Here are your morning headlines for Thursday, Dec. 12:
- Third minor earthquake hits NE Ohio;
- Cedar Point reveals new ride for 150th anniversary;
- UA's former interim president announces retirement;
- Missed deadlines to blame for canceled HIV/AID program grants;
- UAW workers ratify new contract with Fiat Chrysler;
- Lobbyist had hand in bill sparking ectopic pregnancy flap;
- Ohio updates list of in-demand jobs, makes it searchable;
- Proposed bill would take down insulin costs;
Third minor earthquake hits NE Ohio
A 2.0-magnitude earthquake hit northeast Ohio Wednesday. It’s the third quake in the last five days. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was deep under Lake Erie around 4:20 p.m. Wednesday. It could be felt in parts of Eastlake, Mentor and Willoughby. Earthquakes also hit the area Tuesday and last Saturday.
Cedar Point reveals new ride for 150th anniversary
Cedar Point has announced plans to celebrate next year's 150th anniversary. The park will roll out Snake River Expedition that will take visitors around the park in riverboats with live actors and special effects. There will also be daily parades for three months starting in June, as well as new dining areas. Cedar Point will also give away 150 lifetime park passes. The park opens in May.
UA's former interim president announces retirement
John Green, the former interim president of the University of Akron, has announced he’s retiring. Green served as president for 16 months before Gary Miller took over in October. Green is a renowned political science professor and has been named director emeritus of the Ray C. Bliss Institute for Applied Politics. He said he’ll stay on until a new director is named. Green led the think tank for 30 years and is an in-demand expert in the role of religion in politics. The university’s board of trustees announced Wednesday a scholarship will be launched in his name.
Missed deadlines to blame for canceled HIV/AID program grants
Cleveland health officials told city council this week that missed deadlines are why the state decided to cancel $1.5 million in grants for HIV and AIDS programs in the city. Cleveland.com reports the Ohio Department of Health canceled the two grants last week without giving city officials a detailed explanation. The state claims the city failed to comply with corrective actions ordered last February. The state has also denied a request to reconsider its decision. The health department is asking other providers to help fund the programs. The canceled grants supplied education, testing and treatment programs to Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, Lorain, Medina and Ashtabula counties.
UAW workers ratify new contract with Fiat Chrysler
Unionized workers at Fiat Chrysler have voted overwhelmingly to approve a new four-year contract with the company. The ratification means the United Auto Workers (UAW) union has settled with all three Detroit automakers. The UAW has about 47,000 members at Fiat Chrysler, including the Toledo Jeep assembly plant. The deal includes a $9,000 bonus per worker upon ratification. The company also has promised $4.5 billion worth of new investments in U.S. factories. General Motors workers ratified an agreement in October after a 40-day strike, while Ford Workers settled in November.
Lobbyist had hand in bill sparking ectopic pregnancy flap
Newly released emails show an anti-abortion Ohio lawmaker who proposed legislation extending insurance coverage to a procedure considered medically impossible worked closely on the bill with a conservative lobbyist. State Rep. John Becker, a Republican, got help from Barry Sheets, a lobbyist for Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio. It would prohibit insurers from covering abortion services, but exempt a procedure “intended to reimplant” an ectopic pregnancy in a woman's uterus. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports Sheets empowered Becker to push back against questions about the medical grounding and potential threats to pregnant women of the bill's language.
Ohio updates list of in-demand jobs, makes it searchable
Ohio has rolled out an updated list of jobs that are in high demand, and made it searchable. Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said the list, which is called Ohio's Top Jobs, is built for Ohio students and workers trying to figure out the next step in their education or career. To qualify as an in-demand job, a position has to pay at least 80% of the state median wage, or $14.10 an hour or higher, and be in a field that's growing faster than the statewide average of either 36 new jobs or 584 job openings a year.
Proposed bill would take down insulin costs
An Ohio Congresswoman has introduced a bill to rein-in the skyrocketing price of insulin. The Columbus Dispatch reports that Democrat Joyce Beatty of Franklin County said the End Price Gouging for Insulin Act would tie the price of insulin in the U.S. to the average cost in other developed countries. Beatty said 1 in 10 Ohioans are living with diabetes and the price of insulin has nearly tripled in the past 10 years. The high prices force many diabetics to ration insulin, with devastating consequences. A similar, bipartisan bill has been introduced in the Senate.
