Here are your morning headlines for Monday, June 10:
- State launches effort to reduce stillbirths;
- Teen driving accidents spike;
- Cuyahoga County may let voters elect sheriff;
- Report: Fairlawn rehab center among worst in the U.S.;
- Car dealership eyes Chapel Hill Mall for more space;
- Former Lorain mayor returns temporarily;
- Second body found in Akron's waterways;
- Ohio State trustees' panel OKs $147M for new art district;
- Urban Meyer to open restaurant
State launches effort to reduce stillbirths
Ohio is using education and technology in a campaign to prevent stillbirths. The new effort is a partnership between the Ohio Department of Health and a public awareness campaign that includes a smartphone app for tracking fetal movement during the third trimester of pregnancy. Federal statistics show one in 167 pregnancies in the U.S. ends in stillbirth. The Count the Kicks phone app helps them learn their baby's normal movement patterns so potential variations can be quickly identified. It's available free online. Other free educational materials can be ordered by hospitals, maternal health care providers and social services agencies that work with expectant mothers.
Teen driving accidents spike
Law enforcement and the AAA are warning of a summer spike in teen driving accidents. The risk for fatal teen crashes increases by 17% between Memorial Day and Labor Day. AAA officials said about six in 10 crashes involving young drivers result from distraction. Sending and reading emails and texts on cellphones are distractions, as are passengers. Driving experts recommend storing phones out of reach while driving and urge parents to enforce a no-passenger rule for at least six months. Ohio lawmakers are considering requiring teen drivers to hold their learner's permit for a year, rather than six months, to provide more experience.
Cuyahoga County may let voters elect sheriff
Cuyahoga County Council will decide whether to put the selection of sheriff back into the hands of voters. The position went from elected to executive-appointed when voters approved a charter form of county government in 2009. If approved by council, the issue would go to voters in November. The amendment would require higher qualifications for the position as well as a $20,000 boost in starting pay. The city has been under scrutiny for deaths and conditions at the county jail, which is overseen by the sheriff. Current sheriff, Clifford Pinkney, announced last month that he is retiring Aug. 2. Cuyahoga is the only county in Ohio that doesn't elect its sheriff.
Report: Fairlawn rehab center among worst in the U.S.
A new federal report says the Fairlawn Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Copley is one of the worst nursing homes in the nation. The Beacon Journal reports last year, inspectors found many residents were being bathed just once a month, along with clogged toilets and rooms as cold as 50 degrees. Regulators fined the nursing home $142,000 for failing to correct violations. The report lists 88 facilities nationwide with a serious history of care issues, including four others in Ohio. Three of the five on the list — including Fairlawn Rehab — are operated by Bolder Healthcare and Hillstone Healthcare.
Car dealership eyes Chapel Hill Mall for more space
A used car dealership may be moving into vacant parking lot space at Akron's struggling Chapel Hill Mall. The Beacon Journal reports North Coast Auto Mall already leases a portion of the lot and says its outgrowing its current location directly across from the mall. The city's planning commission will vote this week on the request for the six acres that will hold at least 350 cars. City council would then give final approval.
Former Lorain mayor returns temporarily
Former Lorain mayor Joe Koziura will return to the city's top job temporarily. He'll serve as the interim mayor for the next six months to close out Chase Ritenauer's unfinished term. The Lorain City Democratic Central Committee selected Koziura over two city council members vying for the job. Ritenauer resigned last month to take a new job in Chicago. Koziura was Lorain's mayor from 1996 to 1999.
Second body found in Akron's waterways
Kayakers found a man's body floating in the Ohio & Erie Canal south of downtown Akron Saturday morning. Authorities said they don't know how long the body was in the water, and the identity is unknown. He is the second person found dead in Akron’s rain-swollen waterways since June 2. However, Akron police confirmed the man is not Catalino Hernandez, 24, who went missing last weekend after being swept away in the Cuyahoga River at Cascade Valley Metro Park.
Ohio State trustees' panel OKs $147M for new art district
An arts district Ohio State University envisions as the new "front door" to its Columbus campus is a step closer to reality. A committee of university trustees has approved $147 million for design services and construction for a project estimated to cost $162 million. The Columbus Dispatch reports the district would be located near 15th Avenue and High Street. Plans include renovations to the building that houses the School of Music, and a new building for the Department of Theatre that will house a Moving Image Production program.
Urban Meyer to open new restaurant
Former Ohio State University football coach Urban Meyer is going into the restaurant business. The Columbus Dispatch reports Meyer will open Urban Meyer's Pint House in Dublin this fall. The restaurant will have special private rooms like the "7-0" named after Meyer's record against Michigan. Meyer retired in January after seven seasons at Ohio State.
