Here are your morning headlines for Wednesday, September 18:
- DeWine looks to ban flavored vapes;
- Cuyahoga County jail faces another lawsuit;
- Akron student brings loaded gun to North High School;
- Akron Children's to open new Boston Heights center;
- Portman: Shutdowns cost taxpayers $4B over five years;
- 3,600 reach out to DeWine following Dayton shooting;
DeWine looks to ban flavored vapes
Gov. Mike DeWine said he's looking into banning flavored e-cigarettes in the state. More than a dozen Ohioans have been hospitalized from vaping-related lung diseases, all between ages 16 to 26. DeWine told Cleveland.com the e-cigarette industry is targeting young people with flavors and is undoing the work the state has done to prevent nicotine addiction. The latest effort is a law that's going into effect next month that raises the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products to 21. DeWine's comments come a week after President Donald Trump announced he's working to ban nontobacco-flavored products.
Cuyahoga County jail faces another lawsuit
An inmate is suing the Cuyahoga County jail alleging corrections officers threatened and abused him after cooperating with investigators. Corrionne Lawrence, 25, claims the corrections officers beat him and threatened to kill him in an elevator for interviewing with the U.S. Marshals when they investigated the jail in October last year. Lawrence then filed a complaint about the abuse, which he claims led to more threats from officers. The jail has not commented on the lawsuit. The lawsuit is one of several that have been filed against the jail for civil rights abuses, including the death of one out of nine inmates that died there within a year.
Akron student charged with bringing gun inside North High School
Authorities have charged a North High School student who was found with a loaded hand gun inside the building Tuesday.The Beacon Journal reportsrumors spread that Tiqcwon Brent, 19, had a weapon which led Akron police to finding him in a closed off room inside the school. Brent dropped the weapon and was taken into custody without incident. Another student who was not identified was also arrested. Authorities believe that the student texted Brent to hide his weapon.
Akron Children's to open new Boston Heights center
Akron Children's Hospital is getting ready to open its new $15 million health center in Boston Heights next week. Cleveland.com reportsthe center will provide primary and urgent care, and will have more than a dozen areas of specialty care like rehabilitation. The two-story, 43,000-square-foot building near the Ohio Turnpike is the third of four regional facilities. The hospital said it expects to provide care to 250 families per day.
Portman: Shutdowns cost taxpayers $4B over five years
A new report led by Sen. Rob Portman states the government's most recent shutdowns over the past five years have cost taxpayers nearly $4 billion. The report comes as the House of Representatives is trying to avoid another government shutdown when current spending bills expire Oct. 1. The report states more than 56,000 years of employee productivity have been lost. The House plans to vote on a temporary spending bill Wednesday.
3,600 people reach out to DeWine following Dayton shooting
More than 3,600 people have written letters, emails and made phone calls to Gov. Mike DeWine in the month following the deadly mass shooting in Dayton. The Columbus Dispatch reportsmany of those contacting DeWine have personal connections to the Aug. 4 shooting in which the gunman killed nine people and left more than two dozen injured. DeWine's office said more than 2,000 emails encouraged new gun restrictions. DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney said the governor doesn't read the notes, but staff members do. Two days after the shooting, DeWine outlined a plan that includes background checks and increased mental health aid, among other proposals.