Here are your morning headlines for Thursday, Aug. 25:
- Activists deliver petition to Akron Police calling for reform, accountability
- Greater Cleveland RTA to create oversight committee for its police force
- Striking Columbus teachers reach tentative agreement
- Northeast Ohio teachers battle to get their own concerns heard in light of Columbus strike
- What the federal student loan forgiveness plan means for borrowers in Ohio
- New cases of monkeypox reported in Cuyahoga County
- Guardians shut out the Padres
- Your weather forecast: Sunny and warm. High 86
Activists deliver petition to Akron Police calling for reform, accountability
Dozens of activists marched to Akron Police headquarters Wednesday afternoon to deliver a petition calling for accountability and policy changes. The petition received 58,000 signatures nationwide. Demands include expunging the records of demonstrators who were arrested in protests after the death of Jayland Walker, an unarmed Black man who was fatally shot by Akron Police earlier this summer. [Ideastream Public Media]
Greater Cleveland RTA to create oversight committee for its police force
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority will create a new oversight committee to investigate citizen complaints about its police officers. The RTA’s board of trustees unanimously approved the formation of the seven-member committee on Tuesday. RTA Police Chief Deirdre Jones said it will create transparency and instill confidence in the community that the agency is hearing its concerns. [Ideastream Public Media]
Striking Columbus teachers reach tentative agreement
Teachers in Ohio’s largest school district have reached a conceptual agreement with the Columbus City Schools. The Columbus Education Association tweeted out the news around 2:30 this morning. The union told members not to report to picket sites. The tentative agreement comes a day after classes started. [WOSU]
Northeast Ohio teachers battle to get their own concerns heard in light of Columbus strike
The teachers strike in Columbus has raised awareness about a litany of issues facing those educators. The head of the largest teachers union in Northeast Ohio said Columbus teachers are not alone in being under-resourced. Teachers in Niles, Canfield and Akron are negotiating for increased pay, better working conditions and more school staff and resources. Teachers in Niles are prepared to strike if an agreement is not made. [Ideastream Public Media]
What the federal student loan forgiveness plan means for borrowers in Ohio
President Joe Biden announced yesterday that many government loan borrowers will see some relief. His plan forgives $10,000 of undergraduate student debt for those who have income levels that qualify, and $20,000 for those who had Pell grants. It also extended the pause on student debt repayment through the end of this year. The average student loan balance in Ohio is $34,923. Piet van Lier, senior researcher with Policy Matters Ohio, said the loan forgiveness will help, but he said more needs to be done to make college affordable. He said Ohio isn't investing enough on the front end to make higher education affordable. [Statehouse News Bureau]
New cases of monkeypox reported in Cuyahoga County
Cuyahoga County reported 61 cases of monkeypox, as of Tuesday. The majority of them, 41, are in Cleveland. Cuyahoga County Board of Health Commissioner Dr. Roderick Harris said those infected range in age from 19 to 50. He said the majority of cases are men who have sex with other men. Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease. It is spread primarily by close, skin-to-skin contact. The Cleveland Department of Public Health will hold a vaccination clinic Friday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 1313 E. 26th St. [Ideastream Public Media]
Guardians shut out the Padres
Cal Quantrill silenced his former team, the San Diego Padres, through seven stellar innings in the Cleveland Guardians’ 7-0 victory Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park. He allowed just five hits and pitched out of two big jams in the fifth and seventh innings. All-Star José Ramírez homered in consecutive at-bats. The Guardians swept the two-game set against San Diego and lead theAL Central by four games over the second-place Minnesota Twins. They play the Seattle Mariners this afternoon. [AP]
Your weather forecast:Sunny and warm. High 86
Tonight, partly cloudy. Low 66. Tomorrow, Friday, showers and thunderstorms likely, especially in the morning. Scattered showers throughout the rest of the day in Akron. Turning partly sunny in Cleveland. High 82. [National Weather Service]
