State funeral board mired in accusations of harassment, altered record

The executive director of the Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors is under fire from a board member who accuses her of altering a public record and practicing law without a license, prompting her and board officers to counter with charges of harassment. Columbus lawyer Tommy Taneff, appointed to the funeral board in December by Gov. John Kasich, accuses executive director Vanessa Niekamp of retroactively altering an email she sent to a Dispatch reporter.