Joe Biden took the oath of office and became the 46th President of the United States a little before noon on Wednesday.
Kamala Harris was sworn in as America’s first female vice president.
President Biden’s inaugural address focused on a commitment to unity.
“In another January, on New Year’s Day in 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. When he put pen to paper, the president said, and I quote, “if my name ever goes down into history, it’ll be for this act, and my whole soul is in it,” Biden said.
“My whole soul is in it,” Biden continued to applause. “Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause.”
Three former presidents, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were in attendance for the ceremonial transfer of power.
He says more than 18,000 inactive voter registrations are back in the state’s good graces after record-high participation in elections last year.
He says some 10,000 of them cast a vote in the November election.
“Getting rid of bad voter data from the voter rolls helps prevent fraud, makes it easier for county boards of elections to do their jobs, and strengthens the confidence Ohioans place in our elections,” LaRose said. “I’m proud we’ve developed a way of doing this that empowers both the voter and the voting rights community, all while fulfilling my obligation to maintain accurate voter lists. There’s no question – we’re providing a successful model for other states to follow.”
To remain a registered voter requires action, such as voting, updating a registration, requesting an absentee ballot or visiting the BMV.
There is another setback for the seven-story building that looks like a giant basket and once was the home of the Longaberger Company.
Developers intended to turn the unique building into a boutique hotel, but Ceres Enterprises canceled the project, saying the pandemic put too much of a strain on company finances.
So, the basket is back on the market once again, this time selling for $6.5 million.
That price is a far cry from the $32 million it cost to build it in the late 1990s.
The 180,000 square foot building in Newark, Ohio once housed around 500 Longaberger employees when the Longaberger Company was a $1 billion company with more than 8,000 employees in 2000.
The Toledo Police Department says it has received many inquiries about financial donations for the family of Officer Brandon Stalker, who was killed in the line of duty on Monday.
The department says the Toledo Police Federal Credit Union has opened an account in Officer Stalker’s name and 100 percent of the donations will go to his family.
“We at the Toledo Police Department thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the kind words we have received. Officer Stalker leaves behind a loving fiancee and two children: aged 7 years-old and 3 months old,” the department said on its Facebook page.
A GoFundMe account has also been set up to raise money for the fallen officer’s family.
Stalker, 24, was shot and killed by a suspect during a SWAT standoff on Monday.
We are devastated to confirm the Line of Duty Death of #toledopolice officer Brandon Stalker. Officer Stalker joined Toledo Police in 2018 and is survived by loving family, both blood and blue. More information will be made available as soon as possible. pic.twitter.com/3noa6Frd3J
A Toledo police officer has been shot and killed in the line of duty.
The Toledo Police Department says officer Brandon Stalker, 24, was shot on Monday afternoon during a standoff with a suspect while securing the perimeter of a residence on Fulton Street.
Police Chief George Kral says the individual who shot the officer was a suspect in the arson of a cathedral earlier in the day.
The suspect was shot by police. His condition wasn’t released.
Both the Chief and Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz spoke to the media briefly, with the mayor saying it’s “a dark day in Toledo.”
The Chief said Officer Stalker was hired in July of 2018 and was an “amazing police officer.”
He leaves behind a fiancée and a young child.
Stalker is the second Toledo police officer killed in the line of duty in less than a year.
On July 4th, Officer Anthony Dia was shot and killed.
It had been closed since November after cases of COVID-19 increased.
People are asked to make a reservation online so the museum can manage capacity and stick to pandemic rules.
“The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is thrilled to announce that we’re reopening to the public Monday, January 18th, with proven health and safety precautions in place to protect visitors and staff. The museum will be open to tour daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Advance tickets are required and available now,” read a post on the Hall of Fame’s Facebook page.
On Monday, it offered free admission for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, to celebrate how music played a role in the Civil Rights movement.
Excited to announce that we're reopening our doors on Jan. 18th, with proven health and safety precautions in place to protect visitors and staff. The museum will be open to tour daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Advance tickets are required & available now at https://t.co/1tUc5O8Yxkpic.twitter.com/rPuyJITVI1
Campbell Soup Company is donating $25,000 in support of the construction of the STRICT Center, standing for Simulated Tactical Response & Incident Command Training Center.
“I am thrilled by the support from Campbell for this project. They are a newer business in Findlay, but they continue to step up to support public safety services, first responders and law enforcement in our community,” said Mayor Christina Muryn.
The estimated cost of the training complex is $1,000,000, with construction funding from a joint effort of public, private, and non-profit funds.
The mayor says Campbell’s $25,000 donation brings the remaining funds needed to complete the project to just under $350,000.
Other donations include funds from the Findlay Hancock County Community Foundation, Valfilm, Marathon Petroleum, the Hancock County Firefighters Association, McComb Fire Department, Hancock County Commissioners, Washington Township Fire Department, and Whirlpool. Additionally, Findlay City Council has allocated $250,000 towards the project.
The STRICT Center would be a city-owned, multi-agency training complex located behind Findlay Fire Station 4 on County Road 236.
Mayor Muryn says the STRICT Center will benefit emergency personnel throughout the county.
Conceptual drawings for the facility show two buildings, including a “Burn Building” and a “Tower Building”.
Fire Chief Josh Eberle says the structures will allow for live fire training, technical rescue, law enforcement, EMS, and other training scenarios.
“An exciting aspect of the STRICT Center is the ability for our safety agencies to train together. At almost every emergency, there is a fire department, law enforcement and an EMS component all working alongside each other. Currently it is difficult for these agencies to train as a unit, even though we respond together. The STRICT Center will allow that joint training to happen on a regular basis.”
Learn more about the STRICT Center (pictured below) by clicking here.
