Here are your morning headlines for Thursday, September 23:
- Permanent sales tax increase proposed to pay for new Cuyahoga jail
- Debate begins on Ohio's critical race theory ban bills
- Suits against Ohio State over sex abuse by doc are dismissed
- Backers push new Ohio energy efficiency incentive plan
Permanent sales tax increase proposed to pay for new Cuyahoga jail
(WCPN) -- Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish on Wednesday announced plans to pay for a new jail by extending the life of a 0.25 percent sales tax. Proceeds from the tax, which expires in 2027, now go toward paying off debt for the Convention Center, the Global Center for Health Innovation, and the Hilton Hotel. Under Budish’s plan, the tax dollars would go toward the new jail starting in 2028. The proposal will go to the county council for approval.
Debate begins on Ohio's critical race theory ban bills
(AP) — A debate over teaching the role of racism in American history has been highlighted as a committee weighs two bills before Ohio legislators that would prohibit such instruction. Teaching that focuses on the effect of racism on society would be prohibited in Ohio’s K-12 classrooms under a pair of bills introduced by Republican state lawmakers in May that are similar to legislation introduced nationwide by GOP lawmakers. Critical race theory is part of a scholarly movement that proposes examining U.S. history and modern society through a focus on the legacy of slavery, racism, and discrimination. Critics say it proposes that the United States is a fundamentally racist country. Lawmakers heard extensive testimony during a Wednesday hearing.
Suits against Ohio State over sex abuse by doc are dismissed
(AP) — A federal judge has dismissed some of the biggest unsettled lawsuits filed by men who say Ohio State University officials failed to stop decades-old sexual abuse by now-deceased team doctor Richard Strauss. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Watson agreed Wednesday with OSU’s argument that the legal window for such claims had passed. In one ruling, Watson said it’s indisputable Strauss abused hundreds of young men. He says that Ohio State officials turned a blind eye and the university failed the survivors — and that now the legal system also has failed them. OSU has apologized publicly. It announced nearly $47 million in settlements for 185 plaintiffs and says it has since settled with dozens more.
Backers push new Ohio energy efficiency incentive plan
(AP) — Proposed legislation in the Ohio House would allow utilities to set a goal of reducing energy waste by 0.5% a year, a far more modest goal than a previous 2% requirement. GOP State Rep. Bill Seitz says the previous 2% mandate would have been too expensive to attain. The legislation would allow power companies to once again offer energy efficiency programs such as smart thermostats or appliance rebates. The legislation is aimed at undoing an element of a now-tainted nuclear power plant bailout bill, which eliminated all energy efficiency programs.
