Summa closes St.Thomas ER and inpatients at Wadsworth-Rittman
One of the region’s largest employers is restructuring its management and operations.

Summa Health System, with around 10,000 employees, is ending inpatient services at Wadsworth-Rittman Hospital and closing the emergency department at St.Thomas Hospital in Akron.

The 50-bed Wadsworth-Rittman Hospital will keep its emergency room, and continue with several out-patient services.

St.Thomas is converting its emergency services to primary care starting June 1^st.

Employees at St.Thomas’s emergency department will be transferred to Summa Akron City Hospital.

Summa cites declining business at Wadsworth-Rittman for the closure there.

Wadsworth-Rittman Hospital has about 360 employees.

Summa last week eliminated the position of president of Barberton and Wadsworth-Rittman hospitals.


Issue 1 confuses some voters
The Ohio Secretary of State's office says primary election voting is running smoothly.

Voters will cull the candidates for governor, state Legislature and U.S. House.

Turnout at polls in Northeast is light today with no problems being reported.

The election also will determine the outcome of about 600 local issues.

The one statewide ballot issue is an amendment to the state’s constitution authorizing the state to borrow $1.875 billion over 10 years for infrastructure projects.

Several voters outside a Portage County polling place say they were confused by the issue.  

The borrowing authorized by Issue 1 was originally authorized in 1987 and has twice been renewed by voters, in 1995 and in 2005.

Opponents of the issue say the state should not continue borrowing money it doesn’t have.

Polls are open until 7:30 p.m.

Tressel makes his pitch for YSU presidency
Former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel says he hasn't thought much about whether he would accept the presidency of Youngstown State University over the same job at the University of Akron.

Tressel — who is a finalist for the presidency at both universities — made his pitch for the job Monday to faculty, staff and students at Youngstown State. He did the same at the University of Akron last week.

The Youngstown Vindicator reports that Tressel told reporters he doesn't plan on going back to coaching and will take his next job "with the idea that I could be there forever."

Tressel is a former Youngstown State football coach.

Tressel was forced out at Ohio State following a scandal in which players sold memorabilia for cash and tattoos.


State report cards issued today on troubled schools
Six Ohio school districts that were found to have altered student data to improve their performance ratings will be issued new state report cards. 

The Ohio Department of Education is releasing new report cards today for all 143 schools in the six districts, which include Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Toledo. 

The Columbus Dispatch reports that the state is changing grades for 20 schools for the 2010-2011 school year. Grades at 10 Cleveland schools dropped.The only two that rose were in Cincinnati.  

State Auditor Dave Yost found that a handful of districts statewide "scrubbed" kids who hadn't left from the rolls so their grades wouldn't hurt overall performance ratings. Those students were added back in and the real grades and academic data were figured for those districts.