Here are your morning headlines for Thursday, November 18:
- Daily COVID cases climb above 6K
- House passes bill lowering training rules for armed school workers
- Fast-tracked congressional map poised to clear Ohio House
- Proposed medical marijuana law would expand capacity
- Marshall Project to launch Cleveland newsroom
- Indians officially changing name to Guardians this week
Daily COVID cases climb above 6K
(WKSU) — New coronavirus cases on Wednesday jumped by 13% over the previous day to nearly 6,400. Another 335 people were admitted to hospitals. There are currently 810 COVID patients in ICUs. Summit County Public Health will offer COVID-19 vaccine drive-thru clinics Wednesdays December 1st, 8th, and 15th at its Akron headquarters. First and second doses will be offered, along with booster shots. The clinics are by appointment only.
House passes bill lowering training rules for armed school workers
(AP) — The Ohio House has voted in favor of a bill to let school districts set their own training requirements for employees they choose to arm. The measure aims to undo the effect of an Ohio Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that held that under current law armed school workers would need hundreds of hours of training. The bill approved by the GOP-controlled House Wednesday would require 20 hours of training on top of eight hours needed to obtain a concealed weapons permit, but districts could add more training. The House also approved legislation that would make a concealed weapons permit optional in Ohio.
Fast-tracked congressional map poised to clear Ohio House
(AP) — A fast-tracked map of Ohio’s new congressional districts is continuing its breakneck pace through the Republican-controlled state Legislature. An Ohio House committee okayed the proposal Wednesday, with a floor vote anticipated Thursday. The 15-district map cleared the Senate Tuesday, about 16 hours after it was unveiled. Lacking Democratic support, it would last only four of the 10 years until the next census, whose results trigger the once-per-decade map-drawing process. Republicans argue it’s the most competitive of all maps considered, doesn’t unduly favor either party, and is constitutional. Democrats, voting-rights groups, and scholars say the map is gerrymandered.
Proposed medical marijuana law would expand capacity
(AP) — Proposed legislation in the Ohio Senate would expand the amount of marijuana grown for the state's medical-marijuana program and increase the number of dispensaries able to sell it. Senate Health Chairman Steve Huffman is a Republican from Tipp City and a physician. He testified Wednesday that his measure would allow level one cultivators to expand their growing operations from 25,000 square feet to 75,000 square feet, and level two cultivators from 3,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet. Huffman's legislation would also set a goal of one dispensary for every 1,000 registered patients, down from one dispensary for every 6,000 registered patients today.
Marshall Project to launch Cleveland newsroom
(Ideastream Public Media) -- The Marshall Project, a nonprofit newsroom that focuses on criminal justice, will launch a Cleveland news operation in 2022. Its team will work with existing newsrooms to report on the Cuyahoga County criminal justice system, with a focus on those who are neglected or mischaracterized by other media. The three-year grant is funded in part by the George Gund Foundation. Last week, the Cleveland Foundation announced it is funding a new nonprofit newsroom in Cleveland centered on community-led issues.
Indians officially changing name to Guardians this week
(AP) — The Cleveland Indians will officially transition to Guardians on Friday, completing a name change that has been occurring in stages over the past few months. The team sent out a release saying its team shop at Progressive Field will begin selling Guardians merchandise and souvenirs later this week. The store at the team’s downtown ballpark will exclusively sell Guardians gear before it becomes available at retail outlets on Nov. 23. The organization will transition to its new website and social media channels to Guardians on Friday, too.
