Keeping it Brief
Local
Cleveland extends program to let restaurants expand cafe-style seating in public spaces
The Cleveland City Council voted on Tuesday to allow for restaurants to implement cafe-style seating until Spring 2021. Restaurants will utilize heaters and temporary coverings to allow for diners to sit outside.
This policy is in reaction to the increase closure of restaurants.
If restaurants are interested in continuing to participate in outdoor dining until Spring 2021, they must obtain a permit through Restart CLE.
ProEnergy Ohio LLC submitted a petition to the Columbus City Council to divert $57 million for an electricity subsidy program for Columbus residents, as well as divert $10 million to an energy conservation and energy efficiency fund; a clean energy education and training fund, and a minority business development program.
The electricity subsidy program would reduce electricity costs for those who live in Columbus
The proposal is strongly opposed by the Columbus City Council and the Ohio Environmental Council. It is suspected that those proposing this new green energy plan are not doing so in the best interest of Columbus residents.
Mayor Ginther says that “we already have a plan to deliver renewable energy to our residents," he said, referring to Issue 1, an "opt-out" green-energy electricity aggregation plan that would supply all of the city's power needs with renewable energy by 2023. That issue is on the Nov. 3 ballot”.
New violence prevention initiative in Columbus to focus on the perpetrators
The National Network for Safe Communities has implemented a Group Violence Intervention initiative in the city of Columbus. The goal of the program is to decrease homicide rates through restorative justice programs.
“The Group Violence Intervention initiative will bring together law enforcement and community members, as well as faith leaders and other stakeholders, to identify who is responsible for much of the violence. A group of those people, typically one or two members from each group or gang and those who are on court supervision who can be ordered into a meeting by their probation or parole officer, will have a meeting where they are encouraged to find ways to live together without violence and stay out of prison”.
David Kennedy, a criminologist at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, has been hired by the city to help Columbus combat the increase in homicide and gun violence. He will be instrumental in changing the narrative between police officers and young adults who are caught in illegal behavior.
CARES Act grants available for Centerville nonprofits hit by COVID-19
The city of Centerville will allow nonprofits to apply and receive a grant funded through the CARES Act, if their organization has been impacted by COVID-19.
Nonprofits must be a 501(c)(3), registered with the state of Ohio and Internal Revenue Service, and registered as a charitable organization in good standing with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office
“Applicants must demonstrate and document that they incurred increased costs due to the COVID-19 public health emergency from March 15 to Oct. 31, 2020”.
State
In a press conference on Tuesday, Governor DeWine refused to acknowledge the possibility of expanding the Affordable Care Act in Ohio.
He strongly supports the appointment of Judge Amy Coney Barrett. If she is appointed, many Ohioans will lose access to healthcare, as she is a strong opponent of the ACA.
“And his sympathies seem to be with Ohioans who tend to be eligible for coverage under the Medicaid expansion...But DeWine won’t speak up for a Medicaid expansion that was providing coverage for 525,000 Ohioans before the pandemic took hold”.
Ohio AG, county prosecutors oppose ban on no-knock warrants, instead want to enhance standard
The Ohio Attorney General has reported that no-knock warrants should not be banned in Ohio, rather the guidelines of the warrant should be clarified.
The Attorney General has thought of possibly reforming the policy to prohibit no-knock warrants from being allowed when it comes to a person suspected of a misdemeanor,
The Attorney General believes that the warrants are necessary for high profile crimes, such as sex trafficking or large druge cases.
Attorney General Yost explains that “The no-knock is designed for rare occasions when there’s a serious problem, a serious issue of officer safety where if you knock on the door and say ‘police,’ they might answer the door with a burst of automatic weapons fire”.
AG Yost is planning to write a letter to Governor DeWine asking for clarification on the law.
The Sheriff's office issues less than ten no-knock warrants a year.
Ohio’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, explained
The state of Ohio recently submitted their plan to the federal government as to how they will distribute COVID-19 vaccines to people of all demographics, once one is created and approved.
The state of Ohio will first administer the vaccine to “high risk workers and first responders, then to older adults living in congregate or overcrowded settings (i.e. prisons or nursing homes) and people at “significantly higher risk” due to underlying health conditions, then to “critical risk workers essential to society” and at high risk of exposure; teachers and school staff; people of all ages with underlying conditions; all older adults not mentioned in Phase 1; people in homeless shelters; people in group homes; and people in jails and prisons. A footnote states that minority populations will be “integrated into planning” for this phase, then to young adults, children, and workers and occupations “important to the functioning of society and at increased risk of exposure.”, and then to everybody else”
It is still unclear as to where people can receive the vaccine. The state plans to train 2,000-5,000 people to administer the vaccine.
It is possible that two doses of the vaccine will be required so the state also plans to create a public health campaign to remind Ohioans to get their second dose of the vaccine.
Coronavirus is surging, and a bipartisan state Senate wants to lift the bar curfew
A group of bi-partisan senators is hoping to pass Senate Bill 374, which will reverse the curfew Ohio bars have to follow in which they can not sell alcohol after 10:00 p.m. and must close at 11:00 p.m.
Four democrats and sixteen republicans are sponsoring the bill. They believe that legislation like this will help to improve the economy through an increase in alcohol sales.
“CDC research from September found that people who contracted COVID-19 were twice as likely as those in a control group to have gone to a restaurant in the two weeks before becoming ill. They were also more likely to have gone to a bar or coffee shop”.
When the state curfew was implemented in July, the Ohio Department of Health traced 50 cases of COVID-19 back to bars.
Federal
Government watchdog knocks Postal Service for operational charges
In an investigation by the Inspector General, it has been concluded that the current Postmaster General has ““negatively impacted the quality and timeliness of mail delivery” in the U.S.
“In a report released this week in response to various congressional requests, the USPS Office of Inspector General analyzed the cost-cutting measures Postmaster General Louis DeJoy put in place after assuming control of the agency in June — as well as the nearly six dozen strategies initiated by USPS operations executives to achieve financial targets”.
The report found that the Postmaster General did not analyze the effects of the changes they made to the USPS system. This has negatively impacted the mail service across America.
They Inspector General found incomplete documentation of the operational changes made by the Postmaster General.
DOJ announces $8B-plus settlement with OxyContin maker
“OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma has agreed to a settlement worth more than $8 billion to resolve a federal probe of its marketing practices for opioids, the Justice Department announced Wednesday”.
The company will plead guilty to contributing to the opioid crisis and the Sackler family, who owns Pfizer, will pay $225 million in a civil settlement.
It is set that a future plan will be created to hold drug companies accountable for their actions as the opioid crisis continues to grow in the U.S.
Trump administration announces vaccine deal for long-term care facilities
The Trump administration has reached a deal with Walgreens and CVS that both pharmacies will administer a coronavirus vaccine free of cost to patients. However, the pharmacies will be able to bill federal programs and insurers for administering the vaccine.
Once the vaccine is distributed, the pharmacies will be required to report vaccination data to public health authorities.
Homeland Security will pull 1,100 OPT permits from international students
There has been a crackdown on the Optional Practical Training program for international students in which the Department of Homeland Security plans to revoke or not renew several OPT work permits.
The OPT work permit allows for international students to work in the U.S. while they attend school. There are 220,000 students currently enrolled in the program.
This program is key to international student enrollment in American universities.
“The announcements come as part of DHS and ICE’s “Operation OPTtical illusion.” Top department officials say their enforcement effort, which began in January, is “targeting nonimmigrant students who fraudulently use the Optional Practical Training Program” and “OPT employers that were engaging allegedly in fraud.”