Here are your morning headlines for Tuesday, November 23:
- Summit Co. hospitalizations highest since January
- Group sues over Ohio’s new congressional district map
- Cleveland, CMHA get $4M to hire police officers
- Esther’s Law awaits Gov. DeWine’s signature
- Progressive Field funding on track to pass council
- Audit: No customer money used in FirstEnergy stadium naming
Summit Co. hospitalizations highest since January
(Akron Beacon Journal) -- Hospitals in Summit County are starting to fill with COVID patients. The Beacon Journal reports 212 people are hospitalized with COVID as of Monday, up 25 since Friday. That’s the most countywide since January. Statewide, there are 3,192 patients with COVID statewide as of Monday, that’s up 117 from Sunday. Ohio reported around 4,300 COVID-19 cases on Monday.
Group sues over Ohio’s new congressional district map
(Statehouse News Bureau) -- A national Democratic organization has filed a lawsuit in the Ohio Supreme Court to challenge the newly signed Congressional district map. The National Redistricting Action Fund says the map unduly splits counties and municipalities for "no discernable reason other than minimizing Democratic voting power." The map, signed into law over the weekend by Gov. Mike DeWine, creates 12 districts that heavily favor or lean in favor of Republicans. That's 80% of the districts in a state that voted for Donald Trump with 53% of the vote. The group says, for example, voters in overwhelmingly Democratic Cincinnati are carved out of the rest of Hamilton County and placed with voters in more conservative Warren County. Republican leaders, including DeWine, said the map follows the constitution.
Cleveland, CMHA get $4M to hire police officers
(WKSU) -- The Cleveland and Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority police departments are getting more than $4 million in federal grant money to hire more officers. The city of Cleveland will hire 30 full-time officers, while CMHA will hire four. The community policing grants cover up to 75% of an officer’s salary and benefits for 36 months. Departments then commit to keeping them on the force for at least another year.
Esther’s Law awaits Gov. DeWine’s signature
(Statehouse News Bureau) -- A bill intended to provide some peace of mind that loved ones are being well cared for in Ohio nursing homes is on its way to Governor DeWine for his signature. Esther’s Law is named after a nursing home resident whose family secretly set up a camera in her room which captured video of workers mistreating her. The law establishes standards for families who want to buy and install cameras. It would require roommates to provide consent and for signs to be posted indicating an electronic monitoring device is installed in the room.
Progressive Field funding on track to pass council
(Ideastream Public Media) -- Cleveland City Council appears poised to approve its share of funding for renovations at Progressive Field in Downtown Cleveland. The finance committee Monday approved the deal, which would require the city to contribute $8 million a year over 15 years. An undetermined portion of that money will come from the general fund, the rest is from taxes and parking fees. The full council is set to vote on the deal at its meeting next Monday.
Audit: No customer money used in FirstEnergy stadium naming
(AP) — A state-commissioned audit has found FirstEnergy Corp. didn't misuse customer money to pay for naming rights at the stadium where the Cleveland Browns play. State utility regulators ordered the review at the request of Democratic state lawmakers concerned about the Akron-based utility giant’s role in the House Bill 6 scandal. The audit found FirstEnergy “eliminated the possibility” of using ratepayer money by maintaining separate books. FirstEnergy is paying $102 million over 17 years to have its name on Cleveland Browns Stadium. Democratic state Rep. Jeff Crossman tweeted the team “should still do right" by the community and remove it.
