Here are your morning headlines for Wednesday, September 20th:
Majority of undergraduate college students graduated with debt last year, report says;
Radio legend John Webster dies at 74;
Akron Police Captain Brian Simcox placed on administrative leave;
Domestic dispute ends in death of Youngstown man;
University of Akron considers bringing back baseball and adding women's lacrosse;
Majority of undergraduate college students graduated with debt last year, report says
A report from the nonprofit Institute for College Access and Success shows well over half of graduates from Ohio public and private colleges graduated with debt in 2016. The average graduate owed $30,351. Roughly three out of four undergraduates from Kent State University finished their programs owing money. The typical Kent State bachelor’s degree recipient owed $33,234. The University of Toledo was on the lowest end of the public university spectrum, with the average undergraduate owing $24,437. On average, undergraduates from Lake Erie College, Cleveland Institute of Art, and Baldwin Wallace University owed the most upon graduation.
Radio legend John Webster dies at 74
Cleveland radio legend John Webster has died. Webster is best known as half of the “Lanigan and Webster” show on WMJI. Cleveland.com writes was “part newsman, part comic sidekick” to co-host John Lanigan. The show ran for more than a decade. Before joining WMJI, Webster was on air with Gary Dee and Don Imus on WHK. Toward the end of his career, Webster co-hosted the “Wills, Webster and Coleman” show on WTAM. Webster was recovering from hip surgery when he passed away. He was 74 years old.
Akron Police Captain Brian Simcox placed on administrative leave
More personnel changes are underway in Akron’s police department. Capt. Brian Simcox has been placed on administrative leave pending the results of an internal investigation. Details of the investigation have not yet been released. Simcox’s removal comes after former Chief James Nice stepped down. Nice is facing possible criminal charges and was forced to resign by Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan. Police Lt. Rick Edwards told Ohio.com that Simcox’s dismissal is not related to the Nice case.
Domestic dispute ends in death of Youngstown man
An argument over custody of a child has ended in the fatal shooting of a Youngstown man. 27-year-old Charles Pargo died after being shot by his father, 61-year-old Louis Littlejohn. The domestic dispute centered on a disagreement about custody of Pargo’s 3-week-old son, who was not injured. Littlejohn has a court hearing scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
University of Akron considers bringing back baseball and adding women's lacrosse
Top officials at the University of Akron are recommending that the school restore its baseball program, which was dropped in 2015 as a cost-cutting measure, and start a women's lacrosse team. University President Matthew Wilson and athletics director Larry Williams said Tuesday that they hope the teams would be ready for competition in the 2019-20 academic year. Their recommendation will be presented to the board of trustees Oct. 11. A group of former players has been lobbying for the return of baseball since the team was disbanded as former President Scott Scarborough trimmed $40 million in expenses from the school's budget. The school says it will rely on donors to support the teams and any scholarships offered would not come from university funds.