Here are your morning headlines for Monday, August 26:
- Nonprofit raises $2M for Dayton shooting victims;
- CLE celebrates One World Day;
- Pipeline replacement plants raises ire of Green;
- Ceremony held as National Guard unit deploys to Middle East;
- Dave Chappelle hosts concert to honor Ohio shooting victims;
- Shooting near campus prompts university alerts to students;
- State Supreme Court offers new learning program for schools;
- Cleveland-born giraffe dies at Toledo Zoo;
- Air Force base now employs more than 30,000 people;
Nonprofit raises $2M for Dayton shooting victims
An Ohio nonprofit is convening more than a dozen volunteers to oversee disbursement of nearly $2 million raised to help those affected by the recent mass shooting. The Dayton Oregon District Tragedy Fund had received nearly 4,300 individual gifts within the first 12 hours of the Aug. 4 mass shooting in the city's Oregon District that left nine people dead and dozens injured. The Dayton Daily News reports the donations will be given to the families of those killed as well as to people injured in the shooting. The fund has a tentative gift deadline of Oct. 1. The committee overseeing disbursement plans to draft a protocol for how the funds will be allocated. The public will be invited to review that draft.
CLE celebrates One World Day
Cleveland celebrated the 74th annual One World Day Sunday by making 24 people official U.S. citizens. The day encourages communities to come together to honor different cultures. Cleveland.com reports the new citizens came from 16 countries, including China, Mexico and Peru. The event took place at the Cleveland Cultural Gardens with speakers, ethnic food and traditional music and dances.
Pipeline replacement plants raises ire of Green
The company planning to replace a half-mile section of a high-pressure natural gas pipeline because it runs through an area more heavily populated than originally calculated has refreshed the ire of the Summit County community that fought to stop its construction. Enbridge, which operates the NEXUS Gas Transmission pipeline, said the segment being replaced in Green needs thicker walls. Councilman Steve Dyer, a fierce critic, said he wants to know if the replacement project has anything to do with an Enbridge pipeline that exploded Aug. 1 in central Kentucky, killing one person and injuring five others. The company said there is no link. Work is expected to begin by early October.
Ceremony held as National Guard unit deploys to Middle East
A call to duty ceremony was held in Canton Sunday for nearly 600 citizen-soldiers of the Ohio National Guard's 1st Battalion, 145th Armored Regiment, who are deploying to the Middle East. The Stow-based unit will be deployed for a year in support of Operation Spartan Shield. Most of the soldiers are from Ohio and specialize in working with armored tanks or as combat infantrymen. The Canton Repository reports about 4,500 people attended the going-away event at the Canton Memorial Civic center, which included a speech from Gov. Mike DeWine. The bulk of the soldiers will first head to Texas for readiness training.
Dave Chappelle hosts concert to honor Ohio shooting victims
Thousands turned out to a benefit hosted by comedian Dave Chappelle that honored victims of a mass shooting in Dayton. The star-studded "Gem City Shine" took place Sunday in the city’s Oregon District, the historic neighborhood that was marred by a 32-second rampage that killed nine people and left dozens injured Aug. 4. Stevie Wonder headlined the event that was designed to raise both spirits as well as money for the victims and survivors of the shooting. Chappelle lives nearby in Yellow Springs. Earlier Sunday, Kanye West hosted a Sunday Service in a Dayton park. The service for victims featured choir singers and was also attended by Chappelle.
Shooting near campus prompts university alerts to students
A shooting in a parking lot near Ohio State University's campus prompted the school to send alerts warning students of a possible active shooter. Columbus police said someone shot and wounded a 21-year-old man in the thigh in a McDonald's parking lot across from campus late Saturday night and fled. An all-clear was issued about 20 minutes later. Police said the injured man isn't an OSU student. The Columbus Dispatch reports the university updated its alert procedures after several students and faculty members were injured by a car or butcher knife wielded on campus by an Ohio State student in 2016.
State Supreme Court offers new learning program for schools
Ohio's Supreme Court is offering a new learning program that allows high school students to see how the court operates without leaving their classrooms. The court's Civic Education Section recently unveiled "Under Advisement: Ohio Supreme Court Cases on Demand." A court release said the program provides teachers with lesson plans developed specifically for a civil case and a criminal case already argued to the court. Teachers lead students through an in-depth study of the already-decided cases, with students reading the case facts and watching oral arguments on video. The lesson plans are free and designed to align with Ohio's Learning Standards for the High School American Government Curriculum. Teachers can access the lesson plans on the court's website.
Cleveland-born giraffe dies at Toledo Zoo
An 8-year-old, Cleveland-born giraffe collapsed and died Saturday at the Toledo Zoo. Cleveland.com reports Trevor the giraffe's cause of death hasn't been determined, but zoo officials said he wasn't acting normal days before. The exhibit wasn't open to visitors when he passed away. Trevor is the second giraffe that died at the zoo this summer.
Air Force base now employs more than 30,000 people
An Air Force base in Ohio now employs more than 30,000 people for the first time in decades. Leaders at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton expect personnel numbers to continue to grow. The Dayton Daily News reports this is the first time the base has employed more than 30,000 people in 30 years. Col. Tom Sherman, 88th Air Base Wing and installation commander, attributes the growth to the base having better "local hiring authority" to fill new positions and vacancies that remained from a hiring freeze. It’s also the result of additional military funding being spent on research and development. The base, at its peak, employed around 46,500 military and civilian employees in 1942.
