Here are your morning headlines for Friday, Sept. 2:
- COVID-19 boosters targeting new omicron variants to arrive in Northeast Ohio within days
- Younger Ohioans are registering to vote in big numbers after U.S. Supreme Court abortion ruling
- Attorney for Donovan Lewis' family calls for accountability following Columbus Police shooting
- Ohio already reaping millions from sports gambling
- College fair kicks off Black College Football Hall of Fame weekend in Canton
- COVID-19 cases in Ohio rise after weeks of decline
- Baltimore Orioles defeat Guardians 3-0
- Your weather forecast for the Labor Day holiday weekend: Mostly sunny
COVID-19 boosters targeting new omicron variants to arrive in Northeast Ohio within days
COVID-19 boosters targeting the omicron variants that are currently circulating are expected to arrive at health departments in Northeast Ohio later this week or next, health officials said Thursday. The announcement came a day after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization to Pfizer and Moderna for their new boosters, which provide protection against the original strain of the virus and BA.4 and BA.5 variants. [Ideastream Public Media]
Younger Ohioans are registering to vote in big numbers after U.S. Supreme Court abortion ruling
There’s been a flood of people registering to vote since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health in June striking down the constitutional right to abortion. Even though this midterm year with a Democratic president was predicted to be good for Republicans, the data in Ohio and some other states is suggesting something else. Ohio’s voter registration form doesn’t ask for gender. So Tom Bonier at the Democratic political data company TargetSmart said they use commercially available databases to derive educated guesses at gender. He estimates Ohio women are leading men in registering to vote by double digits. [Statehouse News Bureau]
Attorney for Donovan Lewis' family calls for accountability following Columbus Police shooting
An attorney for the family of an unarmed Black man killed by a Columbus police officer Tuesday morning said the officer acted recklessly and there is no justification for the shooting. Attorney Rex Elliott, an attorney for the family of 20-year-old Donovan Lewis who was shot by Columbus Police Officer Ricky Anderson while conducting a raid, spoke on Thursday morning surrounded by Lewis' family members. [WOSU Public Media]
Ohio already reaping millions from sports gambling
Sports betting will open in Ohio on Jan. 1, and the state could realize revenues of more than $30 million from fees this year. Nonrefundable application fees of $9.6 million have already been received, according to a report from PlayOhio. Once an application is approved, the vendor must pay a license fee to begin taking bets, then pay an annual fee to continue the license. Licenses are good for five years, at which time the fee structure begins again. Annual license fees could total $5 million, with expected tax revenues of $50 million, PlayOhio estimates. [Mahoning Matters]
College fair kicks off Black College Football Hall of Fame weekend in Canton
Find a college that feels right. And avoid too many influences from family and friends. Guest speaker James Burrell, assistant vice president of enrollment management at Wilberforce University near Xenia, offered that advice Thursday as the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic kicked off its annual college fair in the Hall of Fame Village Center for Performance. Local, state and national university programs were all on hand with historically Black colleges and universities being well-represented. [The Repository]
COVID-19 cases in Ohio rise after weeks of decline
After dropping for four weeks in a row, the weekly number of COVID-19 cases in Ohio increased by nearly 2,000 cases this week. The state of Ohio on Thursday reported 25,280 new cases of COVID-19 in its weekly dashboard update. Last week, the state reported 23,436 new cases of the illness. [Cleveland.com]
Baltimore Orioles defeat Guardians 3-0
Rookie Kyle Bradish held Cleveland to two singles in the seventh inning, leading the Baltimore Orioles to a 3-0 victory over the Guardians at Progressive Field. The Guardians have won two of their last seven games. Their lead in the AL Central has shrunk to one game over the Minnesota Twins, who didn’t play Thursday. [AP]
Your weather forecast for the Labor Day holiday weekend: Mostly sunny today. High 86. Tonight, partly cloudy. Low 66. Tomorrow, partly sunny with a 30% chance of late afternoon showers and thunderstorms. High 87. Sunday, rain likely. High 87. Labor Day Monday, a 40% chance of showers. Partly sunny. High 82. [National Weather Service]
