Latest news with #WEWS
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Attorneys for Householder, Borges ‘hopeful' following pardon for Cincinnati politician
Larry Householder, left, and Matt Borges, right. (Photos by WEWS/WCPO.) The attorneys for former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former Republican leader Matt Borges are feeling 'hopeful' after a Cincinnati politician convicted of bribery got a pardon from President Donald Trump. Once convicted of accepting $20,000 in bribes, former Cincinnati City Councilmember PG Sittenfeld's slate has been wiped clean. President Donald Trump pardoned the Democrat, who was sentenced to more than a year in prison in 2023. And with this pardon comes interest from other influential Ohio politicos. We asked Householder's attorney Scott Pullins if that gives him hope for Householder. 'Yeah, I can't comment, obviously, on what we're doing right now, what I'm working on, our legal team's working on,' Pullins replied. 'But it certainly gives us a lot of hope.' Thursday, Borges's appeals attorney, Dennis Belli, said in a phone interview that the Sittenfeld pardon also gives him hope. In March 2023, a jury found Householder and Borges guilty of felony racketeering in the largest public corruption and bribery scandal in state history. And earlier this month, a panel of federal court judges upheld the convictions of Householder and Borges. We asked Gov. Mike DeWine if he believes Householder and Borges should be pardoned. 'Look, I don't have any comment about the pardons,' he responded. 'These are decisions that are made by the president of the United States. I have authority in regard to state pardons, and I always will tell you about why I made a decision.' Pullins has been telling us for months now that the former speaker is seeking clemency, arguing the FBI was politically motivated in arresting the former speaker. 'They singled out Larry, him alone,' he said. 'No one else has been charged, no other politician — period.' Legal expert Steve Gooden, partner at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, said this could be a sympathetic argument for a pardon. 'It obviously strikes very close to home for Donald Trump who has been the subject of these kinds of inquiries and cases in the past,' Gooden said. In an interview in February, Attorney General Dave Yost refuted this allegation. 'He was indicted by President Trump's United States Attorney, David DeVillers, who, I believe, is the same political party,' Yost said. 'I don't think that dog hunts.' And Yost said he was against Householder getting out. Householder is also facing Ohio charges. He has pleaded not guilty to 10 felony counts in Cuyahoga County. 'I oppose,' Yost said in February. Asked why, he said, 'Because I've seen the evidence and he committed multiple crimes. Even if his appeal is successful in the federal case, there is additional evidence of criminal acts that are included in the state's indictment.' If convicted on state charges and appeals fail, it would take an act of the governor to clear him of that. Previously, Pullins told us in an interview that the team is hoping to leverage Householder's close relationship with Trump to get him out. Asked about the appearance that Householder could be using his connections in order to get out of prison, Pullins responded, 'Well, yeah. He is. Hopefully, he has some friends left that can help.' After our exclusive, in-depth interview in 2023, we've kept in touch with the head juror, Jerrod Haines, who convicted Householder in federal court. He said that Householder was, once again, using power to get what he wanted. 'I definitely feel like he is using his connections to skip his sentence,' he said. 'I would feel that the justice system failed if he would be pardoned. I would feel that my time as a juror was wasted, even though I think it was a very valuable experience for me, my life was interrupted for seven weeks.' Haines told us in 2023 that he was left disillusioned with state government, hoping political leaders would finally learn not to undercut their citizens in exchange for power and money. Paula Christian from WCPO contributed to this story. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
New York Post
7 days ago
- New York Post
Ohio boy, 13, killed by float in freak accident during Memorial Day parade
A 13-year-old boy died Monday after he was run over by a parade float he had fallen from during a Memorial Day procession in Ohio, authorities said. The North Canton teen — whose identity hasn't been released — was participating in the holiday parade in the town of Green around 11:23 a.m. when he tumbled off the front of the festive trailer and was struck by the platform's dual tires, the Summit County Sheriff's Office announced. The annual event came to a sudden halt as the youngster, who sustained severe injuries, was rushed to Akron Children's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 3 A 13-year-old North Canton boy died after he fell from a float and was then run over during a Memorial Day parade. ABC News 'It's really a tragedy that this happened today,' Sgt. Corin Usinski told WEWS. 'They had numerous people on the float and alongside the float. I've been doing this for 25 years as a police officer and I've never heard of this happening ever before.' The nearly two-mile-long parade kicked off from Green High School Monday morning around 10 a.m., according to the city's website. The patriotic wooden float — on which the boy was standing — was being pulled by a gray Ford F-150 pickup truck when he tragically fell, officials said. 3 The youngster died after he was rushed to a local children's hospital in critical condition. ABC News 'Our hearts go out to the family at this time of terrible loss,' Green Mayor Rocco Yeargin told reporters following the heartbreaking incident, the outlet reported. 'We look to support them as a Green community any way that we can. Our school district has reached out to the school district of North Canton to offer counselors that will be in action to help their students walk through this issue.' 3 Officials said the tragic incident remains under investigation. ABC News The North Canton City Schools District also released a statement notifying families that a crisis management team will be on hand to help grieving students and staff. 'We are deeply saddened to have been informed of the passing of one of our North Canton City Schools students,' the statement read. 'There is no greater tragedy than the death of a young person, and we offer our sincere condolences and support to the family.' The fatal incident remains under investigation.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Mark Johnson's attorney calls firing of former Channel 5 meteorologist 'unfounded'
An attorney representing Mark Johnson, the recently fired News 5 Cleveland WEWS meteorologist, called Johnson's firing "unfounded and disappointing," according to a statement obtained by 'Mark Johnson has built a distinguished reputation over three decades as a trusted and respected meteorologist in the community,' Daniel Levin of Prominent Brand + Talent said in the statement. 'His work has earned him the public trust and internal recognition and his performance evaluations have always been exemplary – consistently reflecting his dedication, reliability and value to Scripps and the WEWS family." Levin noted how community organizations and viewers have all appreciated Johnson's commitment to public service throughout the years, while also dismissing online speculation surrounding Johnson's firing. 'I have represented Mark for over 25 years,' Levin said in the statement. 'Mark is a model professional. Of conduct that would be deemed inappropriate, there's none of that.' Johnson's firing was announced by News 5 Cleveland on its website May 9. "We want our audiences to know that News 5 and its parent company, Scripps, take protecting our audiences' trust very seriously by requiring our employees to adhere to the highest ethical standards," Steve Weinstein, WEWS vice president and general manager, said in the statement. "We cannot provide further details, as this is a personnel matter.' Johnson joined News 5 in 1993 where he received Emmy Awards for his work in weather forecasting. He graduated from Kent State University in 1988, according to his LinkedIn profile. Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@ or on Twitter @athompsonABJ This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Former News 5 meteorologist Mark Johnson's attorney responds to firing
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
After firing Mark Johnson, News 5 Cleveland adds meteorologist Frank Marzullo
Weeks after firing meteorologist Mark Johnson, Beacon Journal news partner News 5 Cleveland (WEWS) is adding a member to its weather team. Frank Marzullo, a former meteorologist at Fox19 in Cincinnati, announced on his Facebook page that he was taking a part-time job at WEWS. Marzullo is originally from Cleveland. "Yes, I am geeking out just a bit, but with time on my hands, while I wait for my next Cincinnati move, this is a perfect situation for me to say, I worked at Ohio's first television station," Marzullo said in his Facebook post. He said that starting in June he will work a few days at a week at News 5 Cleveland. He has called weather in Cincinnati since 2007 before leaving Fox19 in February to pursue other opportunities. Johnson was fired by WEWS on May 9 with the public being notified of the move via a news story that offered little explanation. "We want our audiences to know that News 5 and its parent company, Scripps, take protecting our audiences' trust very seriously by requiring our employees to adhere to the highest ethical standards. We cannot provide further details, as this is a personnel matter," station Vice President and General Manager Steve Weinstein said in the news story. Johnson's attorney Daniel Levin said the firing was "unfounded." Johnson has continued to post to his own Facebook page since being let go. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: WEWS adds meteorologist after firing Mark Johnson
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
After firing Mark Johnson, News 5 Cleveland adds meteorologist Frank Marzullo
Weeks after firing meteorologist Mark Johnson, Beacon Journal news partner News 5 Cleveland (WEWS) is adding a member to its weather team. Frank Marzullo, a former meteorologist at Fox19 in Cincinnati, announced on his Facebook page that he was taking a part-time job at WEWS. Marzullo is originally from Cleveland. "Yes, I am geeking out just a bit, but with time on my hands, while I wait for my next Cincinnati move, this is a perfect situation for me to say, I worked at Ohio's first television station," Marzullo said in his Facebook post. He said that starting in June he will work a few days at a week at News 5 Cleveland. He has called weather in Cincinnati since 2007 before leaving Fox19 in February to pursue other opportunities. Johnson was fired by WEWS on May 9 with the public being notified of the move via a news story that offered little explanation. "We want our audiences to know that News 5 and its parent company, Scripps, take protecting our audiences' trust very seriously by requiring our employees to adhere to the highest ethical standards. We cannot provide further details, as this is a personnel matter," station Vice President and General Manager Steve Weinstein said in the news story. Johnson's attorney Daniel Levin said the firing was "unfounded." Johnson has continued to post to his own Facebook page since being let go. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: WEWS adds meteorologist after firing Mark Johnson
