Here are your morning headlines for Wednesday, January 26, 2022:
- State settles VW emissions scandal lawsuit
- Voter groups set to object to redrawn Ohio Statehouse maps
- State lawmakers call for investigation of academic distress commission-run school districts
- Bowling Green suspends two fraternities over hazing and alcohol use
- Study finds no cash windfall for colleges that switch athletic conferences
- Love enjoying new role with surging Cavs
- Browns VP is the front-runner for Vikings GM job
State settles VW emissions scandal lawsuit
(AP) -- Ohio has settled a lawsuit against Volkswagen over the company's 2015 emissions scandal for $3.5 million. Attorney General Dave Yost says his agency and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will split the money and use it to work on other environmental protection cases. The settlement came after the Ohio Supreme Court ruled last year that a federal law didn't preclude Ohio from suing the automaker for cheating on U.S. diesel emissions tests. Volkswagen, which did not admit liability, said the settlement allows it to focus on the future.
Voter groups file objections on redrawn Ohio Statehouse maps
(AP) -- Voting-rights and Democratic groups have taken their first steps to argue once again that redrawn maps of Ohio legislative districts remain unconstitutionally gerrymandered. Evidence to back up their objections was filed yesterday afternoon at the Ohio Supreme Court. Parties faced a midnight deadline to lay out their exact legal arguments. The court invalidated the first round of maps and ordered the Ohio Redistricting Commission to try again. Justices retained the right to review the second plan. Republicans who control the commission argue the new maps meet the court’s order, despite lacking bipartisan support.
State lawmakers call for investigation of academic distress commission-run school districts
(Cleveland.com) -- Three Democrats in the Ohio House are asking Ohio Auditor Keith Faber to look into the finances of the academic distress commissions that ran school districts in Youngstown, Lorain, and East Cleveland. Cleveland.com reports the three are raising concerns about how taxpayer money was spent. The commissions have the power to hire top staff and to budget but are not required to provide financial information. The law creating the commissions has been in effect for a decade but has failed to produce significant change and last year, the legislature created a path to return to local control. Cleveland.com reports that Faber has not indicated whether he’ll look into the concerns.
Bowling Green suspends two fraternities over hazing and alcohol use
(WTOL-TV) -- WTOL-TV is reporting that Bowling Green State University has suspended two frats because of hazing and the use of alcohol. The action comes a year after a student died after drinking too much at an off-campus frat party. Several students were criminally charged, three were expelled and 18 others were suspended following the death of 20-year-old Stone Foltz.
Study finds no cash windfall for colleges that switch athletic conferences
(Crain’s Cleveland Business) -- A new study finds the ongoing realignment of college athletic conferences is not having much of an effect on the schools’ bottom lines. The study was done by Stephanie Herbst-Lucke for her doctoral dissertation at Case Western Reserve University. She tells Crain’s Cleveland Business that the perception that conference change leads to increasing revenue simply isn’t true. She tells Crain’s that researchers found that these schools are not making money, improving the brand or their mission in any way that could be measured.
Love enjoying new role with surging Cavs
(AP) -- Kevin Love is relishing his new role with the surprising Cavaliers. The five-time All-Star's acceptance of being a part-time player has helped fuel the Cavs rise this season. He scored 20 points in a win over New York on Monday night. The victory pushed Cleveland to 10 games over .500 for the first time since 2018. At 33, Love has found some peace after several turbulent, injury-filled seasons. He's embracing a chance to lead one of the league's best young teams. The Cavs have credited Love's selfless move to the bench with helping bond them.
Browns VP is the front-runner for Viking GM job
(AP) -- The Browns Vice President of Football Operations has emerged as the front-runner for the Minnesota Vikings' general manager job. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was in Minnesota for his second formal interview with the organization yesterday. This was his first in-person visit with the team.
