Here are your morning headlines for Monday, October 23rd:
- Cleveland residents call for term limits on mayor, council members;
- Church criticizes Cleveland State University response to anti-LGBT hate fliers;
- Gun buyback brings in almost 100 guns;
- Girard officer fatally shot;
- Cleveland officer on the run;
- White nationalist's tour organizer sues Ohio State University;
- Bump stock ban introduced in Ohio Senate;
- Endangered species list now includes rusty patched bumble bee;
- Ohio prescription monitoring program gets upgraded;Ohio
Cleveland residents call for term limits on mayor, council members
A group of Cleveland residents wants to impose term limits on the city’s mayor and council members. Cleveland.com reports the unnamed group plans to collect signatures to change the city’s charter and limit the mayor and council members to two, four-year terms. Mayor Frank Jackson is running for his fourth term against Zack Reed, who has served on city council since 2001. The group will launch its petition drive Tuesday morning at 11 a.m. on the steps of City Hall.
Church criticizes Cleveland State University response to anti-LGBT hate fliers
A Cleveland church is joining critics of Cleveland State University for its response to an anti-LGBT flier that was posted on campus. The United Church of Christ took out an ad in Sunday’s Plain Dealer calling for CSU and other institutions to be intolerant of hate speech. The ad also suggested hate speech is not protected by the First Amendment. The fliers posted on CSU’s campus more than a week ago asked LGBT people to consider committing suicide. The fliers were removed because they did not follow posting procedures.
Gun buyback brings in almost 100 guns
Nearly 100 firearms have been collected in the Cleveland's 11th Annual Gun Buyback. In exchange for guns, people received $100 gift cards for retailers and grocery stores. A Cleveland police spokeswoman tells Cleveland.com the buyback is for people who may have inherited guns and no longer want them in the house, or people who need a safe way to dispose of them. The guns will be melted down by a local steel company.
Girard officer fatally shot
A Trumbull County police officer was fatally shot while responding to a reported domestic disturbance. Authorities say 31-year-old Girard police officer Justin Leo was shot as he and another officer stood at front door of a home where the suspect opened fire Saturday night. The suspect, who hasn't been identified, was killed by the second officer. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting. Leo was a five-year veteran of the department.
Cleveland officer on the run
A Cleveland police officer facing charges for the alleged physical and sexual assault of his girlfriend is on the run after police say he broke his GPS ankle monitor. U.S. Marshals have confirmed they are actively seeking Cleveland Officer Tommie Griffin III. Griffin, who is in his early 50s, was suspended without pay following his arrest in January. Authorities seized more than 60 guns from his home, including five assault rifles and an Israeli Uzi submachine gun.
White nationalist's tour organizer sues Ohio State University
An associate and organizer of campus tours for white nationalist Richard Spencer is suing Ohio State University after school officials refused to rent campus space for Spencer to speak. The lawsuit was filed Sunday in federal court in Columbus. An Ohio State spokesman declined to comment about the lawsuit Sunday. Ohio State officials said they turned down the request from Cameron Padgett, a Georgia State University graduate student organizing Spencer's tour.
Bump stock ban introduced in Ohio Senate
A Democratic state senator from Cincinnati has introduced a bill in the Ohio Legislature to ban the manufacture, sale and possession of a gun accessory called a bump stock used by a gunman to kill 58 people during a mass shooting in Las Vegas. State Sen. Cecil Thomas says the bill he introduced Friday would amend state gun control statutes and make possession of bump stocks a fourth-degree felony.
Endangered species list now includes rusty patched bumble bee
The Ohio Wildlife Council has officially added the rusty patched bumble bee to the list of state endangered species. Back in January, the rusty patch bumble bee become the first bee species in the continental U.S. to be declared endangered after suffering a dramatic population decline over the past 20 years. In May, an Ohio coalition launched the Ohio Bee Atlas, a project to train “citizen scientists” to look for species such as the rusty patched bumblebee.
Ohio prescription monitoring program gets upgraded
Ohio is adding a new tool in its fight against prescription drug abuse by upgrading the state's prescription drug monitoring program. A State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy release says the upgrade to the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System will provide prescribers and pharmacists with analytics and tools to promote patient safety and assist in clinical decision-making. The upgrade offers features including scores that calculate a patient's possible risk of overdose and addiction and red flags alerting prescribers of potential patient safety issues. The upgrade will be free to Ohio health care providers accessing the reporting system via electronic health records and through the system's website on Nov. 20. The reporting system collects information on all prescriptions for controlled substances dispensed by pharmacies or furnished by prescribers in Ohio.
