbis from the across the country invited.

"I believe it's because Ohio is a swing state," said Balk, who usually votes Republican. "I'm serious."

Balk, who supports Bush's stands against abortion and gay marriage, also lauded Bush for strong support of Israel. At the White House Hanukkah party, Balk told the president his daughter was studying in Israel.

Bush's response: "People should go to Israel. It's safe in Israel. It's getting safer. I hear it's getting safe in Cincinnati now, too," recalled Balk, who said Bush was referring to improved race relations since the April 2001 riots. "That was cute."

A jolly good fellow: Cincinnati native Randi Burlew, 27, has been named a White House Fellow for 2004-05. She had been with Philliber Research Associates in New York City, where she ran programs that helped youth. The prestigious White House Fellows program, founded in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, gives the 12 participants hands-on experience working in the White House or Cabinet departments.

Jolly good bedfellows: The introduction of a bill Wednesday to help ex-prisoners return to normal life brought together Rep. Rob Portman and Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones - about as unlikely a duo as you'll find sponsoring one bill.

Not only are Portman and Jones the lead Ohio spokespeople for rival presidential campaigns, but each has been mentioned as a running mate. Some Republicans have suggested Portman as a possible replacement for Vice President Dick Cheney, while Jones is the only Ohioan on a list of possible Kerry veeps compiled by the political daily The Hotline.

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E-mail cweiser@gannett.com or call 202-906-8134.