Here are your morning headlines for Monday, September 11:
- Vigil held for police shooting victim;
- Execution date approaches for Otte;
- Columbus school closed after shooting;
- Ohio Supreme Court will hear Toledo abortion clinic case;
- Law enforcement join Browns on field at season opener;
- Ohio National Guard headed to Florida to help with Irma aftermath;
- Put-in-Bay mayor objects to public corruption investigation;
- Chardon school officials have a trial date in wrongful death suit;
- Gas station shootout turns deadly;
- Extra fee at the BMV could fund road and bridge repairs;
- Toxic algae forces closure of Chippewa Lake;
Vigil held for police shooting victim
A candlelight vigil has honored the memory of a Cuyahoga Falls man shot by police near a homeless shelter and drawn attention to the need for mental illness treatment. About 150 friends and family of shooting victim William Porubsky gathered outside Stow City Hall last night. Purubsky was shot and killed by a stow officer following a struggle outside Haven of Rest last week. Friends have said Porubsky had been sent to a psychiatric ward in the past and diagnosed with schizophrenia. The Beacon Journal reports that Porubsky's brother, Dan Porubsky, called the incident a failure of the system. Dan Porubsky says there were many opportunities missed to use resources to prevent the shooting from happening.
Execution date approaches for Otte
Ohio is preparing to put a condemned killer of two people to death this week as the inmate awaits word on last-minute appeals. Death row prisoner Gary Otte was sentenced to die for the 1992 killings of Robert Wasikowski and Sharon Kostura in Parma. The state plans to execute Otte, 45, on Wednesday with a lethal combination of three drugs. A federal court is considering Otte's argument that the first drug in the process creates an unconstitutional risk of severe harm. Ohio put the killer of a 3-year-old girl to death in July, the first execution in more than three years after a delay caused by a drug shortage.
Columbus school closed after shooting
Classes won't be held today at a central Ohio school where a gun was fired last week. Columbus City Schools canceled classes for students at Columbus Scioto 612, a public school for special needs and emotionally disturbed students. Teachers and staff will report to work and that grief counselors will be on hand. Eighteen-year-old Adan Abdullahi was arrested after police say he fired three shots inside the school Friday.
Ohio Supreme Court will hear Toledo abortion clinic case
A dispute over whether to shut down Toledo's last abortion clinic is headed to the Ohio Supreme Court in a case both sides view as pivotal. At issue in Tuesday's oral arguments is the Ohio Department of Health's 2014 order shutting down Capital Care of Toledo for lack of a patient-transfer agreement with a local hospital. Such agreements were mandated, and public hospitals barred from providing them, under restrictions Ohio lawmakers passed in 2013. The change prompted the public University of Toledo Hospital to withdraw from its transfer arrangement with Capital Care. Lower courts have ruled the restrictions unconstitutional and allowed the clinic to continue operating. Attorney General Mike DeWine has appealed. He's asking the court to uphold the state's action and shut the clinic down.
Law enforcement join Browns on field at season opener
In a show of unity, the Browns ran from their tunnel and onto the field before the game accompanied by Cleveland police officers, firefighters, military personnel and emergency workers. After being criticized for kneeling in prayer during the national anthem before an exhibition, several Browns players, who felt their gesture had been misinterpreted, met with owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam to discuss ways to help Cleveland — and the nation — heal during a time of division. As part of better connecting to the community, the Browns asked to be joined by the public servants. They all stood together for the national anthem and were joined on the sideline by the Haslams and Cleveland police chief Calvin Williams.
Ohio National Guard headed to Florida to help with Irma aftermath
As many as 3,500 Ohio National Guard soldiers will be sent to Florida to help the state with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. Maj. General Mark Bartman said the Ohio National Guard members will head there this week and will be available for as many as 30 days. Gov. John Kasich provided verbal approval for the deployment Saturday morning after receiving a request from the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C. Most of the Ohio soldiers will come from the 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team based in Columbus.
Put-in-Bay mayor objects to public corruption investigation
An Ohio village mayor and a businessman say they've done nothing wrong after authorities searched their properties on a popular Lake Erie resort island that officials say are related to a public corruption investigation. The Blade reports Put-in-Bay Mayor Bernard McCann and Jet Express President Todd Blumensaadt released statements Friday that said the investigation is a waste of taxpayer dollars. Jet Express is a passenger ferry service connecting Lake Erie islands to the mainland. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Ohio Ethics Commission conducted searches Thursday on Put-in-Bay's South Bass Island with help from the FBI, Internal Revenue Service and the state Auditor's Office. The searches included the Put-in-Bay Village Hall, Blumensaadt's home, properties owned by McCann and offices of the village's legal counsel.
Chardon school officials have a trial date in wrongful death suit
A February trial date has been set for a wrongful death lawsuit against five school officials stemming from a 2012 Ohio school shooting. The lawsuit was filed two years after a shooting at Chardon High School on Feb. 27, 2012 that killed three students. A judge previously dismissed Chardon Local Schools and the Lake Academy Alternative School in Willoughby from the suit. Negligence claims against individual school employees were also dismissed. The judge allowed the remaining claims against several district and school officials to continue. The trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 26 in Lake County Common Pleas Court. A now-paralyzed student is seeking more than $50,000. The other plaintiffs are seeking more than $100,000.
Gas station shootout turns deadly
Police say a woman was killed and two other people were wounded when an argument at a Cleveland gas station escalated to a shootout. Cleveland police say the 27-year-old woman was apparently involved in the argument early Sunday when her brother arrived at the gas station and intervened. Police say he and a 38-year-old man both drew guns and opened fire. The woman was struck several times, suffering fatal injuries. A 26-year-old man at the gas station was shot in the arm, and a 49-year-old woman sitting a nearby bus stop was hit in the leg. Police say both shooters left before officers arrived but were later arrested.
Extra fee at the BMV could fund road and bridge repairs
Cuyahoga County officials are proposing an extra vehicle registration fee that could go toward fixing up bridges and roads. Ohio’s transportation budget lets counties add on to the standard license fee. Officials say paying an extra 5 dollars at the B-M-V could add 4 to 5 million dollars each year to the county’s public works budget. County Council has scheduled two public hearings in October to discuss the proposal.
Toxic algae forces closure of Chippewa Lake
Park officials have closed Chippewa Lake until further notice. Water samples collected last week showed high toxin levels in the lake that exceeded the public health safety level. It’s the first time the lake has been closed this year due to toxin levels according to the Medina County Park District. Two warnings were previously posted in June and August.
