GOV. CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY--Ohio Gov. George Voinovich blows out a candle on one of two birthday cakes presented to him by his staff in honor of his sixty-first birthday, at the Riffe Center, in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, July 15, 1997.

WANTS MORE BRAIN POWER--State Sen. Eugene Watts, R-Galloway, gestures as he testifies before the House Education Committee concerning raising the performance standards for students and teachers, at the Ohio Statehouse, in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, July 15, 1997.

CHECKING WITH THE LEADER--State Sen. Judy Sheerer, D-Shaker Hgts., confers with Senate Minority Leader Ben Espy, D-Columbus, during a meeting of the Senate Finance Committee, at the Ohio Statehouse, in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, July 15, 1997.