Your WYSO Morning News Update for May 19, 2022, with Mike Frazier:
- Ohio health officials still recommends COVID shots and boosters
(Columbus Dispatch) — COVID infection rates in Ohio have been going up for the last six weeks. State health officials say while the numbers are still comparatively good, the virus could be a threat later this year, so they’re stressing that the one-third of Ohioans who haven’t been vaccinated should get shots now. OhioHealth’s Medical Director of Infectious Diseases, Dr. Joe Gastaldo said the vaccines are still working. “The vaccines are still performing extraordinarily well of keeping out of the hospital and preventing you from dying. So, yes - the vaccines are working well. They were never intended to stop all infection,” Gastaldo said. Dr. Gastaldo also said Ohioans should consider getting a second booster shot. “There is no identified risk of getting a second booster and if anything, that second booster may provide an additional layer of protection for those who are frail or with underlying health conditions," he sated. Almost 16,000 new cases of COVID in Ohio were reported last week.
- Ohio bail resolution
(Statehouse News Bureau) — The Ohio House has delayed a vote on a constitutional amendment that would change the state’s laws on bail. Leaders say lawmakers want to have more discussion on broader reforms first. Statehouse correspondent Andy Chow reports the amendment, which if lawmakers passed, would go to voters as a statewide ballot issue – would allow judges to consider “public safety” when determining a detained person’s bail. Republican House Speaker Bob Cupp said lawmakers wanted to have more conversations on other bills that would offer more changes to the bail system. “How do you set bail generally, the amount of bail, and whether people are kept in jail – even though they're nonviolent offenses – simply because they can't afford to get out. So that's an ongoing discussion," Cupp said. There are bipartisan bills to set thresholds for setting bail and expand a judges ability to hold a pre-trial release hearing. Supporters say that hearing is a better process to consider public safety factors.
- Baby formula waivers
(Statehouse News Bureau) — The shortage of baby formula has been hard on parents in Ohio. The Democratic candidate for governor wants to know why more isn’t being done to help low-income parents get the formula their infants need. Statehouse correspondent Jo Ingles reports Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nan Whaley said 45 other states saw the formula shortage happening and took advantage of federal waivers to help low-income parents. “These waivers were designed to help them. 45 states and territories have fully taken advantage of these waivers to help alleviate the crisis. Ohio has not," Whaley said. A spokesman for Gov. Mike DeWine calls Whaley’s complaints dishonest, misleading and playing politics. The Ohio Department of Health says it is working with formula companies to help with the shortage.
- Redlining quilt
(WYSO) — A quilt display opened up at the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office Wednesday. The piece recreates a map that shows how the government redlined the city of Dayton in the 1930s. WYSO’s Garrett Reese explains redlining maps was a discriminatory practice by the federal Home Owners Loan Corporation. They classified Black and immigrant communities as risky places for mortgage companies to make loans. The redlining quilt was stitched together by local artists . The quilt pops with bright greens, blues, yellows and reds. The green represents White communities in the city that the federal government said were desirable to invest in. The blue and then the yellow represent areas that the government said were progressively riskier for investments. And the areas shaded in red were deemed an undesirable investment. Karl Keith is the county’s chief property assessor. He says he still sees houses worth less in areas that were redlined. "I think the map helps to show that because as you look at these areas on the map as, oh, I know that area, I know why it's this way or why it's that way. And it shows, I think, that this just wasn't by chance," Keith said. The quilt will remain in the County Auditor’s office until at least August.
