Nate’s North Coast Notes • Glenville Record and Book Fair | Motor City Magic | Rock Hall induction | Voices of our Community | New York City documentary

By Nathan E. Paige

The Motor City Magic Oldies Revue takes place Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Civic in Cleveland Heights.

Motor City Magic Oldies Revue – (November 7) 

Rescheduled from its original May 2020 date, the Motor City Magic Oldies Revue takes place Saturday, November 7 at the Civic Center, 3130 Mayfield Road in Cleveland Heights at 6PM. Featuring performances by La Girlz, Todd East, the Rare Juelles and Afterthought NSB. Tributes to Eric Nolan Grant of The O’Jays and Joe Little.  Hosted by Kevin “Chill” Heard.  MCs: Travion Potts and Dominique Paramore. Masks required; social distancing protocol will be observed. Doors open one hour before showtime. Tickets are $30 - $40 and can be purchased at the door or online. Presented by Wings Above Productions.

This year's Rock Hall induction ceremony will be a pre-taped special airing on HBO & HBO Max, Nov. 7

2020 Rock Hall Induction Ceremony (November 7)

The 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, scheduled to be held in Cleveland earlier this year but cancelled like so many other live performance events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be presented as a pre-taped special Saturday, November 7 at 8 pm on HBO and HBO Max.  This year’s inductees are Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G., and T. Rex.  Jon Landau and Irving Azoff will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award. Unfortunately, the special doesn’t include any new, live performances.

"Free Time" is a 'slice-of life' look at New York City.
It's available for streaming from Nov. 11 through December 23.

“Free Time” - Cleveland Cinematheque Virtual Theater (Screenings begin November 11)

This 2019 ‘slice of life’ documentary by Manny Kirchheimer is comprised of a series of snapshots chronicling a New York City of days gone by and set to music by Maurice Ravel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Count Basie and Hanns Eisler. Shot on 16mm film by Kirchheimer and Walter Hess between 1958 and 1960. Click here to purchase. Screening fee: $12. Viewer has access to the film for 72 hours.

The Near West Theatre will showcase a bevy of local artists on Thursday, Nov. 19.

Voices of Our Community – Near West Theatre (November 19)

On November 19 at 7:30PM, the Near West Theatre, 6702 Detroit Ave [44102], presents “Voices of Our Community,” an evening of local artists providing an intimate showcase of music, dance, spoken word, and poetry. Scheduled performers to be announced. Check the NWT website for updates. This event will be presented on Facebook Live.

The Glenville Record & Book Fair will offer a wide selection of books, vinyl, apparel & more on Nov. 21.

Glenville Record & Book Fair – November 21

The Glenville Record & Book Fair is a collaboration between ThirdSpace Action Lab, Twelve Literary Arts and Brittany’s Record Shop,  and will feature more than 500 books to browse, crates of vinyl from numerous genres, Cleveland-themed apparel,  meals available for purchase from Southern Sweets + CLE Biscuit Heads and more!  Saturday, November 21 from Noon-6PM.

Is there an upcoming event you’d like included in this column? Please send the details, along with a high-resolution photo/graphic, to northcoastnotes@therealdealpress.com at least two weeks prior to the event.

Not a single HB 6 ‘yes’ vote lost their election. Some ‘no’ votes did.

By Tyler Buchanan

Davis Besse Nuclear Power Station

The scandal surrounding House Bill 6 took out the speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. It has dominated the news pages and airwaves for months. It was the subject of countless campaign attack ads. 

In the end, voters didn’t seem to care.

The scandal implicating former Speaker Larry Householder and his effort to get a nuclear bailout enacted into law emerged as a major theme in the 2020 Statehouse elections, but seemingly had little impact on the results. 

In total, there were 46 lawmakers who voted for House Bill 6 and were on the ballot this November for a seat in the Ohio House or Ohio Senate. The unofficial results show that every single one of them won their election: 46-for-46. That includes Householder himself, who won reelection to his 72nd District over a slate of write-in opponents. 

In contrast, there were 35 “no” votes who were up for election. Four of them have been voted out, and a fifth lawmaker’s race is too close to call.

That’s a striking result considering the extent to which the scandal has enveloped Ohio politics since the July arrests of Householder and four political operatives. In recent months, news outlets have extensively covered an 81-page affidavit outlining the years of alleged corruption and bribery that went into HB 6 being enacted to benefit the former FirstEnergy Solutions of Akron. So too did news stories highlight the vote to remove Householder as the House leader; the ensuing trials; and the ongoing effort to get HB 6 repealed.

