The holiday began on a somber note for the men and women of Cleveland's police. An officer died after being shot while trying to take into custody a man wanted in connection with a felonious assault in a local suburb. The shooting happened near East 80th Street just after 1 a.m. on July 4, police said.
The 27-year-old officer—who had been on the force just four years-- died at the hospital.
The death of Patrol Officer Jamieson Ritter came as many across the region began the long Fourth of July holiday weekend.
We will begin the "Reporters Roundtable" with a discussion on the death of the Cleveland officer, including city leaders calling for the public to value the work and lives of the men and women of the police.
We will also discuss the rest of the news of the week, including safety plans for the long holiday weekend. With the prospect of big crowds at fireworks and festivals and record-breaking travel on the roads and in the skies, keeping everyone safe was already a top concern for leaders.
AAA predicted nearly 71 million people will be on the move this holiday weekend—that's more than pre-pandemic holiday levels from 2019.
Backers of an amendment that would take politicians out of the district map-drawing process delivered their petition signatures to the office of Secretary of State Frank LaRose this week.
Citizens Not Politicians gather more than 730,000 signatures. The group needs 414,000 valid signatures to put anti gerrymandering issue before voters in November. The signatures will now be vetted by LaRose's office.
One Fair Wage, which sought to place an amendment on the ballot to raise the minimum wage in Ohio to $15 dollars per hour, did not submit signatures. That means the issue will not be on the 2024 November ballot.
Former Youngstown Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan is calling on President Joe Biden to step aside in the 2024 presidential election. Biden delivered a poor performance in last week's debate with former President Donald Trump, causing some of his supporters to call for a new candidate. The president has continued to campaign and those in his camp say a bad debate is no reason to quit.
Cleveland's former police chief is now the city's safety director. Wayne Drummond had been serving as the interim-director since Karrie Howard resigned earlier this year. On Monday, Drummond was sworn in by Mayor Justin Bibb. As safety director, Drummond will oversee police, fire and EMS.
Akron public school teachers have accused the district of union busting. Union members claim the administration is trying to replace teacher positions cut in recent layoffs with non-union jobs. The district is facing a massive budget shortfall. In addition to staff cuts, the district will ask voters for a levy request this fall.
Guests:
-Glenn Forbes, Supervising Producer for Newscasts
-Taylor Wizner, Health Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
-Sarah Donaldson, Statehouse News Bureau Reporter