Here are your morning headlines for Tuesday, June 1:
- Goodyear faces accusations from Malaysian plant
- Wilberforce University cancels some student debt
- Clinical trials begin for COVID vaccine for children
- Study: Ohio’s beer industry contributes more than $12B to economy
- Akron man gets 4 life terms plus 98 years in robbery slayings
Goodyear faces accusations from Malaysian plant
Akron-based Goodyear is facing accusations of unpaid wages, unlawful overtime and threats to foreign workers at its tire plant in Malaysia. Reuters reports that six current and former workers and officials with Malaysia’s labor department allege Goodyear made wrongful salary reductions, required excessive hours and denied migrant workers access to their passports. The workers are claiming about $1.2 million in unpaid wages. The allegations initially surfaced when 185 foreign workers filed three complaints against Goodyear Malaysia in the country's industrial court over non-compliance with a collective labor agreement. The court ruled in favor of the foreign workers in two of the cases last year. Goodyear has appealed. The tire maker declined to comment to Reuters on any of the allegations, citing the court process.
Wilberforce University cancels some student debt
Wilberforce University, a historically Black college near Dayton, is canceling its recent graduates’ student debt. University president Elfred Anthony Pinkard made the announcement to the Class of 2020 and 2021 during their commencement ceremony over the weekend, saying $375,000 in debt and fines will be wiped out. The move is being paid for by scholarship funding from the United Negro College Fund, Inc., Jack and Jill, Inc., and other institutional funding.
Clinical trials begin for COVID vaccine for children
Clinical trials are underway to test the safety and efficacy of the coronavirus vaccine in children. Currently, the FDA has granted Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer vaccine for kids 12 and up. Hospitals and clinics in the Cleveland area, as well as Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton are among dozens of sites testing the vaccine in children in three age groups down to 6 months old. Dr. Shelly Senders of Senders Pediatrics in South Euclid says trials there will begin in a few weeks and will involve around 30 kids. Pfizer says it could seek FDA approval for ages two and up as soon as this fall.
Study: Ohio’s beer industry contributes more than $12B to economy
A new study shows that Ohio’s beer industry contributed around $12.6 billion a year to the state's economy. The two-year study from Beer Serves America is funded by two industry trade groups. It shows beer production took a hit early in the pandemic but is slowly rebounding. Ohio’s beer industry includes three large-scale plants, plus 370 craft breweries that together provide more than 71,000 jobs. Ohio is the fifth-largest craft beer producer in the U.S. and ranks among the top-10 in the total number of breweries with more opening each year.
Akron man gets 4 life terms plus 98 years in robbery slayings
A man in Akron was sentenced to four life terms without parole in a series of shooting deaths during robberies about five years ago. Shaquille Anderson, 27, was sentenced to four consecutive sentences plus an additional 98 years for his role in the murder of University of Akron student Zakaria Husein, 21, and three other people. He pleaded no contest early last year and has appeals pending.
