Put to the test: Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday that the state will increase its testing in nursing homes beginning this week, but won’t be universally testing residents, Seth Richardson reports. Instead, 14 teams of 10 people aided by the Ohio National Guard will go into all nursing homes in the state, starting with facilities with known cases.
Increase in hospital stays: Daily hospitalization counts have been edging up some for the coronavirus in Ohio, but not drastically so, notes Rich Exner in his daily map and graphics package following the coronavirus trends. Current patients in Ohio hospitals were reported at 937 on Tuesday and 923 on Monday, after being below the 900 level for three straight days. The 937 number for Tuesday could go up. The latest day often is revised upward after more information becomes available.
Doctor becomes patient: The number of coronavirus deaths in Ohio was at 2,002 on Tuesday. Reporting from DeWine’s briefing, Laura Hancock has the story of a Southeast Ohio pediatrician who spent a month in the hospital with COVID-19.
Threat of violence: Akron police are investigating a phone call made to state Rep. Emilia Sykes, in which a person threatened violence against her father, state Sen. Vernon Sykes, Hancock reports. DeWine, Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof and Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko have condemned the threat.
Driving forces: Many Ohioans queued up in long lines outside their local Bureau of Motor Vehicles office Tuesday on the first day of business in more than two months, despite pleas by state officials not to rush back. As Andrew Tobias reports, drivers have a grace period to renew their licenses, and registrations can be handled online. The “Get In Line Online” virtual check-in program state officials created last year crashed and was down much of the day after receiving more than 240,000 requests at 8 a.m.
Signature issue: Backers of two statewide ballot issue campaigns suffered a setback Tuesday when an appeals court blocked a judge’s order that would have allowed them to collect petition signatures online. Tobias has details on the ruling, in which a panel of judges said the coronavirus pandemic might have made it more difficult, but not impossible, to gather signatures.
Distant memory: Critics, including a state lawmaker, have been sharing an outdated video on social media that shows Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton not wearing a mask and sitting near other people while talking about the coronavirus, Tobias reports. The video was recorded at cleveland.com on March 3, before Ohio had its first coronavirus case and well before the public health orders that restricted Ohioans’ activities.
Doubt of the benefits? Why has Ohio’s unemployment insurance system been so slow to pay out benefits during the coronavirus crisis, and what can be done to fix the issues? That’s what Ohio House Ways and Means Committee members intend to ask Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Director Kimberly Hall during scheduled testimony Wednesday. Committee vice chair Jeff LaRe, a Fairfield County Republican, said Hall’s testimony may lead to changes with House Bill 614, an unemployment compensation reform bill, though he said, “Right now, we’re just in an information-gathering stage.” State Rep. Mark Fraizer, the Newark Republican sponsoring HB 614, said he expects a substitute bill to be unveiled later this week or next week.
Bet on it: Ohio House legislation that would legalize gambling on sports in Ohio could finally be moving forward. House Bill 194, which got its first committee hearing over a year ago, is up for a possible vote by the House Finance Committee today. The next step would be the House floor. There’s still a major hold-up though — the House bill would regulate sports gambling under the state lottery commission, while the Senate has been considering a version that would put the state casino control commission in charge.
Another one to watch: The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on Senate Bill 316, a capital re-appropriations bill. Kim Murnieks, the DeWine administration’s budget director, is scheduled to testify.
Judgment call: The U.S. Supreme Court refuses to block the release or transfer of inmates from Ohio’s federal prison, where nine inmates have died from the coronavirus and hundreds have become infected. As John Caniglia reports, the high court upheld an order that the Bureau of Prisons identify and move vulnerable inmates from the Federal Correctional Institution in Elkton, near Youngstown. One of the inmates at risk was corrupt former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, who tested positive for the virus while prison officials fought the order, Eric Heisig reports.
Delegating responsibility: The Ohio Democratic Party released its district-level delegate list for the presidential primary in the state. Former Vice President Joe Biden will collect 76 of the 89 delegates, with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont taking the rest. Some of the notable names who will be going to the convention (assuming there is an in-person convention) include state Sen. Hearcel Craig; state Reps. Jeff Crossman, Kent Smith, Mary Lightbody, Michele Lepore-Hagan, Tavia Galonski and Allison Russo; former state Rep. and Portage County Commissioner Kathleen Clyde; Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein; and Cleveland City Councilmen Blaine Griffin and Jeff Johnson, who are all Biden delegates.
Call me, maybe: While the presidential election has been completely upended by the coronavirus pandemic, the Biden campaign held an organizing call Tuesday with what they said was about 1,500 Ohioans looking to get involved. Sen. Sherrod Brown and Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper led off the call, with Brown once again saying 2020 was the most important election of his lifetime: “If Trump wins and the Republicans win the Senate, this country will be unrecognizable in five years.”
In my Skype room: Rep. Tim Ryan is receiving some high accolades for his background surroundings. The Room Rater Twitter account (@ratemyskyperoom), which rates people’s backgrounds when they appear on video, apparently loved Ryan’s digs. “Very working class hero,” Room Rater said in a tweet. “Hasn’t forgotten where he’s from. We’ll send you one of our Challenge Coins. We think you’ll approve. 9/10”
Don’t blame me: Laura Bischoff of the Dayton Daily News has details on two bills in the state legislature that would protect businesses and health care professionals from liability during emergencies. While business groups support the legislation, groups like AARP are concerned that it could make it more difficult for injured people, including those abused or neglected in nursing homes, to pursue claims, Bischoff reports.
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