Here are your morning headlines for Tuesday, March 15:
- DeWine signs bill ending conceal carry permit mandate
- Historic Wooster Inn to be demolished
- Judge pauses lawsuit challenging Ohio's redistricting process, for now
- Cleveland to hold a pandemic “day of remembrance”
- Jimmy Dimora to receive new sentence
- Trial underway for the murder of former Cavs player
- AAA says crude oil prices point to stability in gas prices
- Dolly Parton to Rock Hall of Fame: Thanks but no thanks
- Cleveland’s St. Patrick’s Day parade returns
DeWine signs bill ending conceal carry permit mandate
(Statehouse News Bureau) — Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a bill that will allow Ohioans to carry a concealed gun without first having to obtain a permit or take a training course. And, people who are stopped by police will no longer have the duty to tell every officer working the scene that they are carrying a concealed weapon. DeWine didn't issue a statement when he notified reporters late Monday that he had signed the bill into law. But gun-rights advocates were quick to praise the governor for his action. The Ohio Democratic Party issued a statement saying the measure “will make all Ohioans less safe.” DeWine was in a precarious position with this bill as he faces three Republican primary challengers, all of whom are more supportive of relaxing gun regulations.
Historic Wooster Inn to be demolished
(Daily Record) -- The historic Wooster Inn, which opened in 1959, will be demolished next month due to high costs of reopening the facility and failure to secure new management, according to the College of Wooster. The Daily Record reports repairs alone would cost $4 million and the Inn's condition is worse than anticipated. College trustees could not justify the cost with other pressing needs on campus like student housing. The Wooster Inn closed at the end of 2018. Discussions are underway on what to do with the property on East Wayne Avenue long-term.
Judge pauses lawsuit challenging Ohio's redistricting process, for now
(Statehouse News Bureau) -- A federal judge is declining to get involved in Ohio’s redistricting mess, for now. U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley ruled against a group of Republican activists who hoped to side-step the legal battles over gerrymandered district maps playing out in the state’s high court. They wanted a panel of federal judges to implement a state legislative map so Ohio can still have a May 3 primary. But, Marbley kept the door open to possibly intervening if delays jeopardize the election. The Ohio Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on legal challenges to the third version of state district maps and the second version of congressional maps.
Cleveland to hold a pandemic “day of remembrance”
(WKSU) -- The city of Cleveland has designated Tuesday a "day of remembrance" to honor and reflect on the lives lost during the pandemic. COVID has claimed the lives of 37,410 Ohioans, including nearly 3,700 in Cuyahoga County. Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish, and others will also recognize survivors of the virus. Tributes will include first responders and essential workers who were on the front lines during the worst of the pandemic. Cleveland area hospitals, schools, community centers, and businesses are encouraged to display the names of those impacted by COVID-19. The event is at 7 p.m. at Cleveland Public Auditorium.
Jimmy Dimora to receive new sentence
(Ideastream Pubic Media) -- Two of the bribery charges filed against former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora have been dropped, meaning the 66-year-old ex-politician could soon be freed to await sentencing on the reduced charges. Dimora in 2012 was convicted of more than 30 counts of corruption and has been serving a 28-year prison sentence at a medical facility in Massachusetts. U.S. District Judge Sara Lioi considered more than a dozen charges following an appeal and has set a resentencing date in June.
Trial underway for the murder of former Cavs player
(Ideastream Public Media) -- Jury selection has begun in the trial of a man charged with killing former Cavalier Lorenzen Wright, whose body was found in a swampy field nearly 12 years ago in Memphis, Tennessee. Billy Ray Turner faces life in prison on first-degree murder charges. He’s pleaded not guilty in one of the most highly publicized murder cases in Memphis history. Wright played 13 seasons in the NBA including for Cleveland in 2008.
AAA says crude oil prices point to stability in gas prices
(WKSU) -- Gas prices are up 27 cents in Ohio in the last week, with the average at $4.08 a gallon. AAA says, however, there is a sliver of positive news. The price of crude oil has gradually fallen below $110 per barrel after cresting above $123 shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. If that trend holds, it may remove some of the extreme upward price pressure consumers have found at the pump. The national average is $4.32.
Dolly Parton to Rock Hall of Fame: Thanks but no thanks
(AP) -- Dolly Parton has announced she is pulling out of this year’s nominations for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, saying she hasn’t “earned that right.” The music icon who has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame explained her decision in a statement posted on her official social media pages Monday, noting she did not want to take votes away from the remaining nominees. Parton was named in the shortlist last month, alongside fellow first-time nominees Eminem, Lionel Richie, Duran Duran, and A Tribe Called Quest.
Cleveland’s St. Patrick’s Day parade returns
(WKSU) -- The return of Cleveland's St. Patrick's Day parade is official after a two-year absence due to the pandemic. The parade begins around 1 p.m. Thursday on Superior Avenue and East 18th Street, traveling west into downtown. Parking restrictions and road closures will be posted and last from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
