TOLEDO, Ohio — The week of Aug. 2 was jam-packed with hefty news.
From a visit from President Donald Trump, to Governor Mike DeWine receiving both a positive and a negative coronavirus test result and a whole lot in between, it's been enough to keep us all pretty busy.
However, if you need caught up, here's a breakdown of some of the top headlines from the week.
TONY DIA ANNOUNCES PLAN TO RUN FOR COUNCIL
The city has continued to mourn the loss of Toledo police officer Anthony Dia. As a reminder, Dia was shot and killed in the line of duty on the Fourth of July.
Anthony’s dad, Tony Dia, has been pretty vocal about fostering support for law enforcement and has been pushing for the long-term adoption of “Anthony’s Rule.” Named after his son, of course, it would require officers to ride in pairs.
But, Tony is kicking things up a notch, proving he’s ready to make some serious change. On Thursday, he announced his intent to run for Toledo City Council.
Now, we don’t know exactly when he will enter the local political arena. And right now, there are a number of temporary vacancies.
As most of you probably know by now, four of our city council members are under voluntary suspension as they await the verdict in each of their federal bribery cases.
PRESIDENT TRUMP TOURS CLYDE WHIRLPOOL PLANT
President Donald Trump got to hang out in Ohio on Thursday, making a quick stop at the Clyde Whirlpool Plant before heading off to a fundraising event closer to Cleveland.
While the president was at Whirlpool, he made some big promises to American workers. So, let’s take a look at those.
- First – He vowed to defeat coronavirus, saying a vaccine for COVID-19 will come sooner than people think.
- Next, he promised prosperity and economic resiliency after the virus is defeated.
- Third – he vowed to turn America into the premiere medical manufacturer of the world, saying that US can’t rely on China and other nations for our medical essentials.
- He promised to onshore millions of new manufacturing jobs across other sectors
- The president then said he would bring back American jobs using every tool at his disposal
- And finally, he vowed to put American workers first, always.
The president also took some time to reflect on his tariff plan that saved Whirlpool, while pointing the blame for the plant’s past issues at the Obama-Biden administration.
DEWINE TESTS POSITIVE... AND NEGATIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS
Now, Governor Mike DeWine was supposed to greet the president but he hit a bit of a snag on the way to the airport.
The governor took a rapid test, as is required before getting face time with the president, which shockingly, turned up a positive result.
Of course, DeWine was then sent home and the people closest to him were notified and tested, plus, they tested him again; this time with the normal tests that most of us would get.
The governor held a video conference giving people an update on what the was happening, saying he had no idea how he could have gotten the virus and clarifying that he felt fine.
And its not surprising that he felt completely fine because when those second test results came back what did we find out? He tested negative!
Which was good news for the governor, but in a way, it was bad news as well, because social media has been a whirlwind ever since. People have been questioning the trustworthiness of these tests and calling the state data into question.
But, DeWine did clarify a few things.
That first test he got, was an antigen test which is still new technology and it isn't really used in Ohio.
But that second test DeWine took was a PCR test.
So, what’s the difference? Is one more reliable than the other?
PCR VS. ANTIGEN TESTING
When we think about testing that we typically do across Ohio, that is called PCR testing.
A PCR test looks at the genetic makeup of the virus and zooms right in on it, so its pretty sensitive. It's been used a lot, so they experts are already well aware of its strengths and weaknesses. Dr. Peter Mohler with the Wexler Center called this the “gold standard” of COVID-19 testing.
But Antigen tests don’t look at the genetic material. Instead, they’re busy checking out protein on the surface of the virus, so Mohler said they aren’t as sensitive which could cause false positive or false negative results.
The benefit of using these tests is that you get quick results, so epidemiologists can start contact tracing, getting people into quarantine and figuring out health care a lot faster.
How reliable are they really, though? Out three types of tests listed, Mohler put antigen tests at the bottom.
But, again, these tests are new and doctors are still learning about how and when they can be used effectively.
SCHOOLS
There is a lot of chaos at the moment regarding schools; from statewide mask requirements for K-12 students and new local guidelines strongly recommending schools start the year remote. So, let’s dive into the latter a little bit deeper.
The Lucas County Regional Board of Health is now recommending schools start virtually and push back fall sports until at least October 1.
Now, one thing to understand is that this is not an order. The department does have the authority to issue orders, but for whatever reason, they decided not to do that at this point.
But here are a few of the reasons why the board is telling students to stay home.
One of the first points is that case numbers in young people are on the rise - and not just for our young adults. Toledo-Lucas County Health Commissioner Dr. Eric Zgodzinski said that there has been a big increase in cases for kids 0-19, especially between the months of May and August.
But, some people might be wondering if it really is a big deal. According to the Mayo Clinic, most kids who are infected typically don’t become as sick as adults and some may not even show symptoms at all. This is obviously good news, but the board repeatedly said on Thursday that the main concern isn’t with the students. While of course, they don’t want kids getting sick, the bigger problem is the adults they come into contact with.
From teachers, to custodians there are a number of school workers who could be put at risk, not to mention, the people each kid brings those germs home to.
Now, the CDC says that as long as you have low numbers in the community, kids should be able to go back to school, but right now the situation isn’t so hot in Lucas County.
As of yesterday we had 183 cases per 100,000 people – and in the words of Zgodzinski: "Low is not 183 per 100,000."
In fact, out of all 88 counties, DeWine listed Lucas as the second highest for this metric.
But for some perspective, Zgodzinski said that we were about two to three weeks behind bigger counties like Cuyahoga and Franklin to hit our peak and they’ve already started to inch back down. So, hopefully, if we follow in their giant footsteps, we should see some more promising data on the way.
Again, this isn’t an order that schools have to follow. But, a lot of districts did make the switch immediately after the board’s vote. Maumee City Schools for example was ready to go in-person five days a week and did a complete 180 after hearing word of the board’s recommendation, making the jump toward virtual learning.
But not all are heeding that advice. Leaders with St. Ursula spoke up not long after the vote, saying its up to the parents to decide if their kids should go back or not.
And Lucas isn't alone, a number of other counties and municipalities have already issued similar recommendations, including Erie County locally.
PAO DE QUEIJO (SORT OF)
Now, our resident Brazilian Renata Clo did inform me this version of the delicious Brazilian bread isn't exactly authentic, but that is difficult to achieve here in the states. So, here is a delicious and cheesy alternative to the savory snack.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup milk (whole preferably)
- 2 tablespoons butter (I almost always use salted)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups sweet tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 4 ounces grated cheese (I used parmesan, but go ahead and get wild)
ASSEMBLY
Crank that oven up to 400 degrees.
In the meantime, combine milk, butter and olive oil in a pot and bring to a boil. Once it is piping hot, combine the liquid with the tapioca flour and salt in an electric mixer. I used a dough hook attachment, but honestly, the paddle attachment may have done a better job. Mix on low.
After it is all combined it will look a little stringy. Add your eggs one at a time and mix until completely combined. If it is too runny once your done, just pop it in the fridge for awhile until it stiffens up a bit.
Using a cookie scoop or a tiny ice cream scoop, plop your dough onto a baking sheet, spaced about an inch or so apart.
Bake for 25 minutes, or more if you want it a little more crispy. The insides should be soft and kind of like elastic.
You can store it at room temperature for 3-4 days.
I know you didn't ask for my opinion, but if you've ever tried hot honey, it is a perfect addition to this cheesy treat - but Renata will probably hate me for that.
