Here are your morning headlines for Wednesday, November 25:
- 98 Ohio COVID-19 deaths Tuesday is second-highest of pandemic
- State's first vaccine batch coming by Dec. 15
- OHSAA says parents can attend high school games
- State extends driver’s license, ID card renewals to July 1
- Tractor Supply Co. to bring more than 300 jobs to Stark County
- Ohio court rules video of judge’s shooting is public record
- More federal aid distributed to Summit, Cuyahoga county nonprofits
- OSU-Akron women’s game off, UA men’s basketball paused
- Manning, Woodson, Matthews are Hall of Fame semifinalists
98 Ohio COVID-19 deaths Tuesday is second-highest of pandemic
Ohio recorded 98 COVID-19 deaths in a 24-hour period on Tuesday, the second-highest number in a single day since the start of the pandemic. There were also more than 350 additional hospitalizations, pushing the number of patients with coronavirus to an all-time high of nearly 4,500. Gov. Mike DeWine says Ohio’s positivity test rate is now 13.5%. Meanwhile, Mahoning County on Tuesday joined Summit, Cuyahoga, Portage and Medina in issuing a temporary stay-at-home advisory to slow the spread.
State's first vaccine batch coming by Dec. 15
Gov. Mike DeWine says the state should be getting its first batch of up to 30,000 doses of a coronavirus vaccine by Dec. 15. DeWine said that's based on calls his office has had with the White House. DeWine says the first batch would come from a Pfizer-produced vaccine, followed by one developed by drug maker Moderna. The governor called that good news even as cases continue to skyrocket. The vaccine will be sent to 10 hospitals around the state and the first people to get it will be health-care workers in direct contact with COVID-19 patients and workers at congregate-care settings such as nursing homes.
OHSAA says parents can attend high school games
The Ohio High School Athletic Association says parents will still be allowed to attend high school sports through the end of year. The guidance came after Gov. Mike DeWine asked schools who are holding winter sports have no fans through Dec. 31 because of the coronavirus surge. The athletic association outlined recommendations that include schools have a roster of parents permitted to attend and offering online streaming of games for others. The association also says the decision to move forward with winter sports is strictly made at the local level.
State extends driver’s license, ID card renewals to July 1
Ohioans whose driver’s licenses, ID cards and vehicle registrations are set to expire are getting more time to renew due to the pandemic. Lawmakers had previously extended the deadline to renew those items to Dec. 1, regardless of when they expired since March. That’s now been extended to July 1, 2021 for licenses, ID cards and registrations that expire through April 1, 2021 in a bill signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine.
Tractor Supply Co. to bring more than 300 jobs to Stark County
Stark County is getting more than 300 jobs through Tractor Supply Company. The State Controlling Board has approved a $1.7 million grant to the village of Navarre to make improvements at the site for a new Tractor Supply distribution center. The rural lifestyle retailer has 10 locations in Ohio.
Ohio court rules video of judge’s shooting is public record
The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that security camera footage of a judge being shot and wounded is a public record. The court’s Tuesday ruling sided with arguments by The Associated Press in seeking access to the video. The video shows a Jefferson County judge being shot as he walked to work in 2017. The judge returned fire and the assailant was shot and killed by a probation officer. The Jefferson County prosecutor argued that releasing the video could endanger court personnel by revealing security details. Justice Michael Donnelly ruled the prosecutor did not explain how the video protected court personnel.
More federal aid distributed to Summit, Cuyahoga county nonprofits
The Summit County COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grant Program has awarded around $5 million in federal CARES Act funding to nearly 200 nonprofit organizations. The money is awarded for basic needs, along with arts and culture-focused funding, and supporting the needs of residents with developmental disabilities. Meanwhile, The Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund is awarding nearly $350,000 in its latest round of funding. Neighborhood Connections is getting nearly half of that money to distribute grants to small nonprofit organizations, faith-based congregations and other civic groups to provide things like healthy food and shelter to those in need.
OSU-Akron women’s game off, UA men’s basketball paused
The coronavirus pandemic is complicating plans to start college basketball. Ohio State has cancelled its season-opening women’s game against Akron scheduled for Wednesday in Columbus, following recent COVID-19 testing among Akron athletes. Also on Tuesday, the University of Akron men's basketball program paused all team activities for the first two weeks of the season, and said the Zips schedule will be a fluid situation. Their next scheduled game is against Kent State on Dec. 19.
Manning, Woodson, Matthews are Hall of Fame semifinalists
Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson, Jared Allen and Calvin Johnson are first-year eligible players to make the list of 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2021. Among those on the list is former linebacker Clay Matthews who played with the Cleveland Browns from 1978 to 1993. This is his third time as a semifinalist. The selection committee will meet during Super Bowl week to select the 2021 class.
