Here are your morning headlines for Monday, October 12:
- Ohio nearing 170,000 COVID-19 cases, 5,000 deaths
- YSU faculty votes to strike
- Some Northeast Ohio schools seeing uptick in COVID-19 cases
- New BWU poll shows Ohio is a tossup
- Indoor nursing home visitations can begin today
- More bars and restaurants cited for violating state COVID-19 orders
- Some ballots reported incorrect may be right
- Biden, Pence to visit Ohio Monday
- Mayfield throws 2 TDs, Browns hold off Colts to move to 4-1
Ohio nearing 170,000 COVID-19 cases, 5,000 deaths
Ohio is closing in on 170,000 total coronavirus cases and 5,000 deaths. The state reported around 1,300 cases each Saturday and Sunday, following Friday’s all-time high of more than 1,800. The average coronavirus positivity rate for Ohioans over the past seven days was 3.7% as of Friday.
YSU faculty votes to strike
Youngstown State University faculty members are set to strike this morning. Cleveland.com reports a majority of the 337 union members voted Sunday to authorize a strike after talks on a new three-year deal stalled. The school says it can’t afford the raises the union wants because of a projected roughly $4 million budget deficit amid the pandemic. But the union believes the university has a $7.3 million surplus. Union representatives will meet with school administrators this afternoon to try to come to a deal before students return from fall break on Wednesday.
Some Northeast Ohio schools seeing uptick in COVID-19 cases
Some K-12 schools in the region are seeing an uptick of COVID-19 cases, resulting in quarantines. WKYC reports Mayfield city schools has 260 students and staff in quarantine, as several positive cases have been confirmed at the middle and high schools. Over the weekend, the Willoughby-Eastlake district announced all buildings will be closed and students will shift to remote learning beginning today following several cases.
New BWU poll shows Ohio is a tossup
The presidential election in Ohio is a tossup, according to the latest poll from Baldwin Wallace University. The Great Lakes poll shows President Donald Trump with a lead of less than 2 percentage points over Democrat Joe Biden. Biden led by larger margins, from about 5 to 7 percentage points in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. The poll surveyed more than 4,000 self-identified likely voters from Sept. 30 to Oct. 8.
Indoor nursing home visitations can begin today
Ohio nursing homes can offer indoor visitation beginning today. Facilities have been closed to the public since March, and some have offered outdoor visits. The state’s order says only two people can visit one resident in a nursing home for 30 minutes in a designated visitation area. The facility has to be adequately staffed with testing available for residents and workers, and there must be enough PPE for the staff and visitors. Nursing homes must also maintain a daily log of anyone who enters the building and regularly report to the states' coronavirus website about visitation hours.
More bars and restaurants cited for violating state COVID-19 orders
More bars and restaurants received COVID-19 health order violations over the weekend. In Kent, state officials say about 100 157 Lounge patrons were dancing and congregating with no social distancing. In Maple Heights, Vivid Cocktail Lounge received its third citation for a lack of social distancing measures. Two Lakewood bars also received violations, Game On and Avenue Tap House, and C Jay’s Bar and Grill in Massillon. The cases will go before the Ohio Liquor Control Commission for possible penalties.
Some ballots reported incorrect may be right
Officials say some of the nearly 50,000 absentee ballots reported last week to be incorrect may have been correct after all, but replacement ballots will be sent to all of the affected voters in Franklin County. Officials say that the vendor supporting the board initially reported an analysis indicating that 49,669 incorrect ballots were mailed. But officials said a revised analysis by the vendor “determined that some of the 49,669 ballots may have in fact been correct.” But replacement ballots are being sent to each voter affected.
Biden, Pence to visit Ohio Monday
Joe Biden is set to visit Ohio today. The visit signals the former vice president's hopes of winning the state after Democrats lost by a significant margin in the 2016 election. He’ll stop in Toledo and Cincinnati, a week after boosting advertising dollars into Ohio's rural and Appalachian areas. With the president sidelined by COVID-19, Vice President Mike Pence plans a “Make America Great Again” rally in Columbus today. Trump won Ohio by 8 percentage points in 2016, but recent surveys show a tight race this year.
Mayfield throws 2 TDs, Browns hold off Colts to move to 4-1
Baker Mayfield passed for a season-high 247 yards and two touchdowns against the NFL’s No. 1 defense, Myles Garrett forced a crucial safety in the fourth quarter and the Cleveland Browns beat the Indianapolis Colts 32-23 to improve to 4-1 for the first time since 1994. Mayfield made sure the Browns (4-1) kept the momentum going in their first game without Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb, who sprained his knee last week. Mayfield, though, appeared to hurt his right hand in the fourth quarter. Colts QB Philip Rivers was intercepted twice.
