Here are your morning headlines for Thursday, May 3:
- Southwest passengers get a scare in the air and land in Cleveland;
- Kasich announces 'safety checkpoints' to monitor painkiller prescriptions;
- Ashland man pleads guilty to slaying two women in 2016;
- Ohio revokes licenses of daycares that failed to report child abuse;
- Kent State awarded $2.7 million to study trauma-induced anxiety and depression;
- Youngstown makes a new bid for retail multinational warehouse;
- GOP candidates for governor spend $3 million in TV ads leading up to primary;
- Cavs step in to help Mentor students after a canceled trip to D.C.;
Southwest passengers get a scare in the air and land in Cleveland
Passengers on a Southwest Airlines plane first heard a loud pop and then scurried away when they saw a jagged crack in a window that forced the jet to land in Cleveland on Wednesday. Some on board immediately thought back to just two weeks ago when a jet engine blew apart and broke a window, leading to a woman being partially sucked out and killed aboard another Southwest flight. There were no reports of injuries after Flight 957 heading from Chicago to New Jersey landed safely after making an abrupt turn toward Cleveland while over Lake Erie.
Kasich announces 'safety checkpoints' to monitor painkiller prescriptions
Gov. John Kasich has announced new rules for monitoring the prescribing of painkillers to patients suffering chronic pain. The rules call for doctors to re-evaluate patients' opioid use at periodic "safety checkpoints" when patients are increased larger doses of painkillers. For patients prescribed 80 morphine equivalent doses per day, physicians will have to obtain a pain management agreement and consider prescribing naloxone, which is used to reverse overdoses. The new rules won't apply to hospice patients or those with terminal conditions.
Ashland man pleads guilty to slaying two women in 2016
An Ashland man on trial in the slayings of two women has pleaded guilty to 15 counts that don't include aggravated murder and kidnapping charges. Shawn Grate, 41, entered guilty pleas to charges that include rape and abuse of a corpse Wednesday. His trial continues on potential death penalty charges in the 2016 strangulation deaths of Elizabeth Griffith and Stacey Stanley. Grate also faces a kidnapping charge for abducting a third woman who escaped from the Ashland home where the bodies of the two women were found. Grate faces a maximum of 72 years in prison.
Ohio revokes licenses of daycares that failed to report child abuse
The state has revoked the licenses of two Cleveland daycare centers that failed to report abuse of a child who died earlier this year. Four-year-old Aniya Day-Garrett died in March as a result of blows to her head. Garrett’s mother and her boyfriend are charged with aggravated murder. An inspection by the state’s Job and Family Services department found the Get Ready Set Grow Preschool failed to report Garrett's abuse and lacked child abuse training. A separate letter to Harbor Crest Childcare Academy reported similar findings. Both facilities can remain open while the state revokes their licenses.
Kent State awarded $2.7 million to study trauma-induced anxiety and depression
Kent State University is getting a $2.7 million grant to study how best to identify and treat depression and anxiety caused by trauma. The five-year grant from the National Institute of Mental Health will allow a group of researchers to look for more efficient treatment approaches. Associate professor of psychology Karin Coifman and her team will collaborate with Summa Health. Summa will help recruit around 400 people from Portage and Summit counties who have sustained a traumatic injury to participate in a 18-month study.
Youngstown makes a new bid for retail multinational warehouse
Officials in Youngstown are redoubling efforts to attract a retail distribution center. TJX Companies, which owns T.J. Maxx and HomeGoods stores, was considering building a $160 million warehouse in Lordstown. The company later rejected the proposed site as too small. Now city officials are offering TJX a 315-acre piece of land, along with a 10-year tax abatement that would save the company about $10 million a year. The Vindicator reports the warehouse could bring about 1,000 jobs to the area.
GOP candidates for governor spend $3 million in TV ads leading up to primary
The final days leading up to Ohio’s primary are bringing a surge of campaign ad buys from GOP candidates. The Dispatch reports front-runner Mike DeWine is spending nearly $2 million on a pair of new TV ads questioning his opponent’s commitment to President Donald Trump. Mary Taylor, meanwhile, is spending $1 million on a statewide ad claiming DeWine isn’t doing enough to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the state. Voting day is on Tuesday.
Cavs step in to help Mentor students after a canceled trip to D.C.
More than 500 eighth-graders in Mentor whose field trip to Washington, D.C. was cancelled got some last-minute help from the Cavs. The company organizing the student trip pulled out at the last minute, saying they couldn’t confirm hotel reservations. So the Cavs invited all of the students to tonight’s watch party at Quicken Loans arena. The team is providing admission and transportation, as well as a rally towel and food voucher for each student. The Cavs play the Raptors tonight in Toronto in Game 2 of the conference semifinals.
