Here are your morning headlines for Thursday, December 13:
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces 2019 inductees;
- Summit County has new panhandling law;
- Cleveland Clinic increases hourly wage;
- Akron, Cleveland, Medina get historic tax credits;
- Cleveland City Council president calls for hearings on airport security breach;
- Thieves steal $5,000 worth of toys for charity in Akron;
- Ohio's first medical marijuana dispensary approved to open;
- Ohio Senate approves 'Heartbeat Bill' abortion ban;
- Second person charged in Ohio terrorism investigation;
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces 2019 inductees
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2019. Stevie Nicks and Def Leppard are in — each has been eligible for the Rock Hall for over a decade, but made their first appearances on this year's ballot. Other inductees include The Cure, Janet Jackson, Roxy Music, and The Zombies. Rounding out this year's class is Radiohead. Not making the cut this year are two other first-timers: Akron's Devo, and Todd Rundgren, a Northeast Ohio fan favorite. The 2019 Rock Hall induction ceremony will be held in New York City on March 29.
Summit County has new panhandling law
Summit County has enacted tougher rules to restrict panhandling. County Council approved legislation that would prohibit drivers from handing money to people along the roadside if there is no sidewalk.The Beacon Journal reports the new measure is intended to correct constitutional issues of a previous panhandling ban that council repealed in October. Drivers who give money from their vehicles to roadside panhandlers in nine Summit county townships face a fourth-degree misdemeanor charge.
Cleveland Clinic increases hourly wage
The state's second largest employer will raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2020. The Cleveland Clinic in January will bump up its hourly rate for 1,900 employees known as ‘caregivers’ to $14. By 2020, all of its nearly 3,000 hourly employees will make $15 per hour. The Clinic has nearly 50,000 employees in Ohio. The current state minimum wage in $8.30 per hour and is set to increase by 25 cents in January.
Akron, Cleveland, Medina awarded historic tax credits
Ten Northeast Ohio buildings are getting historic preservation tax credits. In Akron, $470,000 in credits will go toward constructing 20 more apartments in the Everett Building downtown. The biggest tax credit award in the region goes to downtown Cleveland's Ohio Bell Building. Developers will use the roughly $4 million dollars in credits for a Hilton hotel on the upper floors. Medina was awarded its first-ever state tax credit to restore the condemned Medina Farmers Exchange Co. Building.
Cleveland City Council president calls for hearings on airport security breach
Cleveland City Council's president is calling for hearings on two Cleveland officials who were involved in an airport security breach. Although the city has denied to release details, it says assistant airport director Fred Szabo and the mayor’s chief of operations Darnell Brown had been involved in a “security incident” at Cleveland Hopkins in October. Council president Kevin Kelley says hearings would help the public understand what exactly happened that day. The two officials were suspended without pay following the incident. If the hearings are approved, they wouldn't happen until after the new year.
Thieves steal $5,000 worth of toys for charity in Akron
Two thieves who posed as volunteers stole $5,000 worth of toys from a Toys for Tots storage area in Akron. The Beacon Journal reports they took bikes, kitchen playsets, Barbie houses and other toys that retail for more than $100. Surveillance video shows the toys were taken over a seven-hour span, and the thieves haven’t been caught. Online retailer Ebay donated $5,000 to Akron to help replace the toys. They will be distributed to about 700 families this weekend.
Ohio's first medical marijuana dispensary approved to open
State regulators have given the green light to the first medical marijuana dispensary in Ohio. CY+, located in the village of Wintersville, is the first of 56 state-licensed medical marijuana outlets to receive a certificate of operation. Wintersville is just west of Steubenville. The dispensary will not be able to sell medical marijuana until their products are tested at state-certified testing labs. None of the five labs that have provisional medical marijuana licenses in the state have been approved to start testing. Hocking College's lab will have its final inspection Dec. 18.
Ohio Senate approves 'Heartbeat Bill' abortion ban
The Ohio Senate has approved a highly restrictive anti-abortion bill despite indications it has little chance of passage this year. The GOP-controlled Senate passed the measure banning abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually within a few weeks of conception. The legislation must return to the House for agreement with changes made by the Senate in committee. Outgoing Gov. John Kasich has promised to veto the bill as he did with a similar measure in 2016. Gov.-elect Mike DeWine, who takes office in January, has said he would sign such a bill if it crossed his desk.
Second person charged in Ohio terrorism investigation
Federal authorities have charged a second person in connection with a domestic terrorism investigation in Ohio. The FBI and Department of Justice said 23-year-old Vincent Armstrong of Toledo was charged with making false statements. He lived with a woman who has been charged with buying bomb-making supplies. Armstrong appeared in court Wednesday and waived a preliminary hearing. His attorney says it's too early to speak about the case, adding it was possible more charges could be filed.
