Here are your morning headlines for Thursday, July 12:
- Workers to rally at Ohio Statehouse amid growing pension crisis;
- Remains found of Akron girl who went missing 44 years ago;
- House Speaker Paul Ryan defends Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan in OSU abuse case;
- MGM Growth Properties completes purchase of Hard Rock Rocksino;
- Cedar Point breaks ground on $28M sports center;
- Ohio Gov. John Kasich calls for farming regulations to combat algae blooms;
- Attorney General Mike DeWine receives support from Ohio's largest doctors organization;
- Two men arrested for trespassing on moving train;
- Cleveland Indians beat out Cincinnati Reds in overwhelming win;
Workers to rally at Ohio Statehouse amid growing pension crisis
Organizers say they're expecting thousands of workers and retirees in Columbus today to push for solving the nation's growing pension crisis. The rally at the Ohio Statehouse takes place a day ahead of a congressional field hearing on the issue. The Friday hearing is the fifth meeting of the House and Senate Joint Select Committee on Pensions.
Its creation was pushed by Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown. The state's other senator, Rob Portman, also plans to attend the committee's meeting.
At issue are the financial impacts on retirees, workers, small businesses and taxpayers of the potential failure of numerous pension plans guaranteed by the federal government.
Remains found of Akron girl who went missing 44 years ago
Investigators have confirmed that a body found in a pauper’s grave are the remains of a 17-year-old Akron girl who went missing 44 years ago. The Akron Beacon Journal reports DNA tests have confirmed the remains are those of Linda Pagano. Pagano disappeared after being thrown out of the house by her stepfather for coming home late from a concert. Her brother tells the paper he’s not surprised and that the family is getting some closure. The Cuyahoga County medical examiner has scheduled a news conference for later this morning to discuss the latest developments in the case.
House Speaker Paul Ryan defends Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan in OSU abuse case
House Speaker Paul Ryan is defending Ohio congressman Jim Jordan accused of ignoring ex-college wrestlers' allegations of sexual abuse, calling him "a man of honesty, a man of integrity."
Ryan is also suggesting the House Ethics Committee doesn't need to examine the allegations against his fellow Republican.
Ryan says that panel isn't supposed to investigate allegations from "a couple of decades ago when they weren't in Congress."
Jordan has been accused of ignoring allegations that members of the Ohio State University wrestling team were groped by a doctor while Jordan was an assistant coach with the team from 1987 to 1995. Jordan has denied the allegations.
MGM Growth Properties purchases Hard Rock Rocksino
MGM Growth Properties has closed on its deal to buy the Hard Rock Rocksino in Northfield Park for just over a billion dollars. The sale was originally announced back in April. Cleveland.com reports the racino will continue to operate under its current name. The racino opened in late 2013 and is the largest of seven in Ohio.
Cedar Point breaks grown on $28M sports center
Cedar Point has begun work on a $28 million indoor sports center. Cleveland.com reports the facility a companion to an outdoor center which opened last year will host basketball, volleyball and wrestling events. Most of the funding is coming from Erie County’s bed tax with Cedar Point’s parent company contributing $5 million along with the 25 acres for the facility. It’s expected to be finished by the middle of next year.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich calls for farming regulations to combat algae blooms
Governor John Kasich is calling for regulations on thousands of farms as part of a new strategy to combat the fertilizer and manure feeds toxic algae blooms in Lake Erie.
Kasich has signed an executive order that signals a more aggressive approach to finding a way to stop the algae from taking over huge swaths of the shallowest of the Great Lakes.
The summertime blooms turn the waters of the lake's western end into a pea soup color and are the cause of tainted drinking water, fish kills and beach closures.
An outbreak in 2014 contaminated the tap water for two days for more than 400,000 people around Toledo.
Attorney General Mike DeWine receives support from Ohio's largest doctors organization
Ohio's largest doctors organization is backing Attorney General Mike DeWine for governor after the Republican reversed course and said he'd support, but improve, Medicaid expansion.
The Ohio State Medical Association PAC cited Medicaid in its endorsement. It also mentioned DeWine's commitment to increasing treatment options for opioid addiction, lowering prescription drug costs and reducing physicians' administrative burdens.
Democrats jumped on DeWine's reversal, pointing to his repeated statements against the expansion.
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rich Cordray supports the expansion.
Two men arrested for trespassing on to train instead of walking
Authorities say two men who hopped aboard a slow-moving train called 911 for help after the train sped up and they couldn't jump off safely.
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office tells WEWS-TV the train traveled roughly 60 miles from Willard in Huron County to Wayne County Tuesday before CSX was alerted and the train stopped at a crossing. A sheriff's official says the men then got off but were found and arrested on trespassing charges.
Authorities say the men had hung onto the side of the train while it traveled at speeds of up to 50 mph.
When the dispatcher asked what they were doing on the train, one of the men said it was "better than walking."
Cleveland Indians beat out Cincinnati Reds in overwhelming win
Jose Ramirez homered twice, Francisco Lindor connected and the Cleveland Indians pounded the Cincinnati Reds 19-4 to ease their pain from a tough loss the previous night. Ramirez has 27 homers before the All-Star break, tying slugger Albert Belle for the most in club history. It was a nice rebound by the Indians, who blew a 4-0 lead in the ninth and lost to Cincinnati on Tuesday.
