Ohio News

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Police in Florida want to know who spray-painted "#MeToo" on the leg of a statue depicting a sailor and a dental assistant kissing at the end of World War II.

Sarasota police said in a news release that officers found the phrase painted in red on the left leg of the woman in the "Unconditional Surrender" statue in Sarasota early Tuesday. The paint covered the length of the nurse's leg.

Police said officers didn't find any spray paint bottles in the area. No other objects were defaced.

Authorities estimate the damage to the statue at more than $1,000. They say the incident occurred sometime Monday afternoon or evening.

George Medonsa, the sailor who kissed dental assistant Greta Zimmer Friedman, died Sunday at 95.

COLUMBUS — Three additional wrongful death lawsuits were filed Tuesday against Mount Carmel Health System, its former Dr. William Husel and nurses and pharmacists.

This brings the total to 19 wrongful death lawsuits filed in wake of the scandal at Mount Carmel in which 34 patients are believed to have received excessive doses of pain medications.

Most of the cases involved patients who the hospital has said were near death. Many were on ventilators and were given drugs like fentanyl as life support was being removed.

The hospital has said 28 of the patients are believed to have received potentially fatal doses. Six others received doses that went “beyond providing comfort” but were likely not the causes of their deaths, the hospital said.

Husel was fired December 5 following an internal investigation by the hospital. Twenty-three employees - including nurses, pharmacists and managers were placed on leave as a result of the investigation. Husel and his attorneys have previously declined to comment.

The latest wrongful death lawsuits involve patients:

• Michael Walters, 57, who died Oct. 11, 2017
• Virginia Brokamp, 72, who died on May 7, 2017
• Sherry White, 73, who died on Sept. 26, 2014

Attorneys of Leeseberg and Valentine represent the families of these patients and more than a dozen others.

The law firm of Leeseberg and Valentine said that two of the latest patients named in these latest lawsuits were not part of the original group identified by the hospital. Brokamp and White were among the additional patients who the hospital later discovered their doses went “beyond providing comfort.”

In a statement, Leeseberg and Valentine said that:

“Michael presented to Mount Carmel on October 6, 2017 due to respiratory failure concerns. Michael was living in a skilled nursing facility, where he had lived for a few years due to a stroke. He was admitted to the ICU, but despite aggressive treatment his condition declined. In the early morning hours of October 11, 2017, shortly after the family agreeing to make Michael a DNR, Dr. Husel ordered 500 mcg of Fentanyl to be given by IV push, which order was approved by the pharmacist and administered by the nurse at 4:12 AM. This was approximately 30 hours after Dr. Husel provided lethal doses of 500 mcg each to Timothy Fitzpatrick and Beverlee Schirtzinger late on October 9, 2017. Michael died just 7 minutes later.

Lawsuits were also filed on behalf of the family of Virginia Brokamp (age 72) and Sherry White (age 73). Brokamp died on May 7, 2017 minutes after receiving a 200 mcg dose of Fentanyl from Dr. Husel. Sherry White died back on September 26, 2014, after receiving 200 mcg of Fentanyl ordered by Dr. Husel. Sherry White is the earliest known patient involved in the inappropriate and excessive doses of Fentanyl being ordered by Dr. Husel.”

In reports released last week by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, state health inspectors noted that in 24 of the 27 patient cases reviewed, Dr. Husel used an override to bypass the hospital pharmacy and gain access to pain medications through the hospital’s automated medication dispensing machine.

An NBC Sports analyst was within inches of getting seriously injured by a hockey puck during Monday night's Columbus Blue Jackets game.

Pierre McGuire was standing between the two benches as the Tampa Bay Lightning faced off against the Jackets when the puck came flying in his direction.

With virtually no time to react, the puck came within inches of McGuire's face before it struck a camera.

Watch the commentator's close call:

"Tonight - we REALLY go 'Inside the Glass.'" - @JohnForslund

A close call for @NHLonNBCSports' Pierre McGuire in his usual broadcast position between the benches during the @BlueJacketsNHL v. @TBLightning game on @NBCSN.

"It's all part of what goes on down here." - McGuire pic.twitter.com/4FgztGJakB

PARIS (AP) -- Chanel's iconic couturier, Karl Lagerfeld, whose accomplished designs as well as trademark white ponytail, high starched collars and dark enigmatic glasses dominated high fashion for the last 50 years, has died. He was around 85 years old.

Such was the enigma surrounding the German-born designer that even his age was a point of mystery for decades, with reports he had two birth certificates, one dated 1933 and the other 1938.

Chanel said Lagerfeld died early Tuesday.

Lagerfeld was of the most hardworking figures in the fashion world holding down the top design jobs at LVMH-owned luxury label Fendi from 1977, and Paris' family-owned power-house Chanel in 1983.

Lagerfeld's designs quickly trickled down to low-end retailers, giving him an almost unprecedented impact on the entire fashion industry.

WASHINGTON — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders says he's running for president in 2020.

The 77-year-old self-described democratic socialist challenged Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary in 2016 and told Vermont Public Radio on Tuesday that he planned to again seek the nomination.

Sanders has reshaped Democratic politics and earned a loyal following with his passionate defense of liberal proposals including free college tuition and single-payer health care. But he will face off against several other Democratic candidates who also want to appeal to the party's base.

Still, Sanders' name recognition, fundraising prowess and passion for liberal policies makes him a top-tier 2020 presidential contender.

LICKING COUNTY, Ohio -- The Licking County Emergency Management Agency is working to figure out why tornado sirens are sounding throughout the county.

10TV has received multiple reports from viewers of the sirens sounding since 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

No weather warnings were issued by the National Weather Service that would activate sirens.

