Here are your morning headlines for Friday, September 21:
- Military absentee voting begins this weekend;
- Aurora parishioners call for information on allegations;
- Cleveland City Council considers new airport master plan;
- MGM Resorts takes over management at Northfield Park racino;
Military absentee voting begins this weekend
Ohio election officials said absentee voting for military and overseas voters wanting to cast ballots in the November general election begins this weekend. Secretary of State Jon Husted said county boards of elections will begin mailing absentee ballots to registered military and overseas voters who have requested ballots on Saturday. Voters in Ohio will decide a statewide ballot initiative and races for both state and federal offices on Nov. 6. Various local issues and races also will be decided. The deadline to register to vote or update an existing registration ahead of the election is October 9. All voters may begin voting in person and by mail-in absentee ballot on Oct. 10.
Aurora parishoners call for details allegations
In Aurora, more than 500 Catholic Church parishioners want the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown to quickly release credible abuse allegations against its clergy. The Vindicator reports parishioners also want to establish community oversight measures. Previously the diocese bishop had said he would release names of all clergy facing substantiated allegations of abuse. On Wednesday, a petition letter signed by 500 of the church’s 700 members urged the church to hasten the investigation and release the names quickly. The letter called for a new culture of transparency and zero tolerance for abuse.
Cleveland City Council considers new airport master plan
At its meeting next week, Cleveland City Council could take the first step in approving a makeover for Cleveland Hopkins Airport. Cleveland.com reports that on Monday council is expected to consider a request to hire a consultant in charge of developing a makeover plan. The airport's current master plan was developed in 2008 and revised 2012. It’s shown that parts of the airport terminal are unable to accommodate increased traffic caused by larger planes carrying more passengers. The City's port director estimates the updated plan could cost around $4.5 million and said the airlines could foot much of that bill.
MGM Resorts takes over management of racino
MGM Resorts has announced it's taking over control of the Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park early next year. Cleveland.com reports MGM bought the racino in July for $1 billion, but had kept the existing team in place to operate it. MGM now plans to replace the Rocksino team as operator. It’s unclear if MGM will keep the name or make any staffing changes. The changeover is expected for early 2019. Northfield Park is Ohio’s top grossing casino and racino.
