Here are your morning headlines for Tuesday, Sept. 27:
- Akron City Council passes proposed civilian police review board
- With new Moderna booster in short supply, get whatever shot's available, doctors say
- State lawmakers look to Canada as an option for lower drug prices
- New poll finds Stark County residents less satisfied with the county as a place to live
- Majority of pregnancy-related deaths can be prevented, CDC says
- Ohio unemployment overhaul on hold after indictment
- Your weather forecast: Chance showers
Akron City Council passes proposed civilian police review board
Akron City Council passed Mayor Dan Horrigan’s proposal for a citizens oversight board Monday night by a vote of 9 to 4. The 11-member board will review complaints against Akron Police and provide input on the department’s training, policies and procedures.The oversight board will be composed of at least one representative from each of the city’s 10 wards. Some members must have expertise in law enforcement, racial and social justice and mental health services. [Ideastream Public Media]
With new Moderna booster in short supply, get whatever shot's available, doctors say
Northeast Ohio's supply of the updated Moderna booster shot that protects against the new Omicron variants has run out in some areas and is low in others after a reported inspection issue at a vaccine manufacturing plant in Indiana reported earlier this month. Summit County has run out of its supply of the updated Moderna booster shots, Health Commissioner Donna Skoda said. While their vaccine clinics have been consistently full compared to previous clinics, Skoda said she's noticed some are not scheduling their vaccine after hearing the county is out of the new Moderna booster. “I tell people, if you're there ... take it, don't wait," Skoda said. "There has been a little bit of hesitancy where people have been waiting to get it." [Ideastream Public Media]
State lawmakers look to Canada as an option for lower drug prices
A new bill has been introduced in the Ohio Legislature that aims to reduce the price of prescription medication for Ohioans by implementing a state program to import drugs from Canada. Rep. Tom Young (R-Washington Township) is one of the sponsors of the bill, HB715. He said allowing the importing of prescription drugs from Canada — through a program that would be created by the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy — will allow the state's residents to get those drugs at a lower cost. Young said 22 other states are also pursuing the importing of prescription drugs from Canada. He expects the bill will have bipartisan support. [Statehouse News Bureau]
New poll finds Stark County residents less satisfied with the county as a place to live
A new poll finds that Stark County residents are less satisfied with the county as a place to live. The annual Stark County Community Pulse Report conducted by the Center for Marketing and Opinion Research looks at the quality of life in the county and assesses community needs. This year, 26% of those taking the survey named an economic issue as the most important problem facing the community. That’s up from only 10% last year. [Ideastream Public Media]
Majority of pregnancy-related deaths can be prevented, CDC says
Eighty percent of pregnancy-related deaths, including those caused by opioid overdose, excessive bleeding, heart problems and infections, are preventable, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of the pregnancy-related deaths occur up to a year after a woman gives birth, the report said. It is important to continue to see an obstetrician after having a baby because they are trained to look for problems that may arise, said Dr. Kelly Gibson, director of maternal fetal medicine at MetroHealth. [Ideastream Public Media]
Ohio unemployment overhaul on hold after indictment
Federal investigators say two executives from the company that Ohio hired to overhaul its unemployment compensation system stole trade secrets from their former employer. The news prompted the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to put the state's unemployment fixes on hold for now. In 2018, Ohio awarded Minnesota-based Sagitec Solutions an $86 million contract to update the state's unemployment compensation system. The overhaul was planned before Gov. Mike DeWine closed businesses to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in 2020, ballooning the unemployment rolls and forcing the state to spend millions on other contractors. [Cincinnati Enquirer]
Your weather forecast: Chance showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 59. A chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Tonight, mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. A chance of showers and thunderstorms between 8pm and 2am. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch. Wednesday, partly sunny, with a high near 59. A chance of showers.
