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What you need to know Friday, Jan. 22, 2021 WEATHER
Temperatures will be chilly this weekend and snow showers are possible. Highs today will stay in the upper 20s with chances of snow showers during the afternoon. It will be partly sunny Saturday but brisk, with highs in the mid-20s and lows in the teens. Chances of snow return Sunday as highs reach about 30 degrees. Read more. OVERNIGHT
Vaccine feedback: For some Ohioans who are 80 and older — the group currently in line to get the COVID-19 vaccine — finding a place to receive the shot has been easy. For others, it’s been frustrating, time-consuming and fruitless. Julie Washington collects stories from the first week of 1B vaccinations.
This Week in the CLE: The state says SpecialtyRx did not properly monitor the temperature of 890 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, rendering them useless. We’re talking about the vaccination investigation on This Week in the CLE, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
New numbers: Ohio added 7,271 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, above the 21-day rolling average of 7,111, reports Laura Hancock. Deaths were also above the 21-day average on Thursday, 109 compared to 74, bringing the total to 10,518.
Unemployment: More than half of the 1.4 million Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits claims made in Ohio to date have been flagged as potentially fraudulent, Jeremy Pelzer reports. The shocking disclosure by Lt. Gov. Jon Husted during a televised briefing comes as state officials are warning Ohioans to be on the lookout for identity thieves, many of whom use stolen information to apply for jobless benefits. Pelzer also reports Attorney General Dave Yost is asking Ohio’s congressional delegation to sponsor legislation ensuring victims don’t have to pay income taxes on claims falsely filed in their name. Curfew extension: Gov. Mike DeWine said he’ll extend the overnight curfew, set to expire Saturday, concerned about new mutations of the coronavirus that are more contagious. Laura Hancock reports the curfew extends from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., with exceptions for work, taking care of personal emergencies and more.
Ethics complaint: U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio joined several Democrats in the U.S. Senate in filing a Senate Ethics Committee complaint against Republican Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri for their behavior related to the deadly U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6 by supporters of ex-President Donald Trump. Brown and six other Senate Democrats contend that Cruz and Hawley’s decision to object to counting electoral votes from states whose balloting Trump had unsuccessfully disputed in court “lent legitimacy” to the cause of a mob that stormed the Capitol, Sabrina Eaton reports.
Biden plan: Gov. Mike DeWine and his team have identified 100 sites in Ohio where the federal government can open mass clinics under President Joe Biden’s plan to vaccinate 100 million people in his first 100 days in office, Laura Hancock reports. Biden asked state governors to offer suggestions to his administration, and DeWine stressed that the supply of vaccine is the most important issue.
Rapid tests: The state of Ohio entered a deal with two healthcare companies to purchase at least 2 million rapid antigen coronavirus tests to dole out to local health departments for broader use, Seth Richardson reports. DeWine described the $50 million deal with Abbott Pharmaceuticals and eMed as providing a tool for local health departments to respond to potential outbreaks in communities.
School numbers: Ohio reported a weekly increase of 2,350 cases in K-12 students and 1,114 in staff for the week of Jan. 11 through Jan. 17. Emily Bamforth reports that the numbers are slightly down from the week before. You can check your school system in a database.
Color code: Ohio’s coronavirus alert map is unchanged from last week, despite decreases in the number of new cases and hospitalizations across the state. Eighty-three counties are on Level 3 red alert over concern of the spread of COVID-19, with Hamilton County (Cincinnati) remaining one notch higher for concern at Level 4 purple, Rich Exner reports.
Flu death: One flu death has been reported in Cuyahoga County so far this season, Julie Washington reports. The warned-about “twindemic,” or overlapping surges in COVID-19 and influenza, both respiratory illnesses, has not happened yet. Experts say the mild flu season may be due to mask wearing and hand washing, schools and businesses gathering virtually instead of in person, and less travel.
Union pushback: The teachers union presidents for Ohio’s eight urban school districts released a joint statement on Thursday condemning the state linking vaccination of school staff with resuming in-person schooling by March 1. Emily Bamforth reports the timeline on when school staff would actually receive both the first and second doses of the vaccine is shaky and could depend on supply and how quickly the vaccines would be administered. The unions say DeWine is using “the distribution of a life-saving vaccine as a bargaining chip.”
RITA: Northeast Ohio residents who have been working at home during the coronavirus pandemic, away from their normal work city, are being given a chance by the Regional Income Tax Agency (RITA) to request a refund on taxes that were withheld from residents' regular, pre-pandemic work city. But Rich Exner reports there's a catch ... those requesting the refund might never see the money.
Public utilities: Mayor Frank Jackson on Thursday announced the appointment of Martin Keane as the director of Cleveland’s Department of Public Utilities. Keane, a former city councilman from the West Side, most recently was the assistant director of the department, Robert Higgs reports. He replaces Robert Davis, who resigned the post earlier this month.
