Here are your morning headlines for Monday, Aug. 1:
- Reports: Browns QB Deshaun Watson handed six-game suspension
- Euclid police officer Michael Amiott found guilty
- Unprecedented Ohio Aug. 2 primary will likely go mostly unnoticed
- Black activist arrested for open carrying firearms plans to sue
- West Side Market tenants cautiously optimistic
- Guardians win first series against Rays since 2017
- Weather: Sunny then thunderstorms
Reports: Browns QB Deshaun Watson handed six-game suspension
(Ideastream Public Media) — A former federal judge appointed by the NFL and the union representing players has decided that Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson should be suspended for six games this season, The Associated Press and others are reporting. Watson was accused of sexual misconduct by 25 massage therapists. Two Texas grand juries declined to indict him on criminal charges and Watson has now settled 23 of the 24 civil suits against him. Another was dropped.
Euclid police officer Michael Amiott found guilty
(Cleveland.com) — A Euclid police officer has been convicted of assaulting a Black motorist during a 2017 traffic stop. Jurors deliberated for nearly five hours Friday before convicting Euclid officer Michael Amiott of assault and interfering with civil rights of Richard Hubbard III. Both counts are first-degree misdemeanors and Amiott could face up to 360 days in jail with eligibility for probation but his sentencing will occur at a later date. He was acquitted of another count of assault. Amiott has a historyof misconduct accusations on the police force.
Unprecedented Ohio Aug. 2 primary will likely go mostly unnoticed
(Statehouse News Bureau) — Tomorrow, Ohio will hold an unprecedented event that may largely go unnoticed — a primary for state legislators and state party central committees. Thirteen hundred candidates will vie for the chance to represent their parties this fall in a vote that usually happens in March or May, but the redistricting saga that’s dragged on for almost a year pushed the vote to Aug. 2. A week before the primary, the secretary of state’s office reported 67,218 early absentee ballots have been cast, a quarter of the number of votes cast early in the May primary.
Black activist arrested for open carrying firearms plans to sue
(Ideastream Public Media) — A Black community activist arrested for openly carrying firearms in Cleveland says he plans to file suit against the city today. Antoine Tolbert was openly carrying two firearms as he walked down St. Clair Avenue. The first officers on the scene asked him questions but did not detain him. A Sgt. Henderson arrived and quickly arrested him. Ohio is an open carry state. The charges against Tolbert were dropped.
West Side Market tenants cautiously optimistic
(Ideastream Public Media) — The head of the West Side Market’s tenants’ association is welcoming the news that Mayor Justin Bibb wants a nonprofit to manage the city-owned venue. Don Whitaker of D.W. Whitaker Meats says that would free the market and its vendors from the city bureaucracy, where maintenance requests can takes weeks to fulfill. The market will undergo a master-planning process, and the nonprofit itself has not yet been set up. The city is targeting Fall 2023 for the transition to new management.
Guardians win first series against Rays since 2017
(Akron Beacon Journal) — Austin Hedges had a tiebreaking two-run single in the fifth inning to help the Cleveland Guardians beat All-Star Game starter Shane McClanahan and the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 on Sunday. They ended a long stretch of games on the road with a 6-5 record. The Guardians went up 3-0 in the second when Myles Straw had a two-run single and José Ramírez picked up his 84th RBI with a base hit. Guardians rookie Steven Kwan extended his hitting streak to 14 games on a first-inning bunt single.
Weather: Sunny then thunderstorms
(National Weather Service) — Mostly sunny then scattered thunderstorms expected this afternoon and evening, possibly becoming strong to severe with damaging wind. High 86.
