Here are your morning headlines for September 28, 2020:
- Cleveland-Cliffs set to buy ArcelorMittal
- Ohio surpasses 150K COVID-19 cases
- Cleveland councilman steps down after nearly two decades
- Summit County’s prosecutor is recovering from COVID-19
- Ohio GOP lawmakers praise U.S. Supreme Court pick
- Cleveland increases security ahead of presidential debate
- Democrats request nearly 450,000 ballots so far
- Indians rally past Pirates, will host Yankees in playoffs
- Mayfield leads Browns to first winning record since 2014
- MAC returns with 6-game football season starting Nov. 4
Cleveland-Cliffs set to buy ArcelorMittal
Cleveland-based Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. is set to buy the U.S. operations of ArcelorMittal SA for $1.4 billion to become the biggest flat-rolled steel producer in North America. The deal would come after Cleveland-Cliffs acquired AK Steel for $3 billion last March. Cleveland-Cliffs employs about 11,000 people across mining and steel manufacturing operations in the United States and Canada. Based in Luxembourg, ArcelorMittal’s U.S. business has more than 18,000 employees and 25 facilities.
Ohio surpasses 150K COVID-19 cases
Ohio surpassed 150,000 total COVID-19 cases over the weekend. There were 800 cases confirmed Sunday, which is below the three-week daily average. One new death was recorded, bringing the total to 4,741.
Cleveland councilman steps down after nearly two decades
A longtime Cleveland city councilman is stepping down to take another job. Matt Zone has been on council for 19 years. In November, he’ll become executive director of the Thriving Communities Institute and will also be Senior Vice President of Western Reserve Land Conservancy. Zone’s ward includes the Edgewater area, Gordon Square and parts of Ohio City. Zone is recommending Jenny Spence to take his place. She is a Detroit Shoreway resident and has served on the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization since 2014.
Summit County’s prosecutor is recovering from COVID-19
Summit County’s longtime prosecutor has announced she’s recovering from COVID-19. Cleveland.com reports Sherri Bevan Walsh was hospitalized and says she still “really sick,” saying she felt worse than she did when she was going through chemo for breast cancer. Walsh was elected Summit County Prosecutor in 2000.
Ohio GOP lawmakers praise U.S. Supreme Court pick
Ohio’s Republican lawmakers are praising President Donald Trump’s U.S. Supreme Court nominee. Trump selected judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ohio Sen. Rob Portman of issued a statement that he looks forward to considering Barrett’s nomination, saying she has an impressive background. The top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, Champaign County Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Urbana, posted on Twitter, “She’ll fight for life, liberty, and the rule of law.” In a statement, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said, “In addition to her distinguished judicial career, Judge Coney Barrett is a mother of seven, a constitutional scholar, and an esteemed law professor.” Meanwhile, Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown issued a statement that said he has “serious concerns” about Barrett’s “rulings against women’s rights and civil rights and her record of siding with corporations over workers.”
Cleveland increases security ahead of presidential debate
The city of Cleveland is increasing security ahead of Tuesday’s first presidential debate being held at the Cleveland Clinic’s main campus. There’s a long list of items that will be banned in all public areas from East 79th Street east to Stokes Boulevard and from Hough Avenue south to Cedar Avenue from 12:01 a.m. Monday until 6 p.m. Wednesday. Items prohibited include everything from weapons and explosives to umbrellas with metal tips and aerosol cans.
Democrats request nearly 450,000 ballots so far
Democratic voters in Ohio continue to flood boards of elections with absentee ballot applications, and they’ve requested almost twice as many ballots as all those mailed in by Democrats in 2016. More than 442,000 ballots requested by Democratic affiliated voters already – 185% more than the 238,500 ballots Democrats returned by mail in all of 2016. So far this year, Republican-affiliated voters have requested nearly 92% of the total Republicans returned in all of 2016. But it’s also notable that so far, 62% of the partisan ballots returned have been from Democrats. That potentially gives Democrats the advantage going into November 3, as polls suggest around half of voters will wait to cast ballots at their polling places. In 2016, 55% of all partisan ballots came from Republicans and 45% from Democrats, which gave Republicans an edge on Election Day.
Indians rally past Pirates, will host Yankees in playoffs
The Cleveland Indians are staying home for the first round of the postseason — with the New York Yankees coming to town. Carlos Santana had four RBIs and delivered a go-ahead, two-run double in the seventh inning as the Indians rallied past the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-6 to gain home-field advantage for their wild-card series. The Indians finished second in the AL Central and grabbed the No. 4 seed in the American League playoffs when the Chicago White Sox lost to the crosstown Cubs. Cleveland will face the fifth-seeded Yankees in a best-of-three series beginning Tuesday at Progressive Field. The opener features a prime pitching matchup, with Cy Young Award favorite Shane Bieber scheduled to face Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.
Mayfield leads Browns to first winning record since 2014
Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes, Nick Chubb ran for two more and the Cleveland Browns moved over .500 for the first time since 2014 with a 34-20 win over the Washington Football Team. Washington lost rookie star defensive end Chase Young to a groin injury in the first half. With their second straight win under first-year coach Kevin Stefanski, the Browns are 2-1 for the first time since 2011. Cleveland's defense intercepted Dwayne Haskins three times, and Myles Garrett sacked him twice. Chubb rushed for 108 yards and Kareem Hunt caught a TD pass for Cleveland.
MAC returns with 6-game football season starting Nov. 4
The Mid-American Conference, the first major college football league to postpone its season, has become the final one to jump back in. That makes it 10 out of 10 conferences that will play in the fall. University presidents in the Big Ten, Pac-12 and Mountain West have all decided to play this fall after all instead of spring. MAC games will start Nov. 4 and the championship game will be played Dec. 18 or 19.
