Here are your morning headlines for Wednesday, July 13th:
- Funeral, “day of mourning,” for Akron Police shooting victim Jayland Walker
- Bibb outlines categories, price tags, for ARPA spending
- CDC: New omicron subvariants are now dominant in Ohio, Midwest
- Debate over abortion in Ohio taking shape in U.S. Senate race
- Ohio flush with higher sales and income tax collections
- Senate confirms former Northern Ohio U.S. attorney Dettelbach to head firearms agency
- White Sox beat Guardians in nightcap, 7-0, to split doubleheader
- Weather: Sunny, with showers and T-storms in late afternoon
Funeral, “day of mourning,” for Akron Police shooting victim Jayland Walker
(Akron Beacon Journal) -- Today marks what Akron City Council declared on Monday a city-wide “day of mourning” in Akron for police shooting victim Jayland Walker. A large crowd is expected for Walker’s funeral at 1 p.m. at the Akron Civic Theatre. Walker's family and community faith leaders held a unity gathering last night at The Remedy Church. Walker, a 25-year-old Black man, was shot multiple times and killed by eight Akron Police officers during a brief foot pursuit after he failed to pull over for a traffic stop. He was unarmed at the time of his death. Police say he shot a gun out of the window of his car as he drove away.
Bibb outlines categories, price tags, for ARPA spending
(Cleveland.com) - Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb outlined his proposals for how the city should spend the bulk of its $512 million in American Rescue Plan Act stimulus. He described ten broad priorities for the federal aid, including $195 million for housing and $110 million to stabilize the city's budget. Bibb had previously announced areas he wanted to focus on, but this was the first time he included a dollar amount for each category.
CDC: New omicron subvariants are now dominant in parts of the Midwest
(Ideastream Public Media) – Two new COVID-19 subvariants that appear to be causing breakthrough and repeat infections are now the dominant strains in parts of the Midwest, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC’s Region 5 includes Ohio and neighboring states Michigan and Indiana. Data from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) backs up what the CDC is reporting. One of the subvariants, BA.5, accounted for nearly 20% of coronavirus infections in Ohio in the two weeks ending June 18, according to ODH, up from less than 1% about a month earlier.
Debate over abortion in Ohio taking shape in U.S. Senate race
(Statehouse News Bureau) – As Democrats seek to make abortion rights a key issue in this fall’s Midterm elections, Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Tim Ryan received the endorsement of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio. In his remarks welcoming the endorsement, Ryan addressed his stance on late-term abortions. He said abortions in those cases were rare and considered only in dire circumstances typically involving the life of the mother. “And I just don’t think that the government is in that room right there to make that decision,” he said. A spokesman for Ryan’s Republican opponent, J.D. Vance, said Ryan “wants to mandate taxpayer-funded late-term abortion on demand with no restrictions.”
Ohio flush with higher sales and income tax collections
(Statehouse News Bureau) -- Ohio ended the fiscal year on June 30 with a lot of extra money in its coffers. The state's Office of Budget and Management reports sales tax receipts and personal income tax collections were up 12% over estimates, resulting in $4.3 billion in unanticipated revenue. Budget director Kim Murnieks is not calling it a surplus. She said more than half of the cash balance is already spoken for. She said it will be used to pay for capital budget items in lieu of borrowing or issuing bonds.
Senate confirms former Northern Ohio U.S. attorney Dettelbach to head firearms agency
(Ideastream Public Media) – The U.S. Senate voted 48 to 46 to approve former Northern Ohio U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach to lead the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, making him the first confirmed head of the agency in seven years. Republican Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio and Susan Collins of Maine joined with Senate Democrats to approve Dettelbach’s nomination. Dettelbach will oversee the nation’s gun laws at a moment when those policies are under scrutiny.
White Sox beat Guardians in nightcap, 7-0, to split doubleheader
(AP) – The Chicago White Sox blanked the Cleveland Guardians, 7-0 on Tuesday night at Progressive Field for a doubleheader split. José Abreu, Luis Robert and Josh Harrison homered for Chicago, which had dropped four of six before its victory in the nightcap. In the opener, Guardians ace Shane Bieber tossed a three-hitter for his first complete game of the season, leading Cleveland to a 4-1 victory. José Ramírez and Amed Rosario each drove in two runs.
Weather: Sunny, with showers and T-storms in late afternoon
(National Weather Service) – Mostly sunny, with showers likely this afternoon after 4 p.m. High 83 in Akron, 79 in Cleveland. Tonight, showers dissipate by 9 p.m. Partly cloudy. Low 61.
