Here are your morning headlines for Wednesday, December 16:
- More than 400,000 vaccine doses to arrive by Christmas
- COVID-19 hospitalizations hit another high
- The LeBron James Family Foundation expands its Akron footprint by buying the Tangier
- Cleveland caps percentage food delivery apps can charge local restaurants
- Nina Turner makes bid for 11th Congressional District seat official
- Akron, Summit County bars, restaurants encouraged to apply for $2,500
- Akron Children's expanding to Lorain County
- Cavs plan new banner for Sherwin-Williams building
More than 400,000 vaccine doses to arrive by Christmas
Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday provided more details about COVID-19 vaccines on the way. DeWine says that by Christmas over 400,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine will have been delivered to the state and by New Year, Ohio will have received over a half million. Local health departments are slated to start distributing vaccines next week. Guidance from the state says priority should be given to staff and residents in congregate care facilities, including nursing homes and facilities for those with developmental disabilities, mental health disorders and substance abuse disorders. On Tuesday, Canton's Aultman Hospital received a shipment of 975 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Aultman was one of 10 hospitals in the state to receive initial doses of the vaccine.
COVID-19 hospitalizations hit another high
COVID-19 hospitalizations hit another record high on Tuesday. There are currently just under 5,300 patients who are hospitalized, and more than 1,300 of those patients are in the ICU. Those are the highest numbers since the last record was set on Dec. 1. Also on Tuesday, Democratic state Reps. John Patterson of Ashtabula County and John Rogers of Mentor-on-the-Lake each said they’re being treated in the hospital for pneumonia caused by COVID-19.
The LeBron James Family Foundation expands its Akron footprint by buying the Tangier
The LeBron James Family Foundation is planning a new development near its I Promise School in Akron. The former Tangier Restaurant will be renamed House Three Thirty after Akron’s area code. James is bringing in major sponsors to partner in the project including Dick’s Sporting Goods, JP Morgan Chase, and the JM Smucker Company. The 60,000-square-foot facility will include a sports complex, job training center, retail space, a coffee bar and lounge. The terms of the sale have not been made public.
Cleveland caps percentage food delivery apps can charge local restaurants
A temporary law is now in place in Cleveland aimed to give local restaurants a boost during the pandemic. Mayor Frank Jackson signed legislation that caps fees that delivery services like DoorDash, GrubHub and Uber Eats can collect through restaurants using their apps. The fee will be capped at 15% of the food bill. It will be in place until 90 days after the state lifts coronavirus-related restrictions on restaurants. The Ohio Restaurant Association says the fees were as high as 30%.
Nina Turner makes bid for 11th Congressional District seat official
Former Cleveland-area state Sen. Nina Turner on Tuesday officially launched her bid to succeed Congresswoman Marcia Fudge. Turner, 53, ran for secretary of state in 2014, and after that loss joined the campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders and co-chaired his 2020 presidential bid. Turner is the third candidate in the race for the 11th Congressional District pending Fudge’s confirmation as Democratic President-elect Joe Biden’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Shontel Brown and former Cleveland City Councilman Jeff Johnson have already filed to run for the seat.
Akron, Summit County bars, restaurants encouraged to apply for $2,500
Akron and Summit County officials are encouraging hundreds of bars and restaurants to apply for grant money available through the state. Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan and Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro on Tuesday said roughly 300 of the county's liquor license holders have not yet applied for $2,500 available in federal CARES Act money to pay for that license. Businesses are encouraged to apply by Friday since the money must be distributed by the end of the year.
Akron Children's expanding to Lorain County
Akron Children’s Hospital is expanding its footprint into Lorain County. The hospital says it will open pediatric-care centers in Lorain and Amherst and will open a third in Oberlin in January. The expansion is through a partnership with Mercy Health. Akron Children’s has also started construction on a 23,000-square-foot, $7.5 million health center in Amherst.
Cavs plan new banner for Sherwin-Williams building
The Cleveland Cavaliers want to use the side of the Sherwin-Williams building downtown to promote inclusion. Cleveland.com reports the team plans to replace the current banner across from Rocket-Mortgage Fieldhouse with one that features seven hands of people of different ethnicities placed on a basketball, with one hand prominently featuring a championship ring. The slogan says “FOR THE LOVE, FOR THE LAND.” The banner will go up next month, pending the Cleveland Planning Commission's approval.
