Here are your morning headlines for Tuesday, October 9:
- Ohio governor candidates spar in final debate;
- Open-carry gun walk costs Kent State $65,000;
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces 2019 nominees;
- Glenville football disqualified, placed on probation;
- US Navy designates new fighting ship USS Cleveland;
- Baldwin Wallace poll shows DeWine slightly ahead of Cordray;
- Stark boy diagnosed with rare mosquito-borne virus;
- UA graduate students sue after program loses accreditation;
- Akron offers free two-hour parking during construction;
- Annual Lake Erie algal bloom less severe than expected;
Ohio governor candidates spar in final debate
Ohio's gubernatorial nominees sparred at their final debate in one of the nation's most expensive, closely watched governor's race. Democrat Richard Cordray repeatedly faulted Republican Mike DeWine for failing to lead as attorney general. DeWine hit back at Cordray for misleading Ohioans on his record and a lack of judgment on a proposed constitutional amendment. DeWine said Issue 1, a proposed constitutional amendment that Cordray supports, would open the doors to drug traffickers and ruin the state's successful drug courts. Cordray called DeWine "a fentanyl failure" on the opioid crisis. DeWine said Cordray's proposals to provide more funding to transit, infrastructure and broadband across the state are good talking points for local governments but probably can't be accomplished with tax increases.
Open-carry gun walk costs Kent State $65,000
Last month’s open-carry gun walk at Kent State cost the university $65,000 for security. Kentwired.com reports the university got help from the Ohio State Patrol, Kent City Police and other universities like Cleveland State and Ohio State. Kent State President Beverly Warren said the organizer, graduate Kaitlin Bennett, legally can't be billed because the event wasn’t registered through the university. The contentious walk resulted in four arrests for disorderly conduct.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces 2019 nominees
Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced its 2019 nominees. Def Leppard is making its first appearance on the ballot after being eligible for the past decade. Other nominees are Devo, singer-songwriter John Prine, Roxy Music, Stevie Nicks, and Todd Rundgren. Returning to the ballot are acts ranging from Janet Jackson to MC5 to The Zombies, who have been eligible since 1989. Rounding out this year's class are Kraftwerk, LL Cool J, Radiohead, The Cure and Rufus & Chaka Khan. Voting is open online until December.
Glenville football disqualified, placed on probation
A powerhouse Cleveland high school football team has been disqualified from the playoffs and placed on three years' probation. Cleveland.com reports Glenville High School used players from the Ginn Academy, which is owned by Glenville’s coach Ted Ginn, Sr. State rules require those kids to play for their local public school. Glenville has made 16 playoffs in the last 19 years.
US Navy designates new fighting ship USS Cleveland
The U.S. Navy has designated a new ship as the USS Cleveland, the fourth since World War I. The Navy said it the combat ship will be built in the U.S. and will feature an open architecture. The first USS Cleveland was a cruiser commissioned in 1903, and served in convoy duty during World War I. The last namesake ship was a transport dock used during the Vietnam War, and was decommissioned in 2011. Contracts for the new ship could be signed by January.
Baldwin Wallace poll shows DeWine slightly ahead of Cordray
A new statewide poll from Baldwin Wallace University shows the Ohio governor’s race is virtually a tie. Republican Mike DeWine holds a 2 percent lead over Democrat Richard Cordray. The study also shows 48 percent of voters are in favor of Issue 1. It's aimed at reducing penalties for low-level drug crimes. The poll also shows 45 percent of participants opposed the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Stark boy diagnosed with rare mosquito-borne virus
A seven-year-old Stark County boy has been diagnosed with a rare mosquito-borne virus. The Canton Repository reports that Joshua Gay suffered seizures and spent 12 days at Akron Children’s Hospital last month - the diagnosis - La Crosse encephalitis. The disease causes high fever, and in severe cases, coma and paralysis. It strikes boys aged 5 to 9 in particular. Ohio leads the nation in the number of La Crosse encephalitis cases with 179 over the past decade. The disease is transmitted by Eastern Treehole mosquitoes infected with the virus. There is no cure, but his parents say Joshua is recovering.
UA graduate students sue after program loses accreditation
A group of current and former graduate students are suing the University of Akron for losing one of the accreditations of a counseling degree program. The Beacon Journal reports that the lawsuit claims that the students incurred debt coming to Akron for the Ph.D. program in marriage and family counseling and therapy, in part, because the school promised a dual accreditation. The university last year lost one of its accreditations for the program. The students are seeking at least $25,000 in damages.
Akron offers free two-hour parking during construction
The city of Akron is offering free parking downtown to ease the headaches of a long-term construction project. Residents will get two hours free parking each day in the State Street deck, the Butchel lot and on some streets. It'll be in effect throughout the $31 million Main Street Corridor project, expected to be complete in 2020.
Annual Lake Erie alagal bloom less severe than expected
There’s some good news for Lake Erie — the annual harmful algal bloom was smaller this year than predicted. Cleveland.com reports that scientists aren’t quite sure why the toxic blue-green algae wasn’t as dense or widespread as models forecasted. Outbreaks of the algae have become annual events since 2008. An outbreak in 2014 cut-off the water supply for half-a-million northwest Ohio residents. This year, lake conditions were ripe for a significant algal bloom, but scientists don’t know why the algae remained in check. Gov. John Kasich issued an executive order in July in what he called “aggressive new action” to cut farm run-off that feeds the algae, but that action is still under review.
