Forty million kids in the United States missed a measles vaccine last year, according to the CDC. The disease can cause severe complications , including pneumonia, brain damage and death, and the vaccine is nearly 100% effective. But with all the fervor over COVID-19 vaccines, many parents opted not to get their children vaccinated. Maybe parents thought measles wouldn’t make a comeback. But an outbreak in Columbus shows that’s clearly not the case. Kids – plus daycares and schools – are all at risk when vaccination rates drop. - Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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While there are still no reported cases in the Cleveland area, the recent Ohio measles outbreak - which so far has been limited entirely to unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children - has some doctors raising concerns that go beyond measles. (Associated Press file photo) |
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Measles: The Columbus measles outbreak - which so far has been limited entirely to unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children - has some doctors far from the city raising concerns that go beyond measles. They say a combination of a complacency about diseases most Americans have rarely seen up close, and the heated debate around COVID-19 vaccinations, has sown seeds of confusion and misinformation about the safety, effectiveness and necessity of vaccines for other childhood diseases. Even a single exposure could be devastating in settings like daycares, reports Gretchen Cuda Kroen. Jail stay: The average person arrested and booked on charges in Cuyahoga County can expect to spend about a month in jail – one of the longest average stays in the state, even amid wide disparities in reporting, report Kaitlin Durbin and Zachary Smith. Where Cuyahoga falls in the ranking all depends on who is reporting the numbers and which formula they use. Cleveland Clinic: The Cleveland Clinic’s medical performance has made it one of the top hospitals in the U.S. for decades. But when it comes to architecture and planning on its campus, the Clinic looks in many ways like a throwback to the urban renewal era of the 1950s and ‘60s, with fortresslike buildings and garages designed to attract commuters who would never have to set foot on a sidewalk. Steven Litt reports that with another wave of construction coming soon, residents, city planners, clergy and other observers are raising perennial questions about whether the Clinic could do more to soften its hard edges and weave retail and neighborhood services into a vast campus that has become a chilly medical monoculture. Homicides: Cuyahoga County will top 200 homicides for the third straight year, something that officials say hasn’t happened in 40 years. What appears to set this year apart is the way victims are dying: They suffer from much more violence, reports Olivia Mitchell. Today in Ohio: The General Assembly passed a mammoth spending bill at the tail end of its marathon session, doling out nearly $6 billion of mostly federal funds to cap off the biennial legislative session. We’re talking about what passed last-minute in lame duck on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Majority maker: When Republicans take control of the U.S. House of Representatives in January, U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce will have a seat at the leadership table, representing a faction of roughly 50 centrist members he calls “the majority makers.” Sabrina Eaton reports the South Russell congressman is poised to become the face of moderate House Republicans in a time when national politics are increasingly entrenched in the extremes of their parties – despite what he said recently about Donald Trump. Abortion appeal: The Ohio 1st District Court of Appeals on Friday dismissed an appeal request by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who wanted a reversal of a lower court’s order that has kept abortions legal until 22 weeks. Laura Hancock reports the block Hamilton County Judge Christian Jenkins put in place in October remains until questions about the overall constitutionality of the heartbeat law are decided in Jenkins’ court, which could take the better part of a year. School vouchers: A Franklin County judge on Friday denied the state’s request for her to dismiss a lawsuit by a coalition of over 130 school districts suing over the constitutionality of private school vouchers. Laura Hancock reports the judge also denied a request by several parents of private school students who asked she rule that the school district coalition, in its amended complaint, provided no set of facts in support of their claims that vouchers have hurt all of Ohio’s public schools. NOPEC: The Ohio Consumers’ Counsel says state regulators are “unreasonably prolonging” their investigation of NOPEC and that their decision to push back another deadline may raise Ohioans’ electricity bills. Sean McDonnell reports that in a new filing Wednesday, the consumer advocate said the investigation into Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council is “excessive” and “questionable.” |