Education changes: One of President Joe Biden’s first actions in office was to extend a pause on student loan payments and interest that began during the coronavirus and release a plan to reopen schools in the first 100 days of his presidency. Emily Bamforth explains five ways Biden is affecting education.
U.S. attorney: The U.S. attorney leading the massive House Bill 6 corruption investigation is being replaced under the Biden administration, Andrew Tobias reports. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, put out a call for applications to replace David DeVillers, whom former President Donald Trump appointed as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio in November 2019. It’s common for new presidents to appoint their own U.S. attorneys, who oversee teams of federal prosecutors in regional Department of Justice offices.
Eviction moratorium: President Joe Biden’s new administration extended a moratorium on evicting tenants from their homes if they can’t pay the rent because of the coronavirus pandemic. Eric Heisig reports that the directive requires tenants who can’t pay their rent to submit a declaration stating as much to their landlord.
Shaker Square: Shaker Square’s future on Cleveland’s East Side is uncertain as a mortgage lender seeks to foreclose on the historic shopping center. Eric Heisig reports at least two groups are trying to keep the 1920s-era shopping center – the oldest automobile shopping center in Ohio and the second oldest in the nation – open and thriving.
Bedford teacher: A judge Thursday sentenced a former Bedford High School teacher who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two students to two years in prison. Laura Dunker, 31, will spend five years after her release from prison on post-release control, reports Cory Shaffer.
Officer fired: Cleveland fired a police officer for using crack cocaine and failing to report that a fellow officer stepped on a man’s neck during an arrest, Adam Ferrise reports. Cleveland Safety Director Karrie Howard fired Howard Hart, 31, following an internal investigation.
Frank Q. Jackson: Cleveland prosecutors brought a criminal domestic violence charge against the grandson of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, Olivia Mitchell reports. Frank Q. Jackson, 24, is charged with first-degree misdemeanor domestic violence in Cleveland Municipal Court in a domestic dispute involving him and his child’s mother.
Jail smuggling: A grand jury has charged a Euclid man with smuggling into the county jail drugs that investigators say caused his cellmate’s fatal overdose. Cory Shaffer reports that Christopher Neal, 31, is charged with involuntary manslaughter, corrupting another with drugs, tampering with evidence, illegal conveyance and other charges in the Aug. 30 death of 28-year-old Lea Daye inside the jail.
Cleveland Hopkins: Just over 4.1 million passengers traveled through Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in 2020, a steep drop from the year before. Susan Glaser reports that Cleveland air traffic — down 59% in 2020 — fared modestly better than air traffic nationwide, which was down 62% through October.
Coping through COPID: Hundreds of behavioral health workers in Cuyahoga County and beyond are dealing with the stress and other challenges of seeing patients remotely during a pandemic that’s limited their access to people in need, and in some cases, creating a unique host of mental-health challenges. Olivia Mitchell walks through a day in the life of mental health specialists, who work from home, review follow-ups and make calls to clients while simultaneously answering the suicide prevention hotline.
Fracking regulation: Akron City Council is considering a deal to allow a company to drill and frack under 475 acres of city-owned land at LaDue Reservoir in Geauga County, upstream from Akron’s drinking water supply on the Cuyahoga River. Robin Goist reports the potential environmental impact on ground water from fracking has stirred some concerns.
Property tax: New or increased taxes voters approved months ago are just now showing up in tax bills across the region, though for the most part the rates for the 2021 bills are up less than $100 a year per $100,000 of home value. Rich Exner reports that the biggest exceptions are where voters approved sizable school levies during last year’s primary and general elections - the biggest of which were in Fairview Park, Euclid and Olmsted Falls.
Black Futures: Starting Monday, Northeast Ohio nonprofit organizations can begin applying for grants from the Cleveland Black Futures Fund. Alexis Oatman reports the goal is to strengthen the ecosystem of Black leaders and Black-serving organizations in Greater Cleveland by providing them with resources to help expand organizational infrastructure and capacity.
American accents: Dialect coach Erik Singer takes cleveland.com’s sister site, Wired, on a tour of different accents across English-speaking North America. Erik, along with a host of other linguists and language experts, takes a look at some of the most interesting and distinct accents around the country.
Things to do: Don’t let the cold stop you from having some fun this weekend. Joey Morona has 15 things to do, from concerts to Cavs. Cleveland reports 108 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 coronavirus, no new deaths: Thursday update Read more
Where to buy N95, KN95 face masks to upgrade your coronavirus protection Read more
Two men dead after car crashes into semi-truck trailer parked on side of Interstate 71 with flat tire, Cleveland police say Read more
Cuyahoga County grand jury indicts man accused of cutting Broadview Heights police officer before being shot in pursuit Read more
Shooting in Akron leaves 1 man dead Read more
Feds arrest suspect in Lorain shooting Read more
Cleveland Cavaliers debut ‘For the Love, for the Land’ mural on Sherwin-Williams building (photos) Read more
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