Ohio Beats New York to China

The Ohio State Controlling Board approved on Monday a $200,000-a-year, four-member trade office for the Buckeye state in Shanghai, according to a spokeswoman for that state's Department of Development. (The office will be jointly funded by the Ohio Soybean Council, which has a keen interest in selling soybean products overseas.)

That beats New York, whose outgoing Governor flirted briefly with setting up an office over there himself but failed to win funding in his final year's budget.

- Matthew Schuerman