Here are your morning headlines for Thursday, April 29:
- Summit County offers pop-up vaccine clinics
- Columbus mayor requests federal probe of police force
- Kent State to offer vaccines at campus health center
- Officer pleads not guilty to new charge in Andre Hill case
- 'Fetal heartbeat' in abortion laws taps emotion, not science
- Solon ranked best high school in Northeast Ohio
- Canal Park gets approval for nearly 50% capacity for May games
- Draft begins tonight, Browns pick 26th
Summit County offers pop-up vaccine clinics
Summit County is working to make getting the coronavirus vaccine more accessible. The health department on Wednesday announced a series of pop-up vaccine clinics in addition to its site at the county fairgrounds. People can walk up or drive up to all five of the clinics without an appointment beginning Monday through May 15.
- Monday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Firestone Community Center, 1480 Girard St, Akron, OH 44301
- May 6 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Summit Lake Community Center, 380 W. Crosier St, Akron, OH 44311
- May 7 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Barberton City Block 7, purple lot across from McDonald’s
- May 13 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Perkins Park (near the swimming pool), 899 Diagonal Rd, Akron, OH 44320
- May 15 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Twinsburg Community Center, 10260 Ravenna Rd, Twinsburg, OH 44087
Columbus mayor requests federal probe of police force
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther has asked the Department of Justice for an investigation into the city’s police department following a series of police killings of Black people. The Democratic mayor says while the city is committed to reform and has already established a number of “significant” changes in the past few years, it is not enough. Wednesday's request said a culture change is needed inside the police department. The Justice Department recently announced that it is opening probes into policing in Louisville, Kentucky, over the March 2020 death of Breonna Taylor, and in Minneapolis following last year’s death of George Floyd.
Kent State to offer vaccines at campus health center
Kent State University is offering COVID-19 vaccines at the campus health center starting Friday. The university halted its vaccination clinics after the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine was temporarily suspended. People now will have a choice between the J&J and Moderna vaccines. All university students, faculty and staff, and their spouses and dependents are eligible to receive a vaccine at the health center at no cost. Details can be found here.
Officer pleads not guilty to new charge in Andre Hill case
The fired Columbus police officer accused of killing Andre Hill has pleaded not guilty to an additional criminal charge. A grand jury added a criminal charge of reckless homicide against Adam Coy for the fatal December shooting. He has already been indicted on murder and felonious assault charges. Prosecutors dropped dereliction of duty charges related to Coy not turning on his body camera.
'Fetal heartbeat' in abortion laws taps emotion, not science
A medical expert is pushing back on Ohio’s so-called ‘heartbeat bill’ abortion ban. OSU Fetal medicine specialist Dr. Michael Cackovic says the Republican-backed law banning abortions at the "first detectable fetal heartbeat" defies science. He says at the point where advanced ultrasound technology can detect a steady rhythm, as early as six weeks into pregnancy, the embryo is not yet a fetus and does not have a fully-functioning heart. Ohio’s heartbeat law passed in 2019 and remains blocked by a federal court. It’s among the most restrictive abortion bans in the nation, joining "Heartbeat bills" in 13 states. None has taken effect due to court challenges.
Solon ranked best high school in Northeast Ohio
A number of Northeast Ohio high schools rank among the best in this year’s U.S. News & World Report. Solon ranked No. 5 in the state, followed by Chagrin Falls at No. 8 and Hudson No. 10. Others with high rankings include Rocky River, Bay Village, and Brecksville-Broadview Heights. U.S. News used data from over 24,000 public high schools throughout the country. Factors include math and reading state test scores, college readiness, graduation rate, and underserved student performance.
Canal Park gets approval for nearly 50% capacity for May games
Akron’s Canal Park will welcome fans back to the stadium for RubberDucks games with about 50% capacity. On Wednesday the team announced that its reopening plan was approved by state and local officials. They’ll be able to have about 3,600 fans in seats for all home games in May, spaced in pods of two to as many as eight people. Masks must be worn when not eating or drinking. The minor league baseball team opens the season on Tuesday. They had their season completely wiped out last year because of the coronavirus.
Draft begins tonight, Browns pick 26th
The Browns made huge strides last season. They want to make a bigger one in 2021. The team has the 26th overall pick in tonight's first-round of the NFL draft, which is taking place in Cleveland. Shaw High School senior Mya Tomoto will announce the pick for the team tonight. Shaw is a partner district of the Cleveland Browns Foundation's "Stay in the Game" educational initiative, which gave $350,000 for new computers for Cleveland students. Mya helped distribute the computers and train her classmates on how to use them.
