Here are your morning headlines for Tuesday, January 4:
- Ohio sets new record for COVID hospitalizations
- More COVID testing sites coming
- Ohio pot legalization group falls short on signatures
- Teen's suit says coaches made him eat pizza despite religion
- Olympic track star, Ashland coach Jud Logan dead at 62
- Browns lose to Steelers, 26-14
Ohio sets new record for COVID hospitalizations
(WKSU, Beacon Journal) -- Ohio on Monday set another record for COVID-19 hospitalizations. There are more than 6,150 COVID patients statewide and more than 1,300 in ICUs. Meanwhile, the Beacon Journal reports Akron Public Schools says an ongoing driver shortage will likely lead to bussing delays as students return from winter break Tuesday. In Cuyahoga County, Common Pleas Court judges have postponed jury trials until the beginning of next month, and Ohio state legislative leaders have told their employees to work from home for the next week due to the COVID surge.
More COVID testing sites coming
(WKSU, Beacon Journal) -- Gov. Mike DeWine has mobilized additional Ohio National Guard members to staff more drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites. So far sites are operating in Akron and Cleveland, with one now open in Columbus and others coming soon, including in Canton. Summa Health’s atrium in Akron has a capacity for 300 tests a day, and most appointments are filled within hours. The Beacon Journal reports appointments will be released two days at a time, so people should check Summa’s website frequently.
Ohio pot legalization group falls short on signatures
(AP) — A group seeking to legalize possessing and growing marijuana in Ohio has failed to gather enough signatures to put the issue in front of state lawmakers. Secretary of State Frank LaRose sent the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol a letter Monday saying the group was about 13,000 valid signatures short. Group spokesperson Tom Haren says he's confident enough signatures will be gathered before a Jan. 14 deadline. Lawmakers will have four months to act on the proposal if enough valid signatures are collected. The group can gather an additional 133,000 valid signatures to put a measure on a statewide ballot if lawmakers don't act.
Teen's suit says coaches made him eat pizza despite religion
(AP) — A former Canton McKinley High School football player who says coaches forced him to eat a pizza covered with pepperoni grease in violation of his religious beliefs is suing his former district and ousted coaches. The 18-year-old, who has not been named, says in the federal civil rights suit that coaches ordered him to eat the pizza as punishment for missing an offseason workout despite being told he doesn’t eat pork. The coaches say that he chose to remove pepperoni and eat the pizza rather than an alternative food and that they weren't aware it violated his religious beliefs. The high school senior no longer attends McKinley.
Olympic track star, Ashland coach Jud Logan dead at 62
(AP) — Jud Logan, a four-time U.S. Olympian in hammer throw who was also a successful college track coach at Ashland University, has died. He was 62. Logan had been undergoing chemotherapy treatments for Leukemia since 2019. He spent the past 17 years at Ashland, where his athletes won 59 individual national indoor and outdoor championships. A Kent State graduate, Logan was a captain on the 1992 team in Barcelona, Spain.
Browns lose to Steelers, 26-14
(WKSU) -- It wasn’t a good night for Baker Mayfield and the Browns, as they lost to the Steelers 26-14 last night. Mayfield had five passes batted down and was sacked nine times. The Browns (7-9), who were already eliminated from the playoffs, finish the regular season at home Sunday against Cincinnati Bengals. Mayfield says he will have surgery on his injured shoulder and didn’t rule out the possibility of sitting out the season finale.