Voters got one last reminder last week, when two people charged in the alleged scheme pleaded guilty. 

The years-long plot, as alleged by federal investigators, involved FirstEnergy Solutions funneling “dark money” toward a group controlled by Householder. These resources were used to get Householder and a number of other Republican allies elected to the Ohio House of Representatives. These allies joined with more than two-dozen Democrats to elevate Householder as House speaker in 2019.

Within months, Republicans introduced the nuclear bailout bill and quickly pushed it through both chambers. It was signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine in July 2019.

Rep. Jamie Callender, R-Concord, 
at the Ohio Statehouse

The controversy surrounding the bill did not translate to any electoral trouble for its supporters and top backers. Both HB 6 sponsors were easily reelected: Rep. Shane Wilkin, R-Lynchburg, won another term in the 91st District by an unofficial margin of 77% to 23%, and Lake County Rep. Jamie Callender, R-Concord, won by an unofficial margin of 61% to 39% in the 61st District.

Ten other bill cosponsors were up for election this year. All 10 won their contests. Four were unopposed, and the remaining six won comfortably — by an average margin of 35%.

The remaining rank-and-file members who voted in favor of HB 6 and were up for election all were victorious as well. In the wake of Householder’s arrest, lawmakers sought to distance themselves from the scandal, claiming to be unaware of the alleged behind-the-scenes collusion between Householder and FirstEnergy Solutions to get the bill passed. The law was controversial, several conceded in retrospect, but their “yes” votes were matter of policy, not corruption. 

This election season, both political parties went out of their way to place blame on each other in attacking candidates with dubious connections to the plot. Republicans attacked one opposing Democratic candidate with a reference to “disgraced Larry Householder,” despite the fact the candidate wasn’t even in office last year to have been involved. 

Democrats likewise attacked Republican candidates who, in some cases, didn’t vote for Householder as speaker and did not vote for HB 6. The most suspect example involved an ad against Republican Rep. Dave Greenspan, R-Westlake, which stated: “Greenspan wants Ohio voters to think he is a moderate and had nothing to do with ex-Speaker Householder or (Householder’s) public corruption scandal.”

In fact, the criminal complaint against Householder mentions an unnamed lawmaker who gave incriminating texts from Householder to the FBI. The lawmaker was later identified by Cleveland.com as being Greenspan. He also voted against HB 6.

Nevertheless, the initial vote count has Greenspan being voted out of office. He trails his Democratic opponent by more than 1,000 votes with additional absentee and provisional ballots still yet to be counted. 

Other “no” votes on HB 6 who appear to have lost their reelection bids include Rep. Randi Clites, D-Ravenna; Rep. Gil Blair, D-Weathersfield; and Sen. Sean O’Brien, D-Bazetta. 

Sen. Stephanie Kunze, R-Hilliard, is near-deadlocked with her opponent as the candidates await more votes to get counted. 

“I have never seen so much awareness about a state political issue before,” the Capital Journal quoted Micah Derry as saying prior to Election Day. Derry is the state director for Americans for Prosperty’s Ohio chapter and his organization campaigned door-to-door for candidates who had opposed HB 6 in 2019.

One reason why the anti-corruption message may not have broken through to voters? As Derry said in October, “No one’s blameless in this (scandal). Everyone’s hands are dirty in this whole process.”

Many Democrats had joined with Republicans to elect Householder as House speaker. HB 6 passed with support from eight Democrats in the House and three in the Senate. 

Two of those Senate Democrats are part of the caucus leadership: Minority Leader Kenny Yuko of Richmond Heights and Assistant Minority Whip Sandra Williams of Cleveland. Williams co-sponsored the bill. 

Over the years, money has flowed from FirstEnergy’s political action committee to Ohio politicians of both parties. In total, 32 of the 33 state senators and the majority of state representatives have received campaign contributions from FirstEnergy.

As the chambers return for their lame-duck sessions, the battle over what to do with the tainted law continues. Some believe it should be fully repealed. Others want it replaced through a cleaner, more transparent process. Others still believe it’s good policy, regardless of the alleged corruption it took to get it passed. 

Lawmakers survived their 2020 elections. How they proceed with a response to HB6 the rest of this term and in the next may or may not matter to voters the next time around. 

• • •• • •

This story is provided by Ohio Capital Journal, a part of States Newsroom, a national 501 (c)(3) nonprofit. See the original story here.

Cuyahoga Politics Today • Election Limbo: What we see

By R. T. Andrews

Urban/Suburban vs. Small Town Rural. White vs. Other. Red vs. Blue. Looking Back vs. Forging Ahead.  False Narratives vs. Reality. Unlogic vs. Logic.

One day after the election, with the final results for the winner of the Presidency unknown, it is difficult to say The United States of America without irony.

More than 150 million people voted nationally in this year’s election, including a record 5,761,200 votes had been cast in Ohio, according to data from the Ohio secretary of state’s website as of this afternoon.

As of this writing, former Vice President Joe Biden holds a projected Electoral College vote total of 264, with 270 needed to win. Biden’s total includes Arizona, Wisconsin and Michigan. If these projections hold, and Biden maintains his lead in Nevada, he will be the next President.

The remaining states where results are presently still in doubt include Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina. Trump won these states in 2016, and needs all of them this year to have any hope for re-election.

With the election still in doubt, Trump and his supporters are calling for a halt to continued vote counting in Pennsylvania, where his lead is diminishing, and are threatening to file suit to halt the process. His campaign has also filed suit to review the Michigan results.

With Biden nearing victory, and Trump having made plain that he will not accept such a result, concerns are shifting to how Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Vice President Mike Pence will respond to a presumptive Biden victory.

Ohio Election News

Perhaps the most significant statewide results come from the two Supreme Court races. Justice Sharon Kennedy defeated Cuyahoga County judge John P. O’Donnell by a margin of 55%-45%.  But Justice Judi French lost her re-election bid by roughly the same 55-45 ratio to challenger Jennifer Brunner, a Franklin County appellate judge and a former Ohio secretary of state.

The results narrow the Republican hold on the state’s highest court from 5-2 to 4-3.

Cuyahoga Results

While the state set a record for turnout, Cuyahoga County voters turned out at a less than impressive 67.85 rate, with 603,337 ballots cast out of 889,175 eligible voters, according to figures released by the county Board of Elections.

In a direct challenge to local area leaders, SEIU labor union spokesman Anthony Caldwell was quick to point a finger at Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson, and various Democratic “leaders”, tweeting that they “showed no effort, yielded no votes.”

• • •• • •

This article originally appeared in The Real Deal Press. Republished with permission. 

Millions head to polls as COVID-19 afflicts record numbers of Ohioans

 By Jake Zuckerman

Voters in line to vote early on Oct. 24 before the Board of Elections opened. Voters shown here at 8am are on the InnerBelt ramp in a line that snaked around the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. There was an estimated two hour wait to vote from the end of the line.

On March 16, the state health department reported that 13 more Ohioans tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the cumulative known caseload to 50.

Just after 10 p.m., Gov. Mike DeWine announced that Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton issued an order delaying the primary election, scheduled for the next day.

The announcement seemingly ignored Common Pleas Judge Richard Frye’s rejection of a lawsuit just hours earlier seeking to delay the election. DeWine and Secretary of State Frank LaRose helped orchestrate the lawsuit.

Acton’s order cited the “imminent threat” of “widespread exposure” to COVID-19.

“It is clear from history and experience that large number[s] of people gather at polling locations which increases the risk of transmission of COVID-19,” the order states. “To conduct an election at this time would force poll workers and voters to face an unacceptable risk of contracting COVID-19.”

Times have changed.

On Monday, ODH reported 2,900 more Ohioans contracted COVID-19. More than 1,800 are currently in the hospital with the disease, and more than 5,300 have died since March.

Regardless, thousands of Ohioans will pour into poll locations Tuesday to pick a president, two state Supreme Court justices, state senators and representatives, and scores of down-ballot candidates and issues.

Of course, there are some key differences: our collective understanding of the virus, how it spreads and who’s at risk has evolved; our risk tolerance has developed while we figure out how to navigate ordinary life during an extraordinary health crisis; evidence-backed personal protective equipment is more readily available; and the state has more control over its primary election than a general election.

The contrast is nonetheless stark.

The incubation period for COVID-19 can be up to 14 days, according to the CDC. Over the last 14-day period ending Monday, more than 38,000 Ohioans contracted COVID-19. The close contacts (within six feet for a total of 15 minutes or more) of people known to be infected are advised to quarantine as well.

Secretary of State Frank LaRose issued guidance to county boards of elections, advising them to utilize curbside voting for people who tested positive or may have been exposed to COVID-19.

“No matter what, every eligible voter who wishes to vote must be permitted to do so after they are asked to consider safer alternatives,” the guidance states.

A spokeswoman said Tuesday LaRose has also implemented an emergency option, allowing people who have been ordered to isolate or quarantine since noon Saturday to request an absentee ballot before 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Melanie Amato, an ODH spokeswoman, said Tuesday that the department does not plan on issuing any orders to halt the election or prevent anyone from voting.

“The state of Ohio has now had nine months to learn and study COVID-19,” she said. “When the original order was issued in March, Ohio was just starting to have positive cases. We were still learning and did not have the precautions in place that we do now. Now with a mask mandate, social distancing, safety precautions for poll workers and more knowledge about the virus, we feel people can remain safe when heading to the polls.”

State lawmakers went on to rework the primary into an all-mail affair with an April 28 deadline. What effect, if any, the coronavirus could have on Tuesday’s election remains unclear.

As of 2 p.m. Monday, LaRose said 3.4 million Ohioans have cast their ballot early in person, via drop box, or by mail. One day before the 2016 election, that number was 1.8 million.

The presidential race has in many ways been defined by the pandemic. President Donald Trump has insisted, without evidence, the pandemic is “rounding the corner.” The campaign has hosted large-scale rallies with few wearing masks or social distancing. Trump has spent months downplaying the virus and caricaturizing it as a media hoax. He floated the idea of firing the federal government’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, on Sunday after Fauci criticized Trump’s handling of the pandemic in an interview with The Washington Post.

Meanwhile, Democratic challenger Joe Biden has generally opted against large rallies, frequently wears his mask during public appearances, and criticizes the president for hosting “super spreader” events — including one at the White House believed to have infected Trump and more than 20 contacts including aides, U.S. Senators and journalists.

In Ottawa County, the virus and the election are set to literally converge: The county health department’s boardroom has been retooled into a poll location.

According to Cleveland.com, the county has picked the winner of the presidential race in each of the last 14 elections. It turned red Oct. 22 on Ohio’s Public Health Advisory System map, indicating “very high rates of exposure and spread.”

Health Commissioner Jerry Bingham said he’s focused on stopping spread within households and at social gatherings. If people wear masks and socially distance at the polls, voting will be safe, but he said everybody must buy in.

“Back in March, this was such a new virus,” he said. “Over the months, there have been a lot of new discoveries about what works well, what doesn’t, how infectious it is. I’d say we know a lot more about the virus than in March.”

That said, LaRose’s guidance to boards of election hints at the bitter national divide regarding masks. It says poll workers should “encourage” voters to wear masks but cannot force them to.

“Do not engage in underlying issues that may factor into the objection,” the guidance warns.

The CDC offers its own guidance for voting during the pandemic: masks, hand hygiene, social distancing, and getting in and out as quickly as possible.

“Voters who are sick or in quarantine should take steps to protect poll workers and other voters,” it states. “This includes wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, and washing your hands or using hand sanitizer before and after voting. You should also let poll workers know that you are sick or in quarantine when you arrive at the polling location. Check with local authorities for any additional guidance.”

This story is provided by Ohio Capital Journal, a part of States Newsroom, a national 501 (c)(3) nonprofit. See the original story here.

• • •• • •

CareSource makes big change to drug reimbursements

Ohio’s biggest managed-care company moves toward greater pricing transparency

By Marty Schladen

File photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.

After years of complaints by community pharmacies, Ohio’s largest Medicaid managed-care company has announced a huge overhaul to the way it reimburses them for prescription drugs.

The issue might sound technical, but it goes to the heart of drug pricing and whether independent, small-town pharmacies can remain viable. In fact, it played a big role in a case that was argued earlier this month before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dayton-based CareSource last week announced that Express Scripts, its pharmacy-benefit manager, would scrap the non-transparent process it was using to reimburse pharmacies for generic drugs and replace it with one based on a public index.

“This move magnifies the importance of our commitment to local, independent pharmacies by providing both transparency and stability to our critical access providers in order to help us achieve the highest quality of patient care for our members, particularly in rural and underserved patient populations,”  Steve Ringel, CareSource Ohio Market President, said in a statement.

CareSource is by far the largest of the five companies that contract with the Ohio Department of Medicaid to run the vast majority of the state’s $27 billion-a-year program, which uses federal and state funds to provide healthcare to more than 25% of Ohioans. 

The managed-care companies, in turn, contract with pharmacy-benefit managers, or PBMs, to handle more than $3 billion a year in prescription drug transactions. The PBMs serve as middlemen, handling such tasks as reconciling claims, negotiating rebates from drug makers and reimbursing pharmacists.

Huge PBMs such as Express Scripts, CVS Caremark and OptumRx have been accused of using opaque tactics to engage in non-competitive practices. 

One practice under scrutiny is the use of maximum-allowable-cost, or “MAC,” lists to determine how much to reimburse pharmacists for Medicaid drugs that the pharmacists have already purchased from wholesalers. PBMs generate many such lists internally through a process they claim is objective, but a rare peek behind the curtain last year raised serious questions about whether that’s actually the case.

A state study prompted by an investigation by The Columbus Dispatch found that in 2017, the three big PBMs charged the state almost a quarter-billion dollars more for generic drugs than it paid the pharmacists who dispensed them. And that doesn’t count profits the companies might have reaped from more expensive brand-name and specialty drugs.

Community pharmacists in Ohio and elsewhere have for years been complaining that they’re losing money through practices such as these and some are going out of business. In some areas, that has created “pharmacy deserts” where access for the poor and elderly becomes much more difficult.

To combat the phenomenon, Arkansas passed a law forbidding the MAC pricing system for generic drugs and the PBM industry sued. That’s the issue now before the U.S. Supreme Court.

But in Ohio, CareSource is voluntarily doing what the Arkansas law forces PBMs to do: use a public-pricing list to set reimbursements to pharmacists. Known as the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost, or “NADAC,” list, it averages what pharmacies pay to acquire drugs. 

It’s not a perfect reflection of the marketplace because it doesn’t account for rebates pharmacists get from wholesalers. But an observer said that it’s as close to objective pricing as one can get under the current system. He added that while NADAC might work somewhat to the advantage of pharmacists, they also are disadvantaged by Medicaid dispensing fees that usually don’t cover their costs.

The news that CareSource would make its PBM use the new reimbursement system was welcomed by the organization that represents Ohio’s community pharmacists.

“It’s no secret that pharmacists in Ohio have been looking for someone to step forward and redesign the pharmacy benefits model for the better,” Ernest Boyd, Executive Director of the Ohio Pharmacists Association, said in a statement. “Pharmacy is complicated, and it takes a lot of work and motivation to unwind it and fix it. The Ohio Pharmacists Association applauds CareSource for rolling up their sleeves and building solutions for local providers who serve some of the most vulnerable populations.”

• • •• • •

This story is provided by Ohio Capital Journal, a part of States Newsroom, a national 501 (c)(3) nonprofit. See the original story here.

County-by-county COVID-19 response ‘will not work,’ Harvard epidemiologist says

By Jake Zuckerman

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images.

A Harvard epidemiologist cast skepticism on Gov. Mike DeWine’s emphasis on forming “COVID defense teams” to respond to the pandemic on a county-by-county basis.

Dr. Michael Mina, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said a “patchwork approach” of uneven policy applications is doomed to fail.

“As long as we’re doing this in a haphazard, individual district-by-district way, it simply will not work,” he said.

He said the virus pays no attention to political constructs like county lines, and that communities cannot control the virus with an “asynchronous” response — if community A drives case counts down, it’s only so long until community B’s more relaxed approach bleeds over.

On Thursday, DeWine said he was calling on county leaders in every community to form “COVID defense teams.” He said they’d be comprised of mayors, commissioners, hospital executives, business leaders and others.

This comes as the epidemic in Ohio has soared to new heights — more Ohioans were infected with COVID-19 this week than any other during the pandemic. Similarly, more Ohioans are in the hospital Sunday with COVID-19 than any other point in history.

The county COVID-19 defense teams will focus on what resources are available in the community, where its problem lies, and what can be done to turn things around, DeWine said.

“Things happen at the local level,” he said. “Somebody at the local level who might not think they should wear a mask is a lot more likely to listen a neighbor than they are to me, or than they are to (Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious disease expert).”

Responding to Mina’s criticism, DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney said the teams are a supplement, not a replacement, to work the state is doing.

“We’re asking for more players in the field,” Tierney said.

DeWine said contact tracers and local health authorities are sounding alarms that they’re seeing spread at events like family gatherings, funerals, and weddings, more so than regulated spaces like bars and restaurants.

State policy, to be sure, drives much of Ohio’s COVID-19 response. The Ohio Department of Health, part of DeWine’s administration, has mandated masks, restricted alcohol sales on site at bars and restaurants, and implemented mass gathering and capacity restrictions on a statewide basis.

Significantly, however, it has left decisions on schools to local communities.

DeWine has repeatedly said there are no lockdowns or government responses of similar character looming, although he has said he wouldn’t rule them out entirely.

The ranking Democrat in the state House of Representatives, Emilia Sykes, criticized DeWine’s announcement Thursday.

“A county-by-county, city-by-city plan is no substitute for the statewide COVID response,” she said. “I understand delegation, but this is a dereliction of duty. This will not end well for Ohioans.”

‘A long winter’

Mina, speaking to reporters, warned the pandemic is moving in the wrong direction in the U.S.

The virus overcame “seasonal barriers” and continued to spread this summer. Now, colder weather is driving people inside, where the virus is more likely to spread. Plus, transmissibility increases as humidity decreases, all making for a deadly confluence.

“Unfortunately, we are, I think, in for a long winter,” he said.

Ohio and other states missed the chance to drive down case counts in June, July and August, he said, which could have set them up to confront the winter from a better position.

This, coupled with large scale rallies for President Donald Trump that continue to occur, could force states into uncomfortable positions if current trends continue.

“They’re going to be forced to shut down,” he said.

In Ohio, at least 219,000 residents have been infected with COVID-19. More than 19,000 have been hospitalized with the disease. More than 5,300 have died.

This story is provided by Ohio Capital Journal, a part of States Newsroom, a national 501 (c)(3) nonprofit. See the original story here

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Sunday Roundup: Otis Moss III, Jawanza Colvin, Alison Bibb-Carson, Dallas Grundy, Kathryn Hall, Denise McCory, Nwaka Onwusa

Notwithstanding the increasing secularization of American life, black clergy remain among the most prominent and dynamic leaders of our increasingly diverse community. Two of them — Otis Moss III and Jawanza Karriem Colvin — are yoked through Cleveland’s historic Olivet Institutional Baptist Church. Not coincidentally, both are also Morehouse graduates.

Dr. Otis Moss III

This morning, Otis Moss III, since 2008 pastor of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ, will be interviewed on Oprah Winfrey’s SUPER SOUL SUNDAY at 11AM EST. The two will discuss the upcoming election, Moss’s new movie, and more. It can be accessed via Facebook here.

Rev. Jawanza Karriem Colvin

This evening, on 60 Minutes, correspondent Scott Pelley will report on his conversations with Ohioans regarding this year’s elections. Pelley returns to Olivet for an update with Rev. Colvin, whom he interviewed in 2016 about that year’s election. 

During the segment Pelley will also talk with people who lost relatives to COVID-19 and who themselves had the disease. He also ventures to Akron, where he interviewed a group of union workers from Goodyear to get their views on trade, workers' rights and other issues important to them.

The  report will be broadcast at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

• • •

This year’s pandemic and quarantine have not appreciably slowed the cycle of new faces in new positions around town. Here’s a summary of who’s now where that you may have missed in forging your new routine:

Alison Bibb-Carson

Alison Bibb-Carson joined Cleveland State University in August 2020 as the Executive Director of Marketing and Communications. She most recently served as External Affairs Director for Virginia and Maryland American Water. Preceding her 2012 relocation to the Washington, DC area, Alison worked as Director of Communications for the Cleveland Museum of Art. She also held strategic communications positions at University Circle Incorporated, the Cleveland Play House and University Hospitals of Cleveland.

• • •

Dallas A. Grundy has been named senior vice president and chief financial officer at the University of Akron. He comes to northeast Ohio from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was Associate Dean for Business Affairs at the Law School. 

Grundy holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and an MBA in Management Information Systems and Marketing, both from Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Previously he worked in the areas of staffing and human resources management, strategy development, and leadership and team development for Lucent Technologies, Citigroup, General Motors, Corning Inc., and Merck & Co.

Along with three friends from his Rutgers Engineering program, he co-founded BCT Partners, a national consulting firm that specializes in housing and community development, economic development, workforce development, children and families, education, and health care.

