Here are your morning headlines for Tuesday, Aug. 9:
- High-stakes races for the Ohio Supreme Court will determine the balance of the bench
- Three face court hearings as Jayland Walker protesters, Akron police dispute altercation
- Shortage of teachers impacts some Northeast Ohio school districts
- Monkeypox cases rise in Northeast Ohio
- Heavy rains knock out power, overwhelm sewers
- It’s Dolly Parton Day in Ohio
- Guardians hit the road
- Weather: Chance Showers, High 78
High-stakes races for the Ohio Supreme Court will determine the balance of the bench
The races for three seats on the Ohio Supreme Court this November are gaining national attention for the stakes involved with future decisions related to abortion, redistricting and other high-profile issues. Sabatos' Crystal Ball, the national political forecasting newsletter, has included Ohio's Supreme Court races on its short list of those to watch this November. These races rarely get as much attention as other statewide races. Vote totals from past elections show some voters who cast ballots don’t make choices in state Supreme Court races and some skip them altogether. But Republicans and Democrats are hoping that will change.
[Statehouse News Bureau]
Three face court hearings as Jayland Walker protesters, Akron police dispute altercation
Three people charged with misdemeanors following a July 29 altercation in downtown Akron tied to Jayland Walker protests against police face court hearings later this month. Protesters dispute at least part of the police version of what happened that night, which involved caravans of vehicles and people moving around and in some instances blocking intersections downtown and in other parts of the city. Some protesters have alleged police set up an incident as an excuse to move in and disperse people on High Street near the police station. [Akron Beacon Journal]
Shortage of teachers impacts some Northeast Ohio school districts
A shortage of teachers is impacting schools in Northeast Ohio, as well as across the country.The Cleveland Metropolitan School District is just 14 days away from classes starting and has 150 open teacher positions. The shortage was noticed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lack of college graduates entering the field remains an issue. Mark Williamson with Akron Public Schools said the shortage is impacting that district as well. There are 69 open teaching positions in the Akron district. [WKYC-TV]
Monkeypox cases rise in Northeast Ohio
Cases of monkeypox are on the rise in Northeast Ohio. Portage County has identified its first case. Lorain County reported a new case, for a total of two cases. Cleveland's Department of Public Health reported seven new monkeypox cases, bringing the total in the city to 18. Ohio now has 68 cases of monkeypox, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That number is up from 45 on Friday. [WOIO-TV]
Heavy rains knock out power, overwhelm sewers
About 3,000 FirstEnergy customers were still without power as of 5 a.m. today after last night's storms. FirstEnergy’s online outage map showed most of those outages are in Geauga County near Chesterland and Chardon. Last night's rain caused an overflow of raw sewage and stormwater into Lake Erie at Edgewater Beach. The last overflow event happened exactly a year ago. The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District advises visitors to the beach to avoid contact with the water and with branches and other woody debris floating in the water until water quality improves. [Ideastream Public Media]
It’s Dolly Parton Day in Ohio
Country music legend and literacy advocate Dolly Parton will visit Columbus today to celebrate her Imagination Library of Ohio. It mails a free, age-appropriate book each month to more than 327,000 Ohio children ages 5 and under. Gov. Mike DeWine declared the day in her honor. [WJW-TV]
Guardians hit the road
The Cleveland Guardians begin a six-game road trip tonight with the first of a three-game series in Detroit against the Tigers. Cleveland righty Shane Bieber starts against Tigers left-hander Tyler Alexander. First pitch, 7:10 p.m. [mlb.com]
Weather: Chance Showers, High 78
Cloudy, with a high near 78. A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2 p.m. Tonight, mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. A slight chance of showers before 11 p.m. [National Weather Service]
