Here are your morning headlines for Friday, October 19:
- Cleveland announces gun buyback program;
- Ford to sell Brook Park engine plant;
- Camp Ravenna gets new name in honor of 20th president;
- AP reports Renacci traveled on a Cleveland strip-club private plane;
- Judge dismisses Facebook lawsuit over Cleveland shooting video;
- Icelandair moves start date from March to May;
- Ohio's liquor control tests new idea to get rid of unwanted liquor;
- Japanese Artist Yayoi Kusama breaks Cleveland Museum of Art record;
- Fall fishing derby offers $1,000 prize for largest walleye;
Cleveland announces gun buyback program
Cleveland officials have announced a gun buyback program that will offer citizens a gas or food gift card in exchange for working handguns or semi-automatic weapons. The mayor’s office released a statement and said the gun buyback will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at the police department's Third District headquarters. Gift cards valued at $100 will be given for handguns and $200 cards for semi-automatic weapons. In the press release, Mayor Frank Jackson called the program an important step in "getting guns off of our streets." All weapons must be unloaded, in a clear plastic bag, and inside a second container such as a gym bag or backpack. Weapons should be transported in the locked trunks of vehicles.
Ford to sell Brook Park engine plant
Ford is selling its shuttered Brook Park engine plant. Cleveland.com reports six years after the carmaker shut closed down operations at Plant 2, it’s put the 195-acre property on the market. The property is located near Hopkins Airport. According to Cleveland.com, the timing of the sale could work in Ford’s favor, with industrial vacancies currently at a low. Ford’s Cleveland Engine Plant #1 is still in operation and employs nearly 12-hundred people.
Camp Ravenna gets new name in honor of 20th president
Camp Ravenna has been renamed for the U.S.'s 20th president. The Ohio National Guard said its Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training Center in Portage and Trumbull counties will now be knows as Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center. The Guard said Garfield was a major-general in Ohio's militia, later known as the Ohio National Guard. The Ohio native became president in 1881 and was assassinated that year. The center is used for military units, civilian law enforcement and first responders. It’s currently undergoing $37 million in upgrades projected for completion in 2022.
AP reports Renacci didn't record travel costs on a Cleveland strip-club private plane
The Associated Press is reporting that Republican Congressman Jim Renacci traveled repeatedly aboard a Cleveland strip-club owner's private plane during his run for Ohio governor without properly reporting the costs of those flights. The AP identified about a dozen instances when Renacci travelled to gubernatorial campaign events on Don Ksiezyk’s plane without reimbursing him for travel costs. That included trips from their hometown of Wadsworth to Cincinnati, Columbus, Zanesville, Dayton and Cleveland between August 2017 and January. Renacci first reported specific payments to Ksiezyk in conjunction with his Senate campaign travel. Renacci is challenging Senator Sherrod Brown in November.
Judge dismisses Facebook lawsuit over Cleveland shooting video
Facebook has been dismissed from a lawsuit brought by the family of a Cleveland retiree whose shooting death was recorded and shared on the social media platform. The wrongful death lawsuit over Robert Godwin Sr.'s 2017 death accused Facebook of negligence for not catching and reporting the shooter's posted threats. A judge in Cleveland ruled Facebook shouldn't be held legally responsible for the killing. Facebook's lawyers argued the lawsuit didn't show how Facebook could have interpreted a post from one of billions of users to mean imminent danger and act quickly enough to prevent Godwin's death.
Icelandair moves start date from March to May
Icelandair is pushing back its return to Hopkins from March to May. An official with the airline told Cleveland.com that Cleveland did not yet have the volume to support service beyond the peak travel period in Summer. Icelandair had originally intended service to be year-round, but suspended flights back in September. The announcement comes the same week the only other airline providing non-stop transatlantic service, WOW Air announced it was ending its flights to and from Cleveland.
Ohio's liquor control tests new idea to get rid of unwanted liquor
Ohio's Division of Liquor Control is testing a new idea meant to offload unwanted liquor at a premium price. The state has opened its first Last Call store in Columbus for a test run through this weekend and next. The Columbus Dispatch reports the clearance sale is meant to get rid of liquor that has been discontinued, isn't moving quickly in regular stores or liquor that is simply overstocked by the state. Liquor Control Superintendent Jim Canepa called it “sort of a treasure hunt." He says he was inspired to have the state hold a warehouse sale for liquor while shopping for clearance shoes. The Last Call store is currently a short-term test, but officials say it could be permanent if successful.
Japanese Artist Yayoi Kusama breaks Cleveland Museum of Art record
The Cleveland Museum of Art said the recent exhibition of works by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama broke the record for the number of visitors. Cleveland.com reports more than 305,000 people came to see the “Infinity Mirrors” and FRONT International art installations. That broke the previous tally of 290,000 visitors to the Amenhotep exhibit in 1992. The Museum says visitors came from all 50 states and 23 foreign countries, generated nearly $7 million in revenues, including $2.3 million in new memberships. A Cleveland economist’s analysis shows the Kusama exhibition contributed $5.5 million in economic impact in Cuyahoga County.
Fall fishing derby offers $1,000 prize for largest walleye
A fall fishing derby is offering $1,000 for the heaviest walleye caught off the shores of Lorain County. The Chronicle Telegram reports that anglers have until Dec 2 to land the fattest fish. Weigh ins are at Erie Outfitters in Sheffield Lake.
