Here are your morning headlines for Friday, May 31:
- Ryan to appear on CNN Town Hall;
- DeWine requests emergency funds for 10 counties;
- National Weather Services confirms 20 tornadoes hit Ohio on Memorial Day;
- Cleveland begins to demolish abandoned Victoreen building;
- Water authority surpasses phosphorus reduction goals;
- Four injured in Akron shootings;
- JP Morgan Chase settles lawsuit with employee;
Ryan to appear on CNN Town Hall
Northeast Ohio Congressman and Democratic presidential candidate Tim Ryan will get to present his platform to a national audience on Sunday. He'll appear on a CNN Town Hall at 7 p.m. Ryan is near the bottom of the pack in fundraising and name recognition. He's trying to land a spot in the party's first debate late next month, in which 10 of the 24 candidates will qualify to participate.
DeWine requests emergency funds for 10 counties
Gov. Mike DeWine is requesting help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for 10 counties that suffered damage from the tornadoes that ripped through Ohio earlier this week. DeWine said he wants the feds to come in next week to do a survey of the damage and figure out what national resources might be available to help people rebuild their lives. One person died in Tuesday’s storms. But DeWine, who toured the damage with his wife Fran, said it could have been worse. He credited the media for getting the word out and to the people affected who heeded that warning.
Cleveland begins to demolish abandoned Victoreen building
An abandoned building on Cleveland's East Side is coming down as part of a city program to make it safer for kids to walk to school. The Victoreen building on Woodland Avenue is being demolished through the Safe Routes to School Program. The city said since the program launched in 2017, more than 900 abandoned structures have been razed with 126 currently on contract. Another 4,000 still need demolished.
National Weather Services confirms 20 tornadoes hit Ohio on Memorial Day
The National Weather Service has now confirmed 20 tornadoes hit Ohio Monday night. The tornado outbreak totals the average number of twisters Ohio gets a year. Currently, Ohio is at 34 tornadoes for 2019. Thousands in the Dayton area are still without power and water. Free bottled water is being distributed at stations throughout the area and shelters are open where residents can shower. The city lifted water boil advisories Thursday.
Water authority surpasses phosphorus reduction goals
A Detroit-based drinking water and wastewater treatment service provider said it has surpassed a federal and state regulators' goal for cutting phosphorus levels. The Great Lakes Water Authority said it has reduced levels by 60% — ahead of a 2025 state goal to cut them by 40%. Phosphorus levels have been reduced in treated and discharged waters from the authority's Water Resource Recovery Facility. Phosphorus runoff from agriculture fertilizer is largely responsible for massive algae blooms that turn water in parts of western Lake Erie into a pea soup color. The blooms also are the cause of tainted drinking water, fish kills and beach closures. The water authority provides service to nearly 130 communities in southeastern Michigan. It's working with other organizations to reduce phosphorus runoff into Lake Erie.
Four injured in Akron shootings
Four people were shot Wednesday night in Akron. Two of the victims were teenagers. Police said some of the injuries were series but did not appear to be life-threatening. The shootings appear to be related to an ongoing feud between the victims in West Akron. Police also responded to two other unrelated shootings in the same night.
JP Morgan Chase settles lawsuit with employee
JP Morgan Chase has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit stemming from a complaint from a male employee in Columbus. Derek Rotondo was told that while mothers are eligible for 16 weeks of paid parental leave as primary caregivers, non-primary caregivers were only eligible for two weeks. As part of the proposed settlement announced by the ACLU, JP Morgan Chase will take steps to ensure that its policy is administered in a gender-neutral way. It will create a $5 million fund to compensate up to about 5,000 fathers who were shortchanged in the past.
