Here are your morning headlines for Monday, Feb. 17:
- School district cancels events amid threat;
- Dan Gilbert back to work;
- Ohio bill would require flashing lights on Amish buggies;
- Lake County Board of Elections strikes down GOP complaint;
- Veteran Cleveland newsman to become top Plain Dealer editor;
- Ohio chief justice convenes wrongful conviction task force;
- Annie Glenn, widow of astronaut John Glenn, turning 100;
School district cancels events amid threat
A Medina County school district canceled a basketball game and a winter dance because of an undisclosed threat directed at its high school. Cloverleaf Local Schools Superintendent Daryl Kubilus sent a private alert to the school community Saturday saying the game and dance had been canceled after consulting with the county sheriff's office. A community recreation center near the high school was evacuated Saturday afternoon during a volleyball tournament. The district's website said it would remain closed "until further notice.”
Dan Gilbert back to work
Cleveland Cavaliers owner and Quicken Loans founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert is slowly returning to work eight months after suffering a stroke. The entrepreneur returned to his Detroit office early this year. In an interview with Crain's Detroit Business, Gilbert, 58, said he spends one or two days a week in his office, using a wheelchair accompanied by a service dog. His biggest priority is overseeing construction of a new skyscraper in Detroit. He also spends three or four hours a day receiving physical and occupational therapy. Gilbert suffered the stroke during a party on May 25.
Ohio bill would require flashing lights on Amish buggies
A flashing light would be required on horse-drawn buggies typically used by the Amish under an Ohio proposal intended to help prevent collisions with motor vehicles. The bill introduced by Republican Reps. Scott Wiggam, of Wooster, and Darrell Kick, of Loudonville, also would require animal-drawn vehicles to use new reflective tape with higher visibility. Current law requires still lights and reflectors on buggies. Law enforcement officials say more liberal communities have agreed to additional safety measures but others won't unless it is state law. State data shows Ohio has had over 870 crashes involving an animal-drawn vehicle or an animal with a rider since 2014.
Lake County Board of Elections strikes down GOP complaint
The Lake County Board of Elections has rejected a complaint that accused Democratic congressional candidate Hillary O'Connor Mueri of voter fraud. Cleveland.com reports the Ohio Republican Party filed the complaint last week accusing Mueri of illegally voting twice in the 2008 primary election both in California and Ohio. It's a fourth-degree felony in Ohio. The Lake County Board of Elections said she was mailed an absentee ballot in 2008, but never returned it. The GOP doesn't plan to drop the complaint despite the findings. Mueri is in the race for the seat currently held by Republican Dave Joyce. It covers Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties and parts of Cuyahoga, Summit, Portage and Trumbull.
Veteran Cleveland newsman to become top Plain Dealer editor
The Plain Dealer in Cleveland will get a new editor in chief as its current editor moves to a role with the newspaper's sister company. Managing editor Tim Warsinskey takes over the top editing job March 1. He succeeds George Rodrigue, who has been editor for five years. Warsinskey has been with the newspaper for three decades and has led day-to-day planning in its newsroom operations since 2016. Rodrigue said he is leaving to become editor at large for Advance Local and share lessons learned about collaborating with other newsrooms and organizations to continue high-quality local journalism.
Ohio chief justice convenes wrongful conviction task force
The chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court is convening a task force to study the process for dealing with wrongful convictions. Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor said the committee will analyze how Ohio and other states review cases after convictions. O'Connor said the Task Force on Conviction Integrity and Postconviction Review will also analyze the work of other states' innocence commissions and panels that review the strengths of convictions. O'Connor expects to appoint members soon. She wants a report by the end of the year that would include recommendations for updates to state law or court rules.
Annie Glenn, widow of astronaut John Glenn, turning 100
A spokesperson said that Annie Glenn is doing fine ahead of her 100th birthday Monday and that the family is appreciative of the continued affection and interest toward her. The Glenns were married for 73 years when John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, died in 2016 at age 95. Annie Glenn was an advocate and educator in communication disorders and has rarely appeared in public since the year after her husband's death.
