Here are your morning headlines for Monday, August 21:
- Portman will vote on Supreme Court nominee
- Senior centers, adult day cares can reopen today
- Ohio nearing 145K coronavirus cases
- More bars cited for violating health orders
- President Trump rallies in Toledo Monday
- Jury trials resume in Cuyahoga County
- No decision yet for MAC football
Portman will vote on Supreme Court nominee
Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman said Saturday night he will support an effort to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the November election. The statement comes despite Portman supporting a delay in voting on President Barack Obama’s 2016 appointment nearly a year before a new president would take office. Portman says that if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell holds a vote on a nominee he intends to “fulfill my role as a U.S. Senator and judge that nominee based on his or her merits.” Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown said the Senate should wait until after the winner of the Nov. 3 presidential election is inaugurated in January.
Senior centers, adult day cares can reopen today
Senior centers and adult day care centers will be allowed to reopen beginning today. Gov. Mike DeWine set the date last month, saying they can reopen at reduced capacity, with strict cleaning and social distance standards. Masks must also be worn. They must keep a daily log of who visits and are encouraged to alter work schedules to reduce possible contact they will have among each other. The centers remained closed since March because people over the age of 65 are considered at risk for COVID-19.
Ohio nearing 145K coronavirus cases
Ohio is closing in on 145,000 coronavirus cases. The state reported 762 new cases on Sunday, much lower than the 21-day rolling average. The number of Ohioans have died with the coronavirus rose by 3, to 4,615.
More bars cited for violating health orders
More Ohio bars were cited for violating the state’s COVID-19 health orders over the weekend. Among them was The Cove in Canton, Tavern Off Broadway in Bedford and Vivid Cocktail Lounge in Maple Heights. Agents from the Ohio Investigative Unit say violations include no social distancing measures in place and serving alcohol past 10 p.m. The cases will go before the Ohio Liquor Control Commission. So far the Highland Tavern in Akron’s Highland Square is the only bar in the state to lose its liquor license for repeated violations.
President Trump rallies in Toledo Monday
President Donald Trump returns Ohio for a rally near Toledo tonight, just over a week before he is set to take the stage in Cleveland for the first presidential debate. It marks Trump’s first official campaign rally in Ohio since the beginning of the year when he visited Toledo.
Jury trials resume in Cuyahoga County
Jury trials will resume today in Cuyahoga County with safety precautions in place. Three courts in the Justice Center will hold criminal trials. Participants will wear masks and some will have face shields, spectators will be limited, and Plexiglas partitions will separate jurors. Civil trials and jury selection will be held across the street at the Global Center for Health Innovation. Trials were originally scheduled to restart in August, but Administrative Judge Brendan Sheehan says the pandemic was spreading too fast in the Cleveland area.
No decision yet for MAC football
There was no decision over the weekend about restarting football for the Mid-American Conference. Conference presidents, including those from Kent State and Akron, met on Saturday to discuss a six- or eight-game fall schedule after the Big Ten announced it will resume next month. MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said in a statement there will be another meeting this week. The MAC on Aug. 8 became the first FBS conference to postpone the fall football season because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Among the challenges the MAC is facing is financing and securing rapid testing.
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