Ohio News Digest
Good afternoon. Here's a look at how AP's general news coverage is shaping up in Ohio. Questions about coverage plans are welcome and should be directed to the AP Columbus bureau at 614-885-2727 or [email protected]. Ohio-PA-NJ News Editor Christina Paciolla can be reached at 215-561-1133 or [email protected].
A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories and digests will keep you up to date. All times are Eastern.
Some TV and radio stations will receive shorter APNewsNow versions of the stories below, along with all updates. For up-to-the minute information on AP's coverage, visit Coverage Plan at newsroom.ap.org.
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UPCOMING THURSDAY:
MEDICAL MARIJUANA-OHIO
CLEVELAND — A look at Ohio's medical marijuana program after its first year. By Mark Gillispie. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by noon.
SUFFRAGE MEMORIAL-OHIO
COLUMBUS — A permanent outdoor memorial honoring 100 years of women's suffrage would be erected at the Ohio Statehouse under a proposal to be made on Jan. 16. Advocates are likely to face questions about the best use of the Statehouse grounds' limited space. By Andrew Welsh-Huggins. UPCOMING: 450 words, photos by 6 a.m.
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TOP STORIES:
BOY SCOUTS-CHILD PORN
CLEVELAND — A former Ohio Boy Scout leader known as “Aqua Joe” for his role as a swim instructor was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in federal prison for secretly recording videos of young boys changing their clothes before and after swimming and showering at various pools and his home, authorities said. By Mark Gillispie. SENT: 390 words.
MUSIC-ROCK HALL
NEW YORK — The posthumous inductees Whitney Houston and The Notorious B.I.G. will lead this year's class into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. They’ll be joined by Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails and T-Rex. The induction ceremony is being held in Cleveland this year and is being televised live for the first time ever, on May 2. By David Bauder. SENT: 640 words, photos.
FATAL AKRON FIRE
AKRON — A judge ruled that an Ohio man accused of killing nine neighbors in two arson fires is competent to stand trial. The judge in Akron made the ruling Tuesday at a hearing for Stanley Ford. SENT: 200 words.
CHILD CUSTODY SLAYING
PORTLAND, Ind. — Two Indiana women who are softball coaches at an Ohio high school face murder charges in the fatal shooting of a man that allegedly arose from a child custody dispute. The Portland, Indiana, man died Sunday after he was shot in the head. SENT: 270 words.
BRIEFS:
— TAMIR RICE SHOOTING: A union representing the white Cleveland police officer who shot and killed Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old black child playing with a pellet gun outside a recreation center, will ask an Ohio appeals court to overturn the officer's firing.
— SCHOOL THREAT-INDICTMENT: A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for sending an online message to a Parma High School student in 2018 about a shooting he warned would occur the next day.
— MEDICAID ERRORS: COLUMBUS — Ohio's Medicaid system suffers from high payment error rates and problems determining eligibility, among many issues the state Medicaid director blamed on the administration of former Gov. John Kasich.
— DISTRACTED DRIVING-OHIO: Using a cellphone while driving would be reason enough to pull someone over under a bill introduced Tuesday at the Ohio Statehouse.
— BANK ROBBERIES-OHIO — An Ohio man pleaded guilty to charges in three bank robberies in the state between 2016 and last year and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
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SPORTS:
FBN—HALL OF FAME-CENTENNIAL CLASS: Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue has made the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his fifth attempt.ass announced Wednesday. Tagliabue and former New York Giants general manager George Young made it to the hall in Canton, Ohio, as contributors. .The class of 10 senior candidates, three contributors and two coaches are part of the hall's celebration of the NFL's 100th season. By Barry Wilner. SENT: 1,230 words, photos.
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