Here are your morning headlines for Monday, September 23:
- Conway harps on Democrats, Kasich at state dinner;
- Hopkins spent $2M on upgrades;
- Cleveland Orchestra extends director's contract;
- Cleveland to pay 2016 RNC protestor $50,000;
- Police: Four bodies found in Cleveland home;
- Judge denies state's request to dismiss gender birth certificate lawsuit;
Conway harps on Democrats, Kasich at state dinner
During Saturday's Ohio Republican Party state dinner, President Trump's counselor Kellyanne Conway devoted much of her time on stage calling for more women to run for office. Cleveland.com reports Conway said the Democratic party is making moves to improve diversity among candidates, but pointed out that the top three 2020 presidential candidates — Joe Biden, Sen Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren — are all white politicians in their 70s. Conway said the Democratic electorate is "racist and sexist." She also took a few digs at former Ohio Gov. John Kasich for his vocal opposition to President Trump.
Hopkins spent $2M on cybersecurity upgrades
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport said it has spent nearly $2 million on upgrading its digital security since a malware attack this spring. The airport has experienced an unspecified number of unsuccessful system intrusions since the April cyberattack. Cleveland.com reports it took the airport a week to get its systems back online after malware was discovered. The attack shut down flight and baggage information boards, as well as the airport's internal email system. Cleveland officials said then that they planned to integrate the airport with the rest of the city's computer systems and bolster general cybersecurity. Some of those improvements include adding staff to the computer security teams and upgrading equipment.
Cleveland Orchestra extends director's contract
The Cleveland Orchestra has announced a five-year contract extension for music director Franz Welser-Most. Welser-Most will stay in Cleveland until 2027 and will have a 25-year tenure. He plans to continue his initiatives, including new ones that will give free daytime concert tickets to Cleveland schools, expand music-making programs to underserved neighborhoods and allow preschool children to explore the Orchestra's instruments. Wesler-Most has been the Cleveland Orchestra's director since 1999.
Cleveland to pay 2016 RNC protestor $50,000
An attorney for a protester arrested during the 2016 Republican National Convention said Cleveland will pay his client $50,000 to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit. At the convention, Richard Newburger joined fellow protesters preparing to burn an American flag when Newburger and others were assaulted by police and sprayed with fire retardant. The flag burning was led by Gregory Lee Johnson, whose arrest at the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas led to a U.S. Supreme Court decision invalidating state flag-burning laws. Misdemeanor charges filed against Newburger, of Chicago, and Johnson, of San Francisco, were eventually dismissed. A Cleveland spokesman declined to comment Saturday about the settlement. Cleveland previously agreed to pay Johnson $225,000 and protester Stephen Fridley $50,000 to settle their lawsuits.
Police: Four bodies found in Cleveland home
Four decomposing bodies have been found in a vacant house in Cleveland. Cleveland police said they responded to a call about a dead body in the boarded up building in the Corlett neighborhood Saturday night. They ended up finding a total of four bodies and a gun at the scene. Details about the victims haven't been released, but police said the house was frequently used for drug activity. The investigation is ongoing.
Judge denies state's request to dismiss gender birth certificate lawsuit
A judge has denied the state's request to dismiss a lawsuit that's challenging an Ohio rule which prevents people from changing the gender listings on their birth certificates. The lawsuit, filed by the ACLU, ACLU of Ohio and Lamda Legal last March, claims the birth certificate rule imposed by the state is unconstitutional. Most states already allow such changes, but Ohio and Tennessee are the last two to prohibit them.
