Here are your morning headlines for Monday, March 29:
- “Stop Asian Hate” march draws hundreds in Cleveland
- Vaccine eligibility expands to 16 and up
- Husted faces criticism for “Wuhan virus” tweet
- Ruling lets lawsuit over transgender pronoun dispute proceed
- GOP congressman gives shots to promote COVID-19 efforts
- Seven injured in weekend shooting
“Stop Asian Hate” march draws hundreds in Cleveland
Hundreds of people turned out for a “Stop Asian Hate” march in Cleveland’s AsiaTown Sunday afternoon. Ideastream reports the rally, organized by several groups including Ohio Progressive Asian Women’s Leadership and Asian Services in Action, featured 12 speakers – mostly Asian women. The march came just a week after a mass shooting at three Atlanta-area spas in which eight people, six of them women of Asian descent, were killed. The rally began with a moment of silence for the victims.
Vaccine eligibility expands to 16 and up
Every Ohioan age 16 and up is now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Gov. Mike DeWine set March 29 as the date to open vaccines to everyone. Late last week appointments began opening up for all age groups at gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov. As of Monday morning, there are no available slots at the mass vaccination clinic at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland. The Summit County Public Health’s website says registration will begin soon for the mass vaccine site at the county fairgrounds set to begin Saturday. Ohio is expecting more than 570,000 vaccine doses this week, the most so far.
Husted faces criticism for “Wuhan virus” tweet
Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted is facing backlash for a tweet referring to the “Wuhan virus.” Husted on Friday shared an article in which the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Robert Redfield said he believed the virus originated in a lab in China. Husted’s tweet read, “So it appears it was the Wuhan Virus after all?” Hundreds of people commented, calling Husted’s tweet dangerous and racist, especially in light of recent attacks on Asian Americans. On Saturday, Husted defended his tweet in another tweet that began, “To be clear, the tweet above referred only to the Chinese GOVERNMENT.” The Columbus Dispatch reports a spokesperson for Husted said: "It has nothing to do with ethnicity; it has to do with geography.”
Ruling lets lawsuit over transgender pronoun dispute proceed
A federal appeals court ruling allows a professor to continue with his lawsuit against an Ohio school that rebuked him for not addressing a transgender student using the student’s preferred gender terms. The ruling reversed a judge's dismissal of Nicholas Meriwether's case against Shawnee State University. Meriwether argued school officials violated his rights by compelling him to speak in a way that contradicts his Christian beliefs. Shawnee State argued such language was part of his job, not speech protected by the First Amendment. The appeals court said the First Amendment protects professors' academic speech, and sent the case back to the lower court for further proceedings.
GOP congressman gives shots to promote COVID-19 efforts
A Cincinnati-area Republican congressman gave COVID-19 vaccinations to promote efforts to get reluctant people to get the shots. Rep. Brad Wenstrup is among Republicans concerned about their voters getting inoculated because of unfounded claims about the vaccines. He said the pro-vaccination television ad in which former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter appear didn’t do much to change minds of people opposed to vaccinations. Wenstrup has given shots at several clinics in his 2nd Congressional District, including twice in his role as an Army Reservist.
Seven injured in weekend shooting
Seven people were injured in a shooting in Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood over the weekend. The shooting occurred after an argument broke out inside The Spot Night Club early Sunday morning. Cleveland.com reports part of the building operates as what officials call an illegal motorcycle club that Ward 13 Councilman Kevin Kelley said he’s been working to shut down for weeks. It continues a rash of gun violence in the city. Last year ended with nearly 1,500 shootings, the most since 1982. Cleveland.com reports there has been 30 homicides so far in 2021, compared with 23 through March 28, 2020.
