Here are your morning headlines for Thursday, August 2, 2018:
- Urban Meyer on paid leave
- Call for investigation into OSU's response to Strauss allegations
- Kasich signs bill on new fentanyl penalties
- Obama makes endorsement in statewide Ohio races
- On the Table coming back
- Sales tax holiday this weekend
- Move over crackdown results in 586 citations
- Parma police charge man for rescuing not-so-hot dogs
- Akron-Canton Airport offers some light reading
- Tiger Woods and the final Bridgestone at Firestone
- Indians shut out the Twins
- Browns coach mourns death of mom and brother, won't take time away from team for now
Urban Meyer on paid leave
Ohio State University football coach Urban Meyer's job appears to be in jeopardy. Ohio State has placed Meyer on paid administrative leave while it investigates claims that his wife knew about allegations of domestic violence against an assistant coach years before the staff member was fired last week. Meyer is heading into his seventh season at Ohio State, where he is 73-8 with a national title in 2014 and two Big Ten Conference championships. Shelley Meyer is a registered nurse and is employed as an instructor at Ohio State. Both Meyer and his wife could be in violation of Ohio State's Title IX sexual misconduct policy on reporting allegations of domestic violence against university employees.
Call for investigation into OSU's response to Strauss allegations
Advocacy groups are calling for the U.S. Department of Education to investigate how Ohio State University responded to a doctor's alleged sexual misconduct against male athletes and other students over two decades. The National Women's Law Center argues Ohio State failed to address Richard Strauss' behavior and violated federal Title IX law. The letter notes allegations of recurrent sexual misconduct by doctors at Michigan State and the University of Southern California led to reviews by the department's Office for Civil Rights. The letter's 36 co-signers include a legal group representing some of the men suing Ohio State over alleged abuse by Strauss, who retired in 1998. Ohio State says officials' response during Strauss' tenure is a key focus of an ongoing, independent investigation.
Kasich signs bill on new fentanyl penalties
Governor Kasich has signed a bill that increases penalties for drug trafficking and some other drug offenses when the drug involved is a fentanyl-related compound. The governor signed Senate Bill 1 yesterday. Among other things, it calls for increased penalties for drug trafficking and drug possession when a fentanyl-related compound is involved. The law could add as many as eight years to sentences. The increased penalties wouldn't apply if the defendant didn't know a compound contained fentanyl.
Obama makes endorsement in statewide Ohio races
Former President Barack Obama is making good on his promise to use his political clout in the 2018 midterm elections. He's endorsing 81 Democrats up and down the ballot in 13 states around the country… and two of those endorsements are in Ohio. He’s announced his backing for Rich Cordray for governor, Steve Dettelbach for Attorney General, Kathleen Clyde for Secretary of State and Zack Space for Auditor. Obama's moves follow former first lady Michelle Obama's commitment to help lead When We All Vote, a non-partisan, not-for-profit group working to help register new voters.
On the Table coming back
On the Table is coming back to Akron for another meal this Fall. Crain’s Cleveland Business reports there will be a second community engagement event this coming October, bringing together residents all over the city for conversations both about the challenges facing Akron and ideas on how to respond to them. About 6,000 people took part in the first On the Table last Fall.
Ohio sales tax holiday this weekend
Shoppers are getting ready for a sales tax holiday this weekend. From tomorrow through Sunday, clothing costing less than $75 per item and school supplies costing less than $20 per item will be tax-free. The discount applies to purchases made in stores and online. The Ohio Senate unanimously approved a bill earlier this year that made the three-day sales tax holiday permanent. The legislature had approved temporary sales tax holidays for the past three years.
Move over crackdown results in 586 citations
Ohio's State Highway Patrol says its recent enforcement and awareness effort focused on the Move Over law resulted in 586 citations issued to motorists. The law requires drivers approaching any vehicles with flashing or rotating lights that are parked on the roadside to move over to an adjacent lane. Motorists should slow down and proceed with caution if moving over isn't possible. From 2013-2017, Ohio patrol cruisers were involved in 58 crashes that could have been prevented by the Move Over law. Those crashes resulted in two deaths and injuries to 34 civilians and 24 officers.
Parma police charge man for rescuing not-so-hot dogs
Police have charged an Ohio man who broke a window to rescue two dogs locked in a hot car with criminal damaging. Richard Hill was in a parking lot in Parma last weekend when he saw the dogs and grabbed a hammer from his van to break the car window. Parma police officers arrived four minutes after receiving a 911 call about the dogs and two minutes after Hill broke the window. A police spokesman says he doesn't know why Hill had such a sense of urgency. It was 78 degrees outside that day, according to police. The dog's owner, Carly Hartman, returned to the car after spending about 15 minutes in a nearby store. She was not cited. Hartman told WJW-TV she loves her dogs and "would never put them in danger." She said she can no longer drive her brand new 2018 Audi because of the broken passenger window.
Akron-Canton Airport offers some light reading
If you forgot to bring along something to read for your next flight out of Akron Canton Airport, you may not be entirely out of luck. WJW-TV reports the airport has unveiled a new short story dispenser. It’s partnering with the Akron-Summit County Public Library and the Knight Foundation for the project. The kiosk holds thousands of short stories for children and adults that include a variety of genres. Each story is printed on recycled receipt paper. Airport President and CEO Rick McQueen says they jumped at the opportunity to promote literacy. Library Director Pam Hickson-Stevenson believes the program will help "reinforce the importance and joy of reading." Short story kiosks have also been installed at The Metro RTA Transit Center and Akron Children's Hospital.
Tiger Woods and the final Bridgestone at Firestone
This is one farewell party Tiger Woods didn't want to miss. The Firestone County Club will host the world's best players for the last time at the Bridgestone Invitational, and it wouldn't be the same without Woods. He has eight victories on the South Course and narrowly qualified for the final edition of this World Golf Championship.
Indians shut out the Twins
Carlos Carrasco struck out 10 while taking a shutout into the eighth inning, winning his fourth straight start since returning from the disabled list to carry the Cleveland Indians to a 2-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins. The Indians stretched their lead over the Twins in the AL Central to 10 games and improved to 32-15 in intra-division games this season.
Browns Coach mourns death of mom and brother, won't take time away from team for now
Browns coach Hue Jackson plans to remain with the team during training camp while mourning the recent deaths of his mother and brother. Jackson's mom died last weekend in Los Angeles, and his brother passed two weeks earlier. A team spokesman said Jackson will be with the team through next week's exhibition opener against the New York Giants while funeral arrangements are finalized by the family
