Toledo (Ohio, US), Oct. 17 : Joe Wurzelbacher, the plumber in Toledo, Ohio, who hit the headlines in America this week after stopping Senator Barack Obama to complain about taxes, has suddenly found himself facing celebrity-level scrutiny.

It now turns out that Joe is not a licensed plumber.

Thomas Joseph, the business manager of Local 50 of the United Association of Plumbers, Steamfitters and Service Mechanics, based in Toledo, said Thursday that Mr. Wurzelbacher had never held a plumber''s license, which is required in Toledo and several surrounding municipalities.

According to the New York Times, he also never completed an apprenticeship and does not belong to the plumber''s union, which has endorsed Obama.

Columbus (Ohio, US), Oct. 6 : Republican presidential candidate John McCain is unlikely to win his bid for the White House if loses the 20 electoral votes from Ohio state.

According to the latest Columbus Dispatch poll, the Arizona senator now trails by seven percentage points in Ohio.

The survey is a result of more than 2,200 likely voters conducted over a period that included the first presidential and vice-presidential debates and Capitol Hill''s response to the financial crisis.

But Karl Rove, a former political strategist for President Bush who twice pulled off victories in Ohio, told The Washington Times: "It is not slipping away: Watch the polls in the Buckeye State over the next couple of weeks."

Vienna (Ohio, US), Sept. 19  A New York Times report has claimed that Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s sense of humor, candor and observations has taken a backseat as the campaign enters its last lap.

According to the paper, there was a time when McCain never worked to a predetermined script. But now with pressure building up on him and on Democratic rival Barack Obama to see which of two will be successful in wresting the White House, McCain is a “candidate transformed.”

Cleveland (Ohio). Sept. 18: Alaska Governor and Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin has claimed that the country’s voters are coping with a “do-nothing Senate” when it comes to energy.

Answering questions during her second interview with FOX News in Cleveland, Ohio, Palin said she would spearhead efforts to achieve energy independence if McCain is elected in November.