Ohio schools can get aerial photos to augment safety plans
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The state crime lab is offering to use its drones to take aerial photos of Ohio schools that could help police if they had to respond to an active shooter or another emergency at those sites.
Attorney General Mike DeWine says mandated school safety plans are required to include floor plans, and the aerial photos are an optional supplement. The Bureau of Criminal Investigation says the photos are free for schools and would be accessed through a law-enforcement database.
DeWine announced the offer Wednesday, along with a new series of 25 short, online videos intended to help teachers and school administrators prepare for and react to shootings or other violent incidents. He says it’s an easily accessible update to educator training offered earlier through the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy.
Barn fire kills 5,000 pigs
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A massive barn fire in Ohio has killed about 5,000 pigs.
The fire started around 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Straathoff Swine Farm in Wayne Township, which is about 45 miles (72 kilometers) southwest of Columbus.
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office says the fire spread quickly, causing heavy smoke and intense heat.
One firefighter injured his arm at the scene. He was treated at a hospital and later released.
Officials say the fire has completely destroyed two barns at the farm. The cause of the fire has not been determined.
Ohio State to shut down sexual assault center
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State University says it’s shutting down its three-year-old Sexual Civility and Empowerment unit after finding it didn’t properly document and report students’ sexual assault complaints.
The Columbus Dispatch reports some victims were told they were lying or fabricating their stories. Records show some SCE workers also subjected victims to re-traumatizing treatment.
The university said Tuesday it is eliminating four positions within the unit and terminating those employees.
The school also says it’s asking experts from a law firm to develop a new program for supporting sexual assault victims and to review how Ohio State responds to reports of sexual and gender-based harassment and violence.
University officials say they will reach out to students who contacted SCE to see if they have received necessary support services.
Motorcyclist throws concrete into car, breaking woman’s jaw
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Police say a motorcyclist involved in a road rage confrontation in Ohio threw a piece of concrete into a car and broke a woman’s jaw.
The 29-year-old woman and her 25-year-old boyfriend told police they were driving in Akron around 7 p.m. Monday when they honked their horn at a motorcyclist stopped at a green light.
The man got off his motorcycle and started arguing with the woman, which escalated to him pushing her before the boyfriend separated the two.
The motorcyclist drove away, but the couple encountered him again as they drove over a bridge.
Police say the motorcyclist threw a piece of concrete through the passenger side window, striking the woman in the face.
The woman has been hospitalized for treatment. A search for the motorcyclist is ongoing.
Ex-teacher gets jail time for sex with 3 students
CANTON, Ohio (AP) — A former high school physical education teacher in Ohio has been sentenced to 30 days in jail for having sex with three students.
The Canton Repository reports 36-year-old Tiffany Eichler apologized to the students, the Canton school district and her family before sentencing Tuesday.
Eichler pleaded guilty last month to three counts of sexual battery. Her sentence includes 300 hours of community service and a $1,000 fine. She’s required to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life.
Prosecutors said Eichler, a teacher at Canton McKinley High School, had sex with two 18-year-old students and a 17-year-old. One of the encounters occurred after school in a classroom.
Her attorney in arguing against a longer sentence said Eichler has suffered humiliation and the loss of her career.
Biden to visit Ohio to raise money for governor candidate
CINCINNATI (AP) — Former Vice President Joe Biden will visit Ohio this month to raise money for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Richard Cordray.
A Cordray campaign spokesman says Biden will appear June 29 at the Queen City Club in downtown Cincinnati.
Biden endorsed Cordray after he won the nomination last month and touted Cordray’s work at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where he was appointed director by President Barack Obama. He called Cordray “smart, principled, pragmatic, and a fighter.”
Cordray and his running mate, former U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton, face a Republican ticket of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and running mate Jon Husted, Ohio’s secretary of state.
The race is among those being closely watched nationally.
University of Toledo president gets raise, longer contract
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — The University of Toledo is extending the contract for its president through at least 2023 and raising her pay.
The amended contract for school President Sharon Gaber was approved Monday by the school’s board of trustees. It raises her salary by $51,000, to $510,000 and provides a $90,000 bonus.
Gaber became president in 2015. Her contract had been set to expire in 2020.
The board’s decision comes less than a year after UT was notified its physician assistant program could lose accreditation. The school appealed, and the program was placed on probation.
Board chairman Steven Cavanaugh said trustees were pleased with the way Gaber attacked problems and salvaged situations. He said the board also looked at factors such as higher graduation rates, retention rates and fundraising gains.
