Ohio
Ohio veteran on Gaza flotilla lands at Detroit Metro Airport after released from Israeli jail
A Toledo, Ohio, native and veteran is back home and was greeted with hugs and chants at the Detroit Metro Airport on Friday after he was released from an Israeli jail after taking part in the widely publicized Global Sumud Flotilla.
Phil Tottenham, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, had taken off from Barcelona in late August on a boat with several other American veterans and was among over 40 other boats that were intercepted by Israel as they attempted to break a blockade of Gaza, while carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid.
“Being illegally intercepted and kidnapped and detained for five days and four nights, hunger striking,” Tottenham told CBS News Detroit.
The Israeli Navy had told the flotilla of boats, “You are entering an active war zone. If you continue and attempt to break the naval blockade, we will stop your vessel,” before detaining the over 400 people across the 40-plus boats.
Tottenham says he took part in the flotilla because he felt the attention it would bring to the situation in Gaza would be more significant than anything else he could do to stand up for the Palestinian people.
“We’re human beings, what else is there to do at this point in time? Protesting is not doing anything; we’ve got to do everything we can,” he said.
Many, like Ziad Hummos, drove from the Toledo area to support Tottenham after weeks of following his journey abroad.
“I’m so proud of him as a humanitarian. You know he’s a true example of an American hero,” Hummos said.
When asked about the ceasefire and peace plan that was agreed to just a few days ago in the Middle East, Tottenham told CBS Detroit he will believe it when he sees it, and that there’s still a lot more work that needs to be done.
Ohio
Ohio bill targeting abortion pill could impact other prescriptions
A Republican-backed bill aimed at reducing access to abortion pills could make it harder to buy other prescription drugs, too
Abortion drug under scrutiny by RFK Jr.
USA TODAY wellness reporter Alyssa Goldberg covers why the abortion pill mifepristone is being reviewed by the FDA.
A Republican-backed bill aimed at reducing access to abortion pills in Ohio could make it harder to buy other prescription drugs, too.
House Bill 324, which passed the Ohio House 59-28 on Nov. 19, would require an in-person visit and follow-up appointment for prescribed drugs with “severe adverse effects” in more than 5% of cases. Doctors couldn’t prescribe these medications via a virtual appointment using telehealth.
“Many Ohioans are receiving medications from providers they may never meet face-to-face,” said Rep. Adam Mathews, R-Lebanon, who called the proposed law “life-saving.”
If the bill becomes law, the Ohio Department of Health would be required to create a list of dangerous drugs with a certain percentage of “severe adverse effects.” Severe adverse effects are defined as death, infection or hemorrhaging requiring hospitalization, organ failure or sepsis.
The bill is aimed at mifepristone, a drug used in medication abortions. The Center for Christian Virtue, Ohio Right to Life and Catholic Conference of Ohio support the change, which they say will protect women and children from risky medications.
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio called the bill a medically unnecessary barrier to a safe and effective medication. Ohioans voted in 2023 to protect access to abortion and other reproductive decisions in the state constitution.
“House Bill 324 is in direct conflict with the Ohio Constitution because it seeks to use junk science to override widely accepted, evidence-based standards of care,” said Jaime Miracle, deputy director of Abortion Forward, which helped pass the 2023 measure.
“It is very clear that it doesn’t matter what the people of Ohio stand and fight for,” said Rep. Desiree Tims, D-Dayton, before voting against the bill. “There are just so many lawmakers who are obsessed with a woman and her vagina.”
However, the bill could also make it more difficult to access prescription medications that the Ohio Department of Health deems too dangerous, from antidepressants to Amoxicillin, said Rep. Rachel Baker, D-Cincinnati. “It really could spill over to anything.”
The Ohio Council of Retail Merchants initially opposed the bill because of restrictions placed on pharmacists, but changes to the bill now put the onus on doctors to check if a drug is on the state health department’s list.
The Ohio Senate must review the bill before it heads to Gov. Mike DeWine.
State government reporter Jessie Balmert can be reached at jbalmert@gannett.com or @jbalmert on X.
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Ohio
Unsolved Ohio: Man arrested five years after wife found stabbed to death
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Homicide detectives have made an arrest in connection with the 2020 fatal stabbing of a woman found in a truck on the Southeast Side.
According to court documents, Dominique Edwards was arrested Wednesday and charged in the murder his wife, Infhon’e Edwards, who was found in a pickup truck parked at the Columbus Park Apartments complex in the Milbrook area on Dec. 14, 2020.
A years long investigation placed Infhon’e Edwards and her husband, Dominique Edwards, at the apartment complex the morning of Dec. 11 based on phone records. Video surveillance from the complex showed Infhon’e Edwards pull into a parking space at about 5 a.m. and after about an hour, an unidentified man exited the driver’s side door and walked away from the scene.
Infhon’e’s mother, Rosemarie Dickerson, previously told NBC4 that she recognized the man by his physical appearance, but police had not named any suspect publicly.
“I [recognize] his body build,” Dickerson said. “You couldn’t see his face when he got out, he had a white towel over his face.”
Edwards was stabbed three times on the left side of her chest and twice in her face. Her remains were then placed in the trunk of her Chevrolet Avalanche.
Her body was discovered on Dec. 14, two days after her husband, Dominique, called police to report her missing. For a previous report on this story view the video player above.
Dickerson told NBC4 that Dominique Edwards called her to say that Infhon’e Edwards had not come home the night of Dec. 10 and asked if she had stayed with a friend.
“When I kept calling her phone and there was no answer, it was like it was off,” Dickerson said. “I [told her husband] ‘report her missing’ then I went onto Facebook, and I just asked everybody ‘has anybody seen Infhon’e, we can’t find her.’”
Police noted that interviews with friends and family revealed that the victim “always wore rings on her fingers,” and she was reportedly wearing the jewelry on the night of Dec. 10. But when her body was discovered, she had no jewelry on.
It was eventually discovered that a ring Infhon’e Edwards was wearing on Dec. 10 was later “disposed of” by Dominique Edwards after her death.
An arrest warrant was issued for Dominique Edwards on Nov. 13 and he was arrested Wednesday. A Franklin County Municipal Court judge issued him a $1 million bond on Thursday and scheduled a preliminary hearing for Nov. 26.
Ohio
Ohio State Marching Band performs “Keys to the ‘Shoe” at Rutgers halftime
The Ohio State University Marching Band closed out its final Ohio Stadium halftime show of the 2025 regular season with “Keys to the ‘Shoe,” bringing classical piano favorites to the field.
The halftime show was directed by Dr. Christopher Hoch, Associate Director Phillip A. Day and Assistant Director Josh Reynolds.
The Ohio State marching band’s last show honored veterans during halftime of the UCLA game.
Here’s what songs The Ohio State University Marching Band played
- Rachmaninoff Prelude No. 2
- Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 2
- Rondo alla Turca
- Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2
- Moonlight Sonata
- “Baba Yaga / Great Gate of Kiev” from Pictures at an Exhibition
Watch the Ohio State Marching Band perform at halftime during Rutgers game
Ohio State Marching Band: Keys to the ‘Shoe halftime show during Rutgers game
Ohio State Marching Band: Keys to the ‘Shoe halftime show during Rutgers game
Who created the Ohio State Marching Band formation?
- Drill design: Uiliami Fihaki
- Arranger: Michael Klesch
- Percussion: Mark Reynolds
Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts
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