Here are your morning headlines for Tuesday, September 10:
- Kenmore Boulevard gets historic designation;
- Hiram College to cut tuition;
- Cleveland City Council backs gun background checks;
- Gambling revenue jumps in August;
- Lake Erie wind farm faces delay over fees;
- Akron Children's, Summa Health expand partnership;
- Case Western, Kent State rank among best national universities;
- Ohio clinic appeals state court ruling to stay open;
- Trump presents medal to Ohio mass shooting responders;
- Ohio senator offers help for workers replaced by automation;
Kenmore Boulevard gets historic designation
Akron’s Kenmore Boulevard has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The listing from the National Park Service means renovators in Kenmore can apply for historic tax credits. The district is already part of an Opportunity Zone, which means that under the 2017 tax law, businesses and nonprofits can delay taxes on capital gains by investing in properties there. Most of the buildings in the Kenmore Boulevard Historic District were built between 1908 and 1928.
Hiram College to cut tuition
Hiram College is cutting tuition and student fees by about 35%. Tuition next fall will drop to about $25,000. The new price will include two free summer classes each year, and the school will offer paid internships on campus. The private college said it hopes the plan will draw in more students and keep them on track for graduation. Graduate school classes and weekend classes won't apply to the new model.
Cleveland City Council backs gun background checks
Cleveland City Council has voted unanimously to support a group's effort to expand gun background checks statewide. It's a symbolic move to publicly back Ohioans for Gun Safety, which is working to collect signatures requesting that state lawmakers act on a law within four months. If lawmakers reject the idea, supporters would then have to collect another nearly 133,000 signatures to force a statewide vote.
Gambling revenue jumps in August
Revenue at Ohio’s casinos and racinos saw a small jump last month. The Ohio Casino Control Commission said overall the take at the 11 gaming facilities was up by more than 4% in August to around $164 million. JACK Thistledown racino saw a 10% jump over last year, while JACK casino in Cleveland saw a 3% increase. The MGM Northfield Park racino lost money for the fourth month since it changed its name from the Hard Rock Rocksino.
Lake Erie wind farm faces delay over fees
The decade-long plan to build a wind farm in Lake Erie could be derailed by overdue state administrative fees. Cleveland.com reports The Ohio Power Siting Board said it will stop reviewing the project until wind developer LEED Co. pays $150,000 in permitting fees. A judge last week gave LEED Co. until Friday to pay up or face dismissal of the project altogether. The plan to build six turbines eight miles off the Cleveland shore had seemed primed to move forward after complying with a long list of environmental requirements from state regulators. The siting board said the extra fees were added because the approval process has dragged on longer than expected.
Akron Children's, Summa Health expand partnership
Akron Children's physicians are now providing services for high-risk pregnancies at Summa Health's Akron City and Barberton hospitals. It's an expansion of a partnership between the two hospital groups since 2011. Doctors will be able to read ultrasounds, establish care plans and help high-risk patients in labor. Pregnancies are deemed high risk if the mother or baby as an increased risk for health problems before, during or after the birth.
Case Western, Kent State rank among best national universities
Case Western Reserve University led the state in the U.S. News and World Report rankings for "Best National Universities." Case is tied for 40th. Kent State University's ranking fell 20 spots from last year, placing 211th. It's overall score, however, improved by 9% compared to last year. Ohio State is tied for 54th. A number of Northeast Ohio colleges and universities are ranked in other categories, including The College of Wooster, which is 66th among "Best National Liberal Arts Colleges." The report examined more than 1,400 U.S. colleges and universities based on graduation rates, retention and the number of students who receive Pell grants.
Ohio clinic appeals state court ruling to stay open
An abortion provider has asked the Ohio Supreme Court to reverse a lower court ruling that would force it to close. The Women's Med Center in Kettering made the request after the top court refused to hear an appeal from the clinic in August. The state's Department of Health in 2016 ordered the clinic to close because it can't obtain a written patient-transfer agreement from local hospitals. It’s the Dayton area's only remaining abortion provider. The state's response is due Sept. 13 and the Supreme Court should rule within two months.
Trump presents medal to Ohio mass shooting responders
President Trump presented the nation's highest award for public safety Monday to six Ohio police officers who responded swiftly to reports of gunfire last month in Dayton, confronted the shooter in under a minute and prevented more deaths. The six police officers each received the Medal of Valor, established in 2001 as the nation's highest public safety award. Nine people were killed and more than two dozen were wounded in the early morning attack Aug. 4 in a bustling entertainment district. Trump also recognized five civilians who put themselves at risk after a gunman opened fire at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, in August.
Ohio senator offers help for workers replaced by automation
Ohio's Democratic U.S. Senator is rolling out a proposal that would force employers to warn workers and retrain them when their jobs are about to be eliminated by automation. Sherrod Brown thinks the issue of how workers are being treated in a fast-evolving economy is one that Democrats could use to beat Republicans in the 2020 elections. But he said the Democrats running for president aren't talking enough about pro-worker issues. Brown, who decided in March against a run for the White House, said the government needs to do better at anticipating how workers will be affected by automation in the coming years. The legislation he's introducing this week calls for companies to pay for training when employees are impacted by new technology and pay severance to workers who lose their jobs.
