Here are your morning headlines for Thursday, October 21:
- Cleveland Clinic sues over fake N-95 masks
- Bill would ban gender transitioning treatments for children
- Davis-Besse plant testing hydrogen production
- Columbus man arrested, accused of running fake funeral homes
- Ohio legislation would make assaulting referees a crime
Cleveland Clinic sues over fake N-95 masks
(Cleveland.com) -- The Cleveland Clinic has filed a federal lawsuit claiming it’s among hospitals that received shipments of fake N-95 masks. Cleveland.com reports federal authorities are investigating Q2 Solutions based in Pennsylvania. The Clinic says it bought more than 400,000 3M branded masks from the company for $1.8 million. In court documents, the Clinic says 50,000 of the masks were distributed to healthcare workers before determining they were fake, and some who worked in high-risk COVID-19 wards tested positive for the virus. Cleveland.com reports the company denies the allegations.
Bill would ban gender transitioning treatments for children
(Statehouse News Bureau) -- Proposed legislation in Ohio would prohibit children under 18 from getting some medical treatments for gender transitioning. The bill would ban medical professionals from providing hormones, puberty blockers, and surgery for children to transition, even if parents approve. Co-sponsor Republican State Rep. Gary Click says those treatments are being done on children who are going through gender dysphoria. Democratic State Sen. Nickie Antonio says these decisions should be left to the child, their parents, and medical professionals. This is the third time a bill limiting transition treatments for children has been introduced in Ohio.
Davis-Besse plant testing hydrogen production
(Crain’s Cleveland) — FirstEnergy successor Energy Harbor has begun a hydrogen fuel project at its Davis-Besse nuclear plant in Northwest Ohio. The Akron-based utility announced in 2019 it was partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy, which is investing more than $9 million into the project to begin hydrogen production in 2023. Hydrogen is seen as a way to keep aging nuclear power plants competitive by providing a clean energy source to the manufacturing and transportation sectors.
Columbus man arrested, accused of running fake funeral homes
(WKSU) -- A man who’s accused of operating unlicensed funeral homes in Ohio, has been arrested. Shawnte Hardin of Columbus was arrested during a traffic stop near Toledo. He’s charged with 37 counts for allegedly providing funeral home services in Cuyahoga, Summit, and Franklin counties under names such as Hussain Funeral Directors and Celebration of Life Memorial Chapels. Hardin is tied to the discovery last month of two bodies in a vacant Columbus storefront.
Ohio legislation would make assaulting referees a crime
(AP) — Pending legislation would make assaulting Ohio referees while they do their jobs a crime. The Senate Judiciary Committee is considering a bill that would make such attacks a first-degree misdemeanor with an automatic fine of $1,500 and 40 hours of community service. The bill also says a second conviction could lead to a felony charge. Legislation sponsor Rep. Bill Roemer is a Republican from Richfield in northeastern Ohio and a longtime youth baseball coach. Roemer says more than two of every three sports officials quit during their first three years because of spectator abuse.
