Here are your morning headlines for Wednesday, October 6:
- Study shows vaccine prevented senior deaths, hospitalizations
- Columbus school nurses declare state of emergency
- COVID cases continue to trend downward
- Court: Giant e-school cannot appeal Ohio board's $60M order
- Commissioner denied request to oversee 3 Ohio redistricting suits
- Domestic violence deaths rise in Ohio
- New car sales down sharply
- Cleveland launches effort to reduce traffic accidents
- Last surviving member of ’48 Cleveland World Series team dies
Study shows vaccine led to fewer senior deaths, hospitalizations
(WKSU) -- A new federal study shows the COVID vaccines have been extremely successful at preventing hospitalizations and deaths among Ohio seniors. The study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that over a five months earlier this year, vaccines reduced hospitalizations by 5,300 and deaths by 1,800 among Ohio Medicare recipients. At the time of the study, 74% of Ohioans 65 and older were vaccinated. That number has now grown to 84%.
Columbus school nurses declare state of emergency
(The Columbus Dispatch) -- Nurses at Columbus City Schools have declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Columbus Dispatch reports The Columbus Education Association is calling for mandatory vaccination or bi-weekly testing requirements for all district staff, along with testing kits for all students and families, a COVID-19 compliance task force in each school building, a daily screening system to be completed before students enter buildings, and other safety measures. At its meeting last night, the school board didn’t specifically address the demands, but Superintendent Talisa Dixon said the district is contracting with an outside vendor to conduct contact tracing and says the district is scheduling student vaccination appointments and distributing free rapid COVID-19 tests as needed.
COVID cases continue to trend downward
(WKSU) -- The rate of new coronavirus cases in Ohio continues to show signs of slowing. There were just over 5,500 new cases reported in Ohio on Tuesday, down from nearly 7,300 last Tuesday. Hospitalizations remain high, with another 375 people admitted Tuesday. There are currently 3,500 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Ohio, a number that has remained steady during the last week.
Court: Giant e-school cannot appeal Ohio board's $60M order
(AP) -- The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that the state school board’s order requiring a giant, now-defunct online charter school to repay $60 million over-inflated enrollment figures is final and cannot be appealed. The court delivered in a 4-3 decision what may be a merely symbolic blow to the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow in its yearslong legal fight against the monetary sanction. It was once one of the country’s largest virtual charter schools. It was shuttered in 2018, and the special master overseeing the unwinding of its assets said recovering enough to make any substantial distribution would be “optimistic.”
Commissioner denied request to oversee 3 Ohio redistricting suits
(AP) — The Ohio Supreme Court has denied a request by attorneys in two of three lawsuits brought against the state's newly drawn legislative maps to appoint a special master to oversee the disputes. In an order Tuesday, the court declined the requests of lawyers for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee and Ohio Organizing Collaborative, who said the Ohio Redistricting Commission was being uncooperative. The high court gave the commission until 9 a.m. Wednesday to respond to the parties' requests for discovery. The lawsuits allege Republicans unconstitutionally gerrymandered the four-year maps approved Sept. 16. Republicans defend the maps as fair and constitutional.
Domestic violence deaths rise in Ohio
(WKSU) -- More than 130 people died in cases connected to domestic violence in Ohio over the past year, according to the Ohio Domestic Violence Network. That’s a 62% increase over the last two years. The report shows 15 victims under the age of 18 were killed during a domestic violence incident, the most since data-tracking began six years ago. In at least 20 cases, abusers had previously been charged or convicted of domestic violence. There are several bills pending in the Ohio Statehouse to address the spike in domestic violence that officials say has been exacerbated during the pandemic.
New car sales down sharply
(Crain’s Cleveland) -- New car sales in Northeast Ohio are down steeply due to a crippled supply chain. The Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association says September sales were down 26% compared to last year. Crain’s Cleveland Business reports that used vehicle sales are up 6.5%, with prices reflecting the high demand. Supplies of new vehicles remain low due to a worldwide computer chip shortage. Ford vehicles led sales regionally last month, followed by Honda and Chevrolet.
Cleveland launches effort to reduce traffic accidents
(Ideastream Public Media) -- The city of Cleveland is kicking off an effort to reduce traffic accidents. After five years of planning, the city is launching Vision Zero, a global traffic safety movement that more than 40 cities have implemented, including New York and San Francisco. Cleveland’s Vision Zero Task Force, which includes city departments and groups like Bike Cleveland, will hold a series of public meetings to help form an action plan. The task force found that 13 people are killed or injured every week while walking, biking, or driving on Cleveland streets.
Last surviving member of ’48 Cleveland World Series team dies
(AP) — The oldest living former major league player has died at age 100. Eddie Robinson was the last surviving player on Cleveland’s 1948 World Series champion team. After retiring as a player, he went on to become a coach, executive, and scout, including as general manager of the Texas Rangers beginning in the late 70s. He died at his ranch in Texas.
