Here are your morning headlines for Thursday, August 6:
- UA faculty union rejects university-offered contract
- Gov. DeWine delays coronavirus briefing for Trump visit
- Akron Police and Summit Co. Jail at odds over gun violence spike
- Rapper Kanye West files petition to appear on Ohio presidential ballot
- Akron Art Museum develops inclusion plan following allegations against former director
- NFLPA President, Browns’ center JC Tretter wants daily COVID-19 testing
- Cleveland Hopkins says it could take years to recover from pandemic
- Cedar Fair reports massive revenue drop due to the pandemic
UA faculty union rejects university-offered contract
The union representing University of Akron faculty has voted to reject the contract offered by the university. The union announced the results yesterday afternoon. According to a statement from university president Gary Miller, the matter now goes to binding arbitration. The rejection of the contract comes after the recent layoff of 178 union and non-union faculty and staff positions as the school deals with the economic fallout from the pandemic.
Gov. DeWine delays coronavirus briefing for Trump visit
Gov. Mike DeWine is pushing back today’s planned coronavirus briefing in order to greet President Trump as he arrives for a visit and fundraiser in Northeast Ohio. Trump is scheduled to visit a Whirlpool factory in Clyde. The governor will meet him on the tarmac but not accompany him on the tour. DeWine’s office has rescheduled tomorrow’s planned briefing for 2pm. WKSU will carry the briefing live.
Akron Police and Summit Co. Jail at odds over gun violence spike
Akron Police and the Summit County Jail do not see eye-to-eye when it comes why there’s been a recent spike in gun violence in the city. The Akron Beacon Journal reports the department put out a release saying the increase was part of a nationwide trend. It also placed some of the blame on the difficulty in locking up people charged with gun violations. The city has a contract with the jail to accept prisoners, but it said over a nearly five-month period, less than half of the 120 offenders arrested on gun charges were accepted by the jail. The others had to be released. A spokesman for the Sheriff’s office told the Beacon Journal they’ve had to reduce the jail’s population and institute new restrictions due to the pandemic. The city reported nine murders in July.
Rapper Kanye West files petition to appear on Ohio presidential ballot
Kanye West has filed a petition to appear as a presidential candidate on Ohio’s ballot in November. A representative for West submitted nearly 15,000 signatures and other paperwork to the Office of the Ohio Secretary of State for West and running mate Michelle Tidball. In order to qualify to run as an independent candidate in Ohio, West will need 5,000 valid signatures from registered voters. The filing in Ohio comes after West withdrew his petition for candidacy in New Jersey.
Akron Art Museum develops inclusion plan following allegations against former director
The Akron Art Museum has come up with a plan to address diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion. According to a release, the seven point plan is intended to guide the museum toward being what it calls a healthier institution absent of bias. The plan includes training for the staff and board, the creation of a task force to identify necessary change, an employee led council to provide oversight, a community advisory board, and the development of a long-term plan. The museum’s previous director, Mark Masuoka, resigned in May amidst allegations of racism, sexism and bullying.
NFLPA President, Browns’ center JC Tretter wants daily COVID-19 testing
Browns’ center JC Tretter, who’s also president of the NFL Players Association will push for daily COVID-19 testing during training camp as the league moves toward the start of the season. Tretter weighed the risks and elected to play in 2020 with his wife expecting their first child. He said players being tested every day would eliminate some of the lag time in waiting for results that has led to problems during Major League’s Baseball’s start to its season.
Cleveland Hopkins says it could take years to recover from pandemic
It could take three or four years for Cleveland Hopkins airport to recover to pre-pandemic travel levels. The head of the airport, Robert Kennedy told a city council committee that the airport’s recovery is depends on the future of the airlines which are suffering amid steep losses. Cleveland.com reports Kennedy told the committee that they expect to see just over four million passengers this year. That’s down from 10 million last year. Employment at the airport has also taken a hit. It’s down about 1,300 positions.
Cedar Fair reports massive revenue drop due to the pandemic
Cedar Point's parent company Cedar Fair has reported a massive drop in revenue due to the pandemic. Cleveland.com reports Cedar Fair's second-quarter earnings showed a 98% drop in revenue and operating losses of $142 million over the three month period. Cedar Fair reported $7 million in revenue for the quarter, last year that number was $436 million. The company owns Ohio's two amusement parks in Cedar Point and Kings Island which cleveland.com reports account for 80% of the company's annual revenue. Cedar Point announced it will shift to weekend-only operations Aug. 17.
