Here are your morning headlines for Thursday, June 21:
- Youngstown to close fire stations due to budget shortage;
- Norton woman sues Summa, alleging negligence;
- U.S. Census shows increase in Hispanic, Asain populations in Ohio;
- Berea man killed in shootout with police;
- Lorain County man sentenced to 16 years for attempt to recruit for the Islamic State;
- Plane that crashed into Lake Erie issued multiple warnings before decent;
- Ohio Supreme Court rules in favor of local goverments in traffic camera case;
- State offers drones to schools to help with safety plans;
Youngstown to close fire stations due to budget shortage
The city of Youngstown is closing fire stations amid a department budget deficit. Fire chief Barry Finley says he expects to exceed his overtime budget by mid-July, with nine firefighters out with injuries. The Vindicator reports the city today will close a West Side fire station through the end of the month and then shut down other stations every two weeks on a rotating basis.
Norton woman sues Summa, alleging negligence
A Norton woman is suing Summa Health, alleging negligence in the death of her husband last year. Julie Bradshaw says she took her 58-year-old husband, Robert, to Summa Barberton Hospital Emergency room for vertigo, and wasn’t seen by an attending physician for almost 20 hours. Then, Bradshaw alleges the physicians failed to treat her husband after it was discovered he suffered a stroke. The suit names 23 defendants, including Canton-Based Acute Care Solutions, which staffs Summa's ERs. Summa tells the Beacon Journal it cannot comment on pending litigation.
U.S. Census shows increase in Hispanic, Asain populations in Ohio
New U.S. Census estimates show a sharp rise in Hispanic and Asian populations in Ohio over the last seven years. The Hispanic population grew by over 80,000 people, and the Asian population grew over 70,000, mainly concentrated in counties with metro cities like Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. The Census Bureau attributes the growth in the Hispanic population nationally to increasing births, whereas the Asian population grew mainly from immigration. All but 15 Ohio counties showed a decline in non-Hispanic white residents and the state lost more than 150,000 white residents since 2010.
Berea man killed in shootout with police
A Berea man was killed in a shootout with police after a traffic stop Wednesday. The 29-year-old man was shot as he exchanged gunfire with a Parma police officer and Parma Heights detective. The detective was shot in the leg. No names have been released. Cleveland.com reports the driver had a handgun and two magazines sticking out of his waistband when he was ordered to get out of the car.
Lorain County man sentenced to 16 years for trying to recruit for Islamic State
A Lorain County who tried to recruit members for the Islamic State group has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison. Amir Said Rahman Al-Ghazi, formerly Robert McCollum, of Sheffield Lake, began using social media in 2014 to pledge his support to the militant group and to recruit members. He also made references while chatting online with FBI sources about staging terror attacks in the U.S.
Plane that crashed into Lake Erie killing six issued multiple warnings before decent
The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a report saying the plane that crashed into Lake Erie off Cleveland killing all six people onboard issued multiple warnings about the aircraft's altitude. The plane piloted by Columbus beverage executive John Fleming crashed in December 2016 shortly after takeoff from Burke Lakefront Airport near downtown Cleveland. Fleming's wife, two teenage sons and two family friends were also on the plane during a planned return flight to Columbus after a Cleveland Cavaliers game. The NTSB report issued Wednesday said the plane's enhanced ground proximity warning system gave numerous alerts to pull up followed by a warning that the plane was traveling too fast.
Ohio Supreme Court strikes court order blocking traffic camera law
Ohio's Supreme Court has ruled in a Toledo case that a trial court couldn't block implementation of a 2015 state law deducting funding to local governments using traffic cameras to collect fines. Wednesday's ruling dissolved lower court orders that found Ohio in contempt and blocked enforcement of the law. The high court sided with Ohio's argument that a separate lawsuit challenging the law should have been filed. Toledo argued earlier court orders prohibiting anti-camera laws should have applied to the 2015 law.
State offers drones to schools to help with safety plans
The state crime lab is offering to use its drones to take aerial photos of Ohio schools that could help police if they had to respond to an active shooter or another emergency at those sites. Attorney General Mike DeWine says mandated school safety plans are required to include floor plans, and the aerial photos are an optional supplement. The Bureau of Criminal Investigation says the photos are free for schools and would be accessed through a law-enforcement database.
DeWine announced the offer Wednesday, along with a new series of 25 short, online videos intended to help teachers and school administrators prepare for and react to shootings or other violent incidents. He says it's an easily accessible update to educator training offered earlier through the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy.
