Cuyahoga County ranks among top U.S. counties in imposing death penalty: The Wake Up for Wednesday, May 5, 20 – cleveland.com

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The chances of showers continue today and it will be cooler, with highs staying in the mid-50s. It will be dry overnight with partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 40s. Read more.

Local scores: Phoenix Suns 134, Cavs 118, OT

Indians 7, Kansas City Royals 3

Death penalty: Cuyahoga County has been one of the leading counties in the country in imposing the death penalty since 1972, a push that appears to be propelled by its past handling of such cases, John Caniglia reports. Researchers say that the county and a cluster of others with large numbers of death cases are expected to continue pushing the sentence based upon their knowledge of the complex legal process and the culture of their communities.

Child services: The grandmother of a slain 6-year-old boy said she repeatedly warned Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services about his mother’s abuse. Adam Ferrise reports that DCFS — which has an open case involving her daughter, Daneicha Bringht, and grandson Kaamir — could have prevented Kaamir’s death had it heeded her warnings.

This Week in the CLE: Adults unable to leave their homes to get a COVID-19 vaccine are still waiting for the Cuyahoga County Board of Health to figure out how to get them shots — because a committee of bureaucrats can’t settle on a definition of “homebound.” We’re talking about the latest outrage from the health board on This Week in the CLE, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.

New numbers: Sixty more Ohio residents have died with COVID-19 since Friday, bringing the pandemic’s total to 19,344. Another 1,285 more cases were reported between Monday and Tuesday, bringing the total to 1.07 million since the beginning of the pandemic, reports Laura Hancock.

Adoption language: An effort is underway in the Ohio Senate to revive a part of Gov. Mike DeWine’s budget recommendations that would change how to describe a couple seeking to legally adopt children, recognizing that gay Ohioans adopt each year. Laura Hancock reports current law describes a couple as “husband and wife.” DeWine wanted the legislature to change it to “legally married couple.” Regardless of what the legislature decides, gay couples can continue to adopt.

Censure vote: The Ohio Republican Party’s 66-member state central committee has scheduled a Friday vote on a resolution that would censure Rocky River GOP Rep. Anthony Gonzalez and the nine other House of Representatives Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump in January after he encouraged a riot at the U.S. Capitol that led to multiple deaths, Sabrina Eaton reports. A copy of the resolution obtained by cleveland.com describes efforts to impeach Trump as “meritless partisan acts driven by retribution.”

Vaccine convincing: Before you try to convince someone to get the vaccine, you may want to plan your approach, Evan MacDonald reports. So how can you persuade someone you care about to get the vaccine without causing them to dig in their heels? There is evidence that measured, in-depth conversations can be an effective way to persuade someone to change their mind about the vaccine.

Profiles in Courage: The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation announced that former Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton and six others who have risked their lives and safety to protect others during the coronavirus pandemic will receive a special Profile in Courage Award this year. Caroline Kennedy and her son, Jack Schlossberg, will present the awards for COVID Courage during a virtual ceremony May 26, reports Laura Hancock. U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney will also be honored for his historic vote during the first 2020 impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.

Anxiety effects: The CDC says that dozens of people in five states suffered COVID-19 vaccine side-effects because of anxiety rather than the shots themselves. People often become so anxious that their body produces a physical reaction. The most common reactions were fainting and dizziness, but some people reported nausea, vomiting, racing heart, chest pain or other symptoms. Evan MacDonald reports no one became seriously ill.

Obesity and vaccines: Are COVID vaccines effective in people who are overweight or obese? The basic answer is yes. While a recent study of the Pfizer vaccine study indicated the antibody levels are less in a person who is overweight or obese as compared to a person of normal weight, there is likelihood that the levels of antibody are still high enough to protect against the virus, Julie Washington reports.

Sports postponed: Cuyahoga Community College will postpone all interscholastic athletics programs until fall 2022 to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The college ultimately made the decision after carefully considering the close proximity athletic programs require between student-athletes and coaches, Alexis Oatman reports.

Nursing homes: Fully vaccinated workers at nursing homes, senior centers, and other facilities for older Ohioans no longer have to be routinely tested for coronavirus, under new health orders issued Tuesday by Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration. Jeremy Pelzer has a report on the full order.

Health Care Heroes: Home health care nurse Cora Wright has become friends with Irene Miller, the 100-year-old client she’s been caring for over the past three years. She’s one of the Health Care Heroes profiled on cleveland.com. See all the profiles here.

Stow judge election: Stow Municipal Court Judge Lisa Coates defeated her colleague, Kim Hoover, in Tuesday’s primary election, making her the presiding judge on the bench when Hoover’s current term is over. Coates will face two independent candidates, Oliver Koo and Samantha Ann Lisy, in the November general election, Cameron Fields reports.

Tax issues: Tax increases did not pass for school districts in North Olmsted, Parma and Rocky River in Tuesday’s primary election, Cameron Fields reports. A levy for Strongsville that involved a fire and EMS tax increase also did not pass. Eleven municipalities in Cuyahoga County had elections, with issues ranging from tax increases to zoning amendments.

Arco trial: An Ohio Environmental Protection Agency employee testified Tuesday that a fire in October 2017 stymied local and state officials’ efforts to clean up the hazardous Arco Recycling dump in East Cleveland. Eric Heisig reports from day two of the trial that the fire added another $3 million to the cleanup cost.

Highway Patrol: An Ohio State Highway Patrol sergeant was demoted after he admitted sharing Summit County Drug Task Force information with a local defense attorney he was romantically involved with, reports Jeremy Pelzer.

Men released: A judge lowered the bond for two men who spent 14 years in prison for a crime they say they didn’t commit, opening the door for the men to be released. Adam Ferrise reports Kenny Phillips and Michael Sutton walked out of the Cuyahoga County Jail late Monday, hours after Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge John O’Donnell lowered their bonds to 10 percent of $50,000 in the wake of an appeals court ruling that reversed their 2005 conviction.

Diversion center: Police across Cuyahoga County now have an option for dealing with people suffering from behavioral problems by taking them for treatment instead of carting them off to jail. Peter Krouse reports the Cuyahoga County Diversion Center is up and running with a staff of professionals to treat those suffering from addiction or mental health problems and whose actions prompted a call to police.

Streetsboro councilman: Mayfield police say a Streetsboro city councilman sent inappropriate photos to a 13-year-old boy through Snapchat, Kaylee Remington reports. John D. Reudiger, 42, is charged with disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.

Downtown restaurants: Cleveland welcomed thousands of visitors over the weekend for football-fueled fun as the NFL Draft took over downtown. But Anne Nickoloff and Marc Bona report that some downtown restaurant and bar owners are disappointed, saying that extensive on-street parking bans and steep parking-lot prices kept people away and cost them business.

Draft ratings: The NFL Draft in Cleveland was the third most-watched draft ever, Joey Morona reports. Draft coverage pulled in an average of 6.1 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes and digital channels over the three-day event. Only the virtual 2020 draft (8.3 million) and 2019 draft in Nashville (6.2 million) have attracted a larger average audience.

Tomato tuna: Why toast your pasta before baking it? How do the ingredients in an aioli work together? Cleveland.com’s sister site, Epicurious, features writer Kendra Vaculin as she answers these questions and more while preparing her spicy tomato tuna noodle skillet casserole recipe.

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