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Lakefront spending: Cuyahoga County has approved two projects worth $2.1 million to improve the Lake Erie waterfront. County Council gave unanimous approval to the projects during a Friday meeting, council’s last scheduled meeting of 2022, reports Lucas Daprile. Sewer discounts: The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District is urging its customers to take advantage of programs that will lower their sewer bills – and at the same time it’s calling on the federal government to do more to help low-income water customers. Peter Krouse reports the district wants to obtain 10,000 new enrollments in its affordability programs over the five-year period that began this year. House blueprints: Construction is long. Subcontractors are many. Texts strings and contractor conversations abound. So when it comes to building your project, workers will rely on what’s on the final print – rather than what’s in your head. Case in point: The door to Laura Johnston’s walk-in closet in her new attic suite was installed to swing inward. |
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Shrink: Shrink – an accounting term used when a store has fewer items in stock than it’s supposed to – has grown into a $94.5 billion problem for retail stores across the country, and experts say crime rings focused on stealing and then selling stolen goods are a big part of the issue. Sean McDonnell reports that the phenomenon is called “organized retail crime” and it’s a growing concern among industry advocates, loss prevention staff and police departments. Unemployment: Ohio’s unemployment rate stayed flat in November as it saw modest job gains. Sean McDonnell reports the state added 5,500 jobs last month, bringing total employment to 5,509,400 in November. The unemployment rate was 4.2%, the same as in October. Chagrin Cinemas: Chagrin Cinemas will close at the end of January, ending a 33-year run in the village, reports Joey Morona. The Golf Dome, an indoor driving range and miniature golf course that operates next door, recently sold the portion of the property that includes the theater. COVID-19 map: Cuyahoga County and most Northeast Ohio counties remained yellow, for moderate COVID-19 spread, for the third week in a row on the latest U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention map. Julie Washington reports Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit were among the counties classified as yellow. Nearby Trumbull and Mahoning counties were designated red, for high COVID-19 spread. |
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Protest lawsuit: Cuyahoga County agreed to pay $10,000 to a man who was shot in the back of the head by law enforcement during 2020 protests in downtown Cleveland over the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. Adam Ferrise reports Cuyahoga County Council on Friday approved the settlement with Conor O’Boyle as part of its final budget amendments. Ruling reversed: The Ohio Supreme Court on Friday reversed a lower court’s ruling that a $20 million jury verdict in a child sexual abuse case be slashed to $250,000. Laura Hancock reports the court’s 4-3 split decision takes issue with the 2005 tort reform that the Ohio General Assembly passed to cap damages in certain cases. The legislature was concerned that excessive damages were increasing the cost of doing business. Attorney investigated: A local defense attorney is under investigation after Cuyahoga County jail guards seized suspected drugs on him inside the jail late Thursday, reports Cory Shaffer. The sources say the attorney was stopped as he tried to enter the jail to visit an inmate and guards found what they believed to be methamphetamine. |
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Bake Off: If you’re a baker who loves to show off their talent, enter the Great U.S. National Park Service Bake Off. Participants are encouraged to use the hashtag #GreatNPSBakeOff when posting, reports Paris Wolfe. Treats may be inspired by nature, architecture, history, or people. House of the Week: In 1929, Edward Higbee, grandson of Edwin Converse Higbee, founder of Higbee’s department store, and his then-wife built a mansion and cottage on their sprawling estate. Today, that two-bedroom cottage on Foxboro Road is currently on the market for $799,000, reports Joey Morona. |
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Man found dead of multiple gunshots in Akron residence Read more Mentor woman, 63, dies in early morning house fire Read more Bill Hixson has been Cleveland’s 'Mr. Christmas' for more than 60 years Read more After a year aboard with transitional government, Cleveland Heights Councilwoman Josie Moore resigns Read more New cluster home subdivision proposed for Middleburg Heights Read more Middleburg Heights police, fire, service workers get 3-year contracts Read more Shaker Heights announces Wayne Hudson as new police chief in 2023, coming from Omaha Read more Mayfield Heights household produces three Eagle Scouts, with one more on the way Read more |
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