Newsmaker: Jerry Sue Thornton, PhD, President, Cuyahoga Community College
The third president of Tri-C will retire at mid-year after 21 years at the helm of Ohio’s largest two-year college. Thornton grew the institution’s enrollment by 40% during her tenure, partly through expansion of course offerings and partly by expanding the college’s physical plant to include suburban outposts.
Roundtable: Harry Boomer, reporter, 19 Action News; Sarah Jane Tribble, reporter, The Plain Dealer; Greg Saber, freelance journalist.
Police Involved Shooting
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine says the system failed everyone when a high speed chase culminated in the fatal shooting of a Cleveland man and a female passenger last November. More than a dozen officers fired more than 100 rounds into the stopped car when the chase finally ended, touching off investigations that are still underway. DeWine says officers clearly failed to follow established police procedure, but said the driver could have avoided fatal consequences by not fleeing.
Amish to be Sentenced
Federal prosecutors want a judge to sentence Amish bishop Samuel Mullet, Sr. to life in prison for orchestrating beard-cutting attacks on rivals who has shunned his teachings. Prosecutors say Mullet encouraged a campaign of terror as he ran a cult-like settlement in Bergholz. Mullet and 15 followers will learn their fate tomorrow when Judge Dan Aaron Polster hands down sentences in Cleveland.
State Budget
Governor Kasich’s new budget would cut individual taxes for most Ohioans and lower the sales tax by a half-cent. Budget designers hope to bridge the revenue gap by imposing a 4% severance tax on oil and gas and by extending the reach of the sales tax to services not currently subject to it. The budget also plowed more money into primary and secondary education and the Governor agreed to expand Medicaid to cover more people.