Ohio's top doctor is pleading for Ohioans to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Hospitals and intensive care units are reaching capacity especially here in Northeast Ohio. Ohio has 54% of its eligible population fully vaccinated against the virus---but that number lags behind the national average which the Centers for Disease Control and Protection says is at 61%
Doctor Bruce Vanderhoff, the Director of the Ohio Department of Health, however, says that the state will stress "personal responsibility" to stem the surge in COVID-19 cases rather than rely on additional health orders, mandates or curfews.
Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine are in quarantine after exposure to a person who tested positive for COVID-19. They have tested negative for the virus.
Governor DeWine told our Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Karen Kasler, that he has some thoughts on a Republican-backed bill under consideration in the Ohio Senate that would ban businesses and schools from setting up COVID-19 vaccine mandates or requiring proof of vaccination. DeWine says he would veto such a measure if it made it to his desk.
The Ohio Senate has passed a bill that would eliminate the training requirement in order to carry a concealed firearm. Supporters of the bill say it better reflects the constitutional right to bear arms while opponents say it will lead to more gun violence. Ohio is an open carry state but requires eight-hours of training to get a license.
Cleveland Mayor-elect Justin Bibb has named an interim replacement for Police Chief Calvin Williams. Chief Williams will leave the department on January 3 as the Bibb administration begins its work. The interim replacement is Deputy Chief Wayne Drummond---a 32-year veteran of the Cleveland police. Drummond currently is in charge of field operations.
All members of a Holmes County based ministry kidnapped and held hostage in Haiti have been released. A gang captured seventeen members of the Christian Aid Ministries two months ago after the group returned from an orphanage. The ministry is based out of Millersburg. Five members had been released earlier. The remaining twelve were released yesterday according to Haiti's Justice Minister.
With the holidays next week and the week after, this will be our last live show of the year. We will also spend part of the discussion looking back at some of the noteworthy stories of 2021 and look ahead to some of the stories already on the horizon for 2022.
Marlene Harris-Taylor, Managing Producer for Health, Ideastream Public Media
Andrew Meyer, News Director, WKSU
Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV
