Here are your morning headlines for Thursday, October 25:
- Ohio Medicaid owes government $38M;
- Doctors will soon be able to predict opioid addiction;
- Ohio announces investment in anti-elder abuse efforts;
- Fight over CEO school takeover law reaches state high court;
- Cleveland Orchestra fires 2 musicians over sexual misconduct;
- Military officials to gather in Columbus;
- New indoor farmers market to open in Akron;
Ohio Medicaid owes government $38M
Ohio Medicaid owes the federal government millions of dollars, according to a recent audit. Cleveland.com reports the Office of the Inspector General claims the provider had been making payments on behalf of patients who died, totaling more than $50 million. Since a chunk of that included federal shares, the state owes the government $38 million. Ohio Medicaid denies the claim and is appealing the audit.
Doctors will soon be able to predict opioid addiction
A patient’s genes will soon help doctors determine whether someone can get addicted to opioids. It’s one of the medical breakthroughs listed on Cleveland Clinic’s Top 10 Medical Innovations list for next year. Cleveland.com reports doctors will be able to tailor the patient’s pain medicine by testing the likelihood of addiction. The list also includes changes in immunotherapy for cancer treatment, and a scanning visor that can quickly detect strokes.
Ohio announces investment in anti-elder abuse efforts
Ohio has announced it is spending $1.3 million to expand its anti-elder abuse efforts. The Department of Job and Family Services said the investment includes a federal grant of more than $920,000. The agency said Wednesday the money will help it launch a year-round public awareness campaign and develop an online referral system for reporting suspected elder abuse. The investment also will allow the department to develop online training for individuals required to report suspicions of elder abuse, neglect or exploitation. Earlier this year a new law expanded the list of people required to report suspicions of elder abuse, neglect or exploitation to authorities. The list of mandatory reporters now includes more individuals in financial services, legal and medical professions.
Fight over CEO school takeover law reaches state high court
The fight over an Ohio law that puts control of poor-performing school districts in the hands of unelected CEOs rather than publicly elected boards has reached the state Supreme Court. On Wednesday, it accepted the case that challenges divisive changes in the so-called Youngstown Plan and how they were pushed through the Legislature in one day in 2015. The bill also gave Ohio academic distress commissions more power to close schools or replace staff. Youngstown's school board and school employees' unions argue it violates the Ohio Constitution by stripping the authority of school districts and boards. They also said lawmakers ignored the "Three Reading Rule" requiring repeated consideration of legislation.
Cleveland Orchestra fires 2 musicians over sexual misconduct
The Cleveland Orchestra said an independent investigation into sexual misconduct allegations has led to the firing of two prominent musicians. The orchestra on Wednesday announced the dismissals of concertmaster William Preucil and principal trombonist Massimo La Rosa. The orchestra said in a statement that the investigation was conducted after the publication of media reports in July detailing allegations of misconduct involving Preucil. The investigation was expanded after allegations were also made against La Rosa. The orchestra says investigators found that both men engaged in "sexual misconduct and sexually harassing behavior" with female students and colleagues over a number of years. Investigators were told the women felt intimidated and were afraid to take action.
Military officials to gather in Columbus
Military officials are gathering this weekend in Columbus to celebrate the opening of the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. The Columbus Dispatch reports that Retired Gen. Colin Powell will give the keynote address Saturday. The new national museum recognizes and honors the experiences of veterans, and emphasizes their personal stories.
New indoor farmers market to open in Akron
A new indoor farmers market is opening this weekend in Akron. The Countryside Conservancy is launching the Public Market this Sunday in the lower level of the Northside Lofts near downtown. The market features roughly 20 vendors Sundays from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. A $95,000 grant from the Knight Foundation got the market off the ground. The group says it plans to extend the market to other days as it grows.
