Here are your morning headlines for Tuesday, October 13:
- YSU faculty union strikes as contract talks progress
- UA closes dining hall after employee contracts COVID-19
- College of Wooster moves all classes online
- Columbus schools push back in-person start date to November
- New BW poll shows Ohioans split on Supreme Court confirmation
- Cleveland Indians Cancel 2021 TribeFest due to COVID-19
YSU faculty union strikes as contract talks progress
Faculty at Youngstown State University hit the picket line on Monday, despite progress between the two sides. The university says it can’t afford raises the union wants in a new three-year deal amid the pandemic. The Vindicator reports the latest proposal from the university includes no pay raise in the first year; 1 percent pay raise, plus a $1,000 lump sum payment to lecturers/senior lecturers, assistant professors and $750 lump sum payment to associate and full professors in the second year. The third year would bring a 2 percent pay increase. The two sides will meet again this afternoon. Students return from fall break tomorrow, and YSU President Jim Tressel says the university is making plans to continue classes if the faculty remains on strike.
UA closes dining hall after employee contracts COVID-19
The University of Akron has closed one of its dining halls after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. Union Market inside the student union will undergo a deep cleaning. No reopening date has been set. The university and Summit County Public Health are conducting contact tracing. The university has expanded COVID-19 testing on campus, but so far has not seen a spike in its numbers reflected on its online dashboard, which showed six new cases in the week starting Oct. 1.
College of Wooster moves all classes online
The College of Wooster is moving all of its classes online following a rash of COVID-19 cases. WKYC reports the move will be re-evaluated on Friday. Wooster’s daily COVID-19 dashboard shows nine cases confirmed in the last week. The school has also canceled athletic practice and is moving dining to take-out only. Students looking to leave campus for any reason will need to request permission from the Dean of Students' Office. No visitors will be permitted on campus.
Columbus schools push back in-person start date to November
The state’s largest school district is pushing back the start of in-person classes. Columbus City Schools was set to resume Oct. 19. Now students in grades K-8 will begin virtual orientation sessions that day, with a return to buildings to begin Nov. 2. Students will attend classes twice weekly and continue remote instruction the rest of the week. All Columbus students have been learning remotely from home since the school year started Sept. 8.
New BW poll shows Ohioans split on Supreme Court confirmation
As hearings get underway this week to consider U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, Ohioans are split on whether a new justice should be confirmed so close to the presidential election. A new poll from Baldwin Wallace University released Sunday shows about 45% said President Donald Trump and the current Senate should nominate and confirm a replacement for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Nearly 46% said lawmakers should wait to see who wins the election. About 40% said they were more motivated to vote in the presidential election because of the Supreme Court vacancy.
Cleveland Indians Cancel 2021 Tribe Fest due to COVID-19
The Cleveland Indians are already cancelling one popular event that gets fans hyped about the upcoming season. January's Tribe Fest has been called off due to the pandemic. It's an event that brings together players and fans before spring training. It also helps generate ticket sales. Team president Chris Antonetti said last week the franchise is facing a loss of tens of millions of dollars because of the pandemic.