The Licking County EMA is investigation the issue.

We are getting reports of the tornado sirens being activated in parts of Licking County. There is no tornado threat at this time and we are currently investigating the activation.

CHICAGO — A federal judge will rule on the city of Chicago's request to toss a lawsuit aimed at halting President Barack Obama's museum and library from being built in a public park.

U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey heard oral arguments last week in the case and said he would issue a ruling Tuesday. Protect Our Parks wants to stop the $500 million Obama Presidential Center from being built in the selected location. A ruling in favor of the groupcould signal that the Obama Presidential Center is in real trouble.

The parks advocacy group accuses the city of illegally transferring park land to a private entity, The Obama Foundation. City lawyers say Protect Our Parks misread the law, has misrepresented how the approval process worked and exaggerated potential environmental disruptions.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oscar nominees Glenn Close and "Black Panther" costume designer Ruth E. Carter will be honored Tuesday night at the 21st annual Costume Designers Guild Awards.

Close will receive the spotlight award at the ceremony Tuesday night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The guild will pay homage to Carter's illustrious designs with a career achievement award .

Costume designer Betty Pecha Madden and screenwriter-director Ryan Murphy will be recognized for their work in film.

Actress Kate Walsh will host the awards.

Close is nominated for a best actress Oscar for "The Wife." Carter could become the first African-American to win an Oscar for best costume designer for her work in "Black Panther."

Halle Berry, Michael Chiklis, Danai Gurira and Christina Hendricks are expected to serve as presenters.

CAIRO (AP) — The death toll from a late-night suicide blast near Cairo's famed tourist market rose to three on Tuesday after a police officer died of his wounds, Egyptian security officials said.

All three fatalities in the attack near Khan el-Khalili bazaar in the heart of Cairo late Monday were policemen. The explosion also wounded two other policemen and a woman, the officials said.

The attack was a rarity for the central area of Egypt's capital, following progress from a security crackdown under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

The Interior Ministry said the attacker, identified as 37-year-old al-Hassan Abdullah, blew himself up after police officers approached him with the intention to arrest him.

The man was wanted in a bombing last Friday near a mosque in Cairo's district of Giza and the police had been monitoring his movements, the statement said. The attacker's affiliation was not known and no militant group claimed responsibility for the bombings.

The ministry had blamed members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood for last week's attack, which it said targeted a security checkpoint and wounded three people.

Following Monday's explosion, which shattered windows and blew curtains off nearby balconies, Egyptian police and soldiers cordoned off the narrow streets around the bazaar. A body, presumably of the attacker, covered with a white sheet stained with blood, was seen lying on the ground in the blocked-off area, close to Egypt's renowned Al-Azhar mosque.

In a house nearby, police found a bomb and bomb-making material, which prompted the evacuation of the whole building, said the security officials.

In the restive north of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, security forces killed 16 militants and seized explosives and weapons in two raids, security officials said Tuesday. The raids involved clashes with Islamic militants in the desert outside the city of el-Arish, they said. It was unclear when the battle took place.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Egypt has been battling Islamic militants for years, but the insurgency gained strength after the 2013 overthrow of an elected but divisive Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi. The militants have mainly targeted security forces and Christians.

Egypt last year launched a wide-scale security operation focused on northern Sinai, where an Islamic State affiliate has carried out many attacks in recent years.

MCALLEN, Texas — A Mexican man detained by Border Patrol for illegal re-entry died Monday at a hospital in Texas.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Andrew Meehan says the 45-year-old man was initially apprehended Feb. 2 and requested medical attention. He was taken to a medical center and later cleared to return to the Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station. The next day, he requested medical attention again and was taken to a hospital where he stayed until he died Monday.

Meehan says the official cause of death is not yet known, but the medical center diagnosed him with cirrhosis of the liver and congestive heart failure when he was admitted.

The death is under investigation.

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ohio - If you're one of the 851,000 registered voters in Franklin County, the way you vote is about to change.

The Franklin County Board of Elections is introducing new voting machines to make the voting process simple and secure.

"The one we're replacing, it's getting older," said Franklin County Board of Elections Director Edward Leonard. "It's getting harder to maintain. So it just made sense. And the state of Ohio was also willing to provide funding. And now seemed to be the right time, before the presidential election, for us to make this implementation so that when 2020 does come, that we'll have the system in place."

Voting with the new machines is a simple, three-step process. You mark your ballot, verify your ballot, and cast your ballot.

After you check in at your polling place, you'll be given a blank ballot. Voters will insert that sheet of paper into the machine. Next, voters will make their selections on the touchscreen. Upon finishing, the machine will prompt people to double-check their selections.

To cast your vote, select "print" on the screen to print your ballot. On stand-alone machines, the ballot is printed and scanned internally. For table-top machines, voters will take their printed ballot and insert it into the ballot counter to officially cast their vote.

Leonard says all of the votes are physically tabulated. None of the machines is able to connect to the Internet to help prevent any sort of hacking or outside interference.

The new machines will be in place this spring, in time for the upcoming May primary.

Click here for more information about the Franklin County Board of Elections.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (10TV) -- A police chase that involved a Columbus police cruiser being damaged still has lanes closed more than four hours after it happened.

Columbus police say the southbound lanes of Olentangy River Road near state route 161 are still closed due to a police investigation.

Police say around 11:45 p.m. on Monday, police tried to pull someone over for a traffic stop at the intersection of Cleveland Avenue and Genessee Avenue, but at some point they took off.

Police say a cruiser was involved in a crash during the chase, but it's unclear how it happened at this time.

Police say the chase ended 30 minutes after it began near the intersection of Olentangy River Road and state route 161, where the suspect was arrested.

Police say nobody was injured during the chase.