Your WYSO Morning News Update for May 24, 2022, with Mike Frazier:
Unemployment checks and Cedar Point passes (Preview)
(Statehouse News Bureau) — Two headlining cases, both related to the COVID pandemic, come before the Ohio Supreme Court this week. Statehouse correspondent Karen Kasler has a preview as the long-awaited question of whether Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) had the authority to cut off $300 weekly checks to unemployed Ohioans before the federal COVID relief that funded them ended comes to the justices on Wednesday. Ohio was among two dozen states that stopped those checks before the federal program that paid for them ended last Labor Day. Some 200,000 Ohioans whose checks stopped last May could be affected by the decision. Also on Wednesday, the court will hear a class action lawsuit brought by Cedar Point season pass holders, who argue they are entitled to refunds since the park’s opening was delayed for two months by the pandemic. Cedar Fair, which also owns Kings Island, says the terms of season ticket passes allow it to adjust dates for the season without notice.
COVID deaths and Trump supporters
(NPR) — Residents of counties that voted for then-President Donald Trump are more than twice as likely to die from COVID-19 than those living in areas that voted for President Joe Biden, according to an NPR analysis. University Hospitals' Dr. Amy Edwards thinks many people in these counties believed lies spread about the virus and vaccination. "That's probably your correlation. It's not to do with voting for Trump made you more likely to die, it's just that rural counties were more likely to go to Trump and rural counties were also more likely not to be accepting of the vaccine," Dr. Edwards said. She said the counties are also mostly rural, which has worse health outcomes than more urban counties, partially due to a lack of medical providers.
Jif peanut butter recall
(WYSO) —Ohio company J.M. Smucker issued a voluntary recall for its Jif peanut butter products last week due to potential salmonella contamination. The outbreak is linked to a manufacturing facility in Lexington, Kentucky. The recalled peanut butter was distributed nationwide. So far fourteen people have been reported sick, including one from Ohio. Consumers can find out if their Jif peanut butter product has been recalled by following instructions on the U.S. Food and Drug administration’s website, FDA.gov You’re advised to throw away the product immediately if it has been recalled.
Tick season in Ohio
(WYSO) — Local scientists say that we will see an increase in parasitic ticks in the state this year. They say the increase is due to warming temperatures from climate change expanding the number of months ticks can survive in Ohio. There are also an abundance of hosts in the area, like deer, for the ticks to feed on. Dr. Don Cipollini is a professor of biological sciences at Wright State University. "It's like a perfect storm of events, conducive environmental conditions coupled with plenty of hosts," he said. But Dr. Cipollini says that ticks should not discourage people from enjoying nature. He recommends people wear boots while hiking, utilize insect and tick repellents, and to always check yourself and pets for any ticks.
