Here are your headlines for Tuesday, September 5:
- Browns kneeling during national anthem prompts reaction from law enforcement;
- Investigation finds crime victims forced to use drugs are rejected by compensation fund;
- Amazon gets tax credit for new fulfillment center in Cuyahoga County;
- Summit County investigates death of 36-year-old Anthony Jones;
- Clark County officials decline state prison grant, citing possible overcrowding;
- Deputy shoots Dayton-area photojournalist, mistaking camera for gun;
- Investigation into fatal shooting in back of police cruiser is ongoing;
- Cordray touts his agency's accomplishments at Labor Day picnic;
- Former leader of Ohio Democratic Party dies;
Browns kneeling during national anthem prompts reaction from law enforcement
Mahoning County law enforcement are the latest group reacting to Cleveland Browns players kneeling during the national anthem. Fox 8 reports Sheriff Jerry Greene will no longer allow his roughly 20 deputies to provide security for Browns games. Just last week, Cleveland police and EMS unions refused to join in holding a large American flag on the field. The Browns have said they respect the National Anthem, flag and servicemen, as well as “the freedom of personal expression.”
Investigation finds crime victims forced to use drugs are rejected by compensation fund
An Ohio program designed to help compensate victims of crime has strict rules that cause thousands of applicants to be rejected each year. A Dayton Daily News investigation has found the Ohio Victims Compensation Fund program, administered by the state attorney general's office, has been paying out less each year going back a decade even as the number of claims spiked. In one case, a 17-year-old who was allegedly abducted and assaulted was denied compensation because narcotics were found in her system. Her family contends she was force-fed drugs by her captors. Program rules automatically disqualify anyone with drugs in their system. Matthew Kanai, chief of the state attorney general's crime victim's service's division, says his office has little discretion in awarding assistance based on the rules.
Amazon gets tax credit for new fulfillment center in Cuyahoga County
An Ohio board has approved an estimated $7.8 million tax credit for Amazon as the e-commerce giant plans a new fulfillment center outside of Cleveland that could employ 2,000 people. The Ohio Tax Credit Authority signed off on a 10-year tax credit to go toward an 855,000-square foot building in North Randall, where workers will pack and ship Amazon products. The building is set to open in 2018. State officials say the authority also approved a 1.39 percent, 10-year tax credit for a smaller Amazon project in Monroe in southwest Ohio.
Summit County investigates death of 36-year-old Anthony Jones
An investigation is underway after a Summit County jail inmate died following an altercation with sheriff's deputies. The County Medical Examiner says 36-year-old inmate Anthony Jones died Saturday night. He was hospitalized after the Friday morning incident in a secure part of the county jail. Summit County Sheriff's Office Spokesman Bill Holland tells the Beacon Journal two deputies sustained minor injuries. The paper says Jones was arrested Aug. 7 in Akron on eight charges, six of which involved the illegal handling of weapons or firearms. Jones was accused of firing a gun into two Akron homes.
Clark County officials decline state prison grant, citing possible overcrowding
County officials in central Ohio say they won't accept a nearly $1 million grant from the state prison department because they fear the requirements could cause jail overcrowding. Clark County officials say the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction grant would require the county to house people sentenced to low-level, fifth-degree felonies in local jails instead of sending them to state prisons. It costs the state about $26,000 a year to house felons. Clark County commissioners and the sheriff's office initially accepted the grant but then declined saying it could lead to a nearly 25 percent increase in the county's jail population.
Deputy shoots Dayton-area photojournalist, mistaking camera for gun
A small Ohio news organization near Dayton says one of its employees has been shot by a sheriff's deputy who they say apparently mistook his camera for a weapon. The New Carlisle News reports photographer Andy Grimm had left the office last night to take pictures of lightning when he decided to take pictures of a Clark County sheriff's deputy he saw performing a traffic stop. He says he was setting up his tripod and camera when he was shot in the side. He's expected to be OK. The case has been turned over to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Investigation into fatal shooting in back of police cruiser is ongoing
An investigation continues following the fatal shooting of a man after he was transported by a police officer to an Akron homeless shelter. Police records show the man had refused to get out of the Stow officer's cruiser when they got to the Haven of Rest shelter near downtown. A radio log released by the Stow Police Department indicates the officer asked that Akron police be called after the officer arrived at the rear door of the shelter late Sunday. The log says two shots were fired and the officer with the man was slightly hurt and lost his glasses. Authorities have not yet named the man or the officer.
Cordray touts his agency's accomplishments at Labor Day picnic
Richard Cordray promoted the work of his federal agency without discussing a possible run for governor. Cordray heads the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a target of Republicans who say it hinders business growth. Some Republicans contend political ambitions are influencing Cordray's work. The former Ohio treasurer and attorney general highlighted Monday's AFL-CIO picnic at Coney Island near Cincinnati. He wouldn't answer questions about a run for governor. Cordray said the consumer protection agency has helped gain $12 billion in consumer relief, aiding people with mortgage, predatory lending and credit card issues. So far, four Republicans and four Democrats have entered the 2018 race to succeed Republican Gov. John Kasich.
Former leader of Ohio Democratic Party dies
A powerful Youngstown Democrat who began his decades-long political career organizing for candidate John F. Kennedy in 1960 has died. Former state senator and state party chairman Harry Meshel was 93. Ohio Democratic Chairman David Pepper says Meshel died Monday after a long illness. A graduate of Youngstown College and Columbia University who had served in World War II, Meshel ran unsuccessfully for local office before first landing a seat in the Ohio Senate in 1970. He served in the chamber for 22 years, working his way through the leadership ranks to serve as Senate minority leader and president. Meshel resigned in 1993 to lead the Ohio Democratic Party for two years.
