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Morning Headlines: Program to Help Ohioans Enroll in Obamacare Gets Shuttered

WESTERN RESERVE HOSPITAL

Here are your morning headlines for Friday, September 22:

  • Cleveland seeks new site for planned dirt bike track;
  • Stark County Jail is near capacity;
  • Canton native will be inducted into the PGA Hall of Fame;
  • Program to help Ohioans enroll for Obamacare gets shuttered;
  • Akron Symphony launches mobile app;
  • Cleveland gets a financial boost as more people go to Indians home games;

Cleveland seeks new site for planned dirt bike track
The City of Cleveland is searching for alternative locations to build a professional-grade dirt bike track. The track was originally planned for Marion Motley Park. Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson says he’s reconsidering the location after potential track operators expressed concerns about noise and safety at the original site. Cleveland.com reports Jackson is still planning to build the dirt bike track if a new location is found. The proposed complex originally consisted of a paved track as well as a dirt track, but now they will be split between two different locations. Jackson has argued for the dirt bike park as an investment in the city’s youth, while critics have said the roughly $1 million should go toward city services.

Stark County Jail is near capacity
The Stark County Jail is hovering near full capacity. The Canton Repository reports the jail had 525 inmates Thursday morning, just one person away from its limit of 526. Jail officials are not concerned and say the population is always changing as inmates are brought in or transferred out to prison. Jail administrators are trying to reduce inmate numbers through pre-trial release and parole. A jail spokesman says the population tends to increase in the summertime and decrease as the weather turns colder.

Canton native will be inducted into the PGA Hall of Fame
Former LPGA golfer and Canton native Renee Powell is one of seven golfers who will be inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame next month. Her 2017 classmates include Gary Player and Mickey Wright. Powell’s late father, William, was enshrined in the hall of fame in 2009 and was an advocate for racial equality in golf. Powell was the first woman of color to become a member of the PGA of America in 1996. The enshrinement ceremony will be held on Nov. 2.

Program to help Ohioans enroll for Obamacare gets shuttered
Severe cuts to federal funding are forcing a service that helps Ohioans get enrolled for healthcare to shut down. The Affordable Care Act Navigator program helps people enroll in the Obamacare health insurance exchanges and Medicaid. More than two-thirds of the organization’s funding has been cut and most of its employees will be laid off. Cleveland.com reports the service helped nearly 10,000 Ohioans enroll in marketplace or Medicaid plans last year. People can still enroll themselves at healthcare.gov during open enrollment, which runs Nov. 1 through Dec. 15.

Akron Symphony launches mobile app
The Akron Symphony Orchestra has released a mobile app. The app connects patrons with concert information, videos of musicians and guest artists, and symphony social media accounts. Users can also check in at symphony events to access additional content and talk about the music with fellow patrons. The app is powered by performing arts mobile platform provider InstantEncore. It can be downloaded in the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android).

Cleveland gets a financial boost as more people go to Indians home games
The City of Cleveland is getting a financial boost from a spike in attendance at Cleveland Indians home games. Cleveland.com reports average attendance at Progressive Field is at a four-year high. The result is an additional $1.5 million for the city, collected through the admissions tax on ticket sales. Still, the overall admissions tax receipts from all city venues are projected to be down to $14.8 million from last year’s $20 million. Mayor Frank Jackson says it’s an example of how the success of downtown sporting events can benefit neighborhoods.