Here are your morning headlines for Friday, November 17th:
- Union rejects second offer from TimkenSteel;
- Sen. Brown gives campaign donations from Sen. Franken to charity;
- Ohio launches anti-bullying ad campaign;
- Ohio State suspends fraternities after hazing incidents;
- State Highway Patrol links higher speed limits to more crashes;
- Ohio faces legal challenges after failed execution;
- Kasich defends Ohio execution protocol;
- Killers of Cleveland teen get lengthy sentences, not death penalty;
- Ohio man threatens to commit mass shootings at Las Vegas church;
- Cardinal Health pledges $10 million to Opioid Action Program;
- More people are flying out of Cleveland despite fewer carriers;
Union rejects second offer from TimkenSteel
A tentative four-year agreement between TimkenSteel and members of Steelworkers Local 1123 has been voted down. It’s the second agreement in about a month to be rejected by the workers. The agreement was voted down 673 to 590, a slightly narrower margin than last month’s vote. Union members have been told to return to work as scheduled.
Sen. Brown gives campaign donations from Sen. Franken to charity
Sen. Sherrod Brown is distancing himself from Sen. Al Franken after reports Franken groped and kissed a woman without her consent. Brown’s campaign says it will give more than $28,000 in donations from Franken to charity. Franken has issued an apology for the incident, which happened two years before he was elected to the U.S. Senate.
Ohio launches anti-bullying ad campaign
The state has launched an ad campaign targeting bullying and promoting the support of at-risk Ohio youth. The "Be Present" campaign from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services encourages friends, classmates and siblings to support youth experiencing stress and anxiety. The campaign uses the tagline, "Your Presence is a Present." Its focus includes victims of bullying, youth struggling to overcome mental or emotional problems, and youth at risk of harming themselves. The campaign includes a website, social media outreach, print ads and public service announcements.
Ohio State suspends fraternities after hazing incidents
Ohio State University has suspended more than three dozen fraternities. The suspension includes all social, recruitment and new member activities for 37 fraternities. An OSU spokesman called the suspension a cooling-off period as the university investigates several cases involving hazing and alcohol. The suspension applies to organizations in the Interfraternity Council, and not service- and culture-oriented fraternities, or any sororities. The university says the temporary ban is a reaction to the growing number of cases, not any one case in particular. It’s not clear how long the suspension could last. About ten percent of all male undergraduates at Ohio State are members of fraternities.
State Highway Patrol links higher speed limits to more crashes
The State Highway Patrol says crashes and fatalities jumped after Ohio adopted a 70 mph speed limit on many roads and highways. A patrol report released Thursday found a 24 percent increase in crashes on 70 mph roads, including 22 percent more fatal and injury crashes. The patrol examined crash data from 2011 and 2012, before lawmakers increased the limits from 65 mph to 70 mph, and two years afterward, in 2013 and 2014. The change affected 570 miles of rural interstates and 398 miles of rural freeways. The report said speed-related crashes jumped 16 percent while crashes related to lane changes jumped 66 percent.
Ohio faces legal challenges after failed execution
Ohio's failure to execute a condemned killer despite multiple claims the inmate's veins were accessible will likely lead to new challenges in the state's lethal injection process. Case Western Reserve University law professor Mike Benza says each new problem adds to the question of whether Ohio is violating the constitutional rights of death row prisoners. Ohio's prisons director called off Wednesday’s execution of inmate Alva Campbell after executioners failed to find usable veins. The decision to postpone the execution came despite three exams within 24 hours that said the veins were accessible, including just minutes before the execution. Campbell's attorneys had warned for weeks the inmate's health problems could affect the injection process. Ohio's next execution is Feb. 13, when the state plans to put to death Raymond Tibbetts for fatally stabbing a man in Cincinnati in 1997.
Kasich defends Ohio execution protocol
Gov. John Kasich is defending the state’s capital punishment procedure. Kasich had to postpone the execution of Alva Campbell when a medical team could not find suitable veins to deliver the lethal injection. The Dispatch reports Campbell was strapped to the gurney for about half an hour as officials looked for a vein. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has called for a full report to see if the state’s protocol is constitutional.
Killers of Cleveland teen get lengthy sentences, not death penalty
Two men have received lengthy sentences for the March slayings in Cleveland of a teenage boy in an SUV they were chasing and a college instructor hit by a stray round. Cleveland.com reports families of the victims asked prosecutors not to seek the death penalty against 19-year-old Kassius Williams and 27-year-old Charles Walker. Williams received 66 years; Walker 71 years. A third man faces trial. Prosecutors say Williams fired into an SUV and killed a 15-year-old Tywain Johnson. David Wilder, 61, who taught at several Cleveland-area colleges, was 20 blocks away when a stray round went through his car's windshield.
Ohio man threatens to commit mass shootings at Las Vegas church
A Northeast Ohio man has been arrested for threatening to carry out mass shootings at a megachurch and the Las Vegas casino where his estranged wife works. The FBI says 28-year-old Wei Li of Cuyahoga Falls is accused of sending his estranged wife text messages threatening to kill her and commit mass shootings at a casino and a church with more than 1,000 members. The FBI says Li acknowledged sending the texts to his wife but didn't intend to carry out the shootings. No firearms were found in his home.
Cardinal Health pledges $10 million to Opioid Action Program
A drug distributor facing lawsuits over its alleged role in the opioid crisis has announced details of a program to fight drug abuse. Cardinal Health says its Opioid Action Program would target Appalachia. Cardinal says the pilot program would focus on education and drug disposal programs. It also plans to give out 80,000 free doses of Narcan to first responders and law enforcement. The Dublin-based company plans to invest $10 million through the first half of 2018.
More people are flying out of Cleveland despite fewer carriers
Passenger traffic at Cleveland Hopkins Airport continues to grow despite the loss of major carriers. The airport says 2017 promises to be a record year – with an 8 percent jump over 2016, which included the Republican National Convention. In a statement today Airport Director Robert Kennedy says more than 9 million people are expected to use Hopkins this year. That could surpass 2014’s numbers, the last full year that Cleveland operated as a hub for United Airlines.