In 2012, Grundy was selected as a fellow by the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education, an organization which represents Black faculty and staff in higher education and recognizes African-American achievements and accomplishments in the field.

Grundy and his wife, Latifah, an elementary school administrator, will relocate to the Akron area in the coming months.

• • •

Kathryn M. Hall has been hired as vice president of diversity and inclusion at JACK Entertainment of Cleveland pending regulatory approvals.

Kathryn M. Hall

Hall, a Cleveland native, will "lead the development and implementation of diversity, equity and inclusion strategy for the gaming company," JACK Entertainment said in a news release.

Hall joins JACK Entertainment from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, where she was chief diversity officer. She previously worked as chief diversity officer for both Case Western Reserve University and Cuyahoga Community College.

Hall holds a master's degree in psychology, with an emphasis on diversity management, from Cleveland State University. She also holds a certification as an executive coach from Case Western Reserve's Weatherhead School of Management. Hall is board chair of the Council for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland and is a board member for the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival, the Commission on Economic Inclusion, the United Black Fund of Cleveland and the UNCF of Northeast Ohio.

Hall holds a Master’s degree in Psychology with an emphasis on Diversity Management from Cleveland State University. She is a Certified Diversity Professional, has been certified by the NTL, Washington, D.C. with a Specialization in Diversity Management, and holds a certification as an Executive Coach from the Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management.

JACK Entertainment owns and operates JACK Cleveland Casino and JACK Thistledown Racino. The company has a total of about 1,400 workers.

• • •

Denise McCory is the new president at Tri-C’s Metropolitan Campus. Before serving as interim leader there, she served in such roles as the college's dean of student affairs at the Metro Campus and dean of academic affairs at the Eastern Campus.

The selection of McCory followed a national search. 

Denise McCory

“Dr. McCory has excelled in every role at Tri-C as measured by the success of students under her guidance,” said Alex Johnson, president of the College in a news release. “She will make a difference as Metro Campus president and help grow the next generation of community leaders.” 

McCory holds a doctorate in higher education leadership from Walden University. She earned a Master of Education in adult learning and development from Cleveland State University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Ohio University. 

She graduated from Cleveland’s John Marshall High School and now lives in Shaker Heights.

• • •

Nwaku Onwusa

Nwaka Onwusa is the new vice president and chief curator at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She joined the Rock Hall in 2019 as the director of curatorial affairs. She was lead curator for the museum’s exhibit, “It’s Been Said All Along: Voices of Rage, Hope and Empowerment”. The, exhibit, highlighting how legendary artists responded to social injustice, opened at the Rock Hall on July 25.

Onwusa’s past experience included a decade of work at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. She has specialized in putting together exhibits that emphasize diversity in music.

“Nwaka is a dynamic curator with strong connections to contemporary artists, a deep knowledge of rock and roll, a keen interest in the power of museums and an understanding of the expansive reach of digital engagement," said Greg Harris, CEO of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, in a press release.

• • •

IN MEMORIAM

VIVIAN C. WILSON

[May 25, 1943 - October 19, 2020]. A graduate of John Adams HS, she worked at Ohio Bell/Ameritech and Karamu House during her long career. Services will be Friday, November 13 at 10am at the Calhoun Funeral Home, 23000 Rockside Rd. [44146] and will be livestreamed. Family visitation is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 11 from 3p-8p at Calhoun’s Rockside location.

JAMES F. MOCKABEE [April 30, 1946 - October 22, 2020]. Survived by his wife, Marsha A. Mockabee; children, Michelle E. Sims (Wardell Jr) and Shamar D. Simmons (Anthony Jr.); siblings, Shirley Moore (Anthony), Sandra Hollyfield (Norman), Kenneth Mockabee (Mary), Jacqueline Mockabee, Sharon Mockabee, and Michael Mockabee; grandchildren, Nina Sims, Wardell James Sims (D.J), Aniyah Simmons, and Samara Simmons.  

A private Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, November 1, 2020 at 2:30p at the Calhoun Funeral Home, 23000 Rockside Rd. [44146]. A wake will begin at 1:30p.

In lieu of flowers the family request, donations may be to the memory of James F. Mockabee at the Cleveland VA Medical Center 10701 E. Blvd. Cleveland, Ohio 44106 Attn: 135. In the memory section of a check or in any correspondence, please indicate In Memory of James F. Mockabee – GPF 1142 (PTSD Services).

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