Why did 77 Ohio prisoners die of COVID-19, but just 10 PA inmates?

Outside Pickaway Correctional Institution. (Photo Credit Eye on Ohio)

A look at how overcrowding and poor design contributed to two of the worst national outbreaks

By Cid Standifer and Brie Zeltner

This article was provided by Eye on Ohio, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Ohio Center for Journalism. Please join their free mailing list as this helps Eye on Ohio provide more public service reporting.

For the first two months after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., Ohio’s response set an example. Thanks to an early shutdown order, the state’s per-capita deaths from the virus as of late April were less than half of those in neighboring Pennsylvania, a state with similar demographics.

But inside the two states’ prison systems, it was a different story. 

By late April , the death rate from COVID-19 in Ohio prisons was 22 per 100,000, a rate more than 4 ½ times the overall Ohio rate and nearly twice the national rate. 

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Your Voice Ohio-Bliss Institute Poll Results

Ohio Voters for Biden Worry about Coronavirus; those for Trump Worry about the Economy

by Liz Skalka

The Blade

A new poll that shows President Donald Trump trailing former Vice President Joe Biden in Ohio also reveals that Mr. Biden’s “strong” supporters here outnumber Mr. Trump’s, a snapshot of the state less than 100 days from an election that will determine whether Ohio continues its unmatched swing-state streak.

The poll also revealed the issues motivating each candidates’ backers: Mr. Biden’s identified coronavirus as their top concern, while Mr. Trump’s said it was the economy in a year defined by a global pandemic, economic uncertainty, and a reckoning over racial justice.

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Lead tests for children plummet in Cleveland; advocates worry about long-term fallout

This story is provided by ideastream as part of special community coverage of COVID-19 and funded by Third Federal Foundation and University Settlement.

By Rachel Dissell

CLEVELAND, Ohio — State shutdown orders meant to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus have created a double-whammy of lead poisoning risk for young children in Cleveland. 

Many of these children are spending more time in homes with potential lead hazards, and fewer are getting tested to see if they’ve been exposed to the toxin. 

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Mayor Jackson & County Executive Budish to Mandate Use of Masks Throughout City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County

Photo by Pille-Riin Priske

by Tatyana McknightJuly 3, 20200 Comments

Ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, Mayor Frank G. Jackson today signed an order requiring the use of masks, among other things, throughout the City of Cleveland. Click here to view the order. Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish announced his intent to bring before Cuyahoga County Council legislation next week mandating the use of masks in the county’s public spaces.

“The spike in coronavirus cases across the City of Cleveland warrants the mandated use of masks,” said Mayor Jackson. “If Clevelanders do not heed these critical warnings and prevention efforts, the effects will be disastrous to the economy and, most importantly, to individuals and families. No one is immune to this virus.”

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Your Voice Ohio: Will You Help Shape Ohio 2020 Election Coverage?

Photo by Morning Brew

by Doug Oplinger

Your Voice Ohio

The uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing protests for racial justice, concern for how the economic recession will affect businesses, families, and communities, and the overwhelming amount of misinformation circulating online about everything from vaccines to voting have already made 2020 a year unlike any other. 

Not surprisingly, people are stressed as they sort through unprecedented volumes of information (some of it intentionally misleading), worry about how to be safe and healthy, and pay the bills. 

Amidst this turbulent landscape, reliable information related to the 2020 presidential election has become increasingly urgent and important. In an effort to meet the information needs of Ohioans, more than 40 news organizations in the Your Voice Ohio media collaborative, including The Tremonster, will work together over the next five months to provide relevant, important information regarding the 2020 presidential election.

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Ohio Supreme Court Green Lights Fast-Track Process That Gives Homes to Developers But Fails to Compensate Owners and Taxpayers

Ohio Supreme Court (Photo courtesy of Eye on Ohio)

In 2019, Taxpayers lost at least $11.25 million, While Homeowners and Banks lost up to $77 Million, But Title to Revamped Houses Remains Sound

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US Supreme Court Blocked Trump Administration from Ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program

by Joseph C. Fungsang

Today, June 18, 2020,  in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court of the United States blocked the Trump administration from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, thus preserving protections for hundreds of thousands of DACA beneficiaries in the United States today.

The Supreme Court held that it has the jurisdiction to review the DACA program, which was first announced under President Barack Obama in 2012. The Supreme Court also held that the Trump administration’s decision to terminate the DACA program in 2017 was “arbitrary and capricious,” or illegal, under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) because the government failed to consider all required aspects of the DACA program before ending it. Specifically, the Supreme Court determined that the Trump administration failed to reasonably explain its reasons for determining that the DACA program is illegal and also failed to adequately consider DACA recipients’ reliance on the DACA program.

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City of Cleveland extends curfew through 8 p.m. on June 2

Here is the full update about the City of Cleveland’s extension of the curfew through 8 p.m. on June 2 and affected area. For more info and maps: https://bit.ly/2zP7vWn

City of Cleveland Curfew Updated 9:52 am, May 31, 2020

Families weigh the risks of sending a loved one to a nursing home during the coronavirus pandemic

Photo by Laura Fuhrman

By Ginger Christ and Rachel Dissell

Data analysis and Graphics by Cid Standifer 

This article provided by Eye on Ohio, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Ohio Center for Journalism. Please join our free mailing list as this helps us provide more public service reporting.  

In early March, just as Ohioans were learning about the first cases of novel coronavirus in the state, Anna Bondar’s grandfather fell at his Cleveland home.

Luckily, the 92-year old, who lives with dementia, wasn’t injured badly.

The tight-knit family started to discuss the possibility of a nursing home, though they had serious reservations.

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