Top headlines: Kent officers back to work after being cleared in fatal December shooting; Chelsea Clinton campaigns in Cleveland today for her mother while Gov. Kasich campaigns in Michigan; Registration deadline to vote in Ohio’s March presidential primary looms
Morning headlines for Monday, February 15, 2016:
- EPA: 10 of 14 Ohio water systems fail to notify residents of lead contamination in timely manner
- Kent officers back to work after being cleared in fatal December shooting
- Chelsea Clinton campaigns in Cleveland today for her mother, Gov. Kasich campaigning in Michigan
- Registration deadline to vote in Ohio’s March presidential primary looms
- Department of Veterans Affairs opens investigation at its Cincinnati area hospital
- State watchdog urges expanded work rules for EPA employees
EPA: 10 of 14 Ohio water systems fail to notify residents of lead contamination in timely manner
A new report by the Ohio EPA shows that 10 of 14 water systems in the state failed to properly issue advisories about lead contaminated waters to residents. The document shows that most of the systems serve less than 100 people in places where they don’t rely on the system for primary means of water. Some locations include a mobile home park near Mansfield, as well as the Holden Arboretum in Kirtland. The notifications were released last week but should have been made available in October or November of last year.
Kent officers back to work after being cleared in fatal December shooting
Four police officers in the city of Kent are back on duty following an investigation into the fatal shooting of a 25-year-old man. The officers were placed on paid leave in December after they shot and killed Douglas Yon. Officers say Yon charged at them weilding a machete while responding to a 911 call from the home of Yon's cousin. Kent's police chief says an internal investigation shows the officers broke no policies or procedures. The Portage County Sheriff's department is still investigating.
Chelsea Clinton campaigns in Cleveland today for her mother while Gov. Kasich campaigns in Michigan
Chelsea Clinton is in Cleveland today to stump for her mother’s presidential campaign. The event will start at 2 p.m. at the Murtis H. Taylor Community Center on the city’s east side. The Clinton campaign says her talk – which comes two days before early voting beings in Ohio -- will center on how Hillary Clinton will make a difference for families as president and what is at state in the election. Meanwhile, GOP presidential candidate Gov. John Kasich is taking a break from the trail in South Carolina to get a head start on campaigning in Michigan. Kasich plans town hall meetings today at Grand Valley State University and Michigan State University. The Michigan primary is March 8th.
Registration deadline to vote in Ohio’s March presidential primary looms
Ohioans wanting to vote in the upcoming presidential primary March 15th have until tomorrow to register. Voters can get registration forms online at MyOhioVote.com or at county boards of elections and local libraries. Those mailing in their registration forms must have them postmarked by Tuesday to be considered valid. All 88 county boards of elections and the Secretary of State's office in downtown Columbus will be open until 9:00 p.m. that day to accept registration forms. The Secretary of State's office says all Ohio voters may begin voting on Wednesday, the first day after the close of registration. They can vote in-person or by mailing in an absentee ballot.
Department of Veterans Affairs opens investigation at its Cincinnati area hospital
The Department of Veterans Affairs says it has opened an investigation into its Cincinnati hospital. A statement issued by the department over the weekend did not reveal the reason for the investigation. WCPO-TV in Cincinnati reports the federal investigation began this past week after the station and its Washington Bureau told VA officials about findings from their own investigation. WCPO reports it found potentially inappropriate conduct involving an official at the Cincinnati hospital. The VA says it has temporarily shifted oversight of the Cincinnati medical center to another region. The hospital delivers medical care to more than 43,000 veterans each year from southwest Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
State watchdog urges expanded work rules for EPA employees
The state watchdog says the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency should consider expanding its rules against agency employees doing private work on state time after an investigation found an employee conducted real estate work from his office. A recent Ohio Inspector General's report noted an environmental specialist in northeastern Ohio made more than 700 non-work-related phone calls and more than 3,500 visits to real estate websites over six months. The Dayton Daily News reports the employee told investigators his use of state resources for those purposes was infrequent and for his personal residence and family. The EPA requested the investigation. The inspector general also recommended the state EPA consider administrative action or training for the employee and referred the case to the Summit County prosecutor for consideration.
