Morning Headlines: 2 UH Employees on Leave After Kidney Transplant Mix-up; Fired Canton Mckinley Football Coaches File Lawsuit

Here are your morning headlines for Tuesday, July 13:

• 2 UH employees on leave after kidney transplant mix-up
• Fired Canton Mckinley football coaches file lawsuit
• Ohio IDs 117 noncitizens who voted or registered in 2020
• New law authorizes local control over solar, wind projects
• Group can collect signatures for nursing facility “bill of rights” issue
• GOP state Sen. Matt Dolan exploring Ohio US Senate run
• Dayton proposes alternative policing for mental health calls

2 UH employees on leave after kidney transplant mix-up
(Cleveland.com) — Two University Hospitals employees are on leave after a transplant patient received the wrong kidney. Cleveland.com reports the hospital system has acknowledged the error, saying the patient who received the kidney was compatible with the organ and is recovering, but another patient’s surgery has been delayed as a result. In a statement, UH also said it has launched an investigation.

Fired Canton Mckinley football coaches file lawsuit
(Canton Repository) — Former Canton McKinley High School football coaches are suing top district officials and others in the latest fallout over a player who was forced to eat pork against his religious beliefs. The Canton Repository reports fired head coach Marcus Wattley and five assistants accuse Superintendent Jeff Talbert, the player’s father, and others of defamation, saying the accusations against them are false. They’re seeking compensation for the damage done to the coaches’ reputations, their lost wages, their diminished earning capacity and for the mental distress, pain, and anguish they have suffered. School officials cite a video that shows the former coaches forced the player to eat a pepperoni pizza as punishment.

Ohio IDs 117 noncitizens who voted or registered in 2020
(AP) — Ohio’s elections chief has referred for possible prosecution 117 apparent noncitizens who either registered to vote or cast a ballot last year. That’s a tiny fraction of the state’s electorate and a significantly reduced number from two years ago despite record 2020 turnout. Secretary of State Frank LaRose said of those referred to Attorney General Dave Yost, 13 people cast ballots, and 104 only registered. They were identified as part of a routine review. Ohio has more than 8 million registered voters and doesn’t allow noncitizens to either register or vote. Only a handful of cases are prosecuted.

New law authorizes local control over solar, wind projects
(AP) — Gov. Mike DeWine has signed into law a bill allowing Ohio county commissioners to determine the fate of renewable energy projects in the state. When the measure takes effect in 90 days, county commissions will be able to block proposed wind turbines, solar farms, or other renewable projects or site them in specific areas of a county. The proposal will also add a commissioner and trustee to the Ohio Power Siting Board while it reviews local projects. Proponents say the changes will put local control and input at the forefront, but opponents say they discriminate against renewable energy.

Group can collect signatures for nursing facility “bill of rights” issue
(Statehouse News Bureau) — Supporters of a bill of rights for nursing home patients have gotten the go-ahead to start collecting 443,000 signatures to put the issue before voters as an amendment to the Ohio Constitution. The proposed “Nursing Facility Patient’s Bill of Rights” amendment would create specific guidelines for patient care, including nurse to patient ratios and minimum hours of direct care per patient. Supporters told the ballot board that this issue appears to be unique and not part of a national movement. The deadline for this year has passed, so it wouldn’t appear on a ballot until the 2022 general election at the earliest.

GOP state Sen. Matt Dolan exploring Ohio US Senate run
(AP) — Republican Northeast Ohio state Sen. Matt Dolan has announced a listening tour to explore a bid for Ohio’s open U.S. Senate seat. The 56-year-old casts himself as a tough but pragmatic politician in the tradition of exiting GOP Sen. Rob Portman and the late astronaut and Democratic Sen. John Glenn. Dolan said he would be statesmanlike in his pursuit of Ohio’s best economic and safety interests in Washington. That appeared to draw a contrast with other Republican Senate contenders vying for ex-President Donald Trump’s backing. He anticipates deciding whether to run in six or seven weeks.

Dayton proposes alternative policing for mental health calls
(AP) — Dayton is the latest U.S. city to introduce plans for an alternative policing system to handle calls relating to people in mental health crises. The city approved a contract last week with a Washington, D.C.-based company, tasking them with data analysis of emergency calls made to the department, making recommendations, and meeting with community stakeholders. The six-month process will evaluate whether a mental health professional or social worker could be better responders than Dayton police officers.